Who actually is the 12" MacBook for?

[Clix Pix]

If I am just going on a quick overnight trip I will often just take my 10.5 iPad, but when I am going to be on a longer trip and/or one which involves a situation where I will be shooting photos and also wanting to download some of others' photos, then I prefer to have my 2017 12" MacBook with me. We've just returned from a trip and that machine made it so much easier for me to work with my own images -- transferring them from iPhone or camera to the computer and then right into a T5 external SSD for added back-up..... Once home, easy to just plug the external drive into my main machine and transfer everything right into it. This sort of thing is just not as easy with an iPad. I prefer the iPad for being able to pick it up and quickly communicate with others -- emails or Messages -- and to check my various forums and participate when I have the time, as well as to check in on national and local news. This last trip the 10.5 iPad and the iPhone XS went along, but it was the 12" MB who was the star of this show, this time.

 

[Trhodezy]

He just sounds like a typical US exec.

Across the pond we don’t showboat, we work hard and don’t need to show it off in signatures.

He is right however, the rMB is perfect for on the go. I however feel the MBA is better, not a lot of difference in weight and thickness but has more screen estate.

I use my iPad Pro 11” with keyboard for travel and the new MBA for on the go work where a full OS is needed.

that's the saddest thing i've ever seen: you skype from the plane? (am glad i'm not sitting next to you); keep the rmb in a drawer 200 days a year? (how many years have you owned yours?) and you have prices in your signature, plus a rolex, trophy wife, beachhouse. you are high-powered indeed...

 

[EugW]

He just sounds like a typical US exec.

Across the pond we don’t showboat, we work hard and don’t need to show it off in signatures.

He is right however, the rMB is perfect for on the go. I however feel the MBA is better, not a lot of difference in weight and thickness but has more screen estate.

I use my iPad Pro 11” with keyboard for travel and the new MBA for on the go work where a full OS is needed.

The Air weighs 35% more and the footprint is awkward on the plane.

 

[MBAir2010]

The Air weighs 35% more and the footprint is awkward on the plane.

bingo! the mbair seems so flimsy, easy for a cat to move off the desk to get my attention, which she did last august

 

[Dave245]

The Air weighs 35% more and the footprint is awkward on the plane.

The Air works out cheaper tho and for the money the Air does provide more. At the moment the Air is faster and has a bigger screen.

If Apple update the 12" Macbook and the Air this year the speeds may change, who knows if they will or not.

 

[Neodym]

The Air works out cheaper tho and for the money the Air does provide more. At the moment the Air is faster and has a bigger screen.

Is the Air still priced similar to the rMBP? Compared to the Air, the rMBP is even faster, has the same screen size (with a higher quality screen according to reports) and has more ports as well (there may be even more advantages) ...

 

[Trhodezy]

The Air weighs 35% more and the footprint is awkward on the plane.

However, 35% of practically nothing, is still practically nothing. I must agree with the footprint, but that’s easily fixable with your lap instead of the drop down table.

 

[Falhófnir]

He just sounds like a typical US exec.

Across the pond we don’t showboat, we work hard and don’t need to show it off in signatures.

He is right however, the rMB is perfect for on the go. I however feel the MBA is better, not a lot of difference in weight and thickness but has more screen estate.

I use my iPad Pro 11” with keyboard for travel and the new MBA for on the go work where a full OS is needed.

Literally a fantasist lol - sees iPhone Xs as status symbols and thinks Rolex is the watch of choice for the wealthy!

I think the rMB might come into it's own when they get an A12X or similar inside, I do think there's a distinction in portability between it and the Air. I assume they might merge the lines together so it will become the 12" MBA, freeing up the MacBook name for a different product if they choose. It will be interesting to see what iOS13 brings to the table for iPad functionality, with the current hardware there's a huge amount of potential waiting for the software to fully tap into it.

 

[Dave245]

Is the Air still priced similar to the rMBP? Compared to the Air, the rMBP is even faster, has the same screen size (with a higher quality screen according to reports) and has more ports as well (there may be even more advantages) ...

It is I believe, there are pros and cons to both, the Air has better battery life and the 8th gen intel processors while the none Touch Bar MacBook Pro is still using the 2017 specs I believe.

I’m weighing up getting a MacBook Air rather than the MacBook Pro, the new Air seems quite capable as well.

 

[EugW]

However, 35% of practically nothing, is still practically nothing. I must agree with the footprint, but that’s easily fixable with your lap instead of the drop down table.

The 13” is way more awkward and it feels quite a bit heavier which adds to its awkwardness. Very big difference IMO. I mean the Air is much lighter than the old school Pros but it’s not in the same league as the 12” for portability. Furthermore, if I was going to get a 13”, personally I’d much rather have the non-TB Pro. Better machine than the Air IMO for not much more.

Basically the Air has a form factor close to the 13” Pro and performance close to the 12”. Worst of both worlds.

And typing on the lap on the plane really sucks IMO.

Mind you, I have a home computer and a portable. At home I have a dual 27” iMac, and on the road I use a 12”. Best of both worlds IMO.

 

[Neodym]

It is I believe, there are pros and cons to both, the Air has better battery life and the 8th gen intel processors while the none Touch Bar MacBook Pro is still using the 2017 specs I believe.

Battery life may be an important issue, however, with more grunt in the MBP for demanding tasks, the seemingly longer battery life may be shortened by the Air’s CPU struggling much more, up to the point where the MBP may have the effectively longer battery life, depending on use case.

Regarding the 2017 specs vs 2018 ones: In recent years, improvements in the CPU area have become increasingly smaller, so the problem of the “older” 2017 tech may be more a psychological one than something to be noted outside of certain benchmarks. Same here: If the improvements happen to affect your individual use case, the noted difference may be bigger than in general scenarios.

However, instead of making a science out of buying a new laptop, you may simply look for good 2nd hand offers from a credible source (such as e.g. Apple refurb) and see what is on offer. If the differences between the machines seem to be so marginal that it is difficult to distinguish the models anyway, you could as well go for the most affordable one. As a buyer, you will subconsciously rectify the purchase for yourself afterwards, so you will be convinced to have made the best possible decision.

Some money and lot of time saved for better uses and your mind is free again for more important challenges

 

[Apple_Robert]

Even if one isn't mobile all the time, the MacBook can certainly come handy. If you are an onlooker pontificating the merits of the MB, don't put it aside if you don't fly a lot or aren't in school. There is a lot of bang in the MB. Look for sales or Apple refurbs.

I am on day two with my new 2017 MB and I really like the form factor. It is a really nice little machine. My price tag of $799 really adds to the satisfaction even morel.

 

[Dave245]

Battery life may be an important issue, however, with more grunt in the MBP for demanding tasks, the seemingly longer battery life may be shortened by the Air’s CPU struggling much more, up to the point where the MBP may have the effectively longer battery life, depending on use case.

Regarding the 2017 specs vs 2018 ones: In recent years, improvements in the CPU area have become increasingly smaller, so the problem of the “older” 2017 tech may be more a psychological one than something to be noted outside of certain benchmarks. Same here: If the improvements happen to affect your individual use case, the noted difference may be bigger than in general scenarios.

However, instead of making a science out of buying a new laptop, you may simply look for good 2nd hand offers from a credible source (such as e.g. Apple refurb) and see what is on offer. If the differences between the machines seem to be so marginal that it is difficult to distinguish the models anyway, you could as well go for the most affordable one. As a buyer, you will subconsciously rectify the purchase for yourself afterwards, so you will be convinced to have made the best possible decision.

Some money and lot of time saved for better uses and your mind is free again for more important challenges

The mistake I think Apple have made is in pricing, for example the MacBook Air is very close to the MacBook Pro.

If I buy a MacBook Air, add 16GB Ram and the 512SSD storage I’m looking at £1,672.80 with my Corporate Perks discount, however if I buy the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, add the 16GB Ram it comes to £2,001.60 that’s with the 512SSD storage.

In order words to go from the Airs dual core processor to a quad core, better graphics, better screen and better speakers (I believe they improved them with last years upgrade) it costs an extra £328.80 that seems like much more bang for the buck.

However if all that extra power isn’t being used, is it really worth it. At the moment I have the luxury of being able to wait and see, my 2012 iMac is still working fine, I have an iPad Pro 2017 that’s near brand new (Apple replaced it back in December after a few issues) and until I can sell it I’m using a Surface Pro 6 as my laptop.

My currrent plan is to wait and see what this rumour of a 16” MacBook Pro and new design is all about.

 

[Falhófnir]

It is I believe, there are pros and cons to both, the Air has better battery life and the 8th gen intel processors while the none Touch Bar MacBook Pro is still using the 2017 specs I believe.

I’m weighing up getting a MacBook Air rather than the MacBook Pro, the new Air seems quite capable as well.

I really wish they'd make a 15" version, the (expensive) Pro being the only 15" model available is quite annoying if you don't need a dGPU or 6 core processor but do want and would make use of the larger screen. Apple is the only manufacturer I can think of (well, Microsoft too, but I think their product line just mirrors Apple's) that treats 15" devices as a niche, they're the most popular (and therefore well represented) product segment for most other manufacturers.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

The new Air should never have been released. HUGE stupid mistake from Apple. It hasn't the lightness of the MacBook or the beautiful screen, spec, touch bar of the MacBook Pro.

It's a very awkward model.
I really don't know what the marketing dept' were on when they thought they'd bring this very silly model out.

As the most loyal Mac user, I really cannot think of anything decent to say about the Air and I'm a guy who tries to see good in everything - when possible!

Got to admit though as an iPhone X user and I've been using the new iPad Pro over in Bali last week, the Macs look very dated on their screens now as I'm in love with these rounded edges of the screens of the new iOS devices.

Personally, i'm waiting out for a complete new design of the 13" TB MacBook Pro. Decision made
Let's hope ProMotion comes to Mac because it's damn amazing. Once you've seen an iTunes film on the iPad Pro, it looks very jerky on a Mac in comparison at the wrong frame rate!

 

[Dodgeman]

I too grabbed a macbook dor under $800 brand new. It's a deal I have literally been waiting almost a year for.
I had an iPad and I really never used it much especially for online needs but I picked up the macbook because I want to utilize for certain things I do online that would be difficult from a phone or tablet. Basically for me it's my main computer but I have very basic needs and for that price with that amount of memory I couldn't pass it up. Even if I resale or give it away in a year or two I am not at huge loss $$ if any.

 

[AVBeatMan]

I'm getting 350 Mbps download speeds over my WiFi network but my MacBook (2018) seems slow? I mean, it takes about 7 to 10 seconds to load pages where my iPhone it's almost instant. Can anyone help me with this? My MacBook has lots of storage (180GB). I just don't know why, with a great WiFi speed it's taking so long to load pages?

 

[EugW]

I'm getting 350 Mbps download speeds over my WiFi network but my MacBook (2018) seems slow? I mean, it takes about 7 to 10 seconds to load pages where my iPhone it's almost instant. Can anyone help me with this? My MacBook has lots of storage (180GB). I just don't know why, with a great WiFi speed it's taking so long to load pages?

Something wrong with your settings, or else your DNS server, or else your internet access, etc.

 

[MBAir2010]

What macbook is the bestest for cats? Especially spoiled, non-listening to commands, big 18 month old turkish angora cat? Maybe the air due to the metal outline on the screen? We humans need a laptop,were we can click,orbturn off they keyboard when cats wanna compute like mine does alot

 

[shoppy]

I have both the new air and MB and can't decide which I prefer more? I got them for travelling but I am slightly spoilt as I have all 4 models to play with. I am not a power user, the screen is better on the MB than the air, however if I did not have both in-front of me, I would not have known that.
Pros in my opinion for the MB
1. Smaller and lighter its mad how light it is even with my apple sleeve on it
2. Screen is great
3. Sound is great for a machine so small
4. Battery life is great

Cons.
Worried about the keyboard, its not gone wrong, so doe snot really count.
Worry I am going to drop it or knock it as its so light
One USB C does annoy me, but in fairness battery does last all day.
No touch ID, lazy as I have it on my 13 Pro and air and my 15.

 

[EugW]

I have both the new air and MB and can't decide which I prefer more? I got them for travelling but I am slightly spoilt as I have all 4 models to play with. I am not a power user, the screen is better on the MB than the air, however if I did not have both in-front of me, I would not have known that.
Pros in my opinion for the MB
1. Smaller and lighter its mad how light it is even with my apple sleeve on it
2. Screen is great
3. Sound is great for a machine so small
4. Battery life is great

Cons.
Worried about the keyboard, its not gone wrong, so doe snot really count.
Worry I am going to drop it or knock it as its so light
One USB C does annoy me, but in fairness battery does last all day.
No touch ID, lazy as I have it on my 13 Pro and air and my 15.

What's wrong with the new Air's screen? Brightness?

The brightness of the new Air's screen is reportedly lacking, but otherwise it should be relatively similar to the 12".

 

[Dodgeman]

Have the 13 in mb scored for 800.

 

[EugW]

Have the 13 in mb scored for 800.

There is no 13” MacBook anymore.

 

[Dodgeman]

There is no 13” MacBook anymore.

You're right 12 inch.

 

[Dave245]

With all the talk of spec bumps this week and minor updates (iPad Mini and a new Air were released yesterday) i wonder if the 12" Macbook will be one of those to get a minor spec bump, are the processors ready from Intel for such a thing? and if so will they also update the new Macbook Air to keep the Air ahead of the 12" Macbook?