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Old Apr 9, 2015, 10:09 pm
  #136  
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Originally Posted by WIRunner
The difference, looking back particularly at the iPhone, is that it was groundbreaking. Yeah, phones had touchscreens in 2007, but the ecosystem that was around then was extremely different. (The HTC Dash, HTC Touch, and the Blackberry Curve were the common phones, so two Windows Mobile and a BBOS device.) The Macbook is entering an ecosystem where Apple is competing against itself, in that $1300 price range sits the Macbook Pro (which is faster, and has better battery life) and the Macbook Air (which is also faster, and has better battery life, but not as nice of a screen), and a whole lot of other Windows 8.1 Ultrabooks (which are equally as fast, with equally good displays, and about the same battery life.) The thing will undoubtedly sell a ton of them, but there will be that person who looks at one and ends up with the MBP or the MBA... and it may not be that power user. Apple is facing a bit of an uphill struggle with it, I have no doubt that the 2nd generation will include a second USB-C port, the only reason why Apple didn't include a traditional USB port was because they're Apple, that's why.

I like to use my mother as the "yard stick" when it comes to technology, and we were looking at getting her a new computer (she's settled on some Dell behemoth) and when looking at the Macbook her question was simply "Where do I plug my mouse in?" I explained it to her, the follow up question was "Where do I plug my iPhone in to charge it?" And again explaining it to her, and telling her that she'd need another $80 for the dongle, she became suddenly disinterested.
Wasn't the MacBook Air the original third laptop in their laptop line until the iBook got discontinued? I can see the Air getting discontinued a few years from now too once the hardware in the MacBook is a bit better.
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Old Apr 10, 2015, 2:15 am
  #137  
 
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ordered. will look forward to it greatly.

in-depth article comparing Core M processors in various applications
http://anandtech.com/show/9117/analy...performance/13

conclusion: performance greatly depends on packaging (=heat dissipation), and burst mode can meet any demand. i.e. performs better in laptop than in tablets. sustained performance is limited by thermals... so not optimal for video encoding or anything of that sort, but should work well for anything else given efficient chassis design
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Old Apr 10, 2015, 7:53 am
  #138  
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Only available online, none in stores

I went to my local Apple store earlier to have a look at the new MacBook 12. According to the staff, they are only available to order online. They don't have any display models, or any stock. They don't know when they'll be getting any.

No way am I buying one before I've had a play around.

This must be a first? For other products, even if they only get a small number of stock items, they always have some out display.

My suspicious mind thinks that maybe they're scared that seeing the real thing will put people off. So, just trap the 'fanatics' who'd buy anything with an Apple logo by making it online only.
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Old Apr 11, 2015, 1:10 pm
  #139  
 
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Alrighty then! So I posted earlier as being excited.. I thought we were seeing a retina macbook air with bells and whistles.. Couldn't be more wrong.. This is not the laptop I was looking for.. Will be pulling the pin in the next few days on a retina pro 13 inch.. It has the force touchpad.. you can max out specs to 2.9(3.1)GHz, 16GB 1TB ssd.. Yeah.. it is heavier.. but I'm a heavy guy
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Old Apr 11, 2015, 1:56 pm
  #140  
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I played around with one at the Apple Store today. The lightness of the machine is good. The shorter travel of the keys is jarring compared to their other laptops but I imagine one can eventually get used to it. I typed some stuff and didn't make that many mistakes, anyway. Another USB-C port would have been nice though.

In short, it's the kind of laptop I can see being good for most people after a few revisions and a price drop. It's pretty compromised right now otherwise.
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Old Apr 11, 2015, 2:39 pm
  #141  
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Originally Posted by tmiw
I played around with one at the Apple Store today. The lightness of the machine is good. The shorter travel of the keys is jarring compared to their other laptops but I imagine one can eventually get used to it. I typed some stuff and didn't make that many mistakes, anyway. Another USB-C port would have been nice though.

In short, it's the kind of laptop I can see being good for most people after a few revisions and a price drop. It's pretty compromised right now otherwise.
I didn't think that they had any at the stores, just online.
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Old Apr 11, 2015, 2:41 pm
  #142  
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Originally Posted by WIRunner
I didn't think that they had any at the stores, just online.
It may depend on the store. Some of them don't seem to have display models while others do.
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Old Apr 11, 2015, 4:47 pm
  #143  
 
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Having looked at some of the first reviews.... It's an awful lot of compromise, for the money. In simple terms: if you're a Mac head, want a Netbook for travel and meetings, and where money is no object, then tne 12" MacBook is for you. Unlike the MacBook Air, this looks like an unlikely main PC, and as a second (or third) PC it's just a tad pricey.
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Old Apr 11, 2015, 5:06 pm
  #144  
 
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You never know. Some people replaced their laptops with an iPad and had the gall to argued that laptops are done just because they managed to do so. I swear I saw a thread like that even on this forum not long ago.
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Old Apr 12, 2015, 1:45 am
  #145  
 
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Alrighty then! So I posted earlier as being excited.. I thought we were seeing a retina macbook air with bells and whistles.. Couldn't be more wrong.. This is not the laptop I was looking for.. Will be pulling the pin in the next few days on a retina pro 13 inch.. It has the force touchpad.. you can max out specs to 2.9(3.1)GHz, 16GB 1TB ssd.. Yeah.. it is heavier.. but I'm a heavy guy
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Old Apr 12, 2015, 3:36 am
  #146  
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Originally Posted by WIRunner
I didn't think that they had any at the stores, just online.
Non in the UK or Canada I believe. Just display models in the US.
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Old Apr 12, 2015, 4:34 am
  #147  
 
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I was almost set on getting the new MacBook, but I saw the new Dell XPS 13 in the Microsoft Store this morning. Damn it's a fine looking at laptop and it's the same price!

A friend of mine ordered two because he couldn't decide on color (and I told him I want the second one). I'm seriously reconsidering my choice now. We might both end up getting the Dell.
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Old Apr 12, 2015, 9:15 am
  #148  
 
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Originally Posted by alphaod
A friend of mine ordered two because he couldn't decide on color (and I told him I want the second one). I'm seriously reconsidering my choice now. We might both end up getting the Dell.
I own that XPS 13 and it's arguably the best laptop I've ever owned.
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Old Apr 12, 2015, 9:57 pm
  #149  
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Originally Posted by ScottC
The processor doesn't really matter here. That single USB port pretty much disqualifies this from any kind of serious video production work.
Huh? Who's going to do video production work on an 8gb laptop with a 256/512gb drive and a 1.2ghz core m processor?
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Old Apr 12, 2015, 9:57 pm
  #150  
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Originally Posted by ScottC
I haven't seen any reviews that say "go out and buy this". All the reviews I've read complained about performance, weird gestures and price.
This:

http://www.mondaynote.com/2015/04/12...ew-reimagined/
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