Mostly lost in all the noise and news about Apple Watch this month is the all new MacBook line. Yeah, that’s right. Apple introduced a new MacBook that sits somewhere between the entry-level MacBook Air models and the MacBook Pro.
I’m in the market for a new Mac notebook, and I’ve put off the purchase until Apple unveiled what I thought was on the way– a Retina display MacBook Air. Instead, Apple introduced a new MacBook (no Air, but it’s lighter than Air; pun intended) and it’s totally lust-worthy.
Light, Fast, Thin, Beautiful
At my age and size there’s nothing any longer that can be called light, fast, thin, or, well, maybe aging beautifully would apply. That’s about it.
MacBook is beautiful, light at 2-pounds, thinner than thin, and very fast. The keyboard is new, flatter, and takes some getting used to.
Apple’s new Force Touch trackpad is to die for, and the 12-inch Retina display makes this the most portable of Macs. It comes with enough RAM to start, a few CPU options, and large storage space if you need it.
MacBook is so thin it feels like the screen edge could cut cheese while the single USB-C port makes you wonder if some engineer at Apple was busy cutting cheese when the specifications were drawn up. One, lonely, solitary USB port. Invest your money in dongles.
This new Mac doesn’t even have a fan. It’s mostly screen, keyboard, and battery, and Apple tinkered with some innards so the SSD is screaming fast. For the intended user, MacBook is digital glitter personified. But all that glitters isn’t gold. MacBook is not for the average MacBook Air or MacBook Pro user.
Why? MacBook is more expensive than an entry-level MacBook Air, and less powerful and less capable than a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display for almost the same money. For any Mac user who requires lighter than light, multiple colors, thinner than thin, but with a screen to die for, the new MacBook is it. Write, read, browse, view photos, play music, dink around a bit in Garageband, even create a little movie, but don’t expect a powerhouse Mac in a glittering gold package that performs admirably while bouncing between Adobe Creative Suite and Final Cut Pro X.
My only wish is that the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display also came in gold.
SpectreWriter says
Well done. Your thoughts and impressions mirrored my own when I investigated at the Apple store.
ElvinLoftin says
New Macbook touched the perfection this time. It gives awesome display performance, improved battery life, ultra-light, sleek design, and powerful and faster processor that finishes all the tasks timely. Another thing I like most about this new laptop is colors. I love this new Gold color laptop for what I must say, go for it.
willie says
Hello? Pay attention much? Compared to a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, the only thing the new MacBook has going for it is weight. It’s lighter, yes, but slower, same battery life, fewer ports, slower graphics, slower CPU. Oh, and multiple colors. Compared to the aging MacBook Air line, it’s NOT faster, NOT longer battery life, not better graphics. Just the Retina display and a higher price tag.