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new MacBook has second gen butterly keyboard, starts with m3, up to 16GB RAM

A

Appleaker

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Original poster
Jun 13, 2016
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It's good news about the keyboard, I wonder if it's any difference (i.e. thinner) than the MBP keyboard.

I was hoping for the base to be an i5, in line with all other consumer Macs, rather than an m3. However, they did keep their higher clock speed to the base clock is now 1.2GHz with the m3.

For those wondering about the 13" MBP at the same base price, that has 128GB storage not 256GB.

Still has a 480p camera and 5Gbps USB-C port.
 
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sunapple

sunapple

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Jul 16, 2013
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So on top of the core-m3 there's now an i5 in the top-tier model with a BTO i7 option. Also 16GB of RAM and the new Butterfly 2 mechanism for the keyboard.

That is actually something I have been waiting for, or is it?

Not sure about this as the news is still un folding, but are those i5 and i7 processors just like the m-series or are they actually a big step up? "Up to 20% faster" doesn't sound too impressive but maybe it is. I also can imagine graphics has been increased as well.

Paying over 2000$ for a 12" MacBook seems like a weird purchase, but once you've held that thing in person... I was already in love with my low-end 2015 model (now using 15" 2015 Pro), but this might be the right option for me... As long as it can run some high-demanding apps.

I know it's not made for those high-demanding apps, but I wish I could use it for that.
 
A

Appleaker

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Original poster
Jun 13, 2016
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sunapple said:
So on top of the core-m3 there's now an i5 in the top-tier model with a BTO i7 option. Also 16GB of RAM and the new Butterfly 2 mechanism for the keyboard.

That is actually something I have been waiting for, or is it?

Not sure about this as the news is still un folding, but are those i5 and i7 processors just like the m-series or are they actually a big step up? "Up to 20% faster" doesn't sound too impressive but maybe it is. I also can imagine graphics has been increased as well.

Paying over 2000$ for a 12" MacBook seems like a weird purchase, but once you've held that thing in person... I was already in love with my low-end 2015 model (now using 15" 2015 Pro), but this might be the right option for me... As long as it can run some high-demanding apps.

I know it's not made for those high-demanding apps, but I wish I could use it for that.
Click to expand...
Yes those processors are still 5W processors. Like I said it would have been cleaner to have the i5 and i7 only, not to mention less confusing. Along with being next generation, Apple has clocked them higher than before which may make a small difference. The i5 would still be the best to go with for heavier usage but we'll wait for the benchmarks and tests.
 
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bill-p

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Jul 23, 2011
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i5/i7 here is just rebranded m5/m7. They're 5-10% faster than the last generation.

The "up to 20% faster" thing is probably for Final Cut Pro X where you'll see that much of a gain due to there being a new video accelerator chip embedded within.

Otherwise, CPU and GPU are about the same specification-wise, just with slightly faster clock speeds.

16GB RAM is actually a very enticing draw. I may cave, but it's a lot of money just to jump to 8GB more RAM. Plus... with my usage (involving running 2 virtual machines with Windows 7 and Linux simultaneously, along with occasional light photo editing in Capture One Pro), I'm barely breaking over 8GB limit. MacOS is very efficient with memory usage.

Edit: oh, and I very regularly plug my MacBook into a 4K display running at 60Hz, while running the above VMs (each of them running at 1920 x 1080 without pixel doubling). My friends have been quite amazed that this usage actually works without major hiccups. The key is to disable transparency effects in the interface of MacOS, and the rest is pretty straightforward.
 
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sunapple

sunapple

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Smart rebrand, i7 sounds way better than m7 hah. But along with the 16GB RAM I might actually go for it.

And don't underestimate Buttefly 2 keyboards, huge difference compared to those flimsy first gens.
 
jfrancis04

jfrancis04

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Jun 11, 2010
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Wait...the Macbook Pro and the Macbook both start at $1299? What am I missing here? What's the appeal of the Macbook if the prices are identical?
 
C64

C64

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Sep 3, 2008
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Here are screenshots of the specs page before and after the update.

2016:

macbook-2016-specs.png

2017:

macbook-2017-specs.png
 
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B

bill-p

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Jul 23, 2011
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I use a 15" rMBP w/ Touch Bar at work.

Butterfly 2 is a bit firmer but doesn't really help with the flatness of the key. I still have to pretend to hit them pretty hard to have any semblance of feedback, and at that point, Butterfly 2 is actually even louder than the Butterfly 1 keyboard. Both of which still cannot beat the key travel and feedback of the Apple wireless keyboard (I use this at home because it takes up less space), which is still a far cry from a mechanical keyboard (use this at work because mechanical keyboard master race!).

Both of the Butterfly keyboards I simply hate, so unless I'm forced to use either one when I'm on the go, I just use an external keyboard instead. I'd call them "buttery keyboard" instead of "butterfly." I know some sacrifices have to be made to make the laptops thinner but seriously, the keyboards are just so bad now.
 
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bill-p

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No, 2016 still uses Gen 1. Gen 2 was introduced with the 2016 MacBook Pro, and those came almost half a year after the 2016 MacBook.
 
S

super chimp

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Mar 21, 2008
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Been holding off on getting a MB until it had better specs and was wondering as far as getting the best bang for your buck is it better to upgrade from i5 to i7 or 8 to 16GB RAM, if you can only choose one?
 
jfrancis04

jfrancis04

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Jun 11, 2010
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maerz001 said:
256 vs 128GB
Click to expand...
Interesting. So it's smaller form factor/storage vs better processor/2 usb-c ports.

Still think the Pro wins handily. Can't personally say I would consider the Macbook over the Pro now, even though I absolutely love the form factor. The trade-off just isn't worth it.
 
S

super chimp

macrumors 65816
Mar 21, 2008
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jfrancis04 said:
Interesting. So it's smaller form factor/storage vs better processor/2 usb-c ports.

Still think the Pro wins handily. Can't personally say I would consider the Macbook over the Pro now, even though I absolutely love the form factor. The trade-off just isn't worth it.
Click to expand...

The Pro is too big and heavy I personally am looking for the lightest & most portable netbook and I don't need vast performance. For me portability trumps all.
 
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H-B0mb

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Mar 15, 2012
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Can anyone give me some advice please? I can't decide between an i5 with 8gb Ram or one with 16Gb. All I'll be using it for is, web, music, film and photos. I don't mind paying the extra for the Ram but only if I'm going to make use of it. I also intend to bootcamp windows 10 (to use for work). An
 
S

super chimp

macrumors 65816
Mar 21, 2008
1,106
488
UK
H-B0mb said:
Can anyone give me some advice please? I can't decide between an i5 with 8gb Ram or one with 16Gb. All I'll be using it for is, web, music, film and photos. I don't mind paying the extra for the Ram but only if I'm going to make use of it. I also intend to bootcamp windows 10 (to use for work). An
Click to expand...

That's very similar to what I'll be using it for and have the same question as posted above.
 
C64

C64

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Sep 3, 2008
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H-B0mb said:
Can anyone give me some advice please? I can't decide between an i5 with 8gb Ram or one with 16Gb. All I'll be using it for is, web, music, film and photos. I don't mind paying the extra for the Ram but only if I'm going to make use of it. I also intend to bootcamp windows 10 (to use for work). An
Click to expand...
I went with the 16GB option. Not sure if I'll use it right now, but even though macOS is pretty efficient when it comes to memory usage, the more apps (and VMs) you use, the more RAM it needs. I just don't want to worry about opening up a ton of browser tabs along and a bunch of other memory-hungry apps and having to manage it all the time. I'm hoping 16GB will help with that when needed.

In the end it really depends on your usage of course. Also, when it runs out of available RAM it'll start swapping to the HD. And since these SSDs are pretty fast, the slow-downs are less noticeable then back in the day when we all had old-fashioned hard drives. However, even fast SSDs don't compare to RAM, so having enough RAM will always be way better.
 
H

H-B0mb

macrumors 6502a
Mar 15, 2012
523
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C64 said:
I went with the 16GB option. Not sure if I'll use it right now, but even though macOS is pretty efficient when it comes to memory usage, the more apps (and VMs) you use, the more RAM it needs. I just don't want to worry about opening up a ton of browser tabs along and a bunch of other memory-hungry apps and having to manage it all the time. I'm hoping 16GB will help with that when needed.

In the end it really depends on your usage of course. Also, when it runs out of available RAM it'll start swapping to the HD. And since these SSDs are pretty fast, the slow-downs are less noticeable then back in the day when we all had old-fashioned hard drives. However, even fast SSDs don't compare to RAM, so having enough RAM will always be way better.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've ordered the 16gb.

i've also placed an order for the 10.5 iPad
 
Kierikka

Kierikka

macrumors member
May 25, 2015
47
15
Stockholm, Sweden
Waiting to see some speedspecs before buying the new MacBook. Want to know the difference between the i5 and i7 and the 2nd gen especially difference in FCPX, I know that the renderspeed will not compare to the MBP but I love the size of it and have one of the first gen. I am going to replace my rMB 12 and rMBP15 with it.

For those choosing between i7 or more memory, it all depends on what you use the computer for. But if I would choose one of them I would take the memory upgrade.
 
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