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New Retina MacBook Appears in Early Unboxing Video
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I don't think I can agree on that...not having MagSafe is consistent with the anticipated user base: users who want a Mac product (keyboard, trackpad, Mac OS) in a highly portable (iOS style) device. Apple's POV is that they've sold zillions of iPads and they don't have MagSafe....
Yes, 1000% certain - why is everyone acting like this product hasn't already been fully announced?
I agree, though - magsafe is one of genuinely innovative hardware inventions Apple has come up with and they're now dropping it for something way inferior purely to shave half a millimetre off the thickness that no-one cares about anymore. Disappointing.
not to derail the video, but I have a hard time seeing many people choosing this laptop over the retina 13"
Also, a thinner keyboard? That doesn't seem like a good idea...
Also, a thinner keyboard? That doesn't seem like a good idea...
Exactly, visit Apple.com to see all the features, and MacRumors forums to follow discussions about new/dropped features.
That said, MagSafe seems to have run its course. All-day battery life means less using while charging, hence no need for a safety feature that only serves a purpose when you're working while charging, in a space with other people.
Serial Number indicates it was "activated" on Feb 26.
Your Service and Support Coverage
Serial Number: C02P7085GHV2
Valid Purchase Date
Telephone Technical Support: Active
Your product is eligible for complimentary telephone technical support during the first 90 days.
Estimated Expiration Date: May 28, 2015
Repairs and Service Coverage: Active
Your product is covered for eligible hardware repairs and service under Apple's Limited Warranty.
Estimated Expiration Date: February 26, 2016
Looks great to me but I'm going to wait till next year - maybe there'll be a 14in version. Certainly there'll be a V2 12in version.
Your Service and Support Coverage
Serial Number: C02P7085GHV2
Valid Purchase Date
Telephone Technical Support: Active
Your product is eligible for complimentary telephone technical support during the first 90 days.
Estimated Expiration Date: May 28, 2015
Repairs and Service Coverage: Active
Your product is covered for eligible hardware repairs and service under Apple's Limited Warranty.
Estimated Expiration Date: February 26, 2016
Looks great to me but I'm going to wait till next year - maybe there'll be a 14in version. Certainly there'll be a V2 12in version.
Damn. I was really hoping that Magsafe might have made its way to the power brick, but I guess not. Sigh.
If you have a sizable iTunes library, or heaven forbid you have a decent camera, the drivespace gets exhausted pretty quickly on these little notebooks. ...iCloud isn't going to back up tens of gigs of your RAW or DNG files, just little jpgs, and odds are you're not going to score a connection to the net everywhere you go anyway to stream everything, since this is a Mobile Computer, and not a desktop, making it pretty crippled.
So yes, now we're driving not only the computer, but a second spinning HD unit over usb, burning up the battery that much faster. Many HD's won't even run when on battery power or attached to a hub, or even without their own power supply. HD's are that energy thirsty.
All this no ports wireless stuff looks slick in commercials, but the amount of drivespace & wifi bandwidth available in the machines hasn't increased proportionately to make it feasible yet.
Vietnamese guy here, been lurking around here for quite long but today I finally registered an account to post this: The reviewer says (translated from the text): "The feel of the keyboard is not comparable with that of current MacBooks. The slimness has compromised the feel of the keyboard. It's very, very shallow, (OP: yes, he used very twice) and I suspect it will be very unpleasant to use for a few hours straight." So yeah. If you want additional translation let me know.
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Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
This is, without a doubt, the "Macbook Air of 2008." Expensive, slow, lack of ports (i.e. ahead of it's time and fills a niche market)
I just can't wait until this becomes the "Macbook Air of 2010." But until then, I'm absolutely loving my MBA.
I just can't wait until this becomes the "Macbook Air of 2010." But until then, I'm absolutely loving my MBA.
I don't think this is a classic example of Apple anything. This is the first time Apple has created a laptop with only standard standard connectors. I can see in a couple of years using USB-C for all my portable devices, whether they come from Apple or not. I don't care to argue about whether that is "form" or "function". In any case I'm glad to see Apple headed in this direction.
USB-C (w/ USB 3.1) is the best connector yet. That this isn't an Apple exclusive makes it even nicer. Only downside is that it has less bandwidth than ThunderBolt, but hopefully a future revision will change that (and I'd imagine future MacBook Pro updates will have both USB-C and ThunderBolt for a while, if there aren't massive technical challenges in doing so).
I do like MagSafe, but it seems possible for someone to create a power-only MagSafe-like USB-C cable. If not, losing MagSafe is a tough trade-off, but I think what we gain more than makes up for it.
For all the deserved love that MagSafe receives (I'm a huge fan) I can also see what Apple is doing here. This product isn't for everyone. If you gotta have more ports, for whatever reason, they have multiple products to sell you. I read something, somewhere that there were whispers out of Apple that making MagSafe work, magnetically, in such a thin port wasn't happening. And thin was absolutely one of their non-negotiables of the product. Throw in the desire to make this as simple as the iPad/iPhone...sound out and charging/expansion. That's it. I personally have a 2nd gen 13" MBA and have only used USB once, and that's because my SD card port stopped working. As soon as I see reviews that verify my hopes (low heat and decent graphics performance), I'm ordering one. I don't do high end video stuff, but I do a bunch of development (XCode, WebStorm, Eclipse) on my ancient MBA, so the Macbook ought to be a great upgrade. And while I'll miss the MagSafe, I'm certainly not going nuts about it.....if it was that critical to me, I'd get a 13" Pro (gotta have Retina!)
Still not seeing how a single port is sensible.
Since these things have such limited drivespace and aren't upgradable, that pretty much guarantees the need for an external drive. ...and having to choose between having your drive plugged in or your charger sucks.
I liked getting to hear Vietnamese spoken. And I liked the keyboard.
I agree. I think there should be at least 4 ports. 2 on each side. Things Apple should have considered would be:
1. External monitors.
2. External Storage.
3. Syncing/Charging devices.
4. Power.
Having to constantly choose will be problematic. Maybe version 2 will add an additional port at least.
I will buy this in a hot minute. I have used, extensively, the 11" MBA, 13" MBA, and 13" MBP. The last I gave to my wife, and went back to the Air.
This will be my second computer, in addition to a desktop with lots of disk space for iTunes libraries, photos, and whatever.
I want the smallest possible laptop with the best possible screen. I spend most of my time in Terminal.app. When I do compiles, I run them on the server, so local CPU speed doesn't mean a lot to me.
I think this computer will find a lot of customers among two groups: those with relatively modest needs, and those with extremely high needs, who are already served by a more powerful machine and want something small, light, with a great display for working remotely.
Regarding the end of mag-safe... Mag-safe was great when the assumption was that your computer would be plugged in while you were using it; I think that assumption is less valid as battery life improves.
Certainly, when I look at my big Cinema display and see the "mag-safe + USB + mDP" octopus, I don't think "Wow, that's elegant!" Time is moving on...
I'm concerned about this. I'll be glad once it's available and some actual reviews get posted.
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And how do you know it will be slow before it's even out with actual usage reviews? Using comparison products is not sufficient since they are, well, different products with a different OS.
Why is that a terrible place? It's been the same (on the side) for a few generations now. My laptop picks up sounds that none of my friends machines can...
Exactly. In a year or two when the updated version comes out I'll be all over that. Or maybe I'll be al lover the new macbook pro that comes out around then haha