I've had my Space Grey MacBook 1.2/512GB for a week now and I think that's been long enough to give it a thorough test.
I love it.
Performance:
* No UI lag.
* Mission Control = smooth
* Dock Magnification = smooth
* Minimizing windows = smooth
* Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Keynote and Scrivener = all work fine
* Contacts, Calendar, Mail, Evernote, Day One, iTunes, Messages, Face Time = all work fine
* Dropbox, iCloud drive = both work fine
Screen:
* My main computer is a Mac Pro with a 28" UHD monitor. So any laptop screen, 15", 13", 12" seems tiny to me, but if you work in one app at a time it's fine.
* The colours are very nice, and the pixel density is terrific, just as good as my rMBP 13".
* The screen tilts back way past vertical, definitely more than I need, and it holds in position.
* The screen doesn't wobble on the frame, but the whole thing is a tad wobbly on my lap because of the light weight - I found the same thing with the Air gen 1. All that's needed is to learn how to position it for maximum support underneath, the wider the area the better.
Keyboard:
* This took the most getting used to. In the initial days I really wasn't sure I was going to like it.
* The keystrokes are predictably very short. It takes some re-training of the brain to ease up on the keys.
* After a few days it is completely fine. I can type just as fast on it as any other keyboard. I'm a writer, so this was a critical factor for me.
* In the wide world of keyboards, I wouldn't say it is the most comfortable, but it isn't any Apple keyboard that holds that title for me, it's a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard, which, conveniently, works with the MacBook when it's on my desk.
* If you have giant hands, you will find the space next to the trackpad small. I have average hands and I only find it a problem sitting in a very un-ergonomic position in a big cushy chair slouching down with my leg crossed in front of me to lift the MacBook up.
Trackpad:
* It doesn't seem different from any other MacBook trackpad in normal use.
* Force Touch is really cool. It feels like a click.
* Looking things up with Force Touch is neat. I'm sure more uses will come along.
Design:
* Gorgeous. I love it.
* Small enough to stick down the side of the sofa beside me when I'm watching TV and it's out of the way.
* It disappears inside a backpack or messenger bag and is so light the bag feels almost empty.
* I love that it's Space Grey. Something different from the string of aluminum MacBooks I've had.
* It sits perfectly flat on a hard surface like a desk or table with zero wobbling.
* Carrying it around closed in your hand it feels more like an iPad than it does a MacBook.
* The speakers have more bass and depth than any MacBook I've had before. I'll still rarely use them, but nice to know they are there.
Port situation:
* I don't miss having more ports. (Reminder: this is my secondary, mobile computer.)
* Yes, I have a dongle. I had dongles for my rMBP 13" too for connecting a projector and ethernet.
* I've used the dongle to connect USB devices including my iPhone for tethering, and it works great.
* File management is fast enough and reliable using wifi networking at home, and with Dropbox and iCloud.
* The headphone jack works as expected, sounds great.
Battery:
* After the first charge cycle, consistently getting 8 hours on a charge, and that's with screen brightness cranked up the way I like it.
I love it.
Performance:
* No UI lag.
* Mission Control = smooth
* Dock Magnification = smooth
* Minimizing windows = smooth
* Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Keynote and Scrivener = all work fine
* Contacts, Calendar, Mail, Evernote, Day One, iTunes, Messages, Face Time = all work fine
* Dropbox, iCloud drive = both work fine
Screen:
* My main computer is a Mac Pro with a 28" UHD monitor. So any laptop screen, 15", 13", 12" seems tiny to me, but if you work in one app at a time it's fine.
* The colours are very nice, and the pixel density is terrific, just as good as my rMBP 13".
* The screen tilts back way past vertical, definitely more than I need, and it holds in position.
* The screen doesn't wobble on the frame, but the whole thing is a tad wobbly on my lap because of the light weight - I found the same thing with the Air gen 1. All that's needed is to learn how to position it for maximum support underneath, the wider the area the better.
Keyboard:
* This took the most getting used to. In the initial days I really wasn't sure I was going to like it.
* The keystrokes are predictably very short. It takes some re-training of the brain to ease up on the keys.
* After a few days it is completely fine. I can type just as fast on it as any other keyboard. I'm a writer, so this was a critical factor for me.
* In the wide world of keyboards, I wouldn't say it is the most comfortable, but it isn't any Apple keyboard that holds that title for me, it's a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard, which, conveniently, works with the MacBook when it's on my desk.
* If you have giant hands, you will find the space next to the trackpad small. I have average hands and I only find it a problem sitting in a very un-ergonomic position in a big cushy chair slouching down with my leg crossed in front of me to lift the MacBook up.
Trackpad:
* It doesn't seem different from any other MacBook trackpad in normal use.
* Force Touch is really cool. It feels like a click.
* Looking things up with Force Touch is neat. I'm sure more uses will come along.
Design:
* Gorgeous. I love it.
* Small enough to stick down the side of the sofa beside me when I'm watching TV and it's out of the way.
* It disappears inside a backpack or messenger bag and is so light the bag feels almost empty.
* I love that it's Space Grey. Something different from the string of aluminum MacBooks I've had.
* It sits perfectly flat on a hard surface like a desk or table with zero wobbling.
* Carrying it around closed in your hand it feels more like an iPad than it does a MacBook.
* The speakers have more bass and depth than any MacBook I've had before. I'll still rarely use them, but nice to know they are there.
Port situation:
* I don't miss having more ports. (Reminder: this is my secondary, mobile computer.)
* Yes, I have a dongle. I had dongles for my rMBP 13" too for connecting a projector and ethernet.
* I've used the dongle to connect USB devices including my iPhone for tethering, and it works great.
* File management is fast enough and reliable using wifi networking at home, and with Dropbox and iCloud.
* The headphone jack works as expected, sounds great.
Battery:
* After the first charge cycle, consistently getting 8 hours on a charge, and that's with screen brightness cranked up the way I like it.
