Here's a crazy surprise I didn't expect: my 13-inch MacBook Air felt big and clunky after I went back to it. And make no mistake, the MacBook Air is itself a wonder of engineering. Yet compared to the new MacBook it felt like a heavy, kind of ugly throwback with a mediocre screen. I really didn't want to go back to that Air. But I still went back.You see, the problem with the future is that it isn't here yet. Instead we live in the now, and the now doesn't have the ecosystem of adapters and wireless peripherals I need to use this laptop with its single port. The now doesn't have the right processor to power through the apps I need without ruining battery life. And right now, this laptop is far from cheap at $1,299. But if history is any guide, all of those problems will go away - and more quickly than you probably expect. When they do, I'll be using this MacBook. The MacBook. Hurry up, future. Hurry the hell up.
This is the notebook for people who love their iPad but want something with a real keyboard and a bigger screen. It's a great second computer to complement an iMac or a larger MacBook Pro. And the MacBook might be the ideal "student" computer - I would have killed to have something this thin and light in college. The most important thing about the new MacBook, to me, isn't necessarily what it is now, but what it represents. In five years, the sea of MacBook Airs and MacBook Air-style machines we see now at Starbucks will be replaced by machines that look more like the new MacBook. This is the future.
Apples new MacBook seemed like a shift so dramatic that it was bound to cause some discomfort when it was unveiled on stage in March in San Francisco, but in practice the big changes are far easier to embrace than you might expect. Its true that for users who treat their notebooks as their sole computers, and who like to plug a lot of things into those computers as a result, this probably isnt the best option. But for people looking for a mobile Mac to complement their desktop machine, and for those who arent sending their whole day on their Macs for work (meaning likely the vast majority of general consumers), this is a future-oriented notebook that is just as effective in the present, too.
I expect the new MacBook to follow the same path as the Air. Over the next few years, it will improve, and become an affordable, indispensable tool for life in the future. But here, now, in the present day, there are more practical slim, everyday laptop choices. The MacBook Air is the best option all around, the MacBook Pro Retina 13 is a great step up, and PC users can do no better than Dells latest XPS 13.
this new MacBook will also be the right fit for a smaller segment of a public than the more universally useful 13-inch MacBook Air or Pro. But those who can work with the limitations -- primarily a lack of ports, shorter battery life, performance that's not suited for pro-level photo and video editing, and a shallow keyboard that takes some getting used to -- will love its sharp display, slim and light body, and responsive touchpad. My primary caveat is this -- if history is any guide, you can count on a near-future generation of this laptop boosting its utility by doubling the number of USB-C ports to at least two. So like many new technology products, it may be worth waiting for the next version, even if having a 12-inch, two-pound gold MacBook right now will make you the coolest kid at the coffee shop.
With the new keyboard and trackpad innovations, lust-inducing industrial design, and impressive downsizing of internal components, the MacBook feels like a an important next step in the evolution of portable computers. But this machine isn't for everyone, particularly those who expect extremes from their devices. Still, if you prioritize style, need something ultraportable, and dont mind trading power for a crisp and clear Retina display, then the perfect computer may have arrived.
Ultimately the new MacBook feels like a first-generation product-a very good first-generation product, but a first-generation product nevertheless. It's got some promise and a couple of major shortcomings and you don't need to be the first person who takes the leap into the Brave New Future it represents. I use an iMac as my primary computer and a 13-inch MacBook Air when Im sitting on the couch or in a café or on a plane, and perhaps 90 percent of the time this MacBook can replace the Air without issue. If this is going to be your main computer or only computer or if youre one of the bare handful of people who use Thunderbolt for something, its hard to recommend.
Much like the original Air, the new MacBook is expensive, and it's not for everyone. In particular, it's for well-heeled shoppers who demand the most portable machine possible, and who also don't want to compromise on screen quality. That might not be persuasive to would-be Windows users, who have several compelling alternatives, many with equally sharp screens and a bigger selection of ports. But for loyal Mac fans who wouldn't dream of switching, the new MacBook is by far the lightest-weight machine in Apple's lineup, especially with this caliber of screen. It's not for everyone, especially not right now, but if it's anything like the Air, it might one day become the standard.
My point in bringing up my parents: the MacBook is a different kind of Apple notebook for a particular kind of owner who values minimalism and simplicity above all else.If you've been gnashing your teeth at the MacBook's relatively modest performance, and panicking about that USB-C port while scouring the Web for various kinds of USB-C cables and adapters to figure out how to integrate a MacBook into your Apple existence, you're not that sort of user. Get a MacBook Pro, for Pete's sake.But the 12-inch MacBook looks to be a nice fit for other kinds of users. Here are profiles of a few such hypothetical MacBook buyers -- see if you resemble one of these people.Wrap-Up -- The MacBook is a beautiful machine that I would never buy, partly because its USB-C port is too restrictive, and also because I can get far better performance for the money with other portable Macs.These are hardly concerns for the people Apple wants to woo with its new laptop. They include folks like my parents who want a notebook that looks lovely, isn't overly complicated, and is thin and light enough to take everywhere. Its also great for Web-app users, video and ebook addicts, tablet-for-work recanters, hardcore keyboarders, and casual video editors.The MacBook may feel exotic now, but its newfangled technology is undoubtedly headed for other Apple laptop models in the coming months and years. And, like the original MacBook Air, the MacBook will someday be seen as a bold trendsetter. For now, it's a gorgeous and capable Mac with some practical limitations that restrict it to a specific audience.
SamengevatApples MacBook is een indrukwekkend dunne en lichte laptop, die nog geen kilogram weegt. Helaas is het dunne formaat ten koste gegaan van het toetsenbord, dat nauwelijks travel heeft. Ook had de behuizing wat meer stevigheid kunnen gebruiken en was er door de compacte afmetingen slechts ruimte voor een usb-c-aansluiting, waarvoor de verloopkabeltjes niet worden bijgeleverd en niet goedkoop zijn. Het ips-scherm heeft een hoge resolutie en is goed gekalibreerd, terwijl de accuduur ruim negen uur bedraagt. Andere MacBooks, zoals de MacBook Pro, zijn voor hetzelfde geld sneller en hebben een langere accuduur, maar zijn groter en wegen meer, waardoor de MacBook vooral interessant is voor wie zoekt naar een extreem compacte en lichte laptop.
Gast
