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New Retina Macbook - the most beautiful notebook ever designed? With poll

Is the new Retina Macbook the most beautiful notebook ever designed?

  • Total voters
    247
Jobsian

Jobsian

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 30, 2009
853
98
The current (and in fact first) Macbook Airs were lovely when first introduced, but seem a bit dated with that huge bezel. Sony's premium Vaios, Samsung's series 9 Ultrabooks and the Thinkpad X1 Carbon are among the best of the rest but I think the notebooks that come closest (but imo still far off) to the rMB design-wise are the rMBP and Dell's 2015 XPS13,

The XPS 13 has an incredible display and tiny bezels (pics from The Verge):

dell-xps-0212.0.jpg



The side-on profile lets it down imo

dell-xps-0244.0.jpg



The rMBP

DSC_9362-1024.jpg


DSC_9356-1024.jpg



The rMB's bezels are bigger, but the notebook looks sleeker yet sturdy, love the space-gray

verge-001.0.jpg


DSC06551.0.jpg
 
The new MB looks more like a clone of itself than a revolutionary new design. So if I would award "Most Beautiful" to anything then I'd vote for one of the older PowerBooks/MacBooks
 
Good call, especially the black Macbook, I'd give a kidney for a rMB in black.

I was just gonna include the Yoga Pro 3 (even thinner than the rMB but 0.6lbs heavier) but to be honest every time I see a Windows notebook trackpad I get flashbacks. Dell's is nicer Win machine imo anyway.

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and by kidney, I mean about $1500
 
I voted no. It might be the most impressive from an engineering point of view, but the overall design (as in, aesthetics), is too close to the MBA's to be groundbreaking.

And while I hate the MBA's bezels, I'm more reserved when it comes to the complete absence of space on the keyboard's sides of the rMB. I need to see it live, though, because the pictures don't give a true impression.

So - it's beautiful, probably one of the most beautiful laptops on the market, but I wouldn't say it's the "most beautiful notebook ever designed".
 
My vote goes to the 15" rMBP, hands down. I love the wide speaker grills flanking the keyboard and it just makes the machine feel spacious, but not big - like a machine that's going to be rewardingly comfortable to get meaningful work done on.

That new Macbook just looks so wrong without anything on the sides of the keyboard. Not a fan at all. Also not a fan of the wedge, or lack of a light up Apple logo.

It's not a bad looking machine really, just doesn't do it for me. All the promos in gold probably don't help though.
 
Esthetics are secondary for my taste.

It's functionality that matters, a tool I use heavily each day, my Mac Laptops are worth their weight in gold. I don't need beautiful laptops.
 
My wife has a new Dell XPS 13 for work. It is a typical plastic Dell. It is nice enough, but .......... I will take a MB or rMBP, depending on need, anytime over the Dell.
 
redheeler said:
Posting from my 12" PowerBook G4 now, and I definitely know where you're coming from. Still has a premium feel, excellent keyboard, and surprisingly small bezel. Definitely ahead of its time in 2005.
Click to expand...

i had one, loved it. but it got seriously hot, had a dim screen, no backlit keys (of course), and in modern terms, is old, slow. and that thing is heavy.

ahead of it's time in 2005? sure, and we'll be saying the same thing about the new macbook eventually...
 
technosix said:
Esthetics are secondary for my taste.

It's functionality that matters, a tool I use heavily each day, my Mac Laptops are worth their weight in gold. I don't need beautiful laptops.
Click to expand...

I appreciate your stance, but this thread is explicitly about esthetics :)
 
Yes, from the front is a pleasure to see the sceen and the tiny gold bezel surrounding the screen

So the gold one it is from design point of view a pleasure and unique one
You must see it in person because i can't explain what i want to tell you
 
Last edited:
While I realize it wasn't thin, my fond memories are of my old iBook G3 white and blue.

I've never longed for thinner laptops. And actually dislike super thin devices. I like to know I've got ahold of it. The lighter and thinner they are, the more prone accidents are.

I carried my iBook G3 to college then. I carry my HP laptop to college now.

The weight is of little consequence. The durability and performance are primary to me. I wish Apple could make a laptop today that did what I needed. And I miss the tanks that could take a daily beating and still look and work like new.

My HP takes the beating. The MacBooks are sadly too fragile. The hinge mechanism by itself would be too weak. If I'd had a MacBook last week, it would have been destroyed during an accident that occurred last week on campus when my HP was on the table. But as it was, I saw it happen, I didn't move to stop it, and it was fine.

The iBook G3 would have survived as well if I were still using it. But the Mac laptops became to fragile when they switched to the aluminum style. Thinness creates weaknesses that wouldn't be there if there was sufficient mass. For example the hinges.

But aesthetically speaking, I find the current mac laptops to be no more attractive than any other rectangle on the shelf.
 
Yes. It may only be a minor step on the previous #1, the MBA, but it is still a step up.

The Dell is nowhere in the same league. Yes, it has small bezels, but other than that it looks like a piece of plastic boo boo.
 
Apple still make a laptop for you The clasic 13" MBP IT IS A TANK

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T'hain Esh Kelch said:
Yes. It may only be a minor step on the previous #1, the MBA, but it is still a step up.

The Dell is nowhere in the same league. Yes, it has small bezels, but other than that it looks like a piece of plastic boo boo.
Click to expand...

Its not designed well its not ergonomic, very small bezels but with a huge bezels bottom where its says DELL

What the hell at least Apple has balanced design
 
I'm in the minority - I don't think its the most beautiful notebook ever designed. Its nice looking, but its just a MBA with one port, i.e., the same wedge design as the MBA.
 
Is not a MBA like MBP its not like MBA
Yes don't get confused that all are Apple products and everybody have to know out there to be recognised.
 
I still think the 12" PB is the nicest laptop I've ever seen. I'll reserve final judgment until I see the rMB in person, but as of right now I have no regrets what so ever buying a carbon fiber Dell XPS 13.
 
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