New MacBook 12-inch hands-on
Preview models of Apple’s new 12-inch MacBook have arrived in South Africa, giving potential buyers an opportunity to test the device.
This is a good move from Apple distributor Core Group, as I would recommend getting hands-on experience with one of the new MacBooks before making a purchasing decision.
The new MacBooks are very different to both the MacBook Pro and Air – not to mention quite expensive – so knowing exactly what you’re getting yourself into is important.
Most noticeable are the changes to the keyboard and trackpad.
Of scissor switches and “taptic” haptic feedback
MacBook 12-inch silver, gold, space gray
Apple has made a big deal of the engineering that went into the new scissor switches used in the keyboard, as well as the Force Touch trackpad, which it said were designed to make the notebook as thin as possible.
As a result, the keys and trackpad have a much shallower action than those on other MacBooks.
You’ll either love it or hate it initially, and even if you hate it it’s one of those things which may grow on you in time.
Though it didn’t feel cheap, the keyboard’s action reminded me of the built-in keyboards that ship in netbooks, or some of the bluetooth keyboards available for tablets.
You’re tapping the keys, rather than pushing them. Almost like you’re being forced to touch-type.
MacBook Trackpad settings
The trackpad’s shallower field of motion may also take some getting used to if you’re already a seasoned Mac user, as will the new “Force click” feature.
This lets you “Click then press firmly” to use a number of features, including quick look, looking up words in the built-in dictionary, and using data detectors and other app-specific features.
For example, if you highlight a date and then force click it, Calendar opens and lets you create an event.
In Safari, force clicking a link brings a preview of the page being linked to. This preview comes up in a modal pop-up browser window – letting you view the page without navigating away, or committing to opening a new browser tab or page.
The deal maker or breaker
| MacBook model | CPU | RAM | SSD | Price |
| MacBook 12-inch | 1.1GHz Intel Core M | 8GB | 256GB | R18,999 |
| MacBook Pro 13″ with Retina | 2.7GHz Intel Core i5 | 8GB | 128GB | R18,999 |
| MacBook Pro 13″ with Retina | 2.7GHz Intel Core i5 | 8GB | 256GB | R22,499 |
| MacBook 12-inch | 1.2GHz | 8GB | 512GB | R23,999 |
| MacBook Pro 13″ with Retina | 2.9GHz Intel Core i5 | 8GB | 512GB | R26,999 |
In the end, all the tech in the world is only as useful to you as your pocket allows.
Worth keeping in mind is that the new MacBook has only a single USB Type-C port, which means that everyone who buys one is almost certainly going to need to buy a USB C-to-A adapter.
Local pricing for these adapters has not been announced.
While the new MacBook is certainly a good looking machine, packing a lot of interesting engineering, it also competes in price with the MacBook Pro.
It isn’t for everyone, and certainly isn’t for me when the current line of 13″ MacBook Pro with Retina notebooks are powerful and compact.
Like so many sweet gadgets, though, the new MacBook is not something you necessarily need, but is a device you definitely want.
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