“There’s a new, updated MacBook that’s replacing last year’s MacBook,” Lauren Goode writes for The Verge. “Really there are two things new about it: one of those things is cosmetic, and the other is the opposite of cosmetic. The result is the same laptop design, with better performance.”
“The MacBook starts at $1,299 for a model with a 1.1 gigahertz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor, 256 gigabytes of flash storage, and eight gigabytes of memory. (A machine with a 1.2gHz Core m5 processor and more flash storage will cost you $1,599.) You can also upgrade even further, and pay more, for a 1.3Ghz chip with a greater turbo boost,” Goode writes. “Apple has always been able to command a premium, but these starting prices are still expensive by almost all laptop standards.”
“The first and most obvious change from last year’s MacBook to this year’s is that the new MacBook comes in rose gold,” Goode writes. “Pink or no pink, it’s a great-looking laptop. It’s difficult to describe just what an aesthetic feat it is without seeing it in person, but that’s my job, so here goes. It really does look like an iPad when you fold it up and hold it with the reflective Apple logo showing. Every person that has seen it or held the new MacBook since I’ve been carrying it with me has remarked on its thinness, lightness, and overall build… this MacBook is so wonderfully easy to carry around, so nonexistent, that it feels more like another satellite device rather than a command center for all of your personal computing.”
Tons more in the full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’ll tell you from personal experience (in Space Gray, not Rose Gold), it makes people stare. It’s our new favorite Mac (sorry, 11-inch MacBook Air)!
Rose Gold?
Some call it Lone Ranger’s dick – It’s pink but near Silver.
An aesthetic feat? Yeah. But that’s all it is. There’s no upgradeability, Configure-to-Order Solid State Drive upgrades cost more than they’re worth, and there’s only one port for charging and data transfer.
I think you’re the one suffering from a lack of upgradability… my last MacBook was a built-to-order MacBook Air 11” with a core i7 from 2011…. it’s lasted me all this time, no upgrades necessary, as my daily machine.
Only now with the launch of the MacBook 12” with the new m7 processor BTO option has it been worth upgrading. My MacBook Air lasted me over 5 years, and still outperforms the slower MacBooks. This one will probably last me 3-4 years too.
It has 500GB of fast SSD and 8GB RAM and a retina display… quite what would I want to upgrade?
If you really feel you need something with lots of holes to stick things in to satisfy yourself, then you’re right, the MacBook is not for you. For anyone not obsessed with having an orgy with their laptop, the lack of ports is easily compensated by plugging in a portable dock as and when needed.
Otherwise, I’ll take the portability over the ports any time.
My i7 8GB 13″ Air is still going strong after 3 years and I expect it to last a few more at least. I’m willing to trade upgradeability for a thinner, lighter laptop with better battery life. Max out your specs and you’ll be set for 4-5 years. If you can’t afford it then Apple products aren’t for you. Earning more money solves many problems.
I do like my 2015 MacBook