MACBook Advice

[countach]

I use a MacBook Pro 2012 mid edition and it still feels pretty good. When you have a few extra rands to spare add in 8gid of ram and and SSD drive then u have yourself a machine that will last you 5 years+

 

[koffiejunkie]

Though, the glut of accessories needed to make this device at least decently functional is absurd.

Glut? You need only one:

Also, the 13" rMBP costs the same price, and is more powerful (and also has the Force Touch Trackpad), so I'm not really sure what Apple's plan for this model is (despite where I envisage it to be positioned in the market).

It's performance falls somewhere between the 2013 and 2014 MacBook Air, which is quite capable. It's just another option in the weight/size/efficient vs performance/expandability compromise - nothing more, nothing less. I don't know why this seems to be such a hard c oncept to grasp.

I use a MacBook Pro 2012 mid edition and it still feels pretty good. When you have a few extra rands to spare add in 8gid of ram and and SSD drive then u have yourself a machine that will last you 5 years+

Agreed - my 2011 15" MBP with CPU upgrade, 16GB RAM and 2xSSD is still a superbly powerful machine and will easily last me 5 years. The only reason I'm even considering upgrading around that time is because Skylake will be out and I would very much like the 4K support it will bring.

But, when you do as much travelling as I do, every gram matters. That's why MacBook 12" makes a lot of sense.

 

[Maverick Jester]

Glut? You need only one:

And you'd need another adaptor to use VGA / DVI / DisplayPort (for those Thunderbolt displays), and you'd probably need a USB hub for the additional items you'd like to connect to your MacBook. So that's probably another two additional items you'd need simply because Apple skimped on the ports.

It's performance falls somewhere between the 2013 and 2014 MacBook Air, which is quite capable. It's just another option in the weight/size/efficient vs performance/expandability compromise - nothing more, nothing less. I don't know why this seems to be such a hard concept to grasp.

Its performance is irrelevant to its position within Apple's product categories. It could very well replace the Air (just as the Air cannabalised the market of the older MacBook), or could be standalone offering to supplement the Air, which would become the entry level model. All of Apple's products are launched to cater for a specific mix of performance, portability and expandability in mind.

Either way, we don't know yet, just as we didn't know with the Air when it came out. I don't know why people need to be so unnecessarily snarky in their responses, but oh well.

 

[koffiejunkie]

I don't know why people need to be so unnecessarily snarky in their responses, but oh well.

Did you read your own comments?

Though, the glut of accessories needed to make this device at least decently functional is absurd.

So it's not "decently functional" without a glut of accessories? The point of this laptop is to be ultra portable - not to be a desktop replacement. They took pains to point out the emphasis on wireless connectivity during the presentation.

Also, the 13" rMBP costs the same price, and is more powerful (and also has the Force Touch Trackpad), so I'm not really sure what Apple's plan for this model is (despite where I envisage it to be positioned in the market).

Its performance is irrelevant to its position within Apple's product categories.

So performance is irrelevant, yet you point out the 13" rMBP being more powerful for the same price.

All of Apple's products are launched to cater for a specific mix of performance, portability and expandability in mind.

Exactly what I just told you:

It's just another option in the weight/size/efficient vs performance/expandability compromise

 

[AfricanTech]

I think that this MacBook is meant to bridge the gap between the iPad Air and the Macbook Air. It's actually pretty compelling for students.

Though, the glut of accessories needed to make this device at least decently functional is absurd.

Also, the 13" rMBP costs the same price, and is more powerful (and also has the Force Touch Trackpad), so I'm not really sure what Apple's plan for this model is (despite where I envisage it to be positioned in the market).

Welcome to the world where everything is meant to be done wirelessly on this class of device

 

[SauRoNZA]

Welcome to the world where everything is meant to be done wirelessly on this class of device

As usual Apple is pushing forward and if you get into the ecosystem completely this wouldn't be a problem really.

You can Airdrop anything while mobile and if you need to do anything that requires ports at home you simply have the "dock" ready and waiting.

If you have a Thunderbolt screen to go along with it then all the ports you need are on the back of that.

 

[Maverick Jester]

Did you read your own comments?

Yip. Apologies, shouldn't have done that.

So it's not "decently functional" without a glut of accessories? The point of this laptop is to be ultra portable - not to be a desktop replacement. They took pains to point out the emphasis on wireless connectivity during the presentation.

Many people use the MacBook Air as a desktop replacement for most activities, despite it serving a similar purpose. The point is, you need to purchase a number of accessories simply to add common items prevalent to most people's use cases, and in a few instances antiquate existing solutions, too (no MagSafe or Thunderbolt connections). I wouldn't want to connect an adaptor just to have the ability to connect an additional display to the laptop, for example. But, it's a cleaner experience for it. I just wish that they didn't couple the charging port with the USB-C port. Either way, IMO, it's not decently functional because of the lack of ports needed for my uses.

Wireless connectivity is good and well, but not always an option. Look at the Dell XPS 13- it contains a smaller overall footprint, but a larger screen and considerably more ports (not to mention more power), in a similarly thin form factor.

So performance is irrelevant, yet you point out the 13" rMBP being more powerful for the same price.

That still doesn't designate its position within Apple's lineup. I pointed out the price because they are the same, whereas the Air and Pro have a clear level of price differentiation, so this instance is unusual. When the Air launched ($1,799), it was within the price gap between the top of the line MacBook ($1,499) and the entry-level Pro ($1,999). I understand that the scenarios are not completely analogous, but it does beg the question of who Apple envisage this model to target in the long term. It does go with Apple's ideal of a computing device being appliance-like in nature, though.

On the face of it, it's positioned between the Air and Pro models, but has slightly improved performance over the Air, for Pro money, which is a significant improvement over it in all areas (and in the case of the Pro, has the same trackpad). Had the price been $200-300 lower, it would be clearer, because it would have followed the same model that Apple currently has with the Air and Pro. As it is, it could be the Air replacement, or not. Point is, we don't know.

Exactly what I just told you:

Yes, the emphasis of repetition was that you're not telling me something I don't know

 

[Maverick Jester]

Welcome to the world where everything is meant to be done wirelessly on this class of device

Which I appreciate, but that doesn't make it any less functional for other use cases.

As usual Apple is pushing forward and if you get into the ecosystem completely this wouldn't be a problem really.

You can Airdrop anything while mobile and if you need to do anything that requires ports at home you simply have the "dock" ready and waiting.

If you have a Thunderbolt screen to go along with it then all the ports you need are on the back of that.

That use case is ideal, yes, but not always possible, and doesn't mean that it isn't less functional to those that are not as deeply entrenched within the Apple ecosystem.