30 days with a 12-inch MacBook as a primary computer
For the past 30 days I have been using the new 12-inch MacBook with a Retina display as my main and only computer. As a result, I have learned a lot about advantages and disadvantages of this laptop, which I am going to share with you in this post.
I strongly believe that simplicity, cloud based services and wireless technologies will play the biggest part in the future of personal computing. The new MacBook is almost perfect computer to take advantage of all of these things, so I was very excited when Apple has unveiled it a few months ago.
Before I break down the details of important aspects of new MacBook, I want to share with you what I like and what I don’t like about it.
Like
- Elegant fanless design
- Light and portable form factor
- Amazing Retina display
- Great trackpad and speakers
- Simplicity of universal port
- Good battery life
Don’t like
- Expensive USB-C adapters
- Ancient 480p FaceTime camera
Difficult to say
- Keyboard
Obvious
The new MacBook has a beautiful fanless design, amazing high resolution display, decent battery life, unbelievably good speakers, high quality trackpad, and just awful 480p FaceTime camera. I am sure you already aware of it, so I do not want to waste any more of your time explaining the things you already know.
Instead, I want to share with you what I think is not that obvious at the first glance.
Performance
When it comes to performance, I will be lying if I say that I didn’t notice the performance drop on new MacBook compared to my previous computer, 15-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display. And I am not talking about video or photo editing. I can easily spot the difference in performance completing basic tasks like browsing the web, watching high definition videos, etc.
At the same time, the performance of new MacBook is good enough not to feel slow or sluggish for 90% of the time. As a result, after exclusively using it for a month, I have adapted to its performance level and naturally forgot how fast my MacBook Pro was.
Input and output
This is one of my favorite aspects of new MacBook, because I love the simplicity and universality of USB-C port. I understand that many people will not like the fact that there is only one USB-C port, but I believe that if you use it right, it may turn out to be one of the best features of this MacBook.
When it comes to the products I use, above everything else I like simplicity, easy to use user interface and clean design. I can say the same for software, as well as hardware. The combination of one USB-C port on my MacBook and USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter makes my experience of using this MacBook very enjoyable.
I understand that every user have different needs. In my case, when I am on the go I do not feel any need for ports. In addition to that, thanks to a decent 8+ hours battery life of new MacBook, I am ok with leaving my changing cable and adapter at home. In other words, I only have to bring this little 2 pound MacBook to have with me the power and rich functionality of Mac OS X anywhere I go. Portability at its best.
When I come home, all I need to do is to connect my MacBook to USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, which is already connected to external monitor and charging cable. So, just one cable connection and I have my 32-inch monitor connected, my MacBook is charging, and in case if I need to connect a USB device, I have a port ready for that.
I admit that USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter is very expensive for what it does ($79), but I am sure that in coming months there will be plenty of more affordable USB-C adapters to choose from.
Keyboard
I am honestly struggling to decide whatever I like this new butterfly mechanism keyboard or not. I like how big and steady the keys are, but at the same time, even after using this new keyboard for 30 days, I still make typing mistakes I have never made on a keyboard of my old 15-inch MacBook Pro.
In addition, I can feel that my fingers are getting a little bit tired after typing for a long time, something I have never experienced before. Maybe it is just me, but the new keyboard is not something I am super happy about.
12-inch MacBook ratings
Overall rating : 7.9
Should you buy a 12-inch MacBook?
The new Macbook is an amazing product as it is, but if you are not in the market for a new laptop, I recommend you to wait for the second generation. The second generation will surely have more powerful processor, longer battery life, FaceTime HD camera and hopefully a lot of other improvements.
At the same time, if you have to buy a new laptop today, and you are not planning to do any heavy tasks like 4K video editing or 3D modelling, beautiful portable design and amazing display will make this new MacBook feel like a great buy.
