New MacBook: 5 Things I Learned on the First Day

mercredi 22 juillet 2015

New MacBook: 5 Things I Learned on the First Day is a post by Josh Smith from Gotta Be Mobile.

The new MacBook is insanely thin and light with a beautiful display, and it is finally in my hands. After a lengthy wait I started using the 2015 MacBook with a 12-inch display instead of a 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina. Here’s what I learned in a day of using the new ultra-portable and super light MacBook 12-inch.

Apple announced the new MacBook in early 2015, and it is finally readily available in Apple Stores in three colors and several configuration options. There is no way to upgrade the notebook after you buy it, so make sure you plan ahead or you may find yourself short on storage later in the game.

I’ve been using the MacBook Retina 12-inch with a 1.2Ghz Intel Core M processor 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. This is the more expensive model, at $1,599. The base MacBook Retina is $1,299 and includes less storage and a slower processor.

At just over 2 pounds, the MacBook is much lighter than my MacBook Pro Retina with a 13-inch screen. Removing a pound and a half from your backpack does make a bigger difference than you would expect. The thin and light design alone is not enough to justify the new notebook, but the display and early impressions of performance and the keyboard help round out the package.

I’m not a huge fan of the single USB C port and lack of any included adapters. There’s no way to use the MacBook long-term without at least buying one adapter to connect an iPhone or SD card reader and it is frustrating to see Apple charging for the first adapter, but at least cheaper USB C options exist.

After a day using the new MacBook with a 12-inch Retina display, here’s what I learned. We’ll share a full MacBook review after extended use and testing, but this is what stands out immediately.

MacBook Retina Display

1 / 5

My ideal notebook is thin and light, with a reasonable display that lets me see a lot of information on it at the same time. The MacBook delivers on this completely.

After using the MacBook Air and the 2,304 x 1,440 usable space allows me to place two documents or pages next to each other for great mobile. I don't miss the inch of screen space I lose from leaving a 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina at home, and this is a vastly superior experience to using the 11-inch MacBook Air.

The screen also looks very nice, though I have yet to use it outdoors in harsh lighting. None of the current crop of Apple notebooks offer a matte display option so there shouldn't be a major change from my Macbook Pro Retina or MacBook Air.