Who actually is the 12" MacBook for?

[James.K.Polk]

After years of thinking I needed the 15" power (though to be fair, I did appreciate the screen size), I finally went and sold my 15" Pro for a 12" MacBook, 1.3/512. I'm a law student and patent agent, and this really is a perfect machine. I love the Keyboard (Apple had replaced my 2014 15" for a 2016 under warranty, so I had been used to it before) and I don't think the tiny screen will be an issue.

Now I'm wishing iPads didn't have such garbage resale value... Picked up my 10.5" Pro a month ago and already feeling like it needs to go. I don't see the point.

All that I miss from iPad? LTE! A 12" MacBook with LTE would be absolutely exceptional.

 

[SpitUK]

After years of thinking I needed the 15" power (though to be fair, I did appreciate the screen size), I finally went and sold my 15" Pro for a 12" MacBook, 1.3/512. I'm a law student and patent agent, and this really is a perfect machine. I love the Keyboard (Apple had replaced my 2014 15" for a 2016 under warranty, so I had been used to it before) and I don't think the tiny screen will be an issue.

Now I'm wishing iPads didn't have such garbage resale value... Picked up my 10.5" Pro a month ago and already feeling like it needs to go. I don't see the point.

All that I miss from iPad? LTE! A 12" MacBook with LTE would be absolutely exceptional.

I have just done the same and sold my 2016 15”. I just love the 12” form factor and the 2017 just eats anything I throw at it. It’s so nice having a full computer with me at all times that’s so small and light.

 

[wineandcarbs]

I have a 2014 13" rMBP and I'm really tempted by the 2017 rMB. I carry my laptop to work every day and would love something even more portable. The one thing I'm wondering is whether that 1 lb will make that big a difference? Any (similar) experiences?

 

[Woodcrest64]

I'm thinking about replacing my 2012 15" MacBook Pro Retina with this is. I use lightroom and edit photos that are between 12mp to 24mp. I only edit 1080p video once or twice a year. My only concern will be Lightroom performance and battery life. Right now my 2012 MacBook Pro with its 1yr replaced battery gets me 4-6 hours. I'd like to get something smaller for portability as I'm always on the road with my job.

 

[AFEPPL]

Just buy one - you can always return it if it doesn't meet your needs.
let us know either way however,,,

 

[Dave245]

I’m still undecided at the moment, for the time being I’m using a new iPad Pro second generation 12.9” that I brought last month, I’m using IOS 11 with it which is moving the whole iPad Pro towards a laptop replacement. I do still love to use a Mac tho. I have notice that with updates to the 12” MacBook (adding 16GB Ram) it bumps the price to near MacBook Pro with Touch Bar prices. I have started editing YouTube videos (more of a hobby than anything serious) so this has made me think about the MacBook Pro or to just update my 2012 iMac to a 5k one.

 

[OldMike]

I’m still undecided at the moment, for the time being I’m using a new iPad Pro second generation 12.9” that I brought last month, I’m using IOS 11 with it which is moving the whole iPad Pro towards a laptop replacement. I do still love to use a Mac tho. I have notice that with updates to the 12” MacBook (adding 16GB Ram) it bumps the price to near MacBook Pro with Touch Bar prices. I have started editing YouTube videos (more of a hobby than anything serious) so this has made me think about the MacBook Pro or to just update my 2012 iMac to a 5k one.

There is a lot of overlap and it makes it difficult to decide what is the best way to go. I love my 2016 rMB, but unless you need extreme portability - or just like a fan-less laptop, I don't feel like the non sale pricing is very good. If you can make the iPad Pro work for you, that coupled with a 2017 5K iMac seems like it would offer the most bang for the buck.

Otherwise, with the way Apple is pricing these MacBooks, they are too close to the price of the MBP, unless you really need/want a rMB.

If you can find a blow out deal on a 2016, or even a couple of hundred off the 2017, it makes the rMB a more compelling option...

 

[navaira]

Having used the m5 2016 for over half a year I decided it's the best laptop I ever owned. Coupled with a 27" monitor that has an USB hub and passthrough USB-C input it's simply awesome. I use it as a writer, for browsing obviously, Photoshop and InDesign (not heavy stuff, I've got a fast Hackintosh for that), Reason, Spotify, Photos with a huge library. FaceTime, admittedly, looks awkward but I only use it to chat with my mom who's 62 and I don't think she even knows it looks bad

The only problem I have with it is that it seems less stable than my other Macs. I have no clue why that is. It just stops working every now and then if I don't restart it regularly. This never happened with my Air and 2015 Pro. If I were to buy a new laptop today I would check the new 2017 keyboard and then go for either exactly the same 2016 m5 or 2017 m3. (I got a -30% deal on open box computer, the only thing I regret is that it's not pink because I love confusing people, but the colour isn't important enough for me to spend another 420 euro.)

 

[EugW]

Having used the m5 2016 for over half a year I decided it's the best laptop I ever owned. Coupled with a 27" monitor that has an USB hub and passthrough USB-C input it's simply awesome. I use it as a writer, for browsing obviously, Photoshop and InDesign (not heavy stuff, I've got a fast Hackintosh for that), Reason, Spotify, Photos with a huge library. FaceTime, admittedly, looks awkward but I only use it to chat with my mom who's 62 and I don't think she even knows it looks bad

The only problem I have with it is that it seems less stable than my other Macs. I have no clue why that is. It just stops working every now and then if I don't restart it regularly. This never happened with my Air and 2015 Pro. If I were to buy a new laptop today I would check the new 2017 keyboard and then go for either exactly the same 2016 m5 or 2017 m3. (I got a -30% deal on open box computer, the only thing I regret is that it's not pink because I love confusing people, but the colour isn't important enough for me to spend another 420 euro.)

What monitor and resolution? My 2017 m3 works perfectly with my 2010 27” iMac used as a monitor but that is only 2560x1440. Some people have said that the older 12 MacBooks can get sluggish driving a 4K monitor. However, I have not had a chance to try this because I don’t have a 4K monitor.

 

[navaira]

Also 1440p. Acer H277HUkmipuz 27". It's a beautiful monitor by the way, hardly any bezels, great colours – much better than my 4K that I stupidly decided to save 100 euro on and now I'll spend a few years staring at awful colours and uneven brightness.

 

[Dave245]

There is a lot of overlap and it makes it difficult to decide what is the best way to go. I love my 2016 rMB, but unless you need extreme portability - or just like a fan-less laptop, I don't feel like the non sale pricing is very good. If you can make the iPad Pro work for you, that coupled with a 2017 5K iMac seems like it would offer the most bang for the buck.

Otherwise, with the way Apple is pricing these MacBooks, they are too close to the price of the MBP, unless you really need/want a rMB.

If you can find a blow out deal on a 2016, or even a couple of hundred off the 2017, it makes the rMB a more compelling option...

At the moment i'm finding the iPad Pro to be a brilliant device, IOS 11 makes it much more capable, for example Drag and Drop feature is great when writing blog posts, notes and so on, i also like the new Files app. I will see if it continues over the next few months and if so i will probably upgrade to the next 5K iMac.

I want Final Cut X and unfortunately it's not available on the iPad Pro, i do currently have a 2012 iMac but i think it's about time i upgraded, from what i've seen the screen alone will be a BIG and noticeable improvement.

 

[jpn]

for me the only thing holding back buying the MacBook is its port.
and when youre talking about there only being 1 port, it better be a good port.
its USB-C 3.1 Gen 1.
not evn USB-C 3.1 Gen 2.
and its not Thunderbolt 3.

 

[wineandcarbs]

for me the only thing holding back buying the MacBook is its port.
and when youre talking about there only being 1 port, it better be a good port.
its USB-C 3.1 Gen 1.
not evn USB-C 3.1 Gen 2.
and its not Thunderbolt 3.

The port thing as one thing that held me back from the rMB for a while (well, that and I had a working 2014 rMBP). I ultimately ended up getting one and it hasn't been bad because I always have in my mind that if I need extra ports on the go one day I can carry the rMBP. As I'm finding myself fully moving toward the rMB (it just is easier for me to use one computer all the time and the rMB does all I need most of the time) I'm probably going to get one of those dongles. Which is another thing to carry on the days I need to use it but still weighs less than carrying my rMBP (which is only 3.4 lbs but feels a lot more cumbersome than my 2014 rMBP after using the rMB). I totally get where you're coming from though. 1 port sounded ridiculous to me, especially since it was also being used for charging so I couldn't charge + use the port at the same time sans dongle. That reminds me, I need to order the dongle. LOL.

 

[jpn]

The port thing as one thing that held me back from the rMB for a while (well, that and I had a working 2014 rMBP). I ultimately ended up getting one and it hasn't been bad because I always have in my mind that if I need extra ports on the go one day I can carry the rMBP. As I'm finding myself fully moving toward the rMB (it just is easier for me to use one computer all the time and the rMB does all I need most of the time) I'm probably going to get one of those dongles. Which is another thing to carry on the days I need to use it but still weighs less than carrying my rMBP (which is only 3.4 lbs but feels a lot more cumbersome than my 2014 rMBP after using the rMB). I totally get where you're coming from though. 1 port sounded ridiculous to me, especially since it was also being used for charging so I couldn't charge + use the port at the same time sans dongle. That reminds me, I need to order the dongle. LOL.

hi
thanks.
i was at an apple store a few days ago.
trying out the revised keyboard on the latest MacBooks.
it has noticeably been improved with more travel than the 1st generation new MacBooks had.

i agree. the MacBook is a great machine able to do all but the heaviest of lifting.
and itself only weighs less than 1kilo.

 

[SteveJUAE]

for me the only thing holding back buying the MacBook is its port.
and when youre talking about there only being 1 port, it better be a good port.
its USB-C 3.1 Gen 1.
not evn USB-C 3.1 Gen 2.
and its not Thunderbolt 3.

TB3 is more bragging rights than actually usage for most even on a MBP and not sure why you would even require it on a rMB given the number of devices available and their cost

 

[robvas]

for me the only thing holding back buying the MacBook is its port.
and when youre talking about there only being 1 port, it better be a good port.
its USB-C 3.1 Gen 1.
not evn USB-C 3.1 Gen 2.
and its not Thunderbolt 3.

I love my 12" rMB

But I don't like having this on my desk. Then again I only have to plug in one cable...

 

[Dave245]

Does anyone else not get put off by the price of the MacBook? For example the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is a only a few hindered more £’s especially when you upgrade the MacBook to to 16GB and a higher processor.

The Touch Bar seems better for professional apps while the 12” MacBook sounds more compact and portable.

 

[robvas]

I have zero interest in the touchbar. I always buy my macs either on sale at Best Buy or B&H, or from Apple as a refurb

Price was part of the reason I got mine:
My rMB was $775, I considered the 13” nTB but couldn’t find it for under $1200, so that is almost a $500 difference with tax

 

[Dave245]

I have zero interest in the touchbar. I always buy my macs either on sale at Best Buy or B&H, or from Apple as a refurb

Price was part of the reason I got mine:
My rMB was $775, I considered the 13” nTB but couldn’t find it for under $1200, so that is almost a $500 difference with tax

When you max out the rMB it's around £1,800 for £1,900 you can get the 13" MacBook Pro with Touchbar that's the only thing that's putting me off the rMB, while IOS 11 has made he iPad Pro a more capable device i still love to use a Mac, i will see what Apple do in the next update of the rMB and go from there. I have no experience with the rMB but i do own a 2011 MacBook Pro that has served me well, it's just getting old now and an update is on the cards.

 

[Falhófnir]

To put it simply, people who would previously have bought an 11" MacBook Air.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Does anyone else not get put off by the price of the MacBook? For example the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is a only a few hindered more £’s especially when you upgrade the MacBook to to 16GB and a higher processor.

The Touch Bar seems better for professional apps while the 12” MacBook sounds more compact and portable.

The rMB is equally as professional just depends on your profession

For most and probably 80% of the time a rMB is more than adequate for dailies

Apple noted themselves that only 15% of their users are professionals and probably only a small subset of that need more than 2 monitors or TB3 etc etc or those precious extra 10 or 15 seconds in processing speed

Probably the best reason to get a MBP over a rMB is screen size else its just stats on paper vs real usage

 

[Dave245]

The rMB is equally as professional just depends on your profession

For most and probably 80% of the time a rMB is more than adequate for dailies

Apple noted themselves that only 15% of their users are professionals and probably only a small subset of that need more than 2 monitors or TB3 etc etc or those precious extra 10 or 15 seconds in processing speed

Probably the best reason to get a MBP over a rMB is screen size else its just stats on paper vs real usage

My main work is writing, I’d say about 80% of professional time is writing. I do also edit videos to help a friend out with their Youtube channel, also I edit in general as a hobby within Final Cut X. But most is web browsing, writing and so on.

 

[AVBeatMan]

The rMB is equally as professional just depends on your profession

For most and probably 80% of the time a rMB is more than adequate for dailies

Apple noted themselves that only 15% of their users are professionals and probably only a small subset of that need more than 2 monitors or TB3 etc etc or those precious extra 10 or 15 seconds in processing speed

Probably the best reason to get a MBP over a rMB is screen size else its just stats on paper vs real usage

I agree this what you say. I have a MacBook Pro but use only for web browsing, email and a bit of writing. Although I consider myself a "professional" in my work, I do not use my MacBook Pro in a professional capacity. My next MacBook will not I doubt, be a "Pro".

 

[jpn]

I love my 12" rMB

But I don't like having this on my desk. Then again I only have to plug in one cable...

thanks for sharing that photo.
its an amazing photo.
very sobering...
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I have zero interest in the touchbar. I always buy my macs either on sale at Best Buy or B&H, or from Apple as a refurb

Price was part of the reason I got mine:
My rMB was $775, I considered the 13” nTB but couldn’t find it for under $1200, so that is almost a $500 difference with tax

there was a great article on the web about the future of the touch bar.
the premise of the article was that apple needs to integrate the touch bar into all its macs or the touch bar will never be useful enough as a tool to become useful and standard, rather than a gimmick.
i thought that this is really true.
is apple going to use the touch bar as a way to differentiate its OS from Chromebooks and all the others?
apple cant afford to limit the touch bar's integration if it wants it to truly become a feature for the platform.

 

[Falhófnir]

there was a great article on the web about the future of the touch bar.
the premise of the article was that apple needs to integrate the touch bar into all its macs or the touch bar will never be useful enough as a tool to become useful and standard, rather than a gimmick.
i thought that this is really true.
is apple going to use the touch bar as a way to differentiate its OS from Chromebooks and all the others?
apple cant afford to limit the touch bar's integration if it wants it to truly become a feature for the platform.

Yeah it was kind of a questionable move to restrict it to what are probably it’s two lowest selling Mac models (at least I guess the biggest volume movers are the ntb and 12” if you exclude the MBA) - it won’t gain traction with developers until it’s got a significant user base, and until it gets traction with developers it remains a novelty feature not utilised to its fullest. A similar catch 22 with developers not porting apps to windows phone due to low market share ultimately killed that platform off...