New Apple 12" MacBook - competition to SP3 ?

[GreyFox7]

miniaturization of the logicboard (which is very small - smaller than the Raspberry PI);

However, the Raspberry Pi has 4 USB ports, HDMI port, Ethernet port, 3.5mm audio port, composite video port, and microSD slot on the board while the MacBook only has a USB header on the board to connect to an externally mounted USB port. Not to mention the pi is for hobbyist and wasn't designed to be as small as possible but to fit a standard size for experimenter prototypes. The comparison is Raspberries to Apples.

 

[RémiM]

Yep sir, but as a consequence of all these ports, the Raspberry is super thick.

I was talking about the surface (and not the Surface -- good job if you still follow me ) of the logicboard. And by the way, the PI might have ports, but in term of performance.... Hum.

 

[RémiM]

I guess I'm old school, but I believe any computer can be made big enough to cram a huge conventional USB port in the side of it.

It seems to be me like the design ethic at Apple is really driving development. For example. If you've held a LG G3, and an iPhone 6 Plus, can you honestly tell me that that the shape of the iPhone 6 Plus is conducive to anything other than bragging rights for its thinness? It would be awesome to be able to make things to thin... but you get to the point of asking a question that nobody was asking.

I see some of that with the new Macbook. It is really thin. Why? We would all agree that there is certainly advantages to a notebook computer being thin... but, is your life made that much better by making a really thin computer even thinner? Same deal with iPad Air vs. iPad Air 2. I've owned them both. Yep, new iPad is thinner and lighter. Almost impossibly so. So what?

I love that the guys in Cupertino care about how things look- and that they are pushing the boundaries. With that said, is the juice really worth the squeeze of the pursuit of thinness?

I love my SP3. I love all things new and shiny, but I just can't get that excited about the new Macbook. I still have a 15" Retina, that I think is an incredible Notebook computer. I realize some would say that the Macbook isn't designed to compete with the Surface. Maybe that product will be the rumored iPad Pro. All I can say to paraphrase Jeff Spicoli, "No inking... No dice."

In short, the new Macbook wont be replacing my SP3 in my bag.

The real problem with the new MacBook is its chip. Core M, 2 cores. You can't efficiently work with these specs.

The new MacBook was basically designed to go on the Internet, to answer emails. But you won't edit a video on it.

1299$ is very expensive for web browsing when you can get an iPad for 500$ or an HP Stream 7 for 100$.

Despite this major con, the object itself is not far from giving me (a) "bonheur" (happiness in French.........)

 

[GreyFox7]

Yep sir, but as a consequence of all these ports, the Raspberry is super thick.

I was talking about the surface (and not the Surface -- good job if you still follow me ) of the logicboard. And by the way, the PI might have ports, but in term of performance.... Hum.

What I was really trying to get at was, it would be best to leave the Pi out of this as they aren't even close to the same in any way. let me start a new comparison... its smaller than a grapefruit. but not smaller than a single serving of Key Lime pie.

 

[theveterans]

The real problem with the new MacBook is its chip. Core M, 2 cores. You can't efficiently work with these specs.

The new MacBook was basically designed to go on the Internet, to answer emails. But you won't edit a video on it.

1299$ is very expensive for web browsing when you can get an iPad for 500$ or an HP Stream 7 for 100$.

Despite this major con, the object itself is not far from giving me (a) "bonheur" (happiness in French.........)

SP3 itself isn't even suited for heavy video editing. Don't judge Core M by its low CPU TDP. Lenovo Yoga Pro 3 gave Core M a bad rep due to not being able to utilize its speed the way Intel intended. Well Asus laptops with the fastest Core M chip is very close to i5 Surface Pro 3 in raw CPU power because there's no throttling that happened: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/compare/2005134?baseline=1845544

I bet even the average i5 SP3 score can't even beat the Core M on geekbench 3. Try and see how your i5 SP3 can't even reach the Core M score unless there's no throttling involved like on my i5 score.

 

[GreyFox7]

Based on frequencies you have to select the optional processor to get the 5Y71 otherwise it appears you'll get the 5Y51 for 1299 potentially capped/limited/throttled for the base model @Max 2.4ghz. or boosted to 1.2 for 1599.
Not sure how much extra they are charging for the 5Y71 CPU.

 

[theveterans]

Based on frequencies you have to select the optional processor to get the 5Y71 otherwise it appears you'll get the 5Y51 for 1299 potentially capped/limited/throttled for the base model @Max 2.4ghz. or boosted to 1.2 for 1599.
Not sure how much extra they are charging for the 5Y71 CPU.

Per Intel website, 5Y71 can be configured for 6 watts TDP and 1.4 GHz base frequency. This is what's configured in the Asus laptop. rMB can be configured for 5 watt and 1.3 GHz and probably turbo to only 2.4 GHz (2 cores) rather than 2.6 GHz (2 cores) on Intel specs. Thus it'll run as fast as an i5-4200U rather than the i5-4300U in SP3

 

[GreyFox7]

Per Intel website, 5Y71 can be configured for 6 watts TDP and 1.4 GHz base frequency. This is what's configured in the Asus laptop. rMB can be configured for 5 watt and 1.3 GHz and probably turbo to only 2.4 GHz (2 cores) rather than 2.6 GHz (2 cores) on Intel specs. Thus it'll run as fast as an i5-4200U rather than the i5-4300U in SP3

The new book comes in 2 configurations with a processor option
A. 1.1-2.4ghz 8gb RAM, 256gb ssd $1299. Likely the 5Y51.
B. 1.2-2.6ghz 8gb RAM, 512gb ssd $1599. Likely the 5Y51
Base Specs on a 5Y51 are 1.1-2.6 there aren't any listed with a base frequency of 1.2 or a max turbo of 2.4 so they are likely capping/throttling the max turbo on the base model and boosting the base frequency on the up model. No other Core-M is closer to these specs.

Optional CPU 1.3-2.9 for either configuration unknown price. Likely the 5Y71 which has base specs of 1.2-2.9ghz and is the only Core-M listed with max turbo of 2.9. so they are boosting the base freq for this one too.

All according to Intel ARK spec sheets and Apple web site for macbook specs.

 

[zhenya]

I don't really see the innovation in it. From the physical standpoint, its thicker and heavier than the SP3 w/ Type Cover, while still being inferior in performance with similar 9h battery life, and still lacking many features like touchscreen and DP port. Okay, the keyboard *might* be innovative (haven't tried it), but for sure it has short travel/throw. It doesn't even look as deep as the Type Cover.

What are you talking about? The SP3 with type cover is 14mm thick across the entire width of the device, and weighs 2.45lbs. The new MacBook is 13mm thick at it's thickest point, and just over 3cm at its thinnest, meaning that the overall volume is considerably less. It's also 2lbs in weight, before we factor in the power bricks - of which the Apple device is now using something more like an iPad charger.

It's pretty clear to me who this device is aimed at - the bulk of business travelers and students for whom their laptop goes with them everywhere but for whom their actual workflow doesn't involve much more than Office and web apps. That's the reality of a lot of today's professional work. Why should those users carry around another pound of weight to have access to ports they virtually never need?

 

[vsherry]

For me, once something is thin and light enough that I don't mind the size of it, I'm not giddy about further reductions in size and weight. After a point, it becomes form over function. I don't really think a 2.4-pound device is weighing anybody down, and my guess is that almost anybody would find the difference negligible as they carried the devices in their bags. But if I really believed that I needed to get the weight down to 2 pounds to alleviate the burden of ultrabooks between 2.4 and roughly 3 pounds, I'd just get Samsung's new ultrabook, which still has ports. (Less sexy, yes.) I do think a lot of people would at least prefer to be able to charge their phones, even students and journalists.

I think part of the reason that people cannot wrap their heads around the new MacBook is that the MacBook Air has carved out a place for itself as an icon of portability and has become the laptop to beat in that space. Not too many people seem to mind the size or weigtht of it, and why would they?. The idea of designing yet another Mac laptop and positioning it for people who value portability comes off somewhat redundant once you substantially reduce functionality to get there.

But then the MBA has a very dated screen. It would be interesting to see how the MacBook would fare in a world where people could get a retina MBA.

 

[CrippsCorner]

We might like our SP3, but objectively speaking this new computer is very inovative. The way they miniaturised the motherboard, the way the batteries fill all the space, the way it looks, the keyboard, the trackpad. It's just a gorgeous device. Inside and outside.

I am not a Mac guy, but seriously, there is no laptop coming close in term of look and quality. Let me think: Lenovo ? Lol. Dell ? Re-lol.

I do not consider it as competition because it has no touchscreen. I wont consider buying one. But this thing is very sexy.

Let's be honnest once in a while: good job Apple.

-from a huge SP3 fanboy-

It sure is beautiful, as most Apple devices are. For me, it just wouldn't work, I'd take the Surface Pro 3 any day, and surprisingly my girlfriend (Apple fangirl) actually agreed.

However, regarding your "Re-lol" at Dell, I don't agree. The new XPS13 is the most gorgeous laptop out there! I'd pick that over the MacBook (and over the Surface if I specifically wanted a laptop)

I think the MacBook is a vision of the future, however we don't live in the future, we live in the now. Maybe in 5 years or so, this and the Apple Watch will be worth purchasing.

 

[RémiM]

The new XPS13 is the most gorgeous laptop out there

You're absolutely right. I just forgot about it.