So how have they performed in the wild??

[mk313]

I bought a 2015 MacBook high end processor 256 SSD a few months back (early summerish) and couldn't be happier. My wife & I were sharing a computer & I was in the market for a second one. I found a great deal on the MacBook & bought it, with the plan being to give my wife whichever computer I liked less (we also have a 2013 13" Retina MacBook Pro with upgraded processor & hard drive). Going in, I expected to keep the MacBook Pro and give her the MacBook, since the Pro performs better (gets higher scores, etc), but after setting up the MacBook, and using it for a day or so, I realized that I don't push it enough to notice the slowdowns, and that both computers were more than adequate for my needs. I couldn't install Virtual PC on the MacBook, but that's because of the size of the SSD, not the processor performance (I have no idea how it would run).

For me, this has been the greatest computer ever. It's fast enough for everything that I need to do, and I almost never see slowdowns. I do get them occasionally, but they are very infrequent and the portability of this computer easily outweighs any hit in performance. I find myself taking this one with me when I used to take my iPad (because it was so much smaller than the MacBook Pro). All in all, I love the MacBook, and whenever it's time to replace it, I will be doing so with another MacBook.

I was worried at first due to the performance, the smaller SSD (I have a 512 on my other computer & use more than 256), the keyboard, and the single plug. None of these has turned out to be an issue. I did but the apple connector that gives you USB C, USB & HDMI, as I use the Macbook plugged into an external monitor most of the time, but I have been surprised at how infrequently I need to use the USB plug. I have plugged in a DVD drive twice, a USB memory stick once, and my iPhone a time or two. That's been it. And the keyboard has been fine for my uses. I do use an external keyboard & mouse when I have the computer hooked up to an external monitor in the office, but when I'm mobile, I use the keyboard with no issues at all.

 

[russellelly]

Base 2016 model, have had it about 4 months now. Upgrade from 2008 Unibody MacBook.

Very satisfied overall, the level of portability is just insane. My last MacBook was a chore to carry around, this one I don't have to think about whether it's worth carrying or not, it just comes with me.

The screen is so good, I've found the split screen mode to be really useful to maximise my productivity for certain tasks. I was a little worried about going from 13" to 12", but the increased resolution more than makes it for it. The speakers are a big upgrade from my last Mac, they sound surprisingly good for the size of the machine. And the silence! No fan is such a big deal, I'd find it hard to go back to a noisy machine. I've had a few times that keys have become sticky/unresponsive, but it always seems to resolve itself.

The only time I've really seen slowdown is when I have a lot of windows open and try to open Mission Control. Of course, I should add that my requirements are modest - lots of web browsing, Netflix, Spotify, MS office. For those tasks, it really can't be beaten.