And the website is up: Apple - Mac 12 inch Retina display, available in silver, space grey and gold. Drool!
Interesting that Apple has dropped the Macbook Air nomenclature and simply calls it "Macbook" The lack of conventional ports including the card reader is a cause of concern for me though
also the use of Core M processor seems to be down on performance. Will wait for review before purchasing.
I think the single, "universal" USB-C port will be the biggest consideration for early adopters of this new MacBook. Unless I'm missing something... Say you're charging your Mac or accessing a USB device and you need to access another flash drive or connect a camera, this means you have to stop charging for a while or eject your first device because you're gonna need the same port. It's not a deal-breaker for some but it's not ideal if you're in a rush. Of course, Apple is assuming you've already embraced the whole Apple ecosystem such as: - Syncing your iOS devices via Wi-Fi - AirPrint - AirDrop - AirPlay - iCloud drive - iCloud photo sharing - Wireless Time Machine backup via Time Capsule If you use all these features consistently, then the single universal USB-C port won't be that much of an issue for you because you're doing everything wirelessly. All you'd probably need is an adaptor (in case someone gives you a non-USB-C device to access), an external card reader (in case you need to access an SD card), and a USB hub compatible with USB-C (in case you really need to access multiple USB devices). Another concern might be for users who will have to regularly connect said MacBook to an external monitor or a projector. Given that it's just one port, I don't know how they can keep their Macs plugged in to power while it's connected to say, a projector. Unless Apple comes up with a dongle of sorts. Then again, this is "just" the MacBook. It's likely that we'll see more than one port in the MacBook Pro version, which Apple will probably release in a couple of months, and which usually caters to users who have relatively heavier requirements. EDIT: Yup, there's a dongle for that: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter?fnode=51 For $79, you can simultaneously connect your new MacBook to: 1. a power source via USB-C 2. an HDMI device 3. a USB 3.1 Gen 1 device Dongle, bow.
Just hurts to see this $80 dongle come out of that svelte new MacBook. $80?? CDR King version....stat! Here's the $80 Dongle You Need to Use the New MacBook With Your Stuff
Looking forward to your review, Prof. Butch! I'm sure my father-in-law would love to read about it, too, as he's looking to replace his current MacBook Air.
My brain might wonder if Core M is enough. But my eye will thank me more for the 12" retina display. My 11" MBA is light on the shoulders, but heavy on the eyes. So for my business travel needs, this is literally a no-brainer.
The lack of more than 1 port is off-putting. And besides, I just got a 13" Retina Macbook Pro 3 weeks ago.
I cant wait to see the actual new Macbook but I still wish Apple could have kept the ports that's on the my 2013 MBA. The thickness or thinness of the new Macbook could still allow for traditional ports. I still have my Samsung 2012 series 9 (Samsung Series 9 (13-inch, 2012) review - CNET), it is thinner ( at 12.9mm) than the new Macbook at 13.1mm but still manages to have all the ports of the 2014 MBA plus a micro HDMI.
I rarely plug anything on my MBA, aside from power. Occasionally, for business presentations, I carry a kit of accessories (MDP-VGA, MDP-HDMI, USB stick, portable storage, Lightning cable). With a kit like that, what's another adapter? Not a big deal for me. Bottom line: Bad fit doesn't mean bad product. It just worked out that Apple was targeting me.
given that the new force touch trackpad has already been added into the macbook pro refresh, time will tell if the other new parts of this new macbook such as the keyboard, screen hinge, usb type c ports and maybe the color options as well, will appear on the next macbook pros. hopefully they will as i would love to have a space grey macbook pro.
Goddanitappple why did you remove the floppy disks!!!!??? Joking aside, going USB C does forces us to bring at the very minimum a standard USB adaptor for those pesky thumb drives.
i think it was already rumored and said even before this new MB came out that it will only have ONE usb port... aside from portability, it was assumed that the reason Apple was going this way is to make the users adapt to its "air system" where all things considered can be accessed via air or cloud... i think that's the way it should be...no fuss about multiple adapters, no worry about peripherals nothing comes between YOU and YOUR MB...
what, no no SDXC card slot? no thunderbolt? USB? will still buy of course, NEED to replace my 4 yr old 11" BTO MBA. i hope they retained audio jack though. useful whenever i fly. apple's "wireless world" philosophy leads one to think; next to go will be the hard drive. now that will be the day, good luck to us with our "3rd world issues".
