The 2015 MacBook Review
by Ryan Smith on April 14, 2015 10:15 AM ESTThe MacBook’s Usability
But by far the biggest question however is what all of this lends towards the usability of the new MacBook. With Apple developing a smaller form factor and then charging a premium price for it, whether it’s worth it is a perfectly legitimate question. And the answer to that question is that it depends.
We’ll get to the all-important performance considerations in a bit, but I want to start with design first. For something built for a new form factor like a MacBook I think it’s important to look at the overall design and whether it makes sense in the first place before even getting to the tradeoffs Apple made to get here.
The 2015 MacBook reminds me of the original MacBook Air in a lot of ways, and in fact that’s probably the biggest knock against it. In 2008 the MacBook Air was revolutionary, it created what we now know as the Ultrabook category and was so cutting edge that it contained an Intel Core CPU in a form factor that no one else could get at the time. Consequently the MacBook Air wasn’t just smaller than the MacBook or MacBook Pro, but it was a lot smaller than its larger, heavier predecessors.
Big & Little: MacBook & 27" iMac
The MacBook, by contrast, is not the same jump in size. Calculated against their respective thickest points, the new MacBook is still 73% of the volume of the 11” MacBook Air. Similarly, its 0.92Kg weight is 85% of the weight of said MacBook Air. This means that whereas the original MacBook Air was a very important jump for the Apple’s laptop line, the new MacBook doesn’t get the same benefit.
With that said, there is still a distinct difference between the MacBook and MacBook Air, one that likely doesn’t mean as much in numbers as it does in feel. On a personal note my travel laptop of choice is an Asus ZenBook UX21A, an 11” Ultrabook that is a dead-ringer for the 11” MacBook Air in size and weight. So having toted around the MacBook for the past week working on this review, I was surprised by just how different it felt from my 11” ZenBook. The ZenBook is already towards the light-end of the Ultrabook spectrum, and yet after carrying around the MacBook the ZenBook feels heavy. It may only be 20% heavier in practice, but just carrying the two in hand it certainly feels like it’s more than that.
Left: MacBook. Right: Asus 11" ZenBook Prime (UX21A)
For work purposes I have always favored the 11” Ultrabook for its size and weight. It’s easy to carry around and small enough to hold with one hand or to balance on one knee as situations dictate. And while it’s not perfect – 11” isn’t much screen real-estate and doesn’t allow for much of a keyboard – as an ultra-portable secondary computer for someone who already has a desktop, it fits my needs very well.
Which is why I was surprised by just how much I ended up liking the MacBook’s size and form factor. It’s smaller than an 11” Ultrabook and yet if anything it feels bigger when in use – perhaps due to the 16:10 screen – and the weight difference can really be felt. Before using the MacBook if you had asked me whether I would want an even smaller laptop I would have dismissed the notion, but after using the MacBook I have to stop and reconsider that position.
Ultimately I’m reminded a great deal of the launch of the original MacBook Air, where Apple specifically touted it as a travel computer for someone with more than one computer. For most people it’s smaller than what you’d want to use day-in and day-out, but as a travel laptop it’s great. Consequently the MacBook as it stands is an interesting alternative to the MacBook Air lineup; it fills a lot of the same roles, but it does so while being even thinner and lighter.
Top: MacBook. Middle: Asus 11" ZenBook Prime. Bottom: Surface Pro 3 w/Type Cover
That said, compared to a MacBook Air these size improvements don’t come for free. There are performance considerations to be had with the Core M processor, which we’ll get to in our look at system performance. The trade-off for thin and light is a similar reduction in performance, so even though the MacBook and MacBook Air overlap at times, they are separated by size versus performance.
Finally, we would be remiss in not covering the tablet/laptop crossover factor as well. The fact that Apple takes as many design cues as they do from the iPad – the colors, the focus on size, and the limited number of ports – is telling. I hesitate to say too much about the MacBook as an iPad alternative since these devices are still so different. But for someone wanting to step up from something like an iPad into a full sized, fully capable laptop computer, this is exactly what such a device might look like.
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hot kiwi - Wednesday, November 25, 2015 - link
Do not agree, it is based on facts. I have after a few months had enough of the slowness, horrible new style keyboard and the one connector technology that forced me to buy 5 adapters, so I have one everywhere. Hopeless.El capitan is my last Apple software since 10 years Apple. Looking forward to Windows on a decent and not overpriced machine.
iOSecure - Monday, November 30, 2015 - link
Yeah right, you came back to post here? you dont own it, nice tryEmbar - Saturday, March 11, 2017 - link
You must love your dongles then. Homeboy has a point: I buy a work machine to do work. If I have to add shit for it to be useful, then it's an inferior tool. I shouldn't have to pray that an industry standard exists in my devices, nor should I have to concern myself with the quandary that Apple likes to provide their tightly budgeted customers who just need to be able to do their work (over the hard disk space that is not expandable). I want to be able to expand my innards like my 2010 MBP when I had 2 fucking HDDs and it was sublime. And everything could plug into it! Compare to today when I have to have Tony Stark's wallet to get out of the store. That's not my cuppa. If you have a flash drive lying around it should be usable in your machine without you having to run to the ATM to shell out for fucking DONGLES. And don't get me started on the missing touch screens, bro. That shit's been peeving me since 2008. If Apple listened to someone other than Señor Ive, I'd have the machine I want. Back when Apple nixed the floppy drive (1998) I was okay because CDs were a viable improvement/workaround. I even thought that the NEXT cube was great with the MO drive. But a $900 bump to add a 1TB SSD is 'Nutrageous'. It's Apple's way of saying "You're not invited to my party". Bad karma, dude.vy747 - Tuesday, May 5, 2015 - link
Im not sure what is more annoying, apple fanboys or apple haters. I think the latter.gw74 - Tuesday, April 28, 2015 - link
google "polemic"r3loaded - Thursday, April 16, 2015 - link
K.docderwood - Thursday, April 16, 2015 - link
Happy with mine. Wanted something slightly more powerful than an Ipad with a keyboard.I used to be a Windows/Linux/build your own PC person. Then I had kids/life got busy. Now the entire family is on Ical etc etc etc and changing back to Windows would result in a lot of headaches and time for the head of IT (ME). My time is my most valuable commodity.
It's not a desktop replacement. It's for emails/word processing/web surfing. I've got a desktop, it's for all the other stuff.
As much as I hate Apple sometimes (Their continued half assed product introductions and complete lack of clarity piss me off and their general neglect of OS X are real issues) it hasn't reached the point that I'm ready to jettison the apple ecosystem YET.
It seems people get angry when they introduce s machine that doesn't meet their needs. This meets mine perfectly. Sorry they missed the mark for you this time. Glad Dell did. Isn't the free market great?
russdust55 - Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - link
I am happy with my Macbook too. I am a bluntly simple user of basic 'office productivity' apps, plus social fluff. I might be the ideal customer for the new Macbook because I upgraded from a 4.5 year old 11" Macbook Air. Compared to the older Air, the new Macbook is faster, lighter, smaller (but with a larger RETINA screen), and gets better battery life. Love the trackpad, and am ambivalent on the keyboard. I got the faster CPU which geek-benches similar to a 1-2 year old Air. Which is fine with me. Did it cost too much? Yup. Do I regret it? No.The new Macbook is the vanguard of what will replace the Macbook Air line. Like the Air, the first model of which was slow, overpriced, if sexy to look at. the new Macbook will get faster and cheaper in time. Apple will (my opinion) drop the Air line in a few years time, when the Retina Macbook will have gotten a bit faster and can be sold at prices more like the Air.
8steve8 - Thursday, April 16, 2015 - link
no one gets this product, it's a great 2nd or 3rd computer to bring to coffee shops, or to throw in your bag just in case you want to do some computing.... there aren't many 2.0 LB laptops to choose from, and this has the best keyboard/trackpad/screen combination...Sure it's slow, but think of what they say about cameras, the best one is the one that you brought with you... this is the kind of computer you can just always have with you and it won't feel like a burden.
barleyguy - Monday, April 20, 2015 - link
$1500 is a lot of money for a 2nd or 3rd computer to take to a coffee shop. A $400 dockable tablet fits that use case a lot better IMO.