Who actually is the 12" MacBook for?

[blairh]

Personally the only appeal I find to the rMB is the size. It's so tiny and light that it's obviously ideal for portable macOS use.

Otherwise I'd much rather get a base model 13" MBP. Same price at retail, better and larger screen, extra USB C port, and still ultra-portable at 3 lbs. (The same weight of the 13" MBA.)

 

[Mike Boreham]

I have AppleCare Plus on my iPhone X Which I think is more prone to being dropped but am not planning on getting it on my MB. I bought from John Lewis and it comes with a 2 year guarantee which is what the AC+ provides.

Applecare gives you three years (two years additional to the basic one year), so one longer than John Lewis.

I never buy extended warranties for anything except Apple laptops, which I always buy. That third year is when you are most likely to need it, if you plan to keep it that long. With quad core MBs being mentioned within the next three years there might be good reason to upgrade before then.
[doublepost=1527468911][/doublepost]

Personally the only appeal I find to the rMB is the size. It's so tiny and light that it's obviously ideal for portable macOS use.

Otherwise I'd much rather get a base model 13" MBP. Same price at retail, better and larger screen, extra USB C port, and still ultra-portable at 3 lbs. (The same weight of the 13" MBA.)

Indeed, the tiny size is the only advantage of the 12" MacBook. The 13" MBP is better in every other respect than the 12" MB.

So the answer to the title of this now long thread is very simple. The 12" MacBook is for everyone who values extreme portability over the greater capability of a MBP.

Choosing the 12" is a perfectly rational choice, given its capability.

One might add the silence of no fans to that, although as a recent switcher from a 12"MB to a 13" MBP I notice that the fans are frequently at zero on that.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Applecare gives you three years (two years additional to the basic one year), so one longer than John Lewis.

I never buy extended warranties for anything except Apple laptops, which I always buy. That third year is when you are most likely to need it, if you plan to keep it that long. With quad core MBs being mentioned within the next three years there might be good reason to upgrade before then.
[doublepost=1527468911][/doublepost]

Indeed, the tiny size is the only advantage of the 12" MacBook. The 13" MBP is better in every other respect than the 12" MB.

So the answer to this title of this now long thread title is very simple. The 12" MacBook is for everyone who values extreme portability over the greater capability of a MBP.

Choosing the 12" is a perfectly rational choice, given its capability.

One might add the silence of no fans to that, although as a recent switcher from a 12"MB to a 13" MBP I notice that the fans are frequently at zero on that.

Truly agree about getting AppleCare. I disagree about screens though - yes the Pro has a slightly larger screen but both look fantastic!
As has been written for a long time now, the MacBook is as good as the Pro in most instances. As ever though, buy the one that appeals to you. You can tell instantly when you see them in a store which one is for you!
I love the keyboard right up to the edges on the MacBook - if the MacBook Pro had come in a 12" design, then I would of bought that, but for me, the Pro is a little too traditional in its design it doesn't excite or inspire me - it didn't get me excited or make me want to save up £2000 for it - I kept thinking of my carbon fibre bicycle that cost around that price that has given me hours of true pleasure and kept me super fit whilst taking me on the ultimate adventures
[doublepost=1527506368][/doublepost]

Personally the only appeal I find to the rMB is the size. It's so tiny and light that it's obviously ideal for portable macOS use.

Otherwise I'd much rather get a base model 13" MBP. Same price at retail, better and larger screen, extra USB C port, and still ultra-portable at 3 lbs. (The same weight of the 13" MBA.)

The base model entry price is a poor model - with around 118GB available from new, you'd spend your entire ownership fighting over the lack of storage space. It would not be a pleasant experience. I have learnt a hard lesson from Apple - always buy the largest storage space. iPhones bought me that Now I buy 256GB on a iPhone and I class 512GB a minimum on a Mac.

 

[Dave245]

Writing as a career is amazing!!!!! Don't waste your money on a i7 - the i5 is super plenty PLUS, I feel that there is a limit to what the MacBook should cost. Mine was £1550 as I wanted the 512GB - I feel that in 2018, that is a very steep price for a computer £1250 would be more realistic - luckily for us, we make a living from them - and you can put it through your books on your tax returns DON'T FORGET APPLE CARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apple's repair prices have truly gone bonkers - corporate greed times one million - Apple Care is a must these days sadly! The greed of Apple is the only thing that I hate about them and it really makes me feel sick as, I as a human don't relate to that kind of vulgarity.

BTW I got the rose gold and love it and it looks beautiful with sunlight on it

Deadpool is in Dolby Vision should I must give it a watch

Here's to WWDC next week and maybe some interesting hints. Looking forward to tvOS, iOS12 and Mac OS

It's a brilliant career i choose my work hours and i'm lucky enough to get the work i've always wanted, i couldn't ask for more. Ok i'll stick with the i5, i found out that i will be able to get a discount as i did some work for a group and have access to Apple's "Corporate Perks EPP Store" it's not much but i can get the i5 MacBook with 8GB Ram for £1,455, as you say because i will use it for work i can put it through my business expenses. The 16GB Ram option is an extra £169.20 and Apple Care is £168 with the discount so i might get both of those just to future proof the machine.

Hopefully WWDC will be a great event for Mac's and even the iPad Pro, i don't need one since i have the 2017 version but if they redesigned it with Face ID, less bezels and removed the home button i would be tempted!

There have been less leaks this year about WWDC and even the software side so either Apple is closing the leaks or there really isn't that much for them to show.

 

[blairh]

Truly agree about getting AppleCare. I disagree about screens though - yes the Pro has a slightly larger screen but both look fantastic!
As has been written for a long time now, the MacBook is as good as the Pro in most instances. As ever though, buy the one that appeals to you. You can tell instantly when you see them in a store which one is for you!
I love the keyboard right up to the edges on the MacBook - if the MacBook Pro had come in a 12" design, then I would of bought that, but for me, the Pro is a little too traditional in its design it doesn't excite or inspire me - it didn't get me excited or make me want to save up £2000 for it - I kept thinking of my carbon fibre bicycle that cost around that price that has given me hours of true pleasure and kept me super fit whilst taking me on the ultimate adventures
[doublepost=1527506368][/doublepost]

The base model entry price is a poor model - with around 118GB available from new, you'd spend your entire ownership fighting over the lack of storage space. It would not be a pleasant experience. I have learnt a hard lesson from Apple - always buy the largest storage space. iPhones bought me that Now I buy 256GB on a iPhone and I class 512GB a minimum on a Mac.

I don’t store anything on my Macs and can get by just fine with 128 GB. I have 90 GB free right now on my 128 GB MBA.

Same with my iPhone. I have 46 GB free on my iPhone X. The cloud changed everything for me.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Truly agree about getting AppleCare. I disagree about screens though - yes the Pro has a slightly larger screen but both look fantastic!

Not sure what I said about screens that you disagree with!

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Not sure what I said about screens that you disagree with!

My bad!
I'm very happy to be fanless though Experience on Macs have shown for the first year or two, the fans are quiet and then for some reason, just simple web browsing sets them off!
I just HOPE that they will last as long as my older Macs did but with non user upgrades and batteries at £600+ i'm not so convinced.
[doublepost=1527534513][/doublepost]

I don’t store anything on my Macs and can get by just fine with 128 GB. I have 90 GB free right now on my 128 GB MBA.

Same with my iPhone. I have 46 GB free on my iPhone X. The cloud changed everything for me.

I'm the opposite - I like everything that I treasure downloaded to both the MacBook and iPhone X. I hate relying on a internet signal In the city, there is soooooo much WiFi interference!
[doublepost=1527534922][/doublepost]

It's a brilliant career i choose my work hours and i'm lucky enough to get the work i've always wanted, i couldn't ask for more. Ok i'll stick with the i5, i found out that i will be able to get a discount as i did some work for a group and have access to Apple's "Corporate Perks EPP Store" it's not much but i can get the i5 MacBook with 8GB Ram for £1,455, as you say because i will use it for work i can put it through my business expenses. The 16GB Ram option is an extra £169.20 and Apple Care is £168 with the discount so i might get both of those just to future proof the machine.

Hopefully WWDC will be a great event for Mac's and even the iPad Pro, i don't need one since i have the 2017 version but if they redesigned it with Face ID, less bezels and removed the home button i would be tempted!

There have been less leaks this year about WWDC and even the software side so either Apple is closing the leaks or there really isn't that much for them to show.

Sounds incredible Dave! My advice with the new Apple's is don't over spend. The UK pricing has gone through the roof and the Macs of today as so light. As a user I'M NOT CONVINCED about their long term longevity. The fact that nothing is user replaceable is very worrying especially as batteries go after 3 or 4 or 5 years.
With Apple of today, i'm not convinced that these machines - MacBook's or MacBook Pro's will last much longer than 3 or 4 years. Sadly Apple's customer service is non existent now. They seem really clueless when I have a problem and I give up with dealing with them.
Even though I find the MacBook perfect for what it is, I believe that it has a price and a the biggest fan ever of the MacBook, I believe it should stay below the £1200 mark. Any thing above that isn't worth it.
I'd be gutted if I spent say £2000 on a MacBook Pro only to find it useless through expensive repairs 4 years down the line.

 

[Dave245]

Sounds incredible Dave! My advice with the new Apple's is don't over spend. The UK pricing has gone through the roof and the Macs of today as so light. As a user I'M NOT CONVINCED about their long term longevity. The fact that nothing is user replaceable is very worrying especially as batteries go after 3 or 4 or 5 years.
With Apple of today, i'm not convinced that these machines - MacBook's or MacBook Pro's will last much longer than 3 or 4 years. Sadly Apple's customer service is non existent now. They seem really clueless when I have a problem and I give up with dealing with them.
Even though I find the MacBook perfect for what it is, I believe that it has a price and a the biggest fan ever of the MacBook, I believe it should stay below the £1200 mark. Any thing above that isn't worth it.
I'd be gutted if I spent say £2000 on a MacBook Pro only to find it useless through expensive repairs 4 years down the line.

Ok I will keep that in mind, really 3-5 years? My current MacBook Pro (2011) has served me very well with nearly 7 years. If that’s the case I may just get the 8GB i5 version and keep the cost down. Apple have always set themselves apart from companies like Microsoft by providing excellent customer service and great devices I really hope that it hasn’t started to fall, I’ve not had to use Apple’s customer service in a long time so I can’t really comment.

 

[AVBeatMan]

Got my 2013 MBP out today to take some pictures to put up for sale. First thing I noticed was that the screen size is lovely. 15 inches is very nice, but...man it's heavy! This MB I'm writing this on is unbelievably light. I can pick it up with one hand and it's very comfortable to use.

I see I have 65GB of iTunes on my MBP and it has 40GB available. If I buy a small hard drive to put my iTunes on that'd been I'd have 100GB of space left. So, although I am considering exchanging this 256GB for a 512GB, it might not be necessary.

In sum, I love my 15" MacBook Pro, but I think I love my 12" MacBook more....!

 

[Clix Pix]

Glad you’re enjoying the light weight and marvelous portability of the 12” MacBook! I love mine for the same reason.

 

[newellj]

I don’t store anything on my Macs and can get by just fine with 128 GB. I have 90 GB free right now on my 128 GB MBA.

This is true by definition, but there are too many times (still) when I don't have access to cloud storage. And in the case of music, I may not want to waste (my opinion, YMMV) bandwidth streaming what I could play from a local drive.

I can live with 256GB but can't store much of my music library locally. I don't think I could ever make 128GB work. 512GB is my personal sweet spot.

The other side of that, as someone commented earlier, is that a large drive (meaning 1TB or possibly 512GB) can make you lazy about letting crap accumulate.
[doublepost=1527588452][/doublepost]

Indeed, the tiny size is the only advantage of the 12" MacBook. The 13" MBP is better in every other respect than the 12" MB.

So the answer to the title of this now long thread is very simple. The 12" MacBook is for everyone who values extreme portability over the greater capability of a MBP.

Precisely right!

 

[Dave245]

Just out of interest has anyone switched over from a Surface or Surface Book to a 12" MacBook?

 

[throAU]

Ok so i've been thinking (for a while actually) about the 12" MacBook, who is the actual target audience?

People who want a macbook with a screen that isn't crap, but don't need lots of ports or higher spec CPU/GPU.

Most people who moan about the lack of ports probably rarely use the ports they have.*

I have a retina 13", and rarely use any of the ports other than the power adapter because wireless peripherals exist and wireless networking is actually reasonably fast these days. Anything N, ac or ad is fast enough.

I did want the larger display though and (at the time) the possibility of eGPU via the thunderbolt ports. if that USB-C port on the retina 12" was thunderbolt i probably would have bought one. As it happens, glad i didnt though due to the keyboard reliability...


edit:
* yes there are exceptions and that puts you in "other laptop" category.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Hey Dave245 this is fascinating...
Maybe a reason to not spend TOO MUCH on your MacBook as you may be wanting to change it in two years time! EXCITING!
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/05/29/pegatron-to-make-arm-based-apple-macbook/
[doublepost=1527601594][/doublepost]

This is true by definition, but there are too many times (still) when I don't have access to cloud storage. And in the case of music, I may not want to waste (my opinion, YMMV) bandwidth streaming what I could play from a local drive.

I can live with 256GB but can't store much of my music library locally. I don't think I could ever make 128GB work. 512GB is my personal sweet spot.

The other side of that, as someone commented earlier, is that a large drive (meaning 1TB or possibly 512GB) can make you lazy about letting crap accumulate.
[doublepost=1527588452][/doublepost]

Precisely right!

Totally agree - 512GB is perfect for me. Although when I bought my first MacBook in 2010, I thought that the 250GB hard drive was huge! Although i'll admit, most of the space I use is filled with HD video. Music is only 35GB inc' music videos, Photos is 12GB including home videos at 60fps 4K/1080p. The rest is HD surfing video and a few iTunes/Vimeo films

 

[Dave245]

Hey Dave245 this is fascinating...
Maybe a reason to not spend TOO MUCH on your MacBook as you may be wanting to change it in two years time! EXCITING!
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/05/29/pegatron-to-make-arm-based-apple-macbook/

I did see that earlier but does it mean Apple are making a Surface type device or is it simply a MacBook that has a iPad type processor such as the A10?

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Ok I will keep that in mind, really 3-5 years? My current MacBook Pro (2011) has served me very well with nearly 7 years. If that’s the case I may just get the 8GB i5 version and keep the cost down. Apple have always set themselves apart from companies like Microsoft by providing excellent customer service and great devices I really hope that it hasn’t started to fall, I’ve not had to use Apple’s customer service in a long time so I can’t really comment.

No way will you get 7 years from any new MacBook / MacBook Pro Dave.

Apple seems to be a throw away concept now. iPhones 3 years and the batteries in the MacBooks will die after 4 or 5 years tops - at £700 to replace, there's no way that, that is economically viable. (I'm sure in 3 or 4 years time, there will be a MacBook with new technology that is in a different league to that of today). And the butterfly keyboard seems short longevity. They are fragile nowadays. The thinness of Apple makes the lid especially shallow. I know that if i dropped anything on the closed lid, the chances are that it would damage the screen.
The tragic thing is, spend as little as you can on it as i'm convinced that AFTER the 3 years of AppleCare, the Apple of today products will be problematic and Apple and their customer care has gotten so greedy that they'll just tell you to buy a new machine.
Personally, I tried to keep the cost down to a minimum for mine as I know that it's not a long term product. If I could live with 256GB, i'd of bought the M3 at £1250/£1000 as to me as a sensible guy when it comes to money, that's the most i'd be happy to spend for a short longevity product. (Heck, my old MacBook was £850 and lasted 8 years - mind you, it was a true pig to use at 3 years old - Mavericks ruined it - it was obviously a very low spec Mac that Apple really should not have released in fairness).
Yeah it makes me sad as I don't believe in changing products ever 3 years or so - that's shallow.

In conclusion, the MacBook is beautiful to use - just don't view these products as a long term investment because they are not. It's simply the price of those damn batteries etc and non user changeable parts that have killed the product off.

 

[Dave245]

No way will you get 7 years from any new MacBook / MacBook Pro Dave.

Apple seems to be a throw away concept now. iPhones 3 years and the batteries in the MacBooks will die after 4 or 5 years tops - at £700 to replace, there's no way that, that is economically viable. (I'm sure in 3 or 4 years time, there will be a MacBook with new technology that is in a different league to that of today). And the butterfly keyboard seems short longevity. They are fragile nowadays. The thinness of Apple makes the lid especially shallow. I know that if i dropped anything on the closed lid, the chances are that it would damage the screen.
The tragic thing is, spend as little as you can on it as i'm convinced that AFTER the 3 years of AppleCare, the Apple of today products will be problematic and Apple and their customer care has gotten so greedy that they'll just tell you to buy a new machine.
Personally, I tried to keep the cost down to a minimum for mine as I know that it's not a long term product. If I could live with 256GB, i'd of bought the M3 at £1250/£1000 as to me as a sensible guy when it comes to money, that's the most i'd be happy to spend for a short longevity product. (Heck, my old MacBook was £850 and lasted 8 years - mind you, it was a true pig to use at 3 years old - Mavericks ruined it - it was obviously a very low spec Mac that Apple really should not have released in fairness).
Yeah it makes me sad as I don't believe in changing products ever 3 years or so - that's shallow.

In conclusion, the MacBook is beautiful to use - just don't view these products as a long term investment because they are not. It's simply the price of those damn batteries etc and non user changeable parts that have killed the product off.

That is disappointing considering I switched over from Windows for that very reason, Mac’s had longevity and my 2011 MacBook Pro proved that. I really think Apple need to start making devices that last, most people don’t want to upgrade their MacBook’s every couple of years. Don’t get me wrong it’s not about the money I do upgrade my iPhone every year or two and the same with my iPad Pro BUT the Mac I think shoud last at least 4 years.

I’ve had my current Apple Watch since it first came out back in 2015, I don’t mind upgrading that this year (in fact I’m going to buy the Series 4) but Mac’s are a different ball-game when spending close to if not over £2,000

 

[EugW]

No way will you get 7 years from any new MacBook / MacBook Pro Dave.

Apple seems to be a throw away concept now. iPhones 3 years and the batteries in the MacBooks will die after 4 or 5 years tops - at £700 to replace, there's no way that, that is economically viable. (I'm sure in 3 or 4 years time, there will be a MacBook with new technology that is in a different league to that of today). And the butterfly keyboard seems short longevity. They are fragile nowadays. The thinness of Apple makes the lid especially shallow. I know that if i dropped anything on the closed lid, the chances are that it would damage the screen.
The tragic thing is, spend as little as you can on it as i'm convinced that AFTER the 3 years of AppleCare, the Apple of today products will be problematic and Apple and their customer care has gotten so greedy that they'll just tell you to buy a new machine.
Personally, I tried to keep the cost down to a minimum for mine as I know that it's not a long term product. If I could live with 256GB, i'd of bought the M3 at £1250/£1000 as to me as a sensible guy when it comes to money, that's the most i'd be happy to spend for a short longevity product. (Heck, my old MacBook was £850 and lasted 8 years - mind you, it was a true pig to use at 3 years old - Mavericks ruined it - it was obviously a very low spec Mac that Apple really should not have released in fairness).
Yeah it makes me sad as I don't believe in changing products ever 3 years or so - that's shallow.

In conclusion, the MacBook is beautiful to use - just don't view these products as a long term investment because they are not. It's simply the price of those damn batteries etc and non user changeable parts that have killed the product off.

1. My 2008 MacBook (unibody) and my 2009 MacBook Pro are on their original batteries. Yes battery life sucks now, but the batteries still work. So that's 10 years and 9 years respectively.

2. I bought my 2017 MacBook to last, so I spec'd it with 16 GB RAM.

3. Apple will replace the battery on the 12" MacBook for a fee. In Canada it is CAD$259. In the US it is US$199. In the UK it is £199, and that includes VAT. Why did you think it is £700?

Apple will service Macs usually for at least 6 years. So if necessary, at the 5.5 year mark, I will get the battery replaced on my 12" MacBook. So, Q1 2023 I will need to get my battery replaced if I still want to keep the laptop.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

1. My 2008 MacBook (unibody) and my 2009 MacBook Pro are on their original batteries. Yes battery life sucks now, but the batteries still work. So that's 10 years and 9 years respectively.

2. I bought my 2017 MacBook to last, so I spec'd it with 16 GB RAM.

3. Apple will replace the battery on the 12" MacBook for a fee. In Canada it is CAD$259. In the US it is US$199. In the UK it is £199, and that includes VAT. Why did you think it is £700?

Apple will service Macs usually for at least 6 years. So if necessary, at the 5.5 year mark, I will get the battery replaced on my 12" MacBook. So, Q1 2023 I will need to get my battery replaced if I still want to keep the laptop.

Are you sure Euw? Many people have commented on this site about Apple charging 700dollars to replace this??? £199 sounds far too cheap since it requires the base layer etc.
[doublepost=1527616092][/doublepost]

I did see that earlier but does it mean Apple are making a Surface type device or is it simply a MacBook that has a iPad type processor such as the A10?

Personally, from reading it, I reckon that it's pointing to March - June 2019 and guess what is 4 years old then and due for a design refresh??? THE MACBOOK
Don't forget the MacBook has a basic Core M processor in stand in a way that's holding Apple back.
Let's see but I reckon 2019 MacBook = ARM
[doublepost=1527616246][/doublepost]

That is disappointing considering I switched over from Windows for that very reason, Mac’s had longevity and my 2011 MacBook Pro proved that. I really think Apple need to start making devices that last, most people don’t want to upgrade their MacBook’s every couple of years. Don’t get me wrong it’s not about the money I do upgrade my iPhone every year or two and the same with my iPad Pro BUT the Mac I thinkshoudl last at least 4 years.

I’ve had my current Apple Watch since it first came out back in 2015, I don’t mind upgrading that this year (in fact I’m going to buy the Series 4) but Mac’s are a different ball-game when spending close to if not over £2,000

I totally agree 100% with you Dave!
The future sounds very very very exciting for Mac with todays reports. Could it be a game changer compared to when Apple moved to Intel all those years ago? If so, does it make sense to drop a lot of money on a Mac in 2018?

 

[EugW]

Are you sure Euw? Many people have commented on this site about Apple charging 700dollars to replace this??? £199 sounds far too cheap since it requires the base layer etc.

I gave you the links, straight from the horses' mouth. It's right on Apple's own site. Mind you I don't think they would do it if the battery was still in good condition.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

I gave you the links, straight from the horses' mouth. It's right on Apple's own site. Mind you I don't think they would do it if the battery was still in good condition.

Thank you EugW that puts things into a different perspective! Now that i'm reading about ARM finding its way into Mac? I'm excited to see what 2019 will hold and my MacBook may be getting sold quicker than I'd planned Let's see. But then, i'd really miss the rose gold finish

 

[Dave245]

Are you sure Euw? Many people have commented on this site about Apple charging 700dollars to replace this??? £199 sounds far too cheap since it requires the base layer etc.
[doublepost=1527616092][/doublepost]

Personally, from reading it, I reckon that it's pointing to March - June 2019 and guess what is 4 years old then and due for a design refresh??? THE MACBOOK
Don't forget the MacBook has a basic Core M processor in stand in a way that's holding Apple back.
Let's see but I reckon 2019 MacBook = ARM
[doublepost=1527616246][/doublepost]

I totally agree 100% with you Dave!
The future sounds very very very exciting for Mac with todays reports. Could it be a game changer compared to when Apple moved to Intel all those years ago? If so, does it make sense to drop a lot of money on a Mac in 2018?

I’m not sure about the ARM rumour according to Mark Gurman on Twitter he says that code name isn’t a MacBook at all but a version of the 2018 iPhone. Only time will tell, if there are no updates to the Macbook this year I’m in a tricky one, do I wait until next year or just jump on the current one which is over a year old.

 

[blairh]

This is true by definition, but there are too many times (still) when I don't have access to cloud storage. And in the case of music, I may not want to waste (my opinion, YMMV) bandwidth streaming what I could play from a local drive.

I can live with 256GB but can't store much of my music library locally. I don't think I could ever make 128GB work. 512GB is my personal sweet spot.

The other side of that, as someone commented earlier, is that a large drive (meaning 1TB or possibly 512GB) can make you lazy about letting crap accumulate.
[doublepost=1527588452][/doublepost]

Precisely right!

Just curious, when don't you have access to cloud storage? I have unlimited data so I just stream music from my iTunes Match account on my iPhone. The only times I won't have access to my music is on a airplane and for flights I'll pin a dozen albums before departure and then unpin them.

I haven't had music stored on my Macs or iDevices for many years now.

 

[newellj]

I did see that earlier but does it mean Apple are making a Surface type device or is it simply a MacBook that has a iPad type processor such as the A10?

Or, perhaps it's just intended to be a less expensive MB/MBA product. The classic MBA is way overdue for SOME kind of change, and maybe that would be what they do with that.
[doublepost=1527629392][/doublepost]

Just curious, when don't you have access to cloud storage? I have unlimited data so I just stream music from my iTunes Match account on my iPhone. The only times I won't have access to my music is on a airplane and for flights I'll pin a dozen albums before departure and then unpin them.

I haven't had music stored on my Macs or iDevices for many years now.

You may have a hard time believing it (I do...), but where I live there are quite a few places in my daily routine that are not only wifi-free but cell-free. As in, no coverage. And our home is also basically out of cell reach, too, so when we lose power (which happens with some frequency) we can be off the grid until power is restored.*

The reason you may have a hard time believing this is that I live in a suburb 13 miles outside Boston, and work in downtown Boston.

* I got smart a few years ago and set up all our wireless equipment so that I can power them from a generator when we lose power, so a power loss itself is not a problem, but if a tree takes down electricity + cable, I'm in trouble. I suppose I could go with a dish and be almost fully independent...food for thought...

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

I’m not sure about the ARM rumour according to Mark Gurman on Twitter he says that code name isn’t a MacBook at all but a version of the 2018 iPhone. Only time will tell, if there are no updates to the Macbook this year I’m in a tricky one, do I wait until next year or just jump on the current one which is over a year old.

Live in the moment Dave. Buy one when you really would love one AND then deal with what the future holds. I'm a HUGE Apple TV fan - it's my ONLY AV box and when ATV 4K launched last year, I was so happy to see so many 4K Dolby Vision film and a few weeks later, automatic frame rate sensing on the ATV. And 4K films priced the same as HD to stream. It was unexpected and brilliant.

You can always sell your MacBook in two years if a new Apple product takes your fancy. Look at the iPhone X, to me it's perfect and has instantly made all of the other iPhones look incredibly dated over night

Live in the moment because tomorrow is never guaranteed