So how have they performed in the wild??

[ReallyBigFeet]

Like any other response, YMMV based on use case.

For me, the MB is more than sufficient for email, MS Office apps (creating/editing/producing), running a slideshow, watching movies in the hotel room/plane and maybe even some lightweight graphic design. That's what I purchased it for, that's how I use it, and it meets my use cases just fine.

I still revert to a MBP (soon to be the newest iteration) on my desk at the office and an iMac in my home office. While I did purchase a couple of OWC docks (one for home/another for office), I find that the octopus of cables just clutters my desk and the MB isn't worth it as a desktop replacement.

But if you are a Dropbox (or similar) user, with all your files in the cloud in the first place, it's performed admirably. Svelte, great keyboard (once you get used to it), awesome trackpad and gorgeous screen.

Again, YMMV.

 

[pinkoos]

I love it. I went with the 2016 m3 and it is perfect for my uses. I don't use it for anything heavy, mainly web browsing, media consumption, some light photo editing, etc. I like the keyboard a lot and bring it everywhere with me. I feel that I can get so much more done with me than with my iPad that I am now selling. Surprisingly, I even really love Windows 10 on it. It is better than macOS is some respects, mainly performance.

In what manner are you running Windows? Boot Camp or virtualization software (ie, Parallels, Fusion, Virtual Box, etc.)?

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

I went with the 2016 m3 base model. I went with this model because it was my 3rd computer. Right than (early September) my IT establishment was a total mess. At work was using my Windows PC and on the road a Microsoft SP3. At home and for photographic needs I had a maxed out 27'' iMac, 13'' MBP 2015 and 15'' MBP 15. So it was expensive, complicated and inefficient.
To simplify my life I bought the little rMB as my road warrior and sold the SP3 and 13'' MBP.
Right now I do regret for not having bought the m5 model because I use this little guy more and more. At the beginning I thought that the single port will be an issue. But for my usage it proved to be not the case. Battery life is good enough that I don't have to recharge it during the day and all my files are synced trough sugar sync. For emergencies I bought a sandisk stick with usb c on one end and usb a on the other. It works miracles.
Finally, it seems that I'm able to come to terms with the keyboard also. I have to confess that I do prefer my mechanical keyboard I'm using daily in my office but if necessary I can manage with the butterfly keyboard also, although I doubt that I'll be ever loving this keyboard.

 

[Eggtastic]

I went with the 2016 m3 base model. I went with this model because it was my 3rd computer. Right than (early September) my IT establishment was a total mess. At work was using my Windows PC and on the road a Microsoft SP3. At home and for photographic needs I had a maxed out 27'' iMac, 13'' MBP 2015 and 15'' MBP 15. So it was expensive, complicated and inefficient.
To simplify my life I bought the little rMB as my road warrior and sold the SP3 and 13'' MBP.
Right now I do regret for not having bought the m5 model because I use this little guy more and more. At the beginning I thought that the single port will be an issue. But for my usage it proved to be not the case. Battery life is good enough that I don't have to recharge it during the day and all my files are synced trough sugar sync. For emergencies I bought a sandisk stick with usb c on one end and usb a on the other. It works miracles.
Finally, it seems that I'm able to come to terms with the keyboard also. I have to confess that I do prefer my mechanical keyboard I'm using daily in my office but if necessary I can manage with the butterfly keyboard also, although I doubt that I'll be ever loving this keyboard.

Do you think the m5 would have made much of a difference?

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

Maybe, because the m3 is almost there, and 500gb ssd would have been welcomed.
When I say almost there I'm talking about photography related tasks.

 

[macintoshmac]

This might also mean that if they get us Kaby Lake in 2017 March, the MacBooks should fly.

 

[Peter Abs]

1st Gen, and 2nd Gen Macbook 12 in owners what are your thoughts after months and now years of ownership?

Is it enough power? Thoughts on the keyboard? Any annoyances? Would you recommend still or seeing how new MBPs have cut weight and mass similar to MacBook Air that should be the way to go (despite high prices).

I have my 2016 M7/512 over 6 months now as my primary machine and I genuinely can't believe how quick it is, I can honestly say I've never reached its' limits power wise. Keyboard? I like it personally but it's better on the new pro. Annoyances? Dongles... I don't plug stuff in often but when I do, it requires a dongle... but that applies to the new pro now too I guess. Would I buy it again over a new pro? 100%

Happy to report the honeymoon period has not passed, never gets old how portable this thing is, and never get tired of looking at the gorgeous display, but by far the best thing about it is the silent operation - I can't see myself going back to a laptop with a fan again!

All I'll say is use the 14 day return policy and try it out, you're gonna to love it!

 

[double329]

I picked up the 2016 M5 version and I am loving it. It is not my primary system, but I am on it most of the time. 80% of the things I am doing and might even be closed to 90% I am more than happy with the 2016 M5 version. The remaining percentage, I used my iMac 5K 27" (Love the iMac). The rMB is just so dawn good. It is going everywhere with me. If I had to do it over, will I still consider the rMB? Absolutely!!!

 

[aleni]

first i got the m3, for photoshop and illustrator, it's not fun to use. then decided to get the m5, it's much better. so stay out of the m3, even though only for common tasks, the m5 feels significantly much faster than the m3. shell out some money for the m5, it's worth it.

 

[macintoshmac]

You guys are tempting me very much to just go and grab that notebook. I could, but I think the price and performance might just hit the sweet spot in 2017!

 

[Nautilus007]

I have a 2015 1.2/512GB/8GB bought in September 2015 and overall I have been very impressed coming from a 2012 rMBP 15 Quad Core.

It's super quick, great display and the best sound from any notebook I have ever used. This is my only machine and I used it at home running OS X and Bootcamp at work in a Windows environment.

But...

The biggest disappointment? After just 1 year my battery life has dropped to 83% according to coconut battery. There is a significant difference in battery life. When I first got the machine the battery life was more than acceptable, I believe I got around 6 hours of usage which was slightly less than my 2012 rMBP 15 but as I say it was acceptable. Now however I have to charge around every 4 hours - of course I understand this is a first world problem but for my laptop to lose almost 20% capacity in just 1 year I think is unacceptable.

I'm sure the 2016 version is a big improvement though.

Is this something that Apple may fix with free replacement of the battery?

 

[Peter Abs]

You guys are tempting me very much to just go and grab that notebook. I could, but I think the price and performance might just hit the sweet spot in 2017!

Yea I wanted to buy one in October 2015 and decided to wait for the refresh, glad I did although it was a long 6 month wait...!

You should probably wait at this stage, Kaby lake black macbook along with whatever other performance/efficiency improvements would be pretty nice!

 

[shifomu]

Is this something that Apple may fix with free replacement of the battery?

I'm not sure to be honest but I wouldn't think so. I'm out of warranty and apparently in order to qualify for a free battery replacement it needs to drop below 80% design capacity. Suspiciously enough the percentage stop right before the 80% cut off point

I'm also hesitant to believe that the 2016 revision would solve this issue as I haven't read anywhere about a battery architectural change - although please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[macintoshmac]

Yea I wanted to buy one in October 2015 and decided to wait for the refresh, glad I did although it was a long 6 month wait...!

You should probably wait at this stage, Kaby lake black macbook along with whatever other performance/efficiency improvements would be pretty nice!

Man after my own heart! Glad to know there are more who get sudden pangs to buy a MacBook at odd times with 5 more months before a refresh! However, that means I will be carrying my trusty ol' MBP 2011 15" for 5 more months! Hmmm... when I think like this, Kaby does not look that good a baby to wait for.

 

[Peter Abs]

Man after my own heart! Glad to know there are more who get sudden pangs to buy a MacBook at odd times with 5 more months before a refresh! However, that means I will be carrying my trusty ol' MBP 2011 15" for 5 more months! Hmmm... when I think like this, Kaby does not look that good a baby to wait for.

Fair point, I say go for it then there's no reason not to get the current one. Let us know when/if you pick one up, I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

 

[aleni]

Man after my own heart! Glad to know there are more who get sudden pangs to buy a MacBook at odd times with 5 more months before a refresh! However, that means I will be carrying my trusty ol' MBP 2011 15" for 5 more months! Hmmm... when I think like this, Kaby does not look that good a baby to wait for.

you wont be disappointed with the current gen especially the m5 or m7.

 

[Queen6]

2015 1.2 512 rMB - After a year and half of moderate to heavy of use internationally for business purpose:

• KB is marking the display
• USB C port is loose which can & does result in disconnects when using the muti-port adaptor
• Display has a cluster of aberrant pixels that can grey out
• Keyboard looks worse (wear & tear) than any other Mac`s I have, some being over 8 years old
• Battery capacity has depreciated faster than any other Mac I have ever owned

My overall observations from my own Mac`s is that Apple`s product quality is diminishing over time, with the focus being very much more on the aesthetic. I have other Mac portables and the newer they are the less well they seem to fair over time. I if I had to sum it up I would say that Apple is pushing it`s vendors too hard to maintain it`s luxurious margins, net result the output is of a lower quality...

Q-6

 

[Peter Abs]

2015 1.2 512 rMB - After a year and half of moderate to heavy of use internationally for business purpose:

• KB is marking the display
• USB C port is loose which can & does result in disconnects when using the muti-port adaptor
• Display has a cluster of aberrant pixels that can grey out
• Keyboard looks worse (wear & tear) than any other Mac`s I have, some being over 8 years old
• Battery capacity has depreciated faster than any other Mac I have ever owned

My overall observations from my own Mac`s is that Apple`s product quality is diminishing over time, with the focus being very much more on the aesthetic. I have other Mac portables and the newer they are the less well they seem to fair over time. I if I had to sum it up I would say that Apple is pushing it`s vendors too hard to maintain it`s luxurious margins, net result the output is of a lower quality...

Q-6

Did any of that happen before the warranty was up or did it all happen the day after it expired?

I'm sure Apple would've sorted some or all of that out, did you contact them at all?

Sorry to hear you've had a negative experience with yours, I still look at mine the same way as when I unboxed it, it's the most enjoyable notebook/gadget I've ever owned!

In retrospect what would you have bought instead? Or what would you replace it with in due course?

On a side note, I wonder if the issues people are having with batteries are due to the lithium-polymer batteries they use now rather than lithium-ion. They don't like to be "deeply" discharged often for long periods of time. I don't obsess over the battery but I try to look after it as best as I can by not letting it get too low when possible. I'm at around ~110 cycles and ~95% capacity after nearly 7 months of use now so no complaints. The first 5% went pretty quickly which worried me at first but it stabilised after that. I actually still see 97% capacity often enough.

 

[Queen6]

Did any of that happen before the warranty was up or did it all happen the day after it expired?

I'm sure Apple would've sorted some or all of that out, did you contact them at all?

Sorry to hear you've had a negative experience with yours, I still look at mine the same way as when I unboxed it, it's the most enjoyable notebook/gadget I've ever owned!

In retrospect what would you have bought instead? Or what would you replace it with in due course?

On a side note, I wonder if the issues people are having with batteries are due to the lithium-polymer batteries they use now rather than lithium-ion. They don't like to be "deeply" discharged often for long periods of time. I don't obsess over the battery but I try to look after it as best as I can by not letting it get too low when possible. I'm at around ~110 cycles and ~95% capacity after nearly 7 months of use now so no complaints. The first 5% went pretty quickly which worried me at first but it stabilised after that. I actually still see 97% capacity often enough.

Display issues after warranty; port is a difficult one, I would say after approximately 14 - 15 months of use, initially thought it was just me being clumsy, or possibly the male connector of the adaptor, however it`s definitely the port. I also compared the retention force to my Samsung TabPro S which is far higher, admittedly it`s also newer.

KB is well what it is just wear & tear, staining & polishing, equally it`s disappointing given the premium nature of the rMB. KB has never given any issue with it`s usage, I prefer more travel, however that`s a subjective matter, certainly no stuck keys or uneven responsiveness.

Battery follows the trend of many other rMB`s on coconut battery online, with a capacity of 87.1% at 18 months, 119 cycles, still concerns given my 13" Retina is still at 94.9% at 24 months and 15" Retina 87.8 at 53 months, if the rMB battery stabilises it likely wont be an issue for longterm owners.

Replacements; I have been looking at Windows 10 in some detail and part of that study for lack of better words is a Samsung TabPro S which to intents and purpose gets more done with a lesser spec, equally it`s far more tablet focussed. In general I don't keep my notebook`s in a working role beyond 24 months, so the rMB has another 6 months to go.

Plan going forward is a pair of Surface Books, with the 1st already set up and on the desk, 2nd will follow on the release of Surface Book 2. My needs have changed I require more performance and I want the added utility & versatility that Surface Book brings. My daughter already has "eyes" for the Samsung, the rMB I will likely just hang onto as it may very well be my last Mac for some time.

Don't get me wrong the rMB has been a tremendous workhorse, very much impressing me with what I could throw at it. with frequently up to 15 Spaces open across Safari, Mail, Word, Excel, Preview, Messages, iTunes, Calendar. I just turn off Transparency and for the most part it`s fine.

As we also still have 2011 & 2012 15" MBP`s in the house that I also used, I can easily compare the rMB, or more representatively my 2014 13" rMBP to me the older Mac`s have held up far better over time than the newer models, just a personal observation, if not a little disappointing.


Q-6

 

[ApplNat]

Have had my rMB M7 for a couple weeks now. It's fantastic--everything I'd hoped it would be. The keyboard is fine for me. I have no problems typing on the new keyboard whatsoever. The retina screen is fab of course. The one port is the only annoyance, but I already had an adapter so I could plug in USB devices and usb-micro devices as necessary. It's just great for my needs, which is a range of browsing, outlook, running VMware when needed (Win 8), lots of watching video/movies. Perfect size, dead silent, sleek and beautifully designed. I'm a happy camper and so glad I decided to pull the trigger on this one.

 

[macintoshmac]

Starting with this MacBook 12, Apple products have had a quality issue I believe with plethora of complaints flooding the forum.

 

[legioxi]

Display issues after warranty;

You can get that fixed under their delamination program for retina displays. They fixed mine out of warranty for free. Took 4 days to get my laptop back.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.macr...-quality-program-staingate/amp/?client=safari

 

[Queen6]

You can get that fixed under their delamination program for retina displays. They fixed mine out of warranty for free. Took 4 days to get my laptop back.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.macr...-quality-program-staingate/amp/?client=safari

Thx for that, get time I`ll see what Apple says.

Q-6

 

[kwandrews]

I have a 2016 m5 and now the base 13" 2016 MBP (stock, no upgrades). Why? I LOVE the little MB, but I was having performance issues with it for work use. I live on Skype for Business, have Outlook open, maybe a Remote Desktop to a Windows server, Xcel spreadsheet and Safari. I need to multitask. I spend 3-4 hours a day in video conferencing and when I multi-task the audio skips and the video stutters. Probably just I'm doing too much with it. Trying the 13" and so far so good.

When I pick up the 12" I want to take it with me everywhere and I love it. The 13", it's easy to take as well, but it's not as easy...but much better than my old 2012 MBA 13" or really old 2010 MBP 13".

If I didn't have to do the Muti-taksing with it, I'd keep the 12",no question. For my personal use, the 12" is great. I do with it as native 4k at 60ghz out of the box though. For the 4k, the 2nd USB-C port, the nicer P3 screen on the MBP, I'll likely keep the pro and sell my 12"...but that makes me sad. However, I can't justify keeping both.

Update: I ran into multi-tasking issues with both the 12 and 13" (base, non-touch) when using the 4k monitor. They both stuttered quite a lot running a video Skype for Business meeting, having open Outlook, Excel, a couple of PDFs and a few browser tabs. Both were fine in clamshell mode, but with smaller screens, the additional screen is needed for dual...so clamshell isn't a good option in my case.

I also found that they both stuttered when working with a moderately sized test Lightroom library (no external monitor) of about 14k images. My main one is over 100k, so this wasn't promising. In the end, I returned the 13", will sell the 12" and have gone with a base model 15" 2016. So far, so good. The 4k LG won't power it, so I returned it with the 13" and will do a 5k down the road (not soon though). The 15" is allowing me to run off of the screen alone and it's working quite well. I'll also be selling my old 2012 mini i7 for simplicity sake. I'll repurpose (most likely) my really old 24" 2008 iMac as a file server and remote back up to external, always on drives (it's running El Capitan flawlessly).

I guess I just really wanted to have fewer devices in the end (doing this with cameras as well!). The 15" is doing it for me but I'll REALLY miss the portability of the 12". I plan on keeping this 15" for at least 3-4 years, ideally 4-5 and hand it down to the family later. Maybe a gen 3, 4 or 5 12" will be in my future...we'll see.

Overall, I love the concept of the 12" and, if a 12" can power what I need someday, I'll gladly jump and run it with a 4k monitor in a heart beat!

 

[macintoshmac]

That will take some years, I am sure. Maybe 2 in the Dell world, 4 in the Apple one. 12" is understandable since it is designed for a very different purpose, but the 13" stuttering with 14k image library is not really a good thing. Portability be damned.