I want a 12"MB, not the new MBA

[kutxitril]

I know about all things new MBA does better than current 12"MB but....

Let's be fair: New MBA cannot compete with
- 2 pounds of weight
- fanless
- 0.14 to 0.5 inch thin

I see the new MBA and I still prefer the 12"MB.
I have a wide budget so my purchase would be top high-end with i7 cpu, 16gb RAM and 512gb SSD.

My question is:
Should I buy it or should I wait for 2019?
2019 meaning:
- New CPU (ARM?)
- 3rd gen keyboard
- Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port
- 1TB SSD?


Don't try to convince me to go for new MBA ;-)

 

[EugW]

As a three year owner of the MB I moved to the Air and I dont regret it. I was out of warranty and facing the potential having to deal with the first year product issues (keyboard, battery).

I got a good trade and the Air is terrific. Fan silent. Size is fine. Audio is great. Screen is plenty bright unless you sit outside unshaded. The extra weight is not a factor for me though I could see others may not agree.

The Air is 35% heavier than the MacBook, and has the exact same footprint as the MacBook Pro. The MacBook is much, much smaller.

IMO the MacBook and Air really aren’t very comparable machines in terms of portability. The Air is at best minimally more portable than the Pro.

If that’s fine with you then that’s great but for those who found the Pro too big, they’d likely find the Air too big too since the Air has the exact same footprint and is only 9% lighter.

In fact, if I were good with the Air’s size, I would go with the Pro instead to get better performance and the much better screen, esp. considering the pricing. Getting a Pro on the refurb store is actually cheaper than retail for the Air. (The Air won’t be available on the refurb store until 2019.)

 

[jingo_man]

I just pulled the trigger today...! MacBook 12”, i7, 16GB, 256GB.

Thanks for everyone’s inputs across the threads I have posted in. This really helped me to this decision.

• There isn’t enough performance difference on the Air, in shorts burst, less than 10% by some measures (i.e. Cinebench). My heavy uses, code compiling, aren’t likely to be extended to make a difference. I got the i7, to make myself feel happier about the 7th gen, mobile series CPU and I may get a small percentage back.
• Most usage is browsers, messaging apps, video browsing, productivity apps. Running a VM for a work app that is Windows only. Max RAM is what I need here.
• I travel for work.
• I travel to my sofa, and lye in awkward angles. 2lbs is great.
• Screen is actually brighter than new Air. Go figure!
• Rarely transcode or process media. It if I do, it’s for short videos that I think this will still function pretty well within initial Turbo Boosts. And rest of the times, I’ll wait a bit longer...
• Did I mention 2lbs?
• Whilst overall a pain, looking forward to USB C world... when I get there, it should mean I’ll have fewer cables and devices in my setup. Hope there a good new device coming. Hope it isn’t deprecated too soon and becomes a good standard.
• Commentary about next model’s anticipated release date and innards. I need the device today and agree with the expectations, which means it may not get updated imminently. And it’s current specs are close enough to the Air. Full circle from opening bullet.

Really, my only gripe is the single port and that it’s not Thunderbolt 3. Technical trade off, for the above usage profile. But I think my common usage will be a single device attached. And I’m sure a desk-bound solution is possible for my needs on those rare occasions.

Finally, if I get a couple / few years out of it, it becomes my young kids first laptop in time... what a device for a 1st!

I’m like a kid at Christmas!

UK purchase, KRCS online store. Black Friday 9% discount, with interest free financing for 10 months.

 

[CPL593H]

12" MacBook owner and fan here! Certainly, it's due for a redesign next year BUT any idea when ARM will be coming to Macs?
MAYBE that is why the Mac Pro is taking so long - maybe that'll have a super bionic ARM chip in it OR a new 12" MacBook will have it.
Also, maybe next year we'll see Face I.D. in Macs! After the convenience of it in my X, i'd love it Touch I.D. never worked very well for me on the SE.

I think the MB will be the test bed device and with the size and new tech (assuming) they'll maintain the slight price premium. First for ARM, and FaceID to the non-iOS devices? That's my guess.

 

[fokmik]

Now i understand why Apple did not update the 12" MB with 8th gen cpu...bec the top model would surpass the 13" 7W cpu from MBA

 

[Neodym]

I am in the boat of going for entry level Air 2018 or 2017 entry MB.... def a difficult choice.

So far nobody could present a valid use case for the Air 2018: If you don't mind weight & size, the rMBP is the better choice (performance). If you value weight & size, the rMB is superior to the Air (rMB being more compact & light).

 

[ZipZap]

As a three year owner of the MB I moved to the Air and I dont regret it. I was out of warranty and facing the potential having to deal with the first year product issues (keyboard, battery).

I got a good trade and the Air is terrific. Fan silent. Size is fine. Audio is great. Screen is plenty bright unless you sit outside unshaded. The extra weight is not a factor for me though I could see others may not agree.

BTW, has apple resolved the I7 issue in the MB. Last I heard it heated up the machine and could not sustain higher CPU speeds due to the heat.

 

[kutxitril]

It's a hard choice man, I'm in the same boat as you.
The standard answer is buy it now if you need it. For work for example. If you do not need it now then wait to see what comes out.

I wouldn't diss the new MBA yet. We should wait for reviews on it to see what it is really capable of. The 13" screen is better for media consumption than 12" and the extra TB3 port is also nice.

What laptop do you have at the moment?

haha, you'll be shocked: Early 2011 Macbook Pro 15". I've been using this old guy for work and leisure 24/7 for the last 7.5 years, updating RAM (16gb), SSD (1TB) and battery. But now it's just too much. Keyboard, sleep mode and wifi card failing. And it is super thicker and heavy compared to what we see nowadays. So yes, I need it! And I am just in love with 12" MB, and I don't need heavy power for my job. Also because I don't consume media with my notebook, I do it with a Mini connected to a TV. Fair point for the extra TB3 (actually current MB USBC port is not TB3).
[doublepost=1540982793][/doublepost]

Just one note... the new Air is fanless.

EDIT: so it seems it's not fanless, but uses the fanless architecture but with a fan when it goes in turbo mode. So it will be fanless most of the time

It is not.
Where did you see that the fan will be only used in turbo mode?

 

[HardBall]

I think if you asked Apple for an ultra-portable ARM device with FaceID, they'd tell you to get an iPad Pro with smart keyboard. They're not wasting their best hardware on the Mac platform, especially for a niche product like the 12" MacBook.

Nah, iPad is rather a niche product for content creation, only very specific workflows work well there. Tablets are great for consumption of media, outside of that, it's pretty much all hit or miss (miss most of the time per application) in terms of usefulness. Large phones are actually much better if you want something that does almost everything that a tablet does, that's kind of why there is now the XS Max, they are just far more portable, and can be used in a far larger set of scenarios. Soon, I can see that Apple would come out with a 7" phone which should rival the size of early tablets.

An ARM ISA based 12" MB would be a god-send for a lot of people that do not need heavy compute for their machines, or as a secondary machine used on the go. It just makes more more sense for 80% of the people that either a massive 13.3 " laptop or a device limited to mobile applications.

 

[kutxitril]

Guys, I just did it.
Got special price drop from the University (in Switzerland), for the high-end 12” MB (i7, 16gb ram, 512gb). Total price was 1850 $.

After looking at the benchmarks of new MBA, and confirming that its processor scores very VERY similar to i7 MB, I am convinced that high-end 12”MB can look face to face to new MBA in terms of power.

Also, as some of you suggested, I also gave a thought to the usage I usually do with a laptop and truth is I don’t do very heavy computing.

I cannot think of a better formfactor, portable device. And I decided to go for the high-end to overcome the inherent power deficit of the 12”.

 

[objektør]

The new rMBA has usb-c thunderbolt ports and an intel Y cpu (amberlake). Is this TB integrated in the CPU or is there a separate controller?
If/ when the rMB gets an update with an Amberlake Y cpu (tdp 5 Watt ?) does this mean it can have a Thunderbolt usb-c port?
I wonder because I thought Amberlake was not capable to deliver thunderbolt or am I wrong

 

[James.K.Polk]

Guys, I just did it.
Got special price drop from the University (in Switzerland), for the high-end 12” MB (i7, 16gb ram, 512gb). Total price was 1850 $.

After looking at the benchmarks of new MBA, and confirming that its processor scores very VERY similar to i7 MB, I am convinced that high-end 12”MB can look face to face to new MBA in terms of power.

Also, as some of you suggested, I also gave a thought to the usage I usually do with a laptop and truth is I don’t do very heavy computing.

I cannot think of a better formfactor, portable device. And I decided to go for the high-end to overcome the inherent power deficit of the 12”.

This is the Macbook I have (and is for sale). Really, really terrific machine - even better when paired with an external. I just find myself wanting more screen real estate for my workflow (law student, patent agent) - but the power has always been more than sufficient. I don't know what the i7 gets us, practically, but the 16 GB of RAM make running basically all the apps I need a breeze.

 

[KPOM]

I know about all things new MBA does better than current 12"MB but....

Let's be fair: New MBA cannot compete with
- 2 pounds of weight
- fanless
- 0.14 to 0.5 inch thin

I see the new MBA and I still prefer the 12"MB.
I have a wide budget so my purchase would be top high-end with i7 cpu, 16gb RAM and 512gb SSD.

My question is:
Should I buy it or should I wait for 2019?
2019 meaning:
- New CPU (ARM?)
- 3rd gen keyboard
- Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port
- 1TB SSD?


Don't try to convince me to go for new MBA ;-)

There is no way the MacBook is getting Thunderbolt before Cannonlake (if then). There isn't sufficient thermal capacity in the current design. That's partly why the MacBook Air has a fan. The only potential upgrades would be Amber Lake and the 3rd-gen keyboard, and larger SSD. I think all are doubtful unless there is another delay to Cannonlake into 2020. The 3rd-gen keyboard feels a little softer than the 2nd-gen but the 2nd-gen has been fine with me.

 

[EugW]

My dilemma:

Have a first generation, early 2015 i5/8/256 1.1 MacBook, which has been absolutely flawless since day 1, these are such cool notebooks. It is used in conjunction with a 4K LG UltraFine display, with 3 USB-C ports, sold by Apple giving a super desktop experience along with ultra-portability of the 2 lb MacBook. USB-C is fine for my needs, Thunderbolt-3 not required, and 8 GB RAM is fine for my use. But it is time to update/upgrade. Zero issues with the keyboard but I will not eat near it nor get crumbs in it.

2018 rMBA: Disappointed in the dimmer display vs. my MacBook, hate fan noise, larger form factor, and feel it is 15-20% overpriced.

Given the last update was about 18 months ago, do I pull the trigger on a refurb MacBook now since that early 2017 update or wait it out hoping for an updated 2019 MacBook?

Thoughts?

If your 2015 MacBook still works fine, and what you really want is an updated MacBook, then definitely wait it out.

 

[KPOM]

My dilemma:

Have a first generation, early 2015 i5/8/256 1.1 MacBook, which has been absolutely flawless since day 1, these are such cool notebooks. It is used in conjunction with a 4K LG UltraFine display, with 3 USB-C ports, sold by Apple giving a super desktop experience along with ultra-portability of the 2 lb MacBook. USB-C is fine for my needs, Thunderbolt-3 not required, and 8 GB RAM is fine for my use. But it is time to update/upgrade. Zero issues with the keyboard but I will not eat near it nor get crumbs in it.

2018 rMBA: Disappointed in the dimmer display vs. my MacBook, hate fan noise, larger form factor, and feel it is 15-20% overpriced.

Given the last update was about 18 months ago, do I pull the trigger on a refurb MacBook now since that early 2017 update or wait it out hoping for an updated 2019 MacBook?

Thoughts?

It seems unlikely that the MacBook will get an upgrade until at least Cannon Lake, which is a year off at best. There is quite a difference in performance between the 2017 and 2015 MacBook.

 

[muratura]

It's a hard choice man, I'm in the same boat as you.
The standard answer is buy it now if you need it. For work for example. If you do not need it now then wait to see what comes out.

I wouldn't diss the new MBA yet. We should wait for reviews on it to see what it is really capable of. The 13" screen is better for media consumption than 12" and the extra TB3 port is also nice.

What laptop do you have at the moment?

 

[deuxani]

Just one note... the new Air is fanless.

EDIT: so it seems it's not fanless, but uses the fanless architecture but with a fan when it goes in turbo mode. So it will be fanless most of the time

 

[deuxani]

It is not.
Where did you see that the fan will be only used in turbo mode?

That's the entire idea of fanless architecture, isn't it? It doesn't need a fan and doesn't get hot under normal load. Only under high load for a longer time it will get hot and without fan would throttle down again. The fan will make sure you can continue at high speed for a prolonged period.

 

[kutxitril]

That's the entire idea of fanless architecture, isn't it? It doesn't need a fan and doesn't get hot under normal load. Only under high load for a longer time it will get hot and without fan would throttle down again. The fan will make sure you can continue at high speed for a prolonged period.

hahaha come on, like happens as well with macbook pro and all others.

So the question is: could I find the quietness and silence I have with 12”MB if I use the new MBA (regardless the load)? And I’m afraid the answer is no.

 

[deuxani]

hahaha come on, like happens as well with macbook pro and all others.

So the question is: could I find the quietness and silence I have with 12”MB if I use the new MBA (regardless the load)? And I’m afraid the answer is no.

Well, to be honest, we don't know This is something very new and different, right? Normally you would get either a 15W CPU with fan (I hear my wife's 15" MacBook Pro taking off sometimes) or a 5W without fan (obviously my 12" MacBook doesn't make a sounds, just like the iPad or iPhone). This 7W hybrid is still a mystery, but to me it makes sense what I described. The fan would only make a sound under prolonged high load, that's my theory

 

[noobinator]

I don't see it as a bad thing that they didn't update the MB yesterday. I think I'll be able to score quite a deal on the 12" MB now. Hope for a $999 sale. I do need/want the fan-less most portable model.

 

[Sodium Chloride]

Any chance that we are going to see a silent update for 12" MB before the end of the year?

 

[leftyMac]

Any chance that we are going to see a silent update for 12" MB before the end of the year?

it makes sense to drop the price, if not updating the CPU. I love my 12" MB, but if I were to buy a laptop today, I'd be tempted to at least consider the new MBA for the price / performance value. I'd probably still pick the MB though.

 

[CPL593H]

I was in the same boat. Ordered the MBA in the end because I needed a new laptop, and I couldn't buy 7th gen chips and 2nd gen butterfly.

If a new 12 inch come out next year I'll have some thinking to do, but I'm just glad to ditch my heavy and old 15 inch HP!

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

12" MacBook owner and fan here! Certainly, it's due for a redesign next year BUT any idea when ARM will be coming to Macs?
MAYBE that is why the Mac Pro is taking so long - maybe that'll have a super bionic ARM chip in it OR a new 12" MacBook will have it.
Also, maybe next year we'll see Face I.D. in Macs! After the convenience of it in my X, i'd love it Touch I.D. never worked very well for me on the SE.