The Macbook For a Writer
- Thread starter Abaganov
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I disagree that the RMBP is overkill. I have had the RMB for a year and it is NOT a professional writer's machine. I am a published author and while I enjoy the RMB for fiddling around, the screen is too small and the keyboard is too weird for extensive writing. While I have kept my RMB for screwing around, I just bought a 2015 RMBP 13" 8/256 and next to a desktop with BT keyboard and trackpad, it is THE best portable I have ever owned, and I have owned many.
happyslayer
macrumors 65816
I use the 12" MacBook almost everyday for writing (novel and short stories) and I absolutely love this keyboard. I have not noticed any sore fingers and what have you. It did take a couple days to get used to it. But since then--April 2015--I now can barely stand using other keyboards for any length of time. (I do play games on a PC with a more "normal" keyboard but for any real amount of typing, I prefer the MacBook. I realize this is very much personal preference, but I as I said at the beginning, I love it! Had both a 2015 model (1.2/512) and now the 2016 (m7/256) model. Good luck!
Also: I write with Scrivener and Microsoft Word.
Also: I write with Scrivener and Microsoft Word.
TorontoJen
macrumors member
I'm a novelist, and I own the 12" MacBook 2016, a 2014 13" MacBook Air, a 2015 MacBook Pro, and an iPad Pro 12.9". I have experience with most of the mobile lineup so I thought I'd break it down.
I started out working solely on an older 13" Air for 3 years before it slowed down and I moved to the newer model.
I really don't recommend the Air if you're staring at that screen all day. Non-retina really bothered me eventually. It's fabulous on battery life, but I'm selling it because I can't tolerate that screen anymore. But Airs are great machines.
I moved to the Pro for the retina screen, but it is simply to heavy to throw in my backpack. If your gf is a mobile writer, it can be a real drag to carry around all day. It's hooked up to my main big monitor and I use that for my desktop.
The MacBook 12" is my mobile machine. I use Ulysses software to write my books, as well as Scrivener on the MacBook. It handles them both with ease. I really, really like working on this tiny machine. The keyboard is weird, but I move between my keyboards with no issues anyway. The MacBook is SO light. I see no reason someone couldn't use this for their main computer, but you simply have to try it to see if it works for you.
To be quite honest, I really favour my iPad Pro over it for the typing experience because I love the fabric keyboard, but touching the screen to edit is kind of a drag.
I hope this helped a little bit. Good luck in your decision!
I started out working solely on an older 13" Air for 3 years before it slowed down and I moved to the newer model.
I really don't recommend the Air if you're staring at that screen all day. Non-retina really bothered me eventually. It's fabulous on battery life, but I'm selling it because I can't tolerate that screen anymore. But Airs are great machines.
I moved to the Pro for the retina screen, but it is simply to heavy to throw in my backpack. If your gf is a mobile writer, it can be a real drag to carry around all day. It's hooked up to my main big monitor and I use that for my desktop.
The MacBook 12" is my mobile machine. I use Ulysses software to write my books, as well as Scrivener on the MacBook. It handles them both with ease. I really, really like working on this tiny machine. The keyboard is weird, but I move between my keyboards with no issues anyway. The MacBook is SO light. I see no reason someone couldn't use this for their main computer, but you simply have to try it to see if it works for you.
To be quite honest, I really favour my iPad Pro over it for the typing experience because I love the fabric keyboard, but touching the screen to edit is kind of a drag.
I hope this helped a little bit. Good luck in your decision!
PeterSmith
macrumors member
(1) I have had the rMB for a month now, and use it mostly for writing, often hours a day. After a couple of days, adjusting typing style marginally for the keyboard became second nature. I just don't notice the keyboard now (and can move seamlessly between it and other mac keyboards without thinking). Of course, it goes without saying, that keyboards are a very personal thing. But if your GF is already moderately "light fingered" she really, really should have no problems. (Those who complain about sore fingers must have a heavier typing style than most of us have these days, now we no longer learn on sit-up-and-beg mechanical typewriters!!)
(2) If you are working with on-screen text all the time, then having the retina screen makes a HUGE difference (going back to the Air, text really does look a bit fuzzy). That plus can't be understated compared with the Air, though of course the Retina 13" Pro and the rMB are pretty much on a par for clarity. Is it worth having extra real estate on the 13"? I'd say not for ordinary writing.
(3) If your GF enjoys writing in cafés, libraries, etc. the portability of the rMB even compared with an Air is again really, really worth having. I'm surprised just how much more convenient the rMB is to take around (more so than the raw facts about dimensions and weight led me to expect).
(4) You don't say what software your GF uses for writing. On the off-chance she does scientific writing using LaTeX, I say that in that case it would be worth going for a faster chip. Otherwise, even the entry-level rMB should be a dream.
(2) If you are working with on-screen text all the time, then having the retina screen makes a HUGE difference (going back to the Air, text really does look a bit fuzzy). That plus can't be understated compared with the Air, though of course the Retina 13" Pro and the rMB are pretty much on a par for clarity. Is it worth having extra real estate on the 13"? I'd say not for ordinary writing.
(3) If your GF enjoys writing in cafés, libraries, etc. the portability of the rMB even compared with an Air is again really, really worth having. I'm surprised just how much more convenient the rMB is to take around (more so than the raw facts about dimensions and weight led me to expect).
(4) You don't say what software your GF uses for writing. On the off-chance she does scientific writing using LaTeX, I say that in that case it would be worth going for a faster chip. Otherwise, even the entry-level rMB should be a dream.
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Alvesang
macrumors regular
Keyboad-wise, I enjoy typing for longer periods of time on my 12" 2016 MBr far more than on my 13" 2015 MBPr. That tiny MacBook is currently my favorite, hands down. I sometimes use a Razr mechanical keyboard with topre switches (great typing experience and I love the sound, but I hate the need for registration with them to get the required software), and I'm still longing for the HHKB Pro 2 and the new Model F keyboard "Kishsaver" F62. From what I've gathered, those must be awesome.
Nonetheless: I personally don't see why a writer would have trouble using the 12" MacBook as a main driver. But since opinions on the keyboard differ extremely, a personal hands-on test seems inevitable.
Nonetheless: I personally don't see why a writer would have trouble using the 12" MacBook as a main driver. But since opinions on the keyboard differ extremely, a personal hands-on test seems inevitable.
I'm a touch typist and write a lot of documents and have a week ago bought a Macbook 12, the main reason for me was portability but I need something with a good keyboard as well.
Is the keyboard feel different, yes, it is, as there is much less travel in the keys, does it stop me from typing fast or cause me any figure issues, no, and I'm known to be a heavy hitter when it comes to pressing the keys.
I would say from my current experience that the majority of people would find it fine to type on for a number of hours at stretch, albeit with sensible breaks.
I would say to the OP, that I would imagine that his girlfriend would not have any serious problems unless she is very very specific about a keyboard feel. If she is the type of person that can move between different laptops and keyboards normally then she would find no problem in using the MacBook keyboard, if she has come from a long movement keyboard, or was trained on an original manual typewriter then she may find it more difficult due to the reduced travel of the keyboard.
For me I'm very happy with my purchase and it is fitting my needs very well. I swapped to this having had a 17 inch Mac Book Pro, which I found more difficult to type on our to the distance from the edge to the keys as there is more metal and trackpad to reach over. I used to get a number of problems with it scratching/rubbing on the inside of my wrist.
Is the keyboard feel different, yes, it is, as there is much less travel in the keys, does it stop me from typing fast or cause me any figure issues, no, and I'm known to be a heavy hitter when it comes to pressing the keys.
I would say from my current experience that the majority of people would find it fine to type on for a number of hours at stretch, albeit with sensible breaks.
I would say to the OP, that I would imagine that his girlfriend would not have any serious problems unless she is very very specific about a keyboard feel. If she is the type of person that can move between different laptops and keyboards normally then she would find no problem in using the MacBook keyboard, if she has come from a long movement keyboard, or was trained on an original manual typewriter then she may find it more difficult due to the reduced travel of the keyboard.
For me I'm very happy with my purchase and it is fitting my needs very well. I swapped to this having had a 17 inch Mac Book Pro, which I found more difficult to type on our to the distance from the edge to the keys as there is more metal and trackpad to reach over. I used to get a number of problems with it scratching/rubbing on the inside of my wrist.