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The new MacBook

apple.com

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Re: The new MacBook

#131

Post by archagon »

bane wrote: post #24
DannyBee wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad apple picked this up after so many others pushed it forward :) But 1 port is sad, because now you have to choose between a lot of things (charging, using hdmi, whatever)

It just means we're going to stay stuck in dongle hell. When I'm on the road the minimalism of a Mac is nice, but at my desk, hooked up to everything I really need for heavy work, my desktop is a cluster-f of cables and adapters and wires.

I'm concerned about the feasibility of USB-powered hard drives with this setup. On my Macbook Pro, if I plug more than one of them into a hub (as opposed to separate USB ports), they start flaking out on account of lack of power, even if the hub is powered.

Re: The new MacBook

#132

Post by wahsd »

mmastrac wrote: post #2

USB-C as the "one connector to rule them all" is the big news. That's the end of MagSafe and the exploding era of USB-C docking stations that work for multiple devices. I think we'll start to see an era of expandable computing coming up soon: USB-C is a perfect connector to push your data and state into a larger desktop experience. Why not carry around your laptop in tablet form when you are mobile? [1] [1] https://g…

I am a bit on the fence about them seemingly jettisoning the lighting connector? Why go with a plug that has a delicate prong in the center rather than a plug with the contacts around the perimeter?

Does anyone know if there was any emphasis put on making USB-C less flimsy and delicate?

Re: The new MacBook

#133

Post by drzaiusapelord »

colinramsay wrote: post #8

Are there things here where Apple is significantly further ahead than the competition? Innovating on keyboards, trackpad, battery life, power usage and form factor - there just seem to be innovating simultaneously on more levels than the competition. Another thing - that vibrating trackpad gizmo feels like a couple of innovations away from true touch feedback on an iPhone? Any thoughts?

I'd say they're more progressive than innovative. A solitary USB-C port is kinda ugly. Now your charger shares the same port as everything else. For business use this can be annoying especially for those who give presentations or just need an easy to to plug in USB thumb drive port. Or a dongle for a third-party mouse or trackball.

Also, do we consider price anymore? I tend to buy machines at most $500. An $800-1200 Mac really isn't an option for me. I don't care to spend that much, nor understand why I should. I guess a Mercedes is better than my Jeep, but that doesn't mean Jeep can't innovate. Its just they have to hit a certain price points and deliver certain things at that price point. The Mercedes can have auto-assist driving and rich Corinthian leather, but I don't really need those things.

Re: The new MacBook

#134

Post by paulornothing »

I think this is the most important announcement from the event. Sadly all the click bait news will be about how expensive the Gold Watch will be. This laptop is extremely light and has good specs.

Re: The new MacBook

#135

Post by contergan »

geoelectric wrote: post #85
cmg wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the new laptop for the casual user who's browsing Facebook, maybe typing something up in Word/Pages, and listening to iTunes. I was pretty interested until I saw that it's a Core M, and won't replace my I7 anytime soon for web development with multiple virtualmachines and light video editing.

The CPU is a little worrisome for me too. I don't do a lot that stresses the i7 in my 2011 Air, but I don't have a sense of how much slower a Core M is and what that'll mean day to day. Edit: chased down some benchmarks, and it's quite a bit slower than any current i-series combo, though the turbo makes up for it some (probably at steep cost to battery life).

Yeah if http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist... is to be trusted, it's indeed quite a bit slower.

What a bummer, I was seriously hoping to replace my 2012 MBA, but now... apparently the Core M processor will unfortunately be a good deal slower, than the one used 3 years ago. Which means I'll probably have to go with a Windows based laptop or wait for the MBP update.

Re: The new MacBook

#136

Post by dntrkv »

mdeslaur wrote: post #11

Seriously? Couldn't they have put _two_ ports in it so you can plug something in while it's being charged without lugging around a usb hub?

I am assuming the charger will have another port on it that you can use for other devices while it's plugged in.

Re: The new MacBook

#138

Post by exprL »

look_lookatme wrote: post #44
acomjean wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This won't work well when using an air to do presentations and you can't switch between a monitor and power.... The slightly cynical me tends to think the thunderbolt port was great and on every mac. now new adapters...

Presumably accessory manufacturers will create peripherals that allow video out + power at the same time?

That's the stopgap solution, I think. Looking at the larger picture, it's silly that a projector only looks for video-in, instead of video-in/power-out, considering it's already plugged to a wall outlet.

Re: The new MacBook

#139

Post by contergan »

AmVess wrote: post #121
thesimon wrote: post #28

1.2Ghz processor seems like a dealbreaker for professional applications (Coding, Video editing) but for applications the Air was used before it actually seems okay.

The 1.2 GHz Core M has a maximum frequency of 2.9 GHz with turbo boost. The 1.1 GHz model will spool up to 2.6 GHz. Further, both processors are dual cores with hyperthreading. It'll be about 5% less performant than the previous Macbook Air while using vastly less energy (4.5 watts vs 15 watts).

Are you sure about that 5% claim? According to http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist... the performance difference should be quite a bit worse.

Re: The new MacBook

#140

Post by toufka »

acomjean wrote: post #26
mdeslaur wrote: post #11

Seriously? Couldn't they have put _two_ ports in it so you can plug something in while it's being charged without lugging around a usb hub?

This won't work well when using an air to do presentations and you can't switch between a monitor and power.... The slightly cynical me tends to think the thunderbolt port was great and on every mac. now new adapters...

Couldn't you then be using the monitor's power source to charge the laptop? Presumably the monitor is plugged into the wall and can transmit power to the laptop while the laptop transmits data to it.
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