The New Macbook
Discussion
Polariz said:
I'd have wished I'd have bought the Air.
I'm the opposite - I prefer the better screen, smaller size and lighter weight of the new Macbook, but have no need for lots of processing power or any additional ports. So for my requirements this beats the Air in every area other than battery life.The great thing is that everyone has a choice - for some people the Macbook is ideal, however if you do need more connectivity, power, battery life etc... you can go for an Air or Pro, or any other Windows laptop you desire
The battery life on the 13" Air is actually better than the new Macbook! It's virtually the same weight and size (ok it's slightly heavier, but then the screen is an inch bigger to counter this). There's almost no difference in price. They have the same RAM and SSD. They are very similar in all these aspects.
For me, it simply comes down to whether you want a 1440 screen vs the Air's 900 screen (HD is 1080) OR if you want a much faster and more capable processor.
For me, the resolution in the screen isn't that big a jump to warrant having such a basic processor. If it were 1800 like the MBP retina screens then this may be different, but at 900 it's still good and not that far from HD at 1080 (I'm assuming this is how you compare them?)
For me, it simply comes down to whether you want a 1440 screen vs the Air's 900 screen (HD is 1080) OR if you want a much faster and more capable processor.
For me, the resolution in the screen isn't that big a jump to warrant having such a basic processor. If it were 1800 like the MBP retina screens then this may be different, but at 900 it's still good and not that far from HD at 1080 (I'm assuming this is how you compare them?)
Has anyone any direct feedback on the Macbook vs. the latest 13" MBP Retina please?
Probably going to the Apple Store tomorrow to hopefully walk out with something to replace my 2011 Air.
Leaning towards the MBP as I don't need the ultra-portability, though the fanless design of the Macbook does appeal (if anyone uses Sky Go you'll know the joys of Silverlight on OS X).
Probably going to the Apple Store tomorrow to hopefully walk out with something to replace my 2011 Air.
Leaning towards the MBP as I don't need the ultra-portability, though the fanless design of the Macbook does appeal (if anyone uses Sky Go you'll know the joys of Silverlight on OS X).
leglessAlex said:
It's also (nearly) 33% heavier! Some people want the lightest thing possible and don't want an extra 300g of weight in their bag even if it does mean longer battery.
But it's an inch bigger screen. If you took the weight per sq/cm I reckon they'll be very very similar.Also technically the Air is actually THINNER at one end!
ETA - I've just done the calcs and I think the Air is actually 9% LIGHTER per cubic/cm!
Edited by audi321 on Wednesday 15th April 09:46
b
hstewie said:
hstewie said: ...
Leaning towards the MBP as I don't need the ultra-portability, though the fanless design of the Macbook does appeal (if anyone uses Sky Go you'll know the joys of Silverlight on OS X).
This is one of the things I don't understand - the fanless design as a selling point. Leaning towards the MBP as I don't need the ultra-portability, though the fanless design of the Macbook does appeal (if anyone uses Sky Go you'll know the joys of Silverlight on OS X).
My 2011 Air rarely runs its fan. So most of the time it is, to all intents and purposes, fanless.
However, some apps (YouTube's a good one) cause the fan to kick in after a short while.
The fan's only kicking in because the processor is working hard and getting hot.
The processor in my Air is about as powerful, perhaps a tad more so, than the one in the MacBook. So isn't it either going to struggle with the same tasks that cause the old Air's fan to kick in, or get uncomfortably hot...?
Murph7355 said:
This is one of the things I don't understand - the fanless design as a selling point.
My 2011 Air rarely runs its fan. So most of the time it is, to all intents and purposes, fanless.
However, some apps (YouTube's a good one) cause the fan to kick in after a short while.
The fan's only kicking in because the processor is working hard and getting hot.
The processor in my Air is about as powerful, perhaps a tad more so, than the one in the MacBook. So isn't it either going to struggle with the same tasks that cause the old Air's fan to kick in, or get uncomfortably hot...?
I watch Sky Go a lot, it uses Silverlight, Silverlight on OS X is sMy 2011 Air rarely runs its fan. So most of the time it is, to all intents and purposes, fanless.
However, some apps (YouTube's a good one) cause the fan to kick in after a short while.
The fan's only kicking in because the processor is working hard and getting hot.
The processor in my Air is about as powerful, perhaps a tad more so, than the one in the MacBook. So isn't it either going to struggle with the same tasks that cause the old Air's fan to kick in, or get uncomfortably hot...?
t so my Air spends a lot of time at 40% CPU with the fan on.So it's a toss up between a 13" Retina MBP which will have a fan but hopefully has enough "grunt" and body space to keep cool and not need the fan so much, or it's a MBP which is fanless but might cook my knackers
Thing is you can't easily tell this in the Apple Store.
Despite my intentions to blag one of these babies I bought a 13" MBP today!
Whilst I would have loved the newest shiny gizmo, and Im no Mac Sheep having always preferred Android phones to the £££ iphone surcharge, I just got a little bit nervous about the new Macbook
My main concern being that we are now a significant time period beyond release day and my local shops do not have any to demo and I have yet to see a meaningful opinion of a production example online. Pragmatically I also rarely, if ever, leave the house with any computer gear and so the portability is less of a concern and a little more "ooomph" is no bad thing as I expect the new MBP to still be giving sterling service in 8y time much as this old slug of a plastic Macbook is.
Cheers
I had a play with one today at the Apple Store. They certainly look flimsy. Especially the screen. Looks like it would crack with a strong wind.
But it's the usual high class finish you would expect from Apple. I didn't have time to test it out with anything stressful for it but it's small and light which I guess is their target market. The space grey one looks the best imo
But it's the usual high class finish you would expect from Apple. I didn't have time to test it out with anything stressful for it but it's small and light which I guess is their target market. The space grey one looks the best imo
Edited by audi321 on Saturday 25th April 18:04
I also had a look on Saturday.
Whilst the overall look is more up to date than the Airs, I wouldn't buy one over an Air. Plenty of people will though.
The lighter weight was hardly noticeable IMO. They keyboard was worse. The screen is nicer but not deal breakingly so when you consider the price. The lack of connectivity is daft (they're allowing form to overtake function on that front now).
The same design of screen on the Air chassis and you have a no brainer.
As it stands, IF I buy another Mac laptop I'll be going for a 13" Retina MBP.
I note "if" as none of the current range really represent that much of a jump over my current 2011 MBA in most respects. And Apple are also messing me around with a purchase of OS X Lion for an older machine which is starting to grate enough to make me not want to drop £1,500 one one of their laptops. (From someone who has been using their products since 2001 but is getting increasingly irritated with them).
Whilst the overall look is more up to date than the Airs, I wouldn't buy one over an Air. Plenty of people will though.
The lighter weight was hardly noticeable IMO. They keyboard was worse. The screen is nicer but not deal breakingly so when you consider the price. The lack of connectivity is daft (they're allowing form to overtake function on that front now).
The same design of screen on the Air chassis and you have a no brainer.
As it stands, IF I buy another Mac laptop I'll be going for a 13" Retina MBP.
I note "if" as none of the current range really represent that much of a jump over my current 2011 MBA in most respects. And Apple are also messing me around with a purchase of OS X Lion for an older machine which is starting to grate enough to make me not want to drop £1,500 one one of their laptops. (From someone who has been using their products since 2001 but is getting increasingly irritated with them).
I also had a look at one the other day, these are my impressions:
I wanted it. This used to be a given for me with apple devices, but it seems I don't find Apple products as desirable as I used to. This was back to the old way, especially in space gray. No doubt a tech reviewer would call it the 'wow' factor or something.
I didn't find the keyboard that bad at first, but I'm not sure how it would be with having to type out an essay or long PH post on. Would have to buy one to find out I guess.
I was impressed by the trackpad. This is what I was most interested in as I'm guessing the 'taptic' trackpad will be on all Apple laptops in the future. It really did feel like you were clicking it and the 'force click' thing wasn't easy to misuse.
Screen was great. Not sure I could deal with a screen this size unless it was at least Retina resolution.
I wanted it. This used to be a given for me with apple devices, but it seems I don't find Apple products as desirable as I used to. This was back to the old way, especially in space gray. No doubt a tech reviewer would call it the 'wow' factor or something.
I didn't find the keyboard that bad at first, but I'm not sure how it would be with having to type out an essay or long PH post on. Would have to buy one to find out I guess.
I was impressed by the trackpad. This is what I was most interested in as I'm guessing the 'taptic' trackpad will be on all Apple laptops in the future. It really did feel like you were clicking it and the 'force click' thing wasn't easy to misuse.
Screen was great. Not sure I could deal with a screen this size unless it was at least Retina resolution.
Had a play this afternoon with them. Very pretty little things with a real feel of quality and detail.
Lovely screen and felt perfectly fast doing boring normal stuff. No opportunity to stuff a big excel sheet in and see how it coped, I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has.
Touchpad very clever, but not sure about the keyboard. The keys didn't give much positive feedback, but perhaps with use it would feel better.
If you were doing lots of travelling, it might be a good choice.
Lovely screen and felt perfectly fast doing boring normal stuff. No opportunity to stuff a big excel sheet in and see how it coped, I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has.
Touchpad very clever, but not sure about the keyboard. The keys didn't give much positive feedback, but perhaps with use it would feel better.
If you were doing lots of travelling, it might be a good choice.
I had a play on one of these for a good half hour in the Apple Store last night. I have to say, I don't quite get it.
Sure, the screen is lovely, but it's the same as the MacBook Pro. It's thin, but not noticably thinner in reality than the MacBook Air. Performance-wise, it was a little better than the Air, but again, probably not that you'd notice.
The keyboard, however, is utterly rubbish. I watched the keynote live, and was really interested to see what it actually felt like, given the effort they've put into it. Sadly, it's just not quite there. The keys don't move enough to provide decent feedback. Every key press felt like I was hammering away at a keyboard with something stuck under it. I wrote out about 500 words of text and while the keystrokes were accurate, I didn't enjoy it. It's not a patch on a Pismo!
Also, £250 extra for 100 mhz on the processor and 256gb of SSD? fk that.
I guess if you must have a retina display in a tiny laptop and don't do a lot of typing, and have a £1200 budget, then yeah, this is probably OK. I would say though, make a choice - get the Air if you want portability (and better battery life) or the MBP if you want more power. The MBP isn't exactly hugely bulky in any case.
Sure, the screen is lovely, but it's the same as the MacBook Pro. It's thin, but not noticably thinner in reality than the MacBook Air. Performance-wise, it was a little better than the Air, but again, probably not that you'd notice.
The keyboard, however, is utterly rubbish. I watched the keynote live, and was really interested to see what it actually felt like, given the effort they've put into it. Sadly, it's just not quite there. The keys don't move enough to provide decent feedback. Every key press felt like I was hammering away at a keyboard with something stuck under it. I wrote out about 500 words of text and while the keystrokes were accurate, I didn't enjoy it. It's not a patch on a Pismo!
Also, £250 extra for 100 mhz on the processor and 256gb of SSD? f
k that.I guess if you must have a retina display in a tiny laptop and don't do a lot of typing, and have a £1200 budget, then yeah, this is probably OK. I would say though, make a choice - get the Air if you want portability (and better battery life) or the MBP if you want more power. The MBP isn't exactly hugely bulky in any case.
So I don't get it........how are people selling these at less than Apple are selling them for. There was supposed to be a lengthy wait for them, yet I can buy one immediately for under a grand from a fair few places.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Apple-Macbook-1-1GHz...
Are they the flop we all predicted then? Has anyone on here actually bought one yet? What are they really like at playing HD stuff, Excel spreadsheets, dare I even mention video editing on one?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Apple-Macbook-1-1GHz...
Are they the flop we all predicted then? Has anyone on here actually bought one yet? What are they really like at playing HD stuff, Excel spreadsheets, dare I even mention video editing on one?
Edited by audi321 on Sunday 31st May 11:08
audi321 said:
So I don't get it........how are people selling these at less than Apple are selling them for. There was supposed to be a lengthy wait for them, yet I can buy one immediately for under a grand from a fair few places.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Apple-Macbook-1-1GHz...
Are they the flop we all predicted then? Has anyone on here actually bought one yet? What are they really like at playing HD stuff, Excel spreadsheets, dare I even mention video editing on one?
I can walk into my local Costco and buy a brand new Apple cheaper than I can get it at my local Apple store.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Apple-Macbook-1-1GHz...
Are they the flop we all predicted then? Has anyone on here actually bought one yet? What are they really like at playing HD stuff, Excel spreadsheets, dare I even mention video editing on one?
Edited by audi321 on Sunday 31st May 11:08
They are perfectly good machines.
Even my old 2011 Mac mini is still fine playing HD movies ( great media server )
If you are keen on video editing - this isn't the model for you.
Troubleatmill said:
audi321 said:
So I don't get it........how are people selling these at less than Apple are selling them for. There was supposed to be a lengthy wait for them, yet I can buy one immediately for under a grand from a fair few places.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Apple-Macbook-1-1GHz...
Are they the flop we all predicted then? Has anyone on here actually bought one yet? What are they really like at playing HD stuff, Excel spreadsheets, dare I even mention video editing on one?
I can walk into my local Costco and buy a brand new Apple cheaper than I can get it at my local Apple store.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Apple-Macbook-1-1GHz...
Are they the flop we all predicted then? Has anyone on here actually bought one yet? What are they really like at playing HD stuff, Excel spreadsheets, dare I even mention video editing on one?
Edited by audi321 on Sunday 31st May 11:08
They are perfectly good machines.
Even my old 2011 Mac mini is still fine playing HD movies ( great media server )
If you are keen on video editing - this isn't the model for you.
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff