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Who actually is the 12" MacBook for?
- Thread starter Dave245
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Who would have guessed given all the haters when they were released? LOL
i caved.
i have a 2016 m5 now with 512gb.
my quick reaction: this is for people who are smart enough not to buy an ipad.
the keyboard is peculiar, a little odd and takes a bit of time to get used to. I hate hte fact that the keys are wider, i find that this is what messes up my typing more than the shallow depth.
i have a 2016 m5 now with 512gb.
my quick reaction: this is for people who are smart enough not to buy an ipad.
the keyboard is peculiar, a little odd and takes a bit of time to get used to. I hate hte fact that the keys are wider, i find that this is what messes up my typing more than the shallow depth.
Luckily I'm not that smart! At least I can charge my computer (iPad), iPhone and headphones with the same cable. The holy trinity of mobility.
First off, congrats on the purchase; very smart.
To defend those of us who own both a 12" RMB and an iPad Air, it a dream combo if one travels. I take 16 hour flights to Asia 6x a year, and the combination of the RMB + iPad:
1. Provides a whopping 18 hours of battery life.
2. Provides 200GB+ for movies, TV shows, games.
3. Provides perfect form factor for airline tray tables and seatback pockets.
4. Provides perfect form factor for typing, Skyping, spreadsheets, and presentations.
5. Provides less weight as two products than a MacBook Pro alone.
6. Provides 2 best-in-class devices for the price of 1 MacBook Pro.
See, the argument around "is the RMB an iPad device?" is the wrong way to look at it. The RMB + iPad is the answer to Microsoft's Surface Book and the answer to a traveling professional's prayers. You can have your cake and eat it too. You can have both a fully-functional notebook and a fully-functional tablet as two separate devices and not pay a weight or price penalty.
BJ
I agree with Boltjames, and the whopping 18 hours of battery life (Battery life of both devices further extendable with a good portable battery pack) makes it very compelling.
But I think the Surface Book comparison isn't quite fair as that laptop/tablet hybrid has pretty powerful specs... You'd have to compare with a MacBook Pro + iPad but this eliminates the weight advantage.
That said, being able to use the iPad as a secondary monitor for your MacBook while traveling is an additional useful scenario that I'd add to his list.
But I think the Surface Book comparison isn't quite fair as that laptop/tablet hybrid has pretty powerful specs... You'd have to compare with a MacBook Pro + iPad but this eliminates the weight advantage.
That said, being able to use the iPad as a secondary monitor for your MacBook while traveling is an additional useful scenario that I'd add to his list.
I agree, as much as I've tried to switch my primary workflow to iOS devices, its just not possible for me yet without significant compromise. If I can only travel with one device its a rMB, but the iPad and rMB are a brilliant combination. And let's face it, its not like either devices weighs a lot or takes up a lot of space.
Would you please elaborate by using ipad as the second monitor ?
Macbook had my curiosity and now it has my attention.
For example an app called Duet Display does this.
Gotcha. Thanx for the photo and the app name.
By the way, what a nice picture. Niceee
For example an app called Duet Display does this.
Forget the app, thats an awesome depth effect picture. kudos to you!
Just bought the app, cant wait to go home and give it a try.For example an app called Duet Display does this.
Thanx man
Update : I bought it with %50 off discount at the Apple Store now for 9.99 USD
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There are a few more advantages to using iPad as a monitor through Duet Display that haven't been mentioned:
1) Touch screen support.
2) Gives any Mac you are using a Touch Bar.
3) Supports the use of external keyboard linked to the iPad.
4) Apple Pencil Support turns iPad Pro into a crazy drawing pad for the Mac, but this requires an additional fee.
In my office, I place my MacBook to the left, iPad in the centre, external monitor to the right. All connected via Apple's HDMI/USB-A/USB-C adapter (charging via the USB-C port). Thus the iPad is a third monitor connected using USB-A.
For typing, I type on the Bridge Keyboard connected to the iPad (which feels better than the Retina Macbook's keyboard) and I use an external bluetooth mouse/trackpad. When Duet Display is used, the iPad's external keyboard controls the whole set-up.
So why is Touch Bar support a game changer? Because of another app called BetterTouchTool. This allows me to configure the Touch Bar in almost anyway I want. This speeds up my workflow.
If you use Duet Display with an iPad as a second monitor, you really should enable TouchBar (I think it's off my default) and check out what you can do with BetterTouchTool.
Lastly, the Apple Pencil support for iPad Pros turns the iPad into a Wacom drawing tablet. This requires an additional fee so it's not for everyone. But the option is there.
***
Seriously, Duet Display (+ BetterTouchTool) is such a powerful App that anyone rocking both an iPad and a Mac/PC/laptop should really consider it. At home, my iMac is hooked up to an otherwise "obsolete" iPad 2 and it works flawlessly in every imaginable way, with the only downside being a low-resolution screen. Using the iPad 2 as a monitor is much faster than using it as an independent tablet so its a great way to repurpose old tech.
1) Touch screen support.
2) Gives any Mac you are using a Touch Bar.
3) Supports the use of external keyboard linked to the iPad.
4) Apple Pencil Support turns iPad Pro into a crazy drawing pad for the Mac, but this requires an additional fee.
In my office, I place my MacBook to the left, iPad in the centre, external monitor to the right. All connected via Apple's HDMI/USB-A/USB-C adapter (charging via the USB-C port). Thus the iPad is a third monitor connected using USB-A.
For typing, I type on the Bridge Keyboard connected to the iPad (which feels better than the Retina Macbook's keyboard) and I use an external bluetooth mouse/trackpad. When Duet Display is used, the iPad's external keyboard controls the whole set-up.
So why is Touch Bar support a game changer? Because of another app called BetterTouchTool. This allows me to configure the Touch Bar in almost anyway I want. This speeds up my workflow.
If you use Duet Display with an iPad as a second monitor, you really should enable TouchBar (I think it's off my default) and check out what you can do with BetterTouchTool.
Lastly, the Apple Pencil support for iPad Pros turns the iPad into a Wacom drawing tablet. This requires an additional fee so it's not for everyone. But the option is there.
***
Seriously, Duet Display (+ BetterTouchTool) is such a powerful App that anyone rocking both an iPad and a Mac/PC/laptop should really consider it. At home, my iMac is hooked up to an otherwise "obsolete" iPad 2 and it works flawlessly in every imaginable way, with the only downside being a low-resolution screen. Using the iPad 2 as a monitor is much faster than using it as an independent tablet so its a great way to repurpose old tech.
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All I want from Duet Display is support for an extra screen, so I can use two iPads as 2nd and 3rd monitors...then it would be the ultimate in mobile productivity workstation apps. 3 screens, one iPad on the right, one iPad on the left...so awesome...
The surface book has the same specs as a MacBook air unless you add the stupidly expensive and piss poor 940m dgpu option.
I think what most people are saying is that specs don't matter in the portable luxury computing market anymore. It's about size, weight, battery life, and build quality.
BJ
Agreed. Specs are even misleading when you consider read/write hard drive speed. Also the apps are a big factor for me. Can I open the lid and get to work with applications I like and get out of my way?
The MacBook Air doesn't have a high resolution screen. The Macbook's processor isn't as powerful. That's why I said that the MacBook Pro is a better comparison in terms of specs, screen resolution and screen size, to the Surface Book. Not a perfect comparison, but I think its a fairer one.
I gave up running VMs on my macs. These days I spin up a VPS on DigitalOcean when I need one. Let them worry about heat, power and storage.
At least you're honest! Points for that, I guess.
So you're saying all of those visual artists, musicians, real estate agents, doctors, pilots, et. al. who use and make a living on their iPads are just wayyyyy dumber than you.
People who feel the need to insult other peoples choices betray their lack of confidence in their own.
The 12 inch macbook is for those people who just have a smartphone like iPhone 5S/ iPhone 6 or 7 Plus.
But it's totally not worth it if you already have an iPad since it will be TOO CLOSE in size especially the iPad 9.7 Inch. Now, if you have an iPad Pro 12.9 Inch the Macbook 12 inch will shrink in size dramatically.
Even the Macbook 12 inch is only 2.1 times bigger than the iPad Mini. While the iPad Mini is about 2.4 times bigger than iPhone 7 Plus. See!??
For those who have an iPad Mini, you should buy Macbook 13 inch
For those who have an iPad Air 2/ Pro (regular 9.7") Macbook pro 15 inch is your friend
FOr those who have an iPad Pro 12.9 inch, then a Macbook Pro (2012) 17 inch or an iMac is what you needed.
But it's totally not worth it if you already have an iPad since it will be TOO CLOSE in size especially the iPad 9.7 Inch. Now, if you have an iPad Pro 12.9 Inch the Macbook 12 inch will shrink in size dramatically.
Even the Macbook 12 inch is only 2.1 times bigger than the iPad Mini. While the iPad Mini is about 2.4 times bigger than iPhone 7 Plus. See!??
For those who have an iPad Mini, you should buy Macbook 13 inch
For those who have an iPad Air 2/ Pro (regular 9.7") Macbook pro 15 inch is your friend
FOr those who have an iPad Pro 12.9 inch, then a Macbook Pro (2012) 17 inch or an iMac is what you needed.