MacStories Review of new MacBook

http://www.macstories.net/stories/my-favorite-mac-the-new-12-retina-macbook-2/

have had base model month - agree of findings in review. absolutely love upside while not experiencing of downside.

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my favorite mac: new 12″ retina macbook

after 3 weeks new macbook, can declare favorite mac, , none of details left of tech press wailing , gnashing teeth have been problem. 1 port? minor annoyance @ worst. performance? works great need do. keyboard? absolutely love , can’t imagine switching back. in hindsight, regret have spending money on ipad air 2.


hardware history
since there no way avoid comparing new macbook other macs, let me give short history of mac hardware lineage. in 2004, bought powerbook g4, turned out 1 of last powerpc laptops apple made. bought 1 of first white plastic macbooks once switch intel happened, ended selling relatively friend son leaving college , wanted mac. replaced black macbook. around 2007 or 2008 bought 24" imac. in 2011, bought macbook air. couple of years ago, friend tom bridge gave me 2008 macbook pro had belonged wife tiffany bridge. last not least, bought myself quad core i7 mac mini graduation present , upgraded 16 gb of ram. have macminicolo machine run various websites, etc.

powerbook stopped working because power port damaged , no longer recharged. “blackbook” can’t run newer lion , needs new battery. put ssd in imac still runs well, need portable mac. macbook air developed problem “r” key seems dead, can used external keyboard, plus, it’s limited 4 gb of ram, doesn’t seem enough these days.

didn’t think i’d ever love mac laptop as loved 15" macbook pro: had been able upgrade ram; had nice big screen; had removed superdrive , replaced second hard drive allows me create 768 gb fusion drive; heck, had replaced battery. knew no future macbook pro ever repairable , extensible was. unfortunately, developed problem appears related logic board, , no longer made sense keep putting time , money it.

it’s important understand background because contributes how made decision buy new mac. had been hoping wait until new macbook pros come out next generation intel chips in them, intel has apparently had trouble getting them market, , next-next generation intel chips supposedly coming out fall. apple did spec-bump on macbook pro, modest. when macbook pro no longer go more 30 minutes without kernel panics, knew time start looking new portable solution. (when time buy new mac? “wait long can, no longer.”)

went apple store 1 question in mind: “will buy 13" or 15" macbook pro?”

“if have powerful desktop mac, why not use ipad air?”
last year, replaced ipad 3 ipad air 2. splurged , went 128 gb cellular model. it’s capable portable computer, , can lot, can’t of things mac can do. new multitasking features coming in ios 9 (which fantastic), there’s no way ipad can replace mac.

isn’t true (hi federico!) it’s case me. after spending week without mac laptop, , knowing enough try re-create of os x workflows in ios, found frustrating, , not wanted keep trying do.

the plan: buy macbook pro
when realized needed new mac, spent time configuring both 13" , 15" macbook pro models on apple’s online store. however, since had never seen retina display mac before (a intentional decision avoid wanting have 1 before ready buy one), knew had go see them in person. willing downsize 13" mac 15" if 13" retina? way tell test one.

went apple store , spent long time using both macbook pro models, comparing specs of various test models, , looking them see other “build order” options available. problem wanted size of 13" wanted 15" better processor. wanted ssd, , since never going upgradeable, figured should go 1 tb ssd. time finished, had $2700 macbook pro configured. plus tax , applecare. so…$3,000.

yikes.

made me stop , ask “ok, need $3,000 macbook pro?” not really. easy mindset of creeping “build order” charts, when stopped think without focusing on specs, realized preferred size of 13" 15".

spend deal of time macbook on lap-desk while i’m watching tv family, lighter better. need 1 tb drive? honestly, no. sure, had 768 gb drive in macbook pro, there lot of space on it. keep movies, etc. on mac mini , music delivered either spotify or apple music, knew away 512 gb ssd.

need quad core i7 processor in laptop? biggest hurdle. have thought best way buy laptop buy best 1 can afford , keep long can. buying laptop has changed lot on past 10 years, , had think differently needed.

when came right down it, realized (by modern standards) don’t processor-intensive, and if find do need do, can on mac mini.

of thoughts part of decision go home , configure middle-of-the-road 13" macbook pro instead of top-of-the-line 15" macbook pro.

the plot twist
turned leave, happened see 12" macbook. since listen bunch of mac podcasts , read bunch of mac websites, knew didn’t want 12" macbook because way underpowered , only has 1 port although maybe next version have two, intrigued try keyboard, had heard described either “terrible” or “not bad obvious compromise.”

went @ macbook because wanted see how keyboard felt, , maybe leave note marco take picture of , post twitter.

funny thing happened: found myself liking keyboard. lot. loved had tap them lightly in order have keypress recognized. felt great, , larger keys seemed lot easier me use.

picked macbook , said aloud, “oh, come on.” apple store employee standing nearby greet people entered store. when heard me, turned look, saw had done, , laughed. “kinda wild, right?” said. compared 2008 macbook pro, 2015 macbook pro amazingly light. still remember unpacking 2011 macbook air , being amazed @ lightness. nothing compare new macbook.

whereas moment earlier had been asking “do need of high-end specs?” thinking “why ever want bigger , heavier this?”

not swayed, , reminded myself macbook not powerful needed. set out find flaws, tried seemed work fine. finally, asked myself, “what want on don’t think (given processor)?” nothing came mind. vast majority of thing on computer not require heavy-duty processor.

a cooling-off period
left apple store because had meet someone, , decided needed break apple store showroom experience macbook. assumed once left store , found reviews online, no longer captivated new macbook.

when returned home, started reading actual hands-on reviews of macbook see how handle various tasks. disappointed find of reviews weren’t reviews, seemed more “thought pieces” whether changes in new macbook come other macbooks, or articles people tried macbook briefly didn’t had liked it.

ars technica had 2 reviews (an initial “hands-on” , fuller review, month later). 2 articles turned out significant turning point in decision-making process. wrote:

we’ll need have system in hand examine how laptop throttles cpu , gpu save power, important things gaming, video editing, , heavy photoshop work.

don’t of things, didn’t need worry them.

general-use tasks don’t peg processor, oversimplified version core m performs lot ivy bridge core i5 , i7 cpus in 2012 macbook airs. if you’ve got 2013 or 2015 macbook air, step down. if have 2012 macbook air, it’s step sideways @ best.

have 2011 macbook air, have been using 2008 macbook pro. new macbook not as much of leap forward have gotten macbook pro, sufficient needs?

ars’s full review lists these negatives:

performance step or 2 behind recent broadwell-u macs.

compared have been using, step forward, , vast majority of time, improvement. plus have mac mini safety net if need start rendering video.

in 1440×900 mode, integrated gpu struggles keep high-res screen.

“sometimes” wasn’t enough convince me real problem versus problem 1 might see when doing series of benchmark-like tests on new computer. (in actual use, haven’t seen @ all.)

upgrades impossible. ram ssd soldered tiny motherboard.

of macbooks pretty sealed boxes little possibility of being upgraded later, isn’t significant downside.

mediocre webcam.

use mac’s webcam approximately never.

life 1 port compromise, whether decide go all-in on new dongles , cables or not.

struck me potentially annoying part of new macbook, , needed think further.

“how use usb?”
if asked me how need use usb, have answered “all time.” 1 of reasons why “knew” macbook wasn’t me. if twousb ports never felt enough, how live one usb-c port?

however, once started think it, come two thingsthat actually on regular basis require usb port:

1. update superduper.
2. copy file cd (once week).

backups important. friends know can little bit obsessive backups. think bootable backup important part of backup strategy, part.

first line of backup defense time capsule runs hourly backup important files on mac. use crashplan because runs anytime connected network, , gives me off-site backup. (i have used backblaze seems good, have “family plan” crashplan allows me backup of computers 1 account.)

bootable backup of mac important third-leg of backup system, since getting backed in @ least 2 different places in addition bootable backup, can updating once week without worrying going lose anything.

copying file cd can on several other macs, such imac or mac mini (which has external attached it). in fact, using hazel , bittorrent sync, can automate entire process, need put cd mac mini’s drive , file need end on macbook. or hook apple usb superdrive if need to.

when else use usb ports? not often. have usb thumb drive on keychain, stopped carrying because realized never found myself needing it. occasionally, plug in iphone or ipad use phoneview or charge it, not enough consider deal-breaker.

apple sells usb-c usb adapter $20 , $80 usb-c digital av multiport adapter usb-c (for power), hdmi, , “regular” usb. also, since usb-c not apple-specific connector, other companies come out connectors , adapters in future.

after thinking through of these things, realized consider new macbook. decided return apple store more thorough test, of keyboard. seemed impossible in long-term did initially. way find out sit down , use extended period, , determined before buying rather getting home , discovering afterwards.

a more careful testing experience
when arrived @ apple store next day, asked permission borrow 1 of stools one-to-one area , put in front of demo macbook unit. suspected might not want sitting in front of 1 of demo units extended amount of time, or perhaps not want sitting on stool in front part of store close door, accommodating.

don’t have terribly great fear of looking odd in public, compared how dislike returning things after buying them, didn’t take long settle in perch , start more thorough test.

the keyboard
spent almost hour typing on new keyboard, , using computer in “regular” usage see how it. if you’ve read new macbook, you’ve heard new keyboard, how keys larger configuration same, , how “travel” of keyboard shallow. have read various comments keyboard people (at best) “didn’t love accept it” or (at worst) hated , couldn’t use it.

felt very different when started using it, did not take long me realize really, keyboard. can understand why other people might not it, , can imagine might difficult if have switch between various computers on regular basis (i.e. work computer, home desktop computer, , laptop). realized primary computer, enjoy keyboard. (after 3 weeks of usage, wouldn’t want go old keyboard if wouldn’t change else macbook.)

the screen
first extended use of mac retina screen, , holy wow great. 15" macbook pro ran @ 1440x900, same resolution new macbook can achieve @ highest setting. (the in-store unit set second-highest resolution setting, changed after sitting down.)

i’m 42 , eyes aren’t perfect, can happily use macbook @ 1440x900 in retina, means have same “space” had on 15" macbook pro, except smaller , sharper , more awesome.

the weight
know i’ve gushed on this, wanted add brought ipad air 2 keyboard cover me apple store, , looks bulky compared macbook.

picked model unit 3-4 times in time there (in hindsight wonder if thought going try steal it). every time thought myself, “yup, right, absurdly light.”

it’s hard describe if haven’t experienced in person, feels if macbook thinner , lighter, might difficult keep sliding around while type on it.

the fans
have nothing fans…because there aren’t any! (insert rimshot here).

on other hand, have lot lack of fans. again, let me compare previous 2008 macbook pro, , app smcfancontrol used crank fans full power in order cool down. heavy , hot , noisy. after putting macbook through solid hour of testing, felt table underneath , warm touch, not hot. bottom of macbook warm enough notice otherwise not noteworthy.

(while writing article, fired istat menus , macbook running 50ºc. if put hand on bottom of it, there barely warmth coming @ all. consider macbook’s usual state. can warm up? sure. going hot worry it? no.)

sold!
know now, walked out of apple store happy owner of new 512 gb macbook 1.2ghz processor.

in first day of regular use macbook using pretty non-stop 9 2 pm. spent of time on battery only, , still had 33% of battery left. leave charger @ work during week , keep macbook plugged in during day. when home, use on battery , have plenty left bedtime. fruitjuice tells me reaching desired amount of battery usage per day, hope means battery live nice, long life.

accessories… after fact
did buy apple’s $80 usb-c digital av multiport adapter, more “safety net” in case need else. wish had “regular” usb ports in lieu of hdmi port, oh well. suspected, apple usb superdrive(which owned) works fine it.

plan buy applecare protection plan mac laptops 13 inches , belowfor $189 @ amazon, instead of $250 apple. applecare has saved bacon in past, , considering first generation product, seems idea.

bought anker usb-c 4-port usb 3.0 hub plan return it. macbook not seem provide enough power on usb-c port recommend plugging in 4 usb devices @ once. tested plugging in bus-powered usb hard drive , blu-ray drive (which can use 2 usb plugs ensure gets enough power). end result was…not pretty. blu-ray drive failed read dvd, , usb hard drive corrupted badly had reformat it. yikes. that’s not test i’ll trying again time soon.

anker makes usb-c 3-port usb 3.0 hub ethernet adapter might consider, although times need plug in ethernet few , far between.

bought anker ultra-high capacity 20800mah 3-port 4a compact portable charger hoping might enough power macbook “on road” not seem to, @ least when actively using it. i’m sure re-charge overnight, isn’t wanted for.

last not least, bought photive 50 watt 6 port usb desktop rapid chargerand usb 2.0 type c type a. can plug in iphone, ipad, kindle, bluetooth headphones, iphone battery pack, , macbook next bed @ night, , in morning macbook full-charge.

seems worth noting if want macbook charger, apple’s 29w usb-c power adapter $50 , not come usb-c cable, seems absurd considering no 1 have one.

even more absurd apple’s usb-c charge cable (2m) $30. don’t know decided every accessory in apple store has @ least $30, it’s beyond ridiculous @ point. monoprice has 6ft usb-c usb-c $13.

said, if buy $50 apple charger , $30 apple cord, that’s still same price apple 60w magsafe power adapter, you’re no worse off different macbook. on other hand, option use non-apple power cord/charger mac users haven’t had since the dawn of magsafe era, 10 years ago.

speaking of magsafe, that’s change wasn’t sure about. between 4 dogs , 3 people in house, tripping on cord has happened in past. however, macbook, have avoided (so far) leaving macbook plugged in on desk @ work, or in overnight recharging spot @ home. instead of spending $80 on apple charger, i’ve been recharging overnight using $9 usb-c usb-a cable plugged in usb charger had. far has worked me.

conclusion
after 3 weeks of use, can absolute certainty regret absolutely nothing macbook. don’t mind fact didn’t space gray model, since have lot of other silver-colored accessories, superdrive, , external usb drive. have filevault 2 running , haven’t noticed slow-downs. have on 300 gb free on internal drive, there’s plenty of space. have used apple’s new photos app , performance good, @ least far “test” library. cpu-intensive stuff have done light audio editing using fission , audacity (basically trimming, applying few effects, , exporting) , performance has been fine. can watch 1080p video in vlc without issues.

, while macbook runs smooth, cool, , quiet. screen still amazes me every day. still love keyboard every bit as did first time tried it. size , weight (or lack thereof) both impressive. grabbing laptop go me no more of problem grabbing ipad be, , of advantages of having os x me wherever go.

if in market new portable computer, make sure test new macbook. might surprised.

 

i gave @ "i left apple store because had meet someone". less more, , brevity soul of wit.

 

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