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unrigestered

Suspended
Jun 17, 2022
879
840
what if i was calling it a laptop... also incorrect?

not taking into consideration if i did the sacrilegious and put in on a desk instead of my lap? 😱

P.S.: some people call their laptops (Macbooks (Pro)) just "Mac".
Factually, even PC in it's correct use would be correct.
 

hg.wells

macrumors 65816
Apr 1, 2013
1,067
789
It’s quicker to say maybe, I’ll say let me grab my MacBook in the office. I know it’s a MacBook Pro.

It’s just like with iPhones and iPads people don’t always say iPad Air or iPad Pro.
 

hajime

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 23, 2007
7,924
1,312
Sometimes I got confused. For example MaxTech had MacBook Pro in the title of some videos but he talked about MacBook verbally. Then I wonder what happened.

Similarly, some mentioned M2 MacBook Pro without saying the size. Then I thought Apple upgraded the MacBook Pro 16" 2021 to include a M2 CPU.
 

russell_314

macrumors 604
Feb 10, 2019
6,681
10,288
USA
Sometimes I got confused. For example MaxTech had MacBook Pro in the title of some videos but he talked about MacBook verbally. Then I wonder what happened.

Similarly, some mentioned M2 MacBook Pro without saying the size. Then I thought Apple upgraded the MacBook Pro 16" 2021 to include a M2 CPU.
I would take anything Max tech says with a huge grain of salt.

As to what word I use depends on the context. I’d say that’s with most things in the English language though. For example if I needed to be specific I would say “My M2 MacBook Air only has a 60 Hz refresh rate screen.”

I know Apple had a specific laptop called MacBook but I think it’s generally accepted in speech that MacBook refers to Apple’s line of laptops. I think it has to do with no one really calls it an Apple laptop or an Apple Mac. It’s almost like MacBook is the brand and whatever follows is the model. I know that’s technically not correct but that’s what people use in speech.

If I’m talking to non Apple people or people who are not interested in tech I usually will just say “laptop”. I feel in that case even MacBook is overly descriptive and unnecessary because it’s not important to the conversation. “I’m going to watch a movie on my laptop”. That explains exactly what I’m going to do and there’s no need to specify exactly the brand or model.
 
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russell_314

macrumors 604
Feb 10, 2019
6,681
10,288
USA
What drove me nuts for awhile was management's reference to the MacBook Air as the "Mac Air" or worse, "the Mac Airbook." :rolleyes:
I know the feeling. My favorite is the iWatch. Apple has never used that name due to copyright issues but for some reason I’ve seen people call it that
 
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davidg4781

macrumors 68030
Oct 28, 2006
2,883
423
Alice, TX
Maybe it's easier to say, "Hey, let me grab my Mac" than to say, "Hey, let me grab my 14" MacBook Pro M1 Max."

For me, I think I've owned a MacBook longer than I've owned my MacBook Pros so it's just out of habit.
 
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astorre

Suspended
Nov 4, 2021
157
128
They are different things. I think it started when Apple released the low end cheap Macbook with a white plastic case.
I hope you also use sentences like "let me get my iPhone 13 Pro Max really quick from my office" because its not the same like "let me get my phone from my office"
 
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T'hain Esh Kelch

macrumors 603
Aug 5, 2001
6,478
7,449
Denmark
"Macbook" is just a general term for "Mac laptop".

It is confusing when we used to actually have MacBooks, and confusing when people try to describe their issues online and it actually is required to know if it is a -/Air/Pro.
 

hajime

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 23, 2007
7,924
1,312
"Macbook" is just a general term for "Mac laptop".

It is confusing when we used to actually have MacBooks, and confusing when people try to describe their issues online and it actually is required to know if it is a -/Air/Pro.

Exactly
 

Feek

macrumors 65816
Nov 9, 2009
1,380
2,048
JO01
Would they be the same people who called an iPod touch an iTouch or an Apple Watch an iWatch? ;)
 

spiderman0616

Suspended
Aug 1, 2010
5,670
7,499
I usually say something like, "I need my Mac for this" or "I need to go grab my computer". I never say "MacBook Pro" or even "MacBook" usually. When I hear people use the full name, I feel like they want me to know what kind of computer they use, when in reality I couldn't care less.
 

kasakka

macrumors 68020
Oct 25, 2008
2,389
1,083
As I type this post, my Apple™ Macbook Pro™ 16" Space Grey 2019 Intel™ 512GB 64GB RAM laptop is running its fans loud doing nothing. I wonder if I should have upgraded to an Apple™ Macbook Pro™ 16" Space Grey 2021 M1 Apple™ silicon model? Or should I just buy an Apple™ Macbook Air™ M2?

-Sent from my Apple™ iPhone™ 12 Mini™ 64 GB Midnight Blue
 

myscrnnm

macrumors 68000
Sep 16, 2014
1,941
1,660
Seattle, WA
It depends on the context. But there's technically nothing wrong with referring to a MacBook Pro as a "MacBook." It's from the same product line, has the word in its name, and differentiates it from PC/Windows laptops. As Apple's current notebook computer lineup stands, any Apple laptop can accurately be referred to as a "MacBook."🤷🏻‍♂️ Do you feel like it's really important for people around you to know that you paid more for the MacBook Pro? I don't think I'd be offended if someone called my MBP a "MacBook."
 

lostPod

macrumors 6502
May 9, 2022
349
264
I usually say MacBook in casual conversation. Talking about any type of MacBook really. I dono but casual convention talking about an “iPhone Pro Max 12 13“ etc just seems uncomfortable to me haha.
 

spiderman0616

Suspended
Aug 1, 2010
5,670
7,499
For my iphone, i call it phone. As for my macbook, i just simply call it computer.
I think the days of people thinking, "Ooooo look that person has an iPhone!" or "I saw someone using the new MacBook Pro at Starbucks today!" There is a contingent of people who feel, for some reason, like others care what exact gadgets they're using, ESPECIALLY if they have that fruit logo on them.

But this isn't 2007 anymore. Apple is a full blown consumer electronics company now, and the largest one in the world at that. It's very easy now to get a smartphone, even a very expensive one, as long as you can pay the monthly bill.

If you say, "Let me just get my laptop out and look at something", these days the people you're talking to probably know what kind of laptop to expect you to pull out of your bag based on what your job is and it's not crazy anymore to see more and more of those Apple logos out in the world every year.

It's really Apple's approach to CPU development that has enabled this. I'm just enjoying the ride and not worrying about what anyone else thinks.
 
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