The newly introduced 12-inch MacBook confuses me. Yes, I want one. Yes, I see where they will sell a lot of these to college students and on-the-go professionals. It has a great potential market. No, where I’m confused, is where this new MacBook fits in the product line. Is it the Air killer?
I was looking at a side-by-side spec-off this morning and noticing that while the display, battery life, and storage are up compared to a 13-inch MBA, the processor speeds are way down even with Turbo Boost. When Apple said it was taking lessons from mobile, it wasn’t kidding. The new MacBook takes the mobile crown from the MBA, complete with most of the touch points the Air had held.
In other words, what is the point of the MacBook Air anymore? Should they rename it the “MacBook Budget Alternative” instead?
The MacBook is more stylish, lighter, cleaner, with a better keyboard and a longer battery life. Its display kills the Air’s display. The processor downgrade is probably even a feature if you consider a lower load on the battery.
In other words, I’m beginning to think that the new MacBook exists to make anyone who buys the 2015 MBA feel very sad that they didn’t have the $300 or $400 to get the cuter model.
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I’m realize that I’m not the target market for that MacBook, but I’m still concerned about performance and repairability. We’ll have to wait for the benchmarks, but is this MacBook going to run Yosemite without constant beach balls? Yosemite is a poorly-optimized OS that doesn’t run well on the base model Mac mini or base model iMac. Did the just do the same thing with the base model MacBook? At least it has a solid state drive in it… that could be its saving grace.
Is it yet another break-and-replace device from Apple? Is it even worth repairing versus buying a new one? I’m honestly tired of Apple’s obsession with thinness and their absolute disregard for repairability. Go buy a new iPad Air 2 for $500, break it, and pay $400 to swap it out with a replacement. That’s insane.
Maybe Apple is truly trying to become a luxury brand with a complete lack of empathy for anyone on a budget. I’m afraid to see where they’re going with their hardware. Unfortunately, recent Apple products have been an expensive mistake for a lot of people I know. It saddens me to see them go that direction.