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Apple’s shiny new MacBook: Here are

the pros and cons of buying this $1299

laptop

Apple MacBook at the launch. The thinnest Mac ever made. Reuters

By tech2 News Staff / 12 Mar 2015 , 14:50

Apple launched new MacBook at the Apple event, calling it the thinnest Mac ever made (it’s

only 13.1 mm thick) and it also comes in a golden colour. We take a look at the pros and

cons of the Apple MacBook.

We’ll start with the Pros first.

Design and Weight

This is definitely the biggest pro of the MacBook. If you found the MacBook Air too

underpowered and the MacBook Pro too heavy, well the new MacBook changes all of that.

It’s only 13.1 mm thick and weighs 2.03 pounds, which makes it lighter than the MacBook

Air. The 11-inch MacBook Air weighs around 2.38 pounds, while the 13-inch weighs 2.96

pounds. The MacBook Pro 13-inch with Retina Display weighs 3.48 pounds.

#APPLE MACBOOK

3/12/2015 Apple's shiny new MacBook: Here are the pros and cons of buying this $1299 laptop - Tech2

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Apple MacBook will cost $1299 and comes in three colours. AP

If you want a sharp screen and a laptop that is light and looks great, the new MacBook is

your answer. Add the gold coloured version to this and it will appeal to a lot of people,

especially in India and China. Of course, let’s not forget that die-hard fans were

disappointed because Apple once again denied them a black-coloured MacBook. Space

Grey is a poor substitute, no doubt.

A sharper screen

The new MacBook has a 12-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Retina display which is 2304 by 1440

pixels with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It’s a much sharper screen than the MacBook Air (13-inch)

which has a 1440 by 900 pixels resolution or even the 11-inch MacBook Air which has just

1366 x 768 pixels.

In short, if you don’t want a MacBook Pro but want sharp Retina Display screen, the new

MacBook is the obvious answer.

Better speakers

This post on Mashable points out the new MacBook has stereo speakers and they do

sound louder. “On the MacBook Air, the speakers are hidden in the vents near the hinge.

On the new MacBook, the speakers are blasting sound upwards at you,” says the report.

Keyboard and ForceTouch

Apple’s new MacBook has a keyboard, which is 34 percent thinner and uses a new butterfly

mechanism to provide keys that are “four times more stable” and more precise and

according to Apple the “stainless steel dome switches located beneath each key deliver a

crisp and responsive feel when typing”. Also each key is individually backlit with its own

single LED, which looks quite nice.

The new MacBook also features the all-new Force Touch trackpad which has built-in force

sensors that allows users to customise the trackpad based on the pressure exerted.

There’s also a new gesture called Force Click, which is essentially a click followed by a

deeper press, and can be set for specific tasks like checking the meaning of a word or

seeing a map, etc. It eliminates the right click, which will be an interesting new feature to

explore.

3/12/2015 Apple's shiny new MacBook: Here are the pros and cons of buying this $1299 laptop - Tech2

http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/apples-shiny-new-macbook-here-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-buying-this-1299-laptop-258413.html 3/7

The cons:

Processor

The new MacBook comes with 1.1GHz, 1.2GHz, or 1.3GHz dual-core fifth generation Intel

Core M processor. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and will come in 256 GB or 512GB flash

memory storage options. Where speed is concerned, the new MacBook isn’t the fastest,

especially for the price that it commands ($1299).

The Apple MacBook comes with a new keyboard and Force Touch on the

trackpad.

As this hands-on Laptopmag notes, “this is one of the first laptops in the market to use

Intel’s low-power Core M processor.” You should note that the MacBook Air 11-inch has a

faster, 1.6-GHz Intel Core i5 processor, though for 8GB RAM you’ll need to shell out more,

whereas the MacBook starts with 8GB. Also the MacBook won’t be ideal for gaming or

video-editing as this piece on Wired points out.

Ports

So Apple got rid of all the ports and instead the new MacBook ships with a new compact

USB-C port for data transfer, video out and charging in a single connector. USB-C supports

higher wattage charging, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps) data transfer and DisplayPort 1.2 all in a

single connector that’s one-third the size of a traditional USB port.

All of this sounds great, except that if you want to say charge the MacBook and connect a

USB drive at the same time, you’ll need an adapter (which costs $$79 and $19 for the USB

one). Thanks for nothing, Apple.

Also as this Mashable post notes no MagSafe charger means your precious MacBook will

no longer be saved from crashing to the ground in case someone trips on the charging

wire.

FaceTime Camera

The Apple MacBook has a 480p resolution FaceTime camera, says the official site of the

Apple MacBook. In an age where 720 p front camera is standard (all other Macs have a 720

p camera in the front) this is not good news. It means that even though you’ll spend $1299

on a new shiny laptop, your Skype calls will have a terrible resolution because Apple didn’t

3/12/2015 Apple's shiny new MacBook: Here are the pros and cons of buying this $1299 laptop - Tech2

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Tags: Apple, Apple Inc., apple macbook, Apple MacBook New, MacBook, Macbook Air, MacBook Pro, New MacBook

give you a good enough camera. No HD calls on this shiny laptop is a raw deal indeed.

The new MacBook’s USB-C charger doesn’t sound like a very practical idea.

Reuters

Battery

Apple says the new MacBook comes with a “terraced battery design” that is layered in

individual sheets and that the new Macbook has 35 percent more battery capacity than

would be possible with traditional battery. What it translates into is this: up to 9 hours of

wireless web browsing and up to 10 hours of movie playback.

That’s not a lot of time if you consider the price of this laptop. The MacBook Air (13-inch)

delivers upto 12 hours both for web and movie playback, while the MacBook Pro with

Retina Display will give 10 hours web and 12 hours movie playback.

The price

The MacBook is priced at $1299 for 256 GB and 512 GB will cost you $1599. That’s close to

Rs 80,000 and Rs 1,00,000 for a machine that is underpowered and will definitely require

adapters if you want to use say a charger and a USB drive at the same time. Sadly the Apple

Logo won’t glow either in this new MacBook anymore, so that just makes the price seems

worse. If you want a slightly more powerful machine, the MacBook Pro will make more

sense for users.

What the MacBook has going for it is the design and the weight, along with its 8 GB of RAM.

What doesn’t go it justice is the poor camera and the lack of ports. But if you’ve always

wanted a golden MacBook, then here’s your chance.

ALSO READ

35

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12 Comments tech2 Login

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• Reply •

Bharath BS • 2 hours ago

People looking to buy this MacBook should also consider the new XPS line by Dell.

2△ ▽

• Reply •

naql99 • 4 hours ago

I'm on my third 17" macbook pro, but I am afraid Apple and I are going in different directions

these days.

3△ ▽

• Reply •

Spike • 5 hours ago

how to connect ethernet cable for internet.. Ched kahin dikh toh nhi rha..

2△ ▽

• Reply •

ConstructiveCritic • 5 hours ago

Very immature post. Improve your writing and story telling...

3△ ▽

• Reply •

Dummy FP • 6 hours ago

They are taking us backward by cutting down processor speed (for more battery power),

more accessories bait, low res cameras.....I feel except for the OS part, Windows Laptops

are offering better value.

5△ ▽

Nilesh Shedge • 6 hours ago

I have Macbook Air which i got for Rs. 54,000/- and it is superfast...superslim..just love

working on it

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ALSO ON TECH2

• Reply • △ ▽

• Reply •

Neeraj Khurana • 6 hours ago

It's a blunder without a doubt. I got my Macbook Air (previous model) for 56,000/- and loving it.

△ ▽

• Reply •

BoltmanLives • 7 hours ago

480P one port non-touch...$1600

Glorified netbook

3△ ▽

• Reply •

luffy199 • a day ago

Everyone knows apple makes it products overpriced even than people will buy it just like they

bought iphone6 and 6+...

11△ ▽

• Reply •

SaiyanGoku • a day ago

Ch*tiyapa at its best. Noobs will buy this piece of overpriced underpowered crap.

11△ ▽

• Reply •

GLP • a day ago

What about HDMI output?

△ ▽

• Reply •

Venkat • a day ago> GLP

Possible! Buy another adapter for $79

10△ ▽

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