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Would you buy a MacBook 12" in 2021?
- Thread starter DaneTheGr8
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- macbook 12"
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Didn't buy one then and wouldn't be given one now. Poorly-conceived poorly-implemented overpriced slow awful computers which are so outperformed by an M1 Air that the difference between them is chasmic.
Are you saying this having owned one? My experience is just the opposite. Apple Silicon and Intel are two different categories. and yes the M1 Air is much faster, but we are talking ultra portables and speed is not the primary concern here.
Besides some of us need Intel to run Windows and also be able to run 32 bit apps.
I'm very happy with the speed of my m7 and absolutely have no complaints about its speed.
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Your choice and I'm not here to change your mind but it's very possible to run Windows on something way better than that piece of junk, and for a lot less money. Also there are much more capable Macs upon which to run 32-bit apps. As a Mac machine there's very little going for it. As a Windows machine I can't think of anything going for it that wouldn't be bettered by a dedicated Windows laptop. You want light? There are just as light Windows laptops. You want small screen? There are small screen Windows laptops. Most will have better expandability and versatility.
Let's not even go there with the keyboard.
I have dedicated Windows machines, that's not the point. The point is having one machine capable of doing it all in one lightweight package.
You keep calling it a piece of junk. If you owned a BTO maxed one like mine, I think you would re-consider your wording.
We are adults though and we'll just agree to differ. I've never owned one but I have used one and I realised I couldn't spend more time on that keyboard than I literally had to, and that's before the problems came to light about how it dies when a crumb gets under a key.
If, when they were new, I'd needed a small light computer upon which to run MacOS and Windows, I'd have just bought a 12-month old Air and celebrated the overall all-round superiority of literally everything about it.
But remember no way am I telling you not to enjoy yours. In 20 years time I actually expect they'll be comparatively-valuable collectors items. Thousands will have been junked when their keyboards died, or when they just generally wore out, and as one of the Macs from what will be recognised as the absolute low period of Macbook production (literally every Mac with that keyboard, 'flexgate' and the touchbar), collectors will swoon over a really nice, boxed 12" MB in great condition.
If, when they were new, I'd needed a small light computer upon which to run MacOS and Windows, I'd have just bought a 12-month old Air and celebrated the overall all-round superiority of literally everything about it.
But remember no way am I telling you not to enjoy yours. In 20 years time I actually expect they'll be comparatively-valuable collectors items. Thousands will have been junked when their keyboards died, or when they just generally wore out, and as one of the Macs from what will be recognised as the absolute low period of Macbook production (literally every Mac with that keyboard, 'flexgate' and the touchbar), collectors will swoon over a really nice, boxed 12" MB in great condition.
For me portability is number one priority. I hope Apple will introduce a sub 2lb 12" Macbook in the future. Hopefully with a better keyboard and more than one port.
Compared to the 12" Macbook, M1 Air is heavier and larger. It may not look like that in numbers but it is noticeable.
Hm yes but couldnt that design work really really well with the M1 or M2 chips today? Reduce the bezels and the screen could be more like 12.75-12.9 (guessing), it could be a great ultraportable laptop. Carrying it plus an ipad in a briefcase would be like carrying around nothing!
It definitely might work, yet the idea of them selling laptops with five different sizes (assuming the rumoured 15" Air does arrive) seems unlikely. Very confusing for the customer.
I would like to ask you the following: I am regularly visiting my family, and the best setup for me is to carry two smallishs devices. One is for certain an iPad Pro 11 with LTE; the other I am not sure about. I have the SUrface PRo X, too, which for my workload is ok, but battery life is average and it does not interact well with the iPad. Now, I am thinking about the Surface Go 3 (which does not interact well either but is smallish) or the Macbook 12 2017. I currently have the Macbook 12 2017 already, bought it cheap with a replaced battery. The battery life on the M 12 2017, however (i7-16GB-512GB) seems mediocre unfortunately. Or should I drop that altogether and get a new M1 (I mainly use office, but I know how an M1 feels, we have an iMac at home). I would appreciate your assessments - thanks in advance!
beyond silly they didn't introduce the m1 with the 12" fanless notebook. Think of the benchmarks they could have marketed! 9x as fast! 3x as long battery lasting!
But no.
How many screen sizes did they have in the G4 days? 4? 12" 1024x768, 14" 1024x768, 15.4 and 17" widescreens? And they sold way fewer units than now...
This was a period when widescreen laptops were just appearing and they were being phased-in gently to gain consumer acceptance without wanting to alienate consumers who wanted a 4x3 screen for the hundreds of apps optimized for that aspect ratio.
When has Apple "phased-in gently" anything?!? That's... not exactly their style. And it's not like Apple did what, say, IBM was doing for a while (right around the time they sold the ThinkPad business to Lenovo) where you could choose a 4:3 or 16:10 screen option on the otherwise same model laptop.
My guess:
- widescreen panels used in the PB G4 15/17s were unusual resolutions, not shared with Windows machines at the time, so they were expensive
- the 12" G4 couldn't work styling-wise with a wide-screen display, while a 4:3 display aligned with the bottom case design
- 1024x768 iBook 12"/14" were using 4:3 panels because that size panel was much, much, much cheaper, being widely used in Windowsland at well
And it's probably not a coincidence that the MacBooks in 2006 switched to 1280x800 13.3" screens the very year Windows land was transitioning from 4:3 to 16:10 laptops. And then Apple, to their credit, stuck with 16:10 as Windowsland went to the absurd 16:9 around... 2010-2012ish.
I say great deal. Still my favorite Mac notebook by a long way. Hoping Apple release one with the M1. I’d buy it the first day it is released.
Good deal. I would be concerned about any potential damages (Keyboard problems? Battery problems? USB-C port failing). If there's no problems, you got a great deal.
It's August in 2022. This machine from 2017 STILL does everything most people do just fine. Browsing, coding, netflix, spotify, imovie (yes 4k projects) etc...
Absolute 0 problem. The machine is great at 900grams.
I have the 2017 version (latest produced) 3 times.
- one white (girl has it, does everything on it, takes it to cafes and does all her work on it, love's it, would never trade it)
- one spacegrey (i use it for commuting, watching movies in the plane, writing email at the beach, taking it hiking for emergencies etc.)
- one spacegrey (sealed, new ...as backup)
Today, August 2022, I would pay 800usd easily for a sealed, new Macbook 12' from 2017.
*Just for fun here is a photo of my sealed one with a newspaper from a few weeks ago...
Absolute 0 problem. The machine is great at 900grams.
I have the 2017 version (latest produced) 3 times.
- one white (girl has it, does everything on it, takes it to cafes and does all her work on it, love's it, would never trade it)
- one spacegrey (i use it for commuting, watching movies in the plane, writing email at the beach, taking it hiking for emergencies etc.)
- one spacegrey (sealed, new ...as backup)
Today, August 2022, I would pay 800usd easily for a sealed, new Macbook 12' from 2017.
*Just for fun here is a photo of my sealed one with a newspaper from a few weeks ago...
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I sold my 2017 i5 512GB this week. It bothered me that it's was slow, too slow. It's just been sitting on the shelf because of this for a year or two at my house. I've owned a 2015, 2016 and the last 2017 model and I loved them, but in 2022 they are simply too slow for me personally.