A fair bit of fence sitting has been taking place at MacFilos Towers over the past month or so. In common with probably a majority of Mac fans, I have fallen in love, hook, line and sinker, with the svelte little retina-screened MacBook. I’ve written before about the dilemma, whether to go minimalist with the MacBook or buy the relatively boring 13in MacBook Pro that is far more likely to suit my purpose as a road-warrior laptop.
Frankly, the only reason I haven’t yet bought the MacBook is that I haven’t managed to find it in stock at any Apple Store. They come in and go out the same morning, which must tell us something about its popularity. I could have ordered from the on-line store and I would have had it sitting on my desk before now. But waiting to find it in stock for over-the-counter sale is part of the process of procrastination. Perhaps, I think, I am not meant to have one.
Eulogy
I was taken with David Sparks’s eulogy. While he has reservations about the keyboard and the processor speed, he feels that the benefits of extreme portability and sheer lust far outweigh the negative features. I had more or less decided that I would follow David’s example, buy the MacBook and try it out for two weeks. If I didn’t like it, I could swap for a more powerful computer.
But I keep getting second thoughts. Today I read that Marco Arment has gone through the same process:
….in a brief period of questionable judgment yesterday, I impulse-bought the new MacBook, which I call the MacBook One. My theory was that I could use it for roles in which I’ve failed to use iPads because they don’t work for me: writing and email around the house or in bed, and bringing on most trips that wouldn’t involve Xcode. It would be my iPad Pro. I’ve been waffling for years about finding a cheap 11-inch MacBook Air to serve this role, but I didn’t want a non-Retina machine.
Unlike David Sparks, however, Marco cannot live with the compromises. And, again unlike David, he hates the new keyboard (which he likens to a collection of iPhone home buttons) and despises the new Force Touch trackpad.
Maybe Marco is the exception, but his views are important and influence opinion. He has returned the MacBook to Apple and has gone for a MacBook Pro. Not, I should add, either the new 13in with Force Touch trackpad or the just-announced 15in version. Instead he has taken advantage of the price drop on the old 15in MacBook Pro Retina and snapped up one (sans Force Touch) to replace his previous version.
Serious Stuff
This is serious stuff and I feel a whole new bout of procrastination coming on. I do have a very good get-out clause: I can continue to soldier on with the three-year-old 11in MacBook Air that has been a faithful road companion. It is far inferior, both in terms of performance and display to the new MacBook Pros, but surprisingly not all that tardy in comparison with the new MacBook. The sensible decision, I know, is to continue using the 11in Air for the time being. Let the dust settle on the new models and then decide.
It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that I am looking for a portable travel computer. Back at base I have the superb 27in iMac 5K with 32GB of memory and the fastest processor. If you are looking for one computer to do desk duty as well as being a congenial travel companion, then choose the 13in or 15in MacBook Pro. Having owned a 15in Retina MBP for a couple of years, before buying the iMac, I can tell you that it makes a wonderful desktop work-horse. You can also take it out and about, but tone up the muscles first. For most people, the 13in MBP is the ideal compromise between portability and performance.
I needed to upgrade my 2010 MacBook Air and waited for the new MacBook. I adored it when I hefted it in the Apple Store. But then Apple told me it won’t support my 2008 Apple Cinema Display. Doubtless someone will come up with the proper adapter sooner or later, but then the American company Best Buy offered a $200 off deal on the brand new 2015 MacBook Pro model (which does work with my display with no adapter needed) for a couple of days, which meant that for at least $200-$250 less, I’d have a much better computer, at the cost of a pound and a half of weight. For my needs (writing, browsing, email, some photo editing), it made the most sense by far, especially because unlike you, I don’t have another desktop machine at home. The new MPB is my only Mac (although I have an iPad mini for when I need serious portability), and I absolutely love it. I do think the new MacBook is just fine for many if not most users, and I helped a disabled friend who really needs the light weight buy one. And it’s a lovely piece of design, but alas it won’t work for me. This brilliant new MacBook Pro is certainly a sweet consolation prize! The screen (my first Retina Mac) is amazing, as is the 10 hour battery life. And it still feels remarkably portable. I bet you’ll be elated with whichever choice you make. And I now have $200 extra to spend on books or coffee or beer.
I really couldn’t have expressed this better myself. You are quite correct in your assessment. The MacBook is the heart’s desire; the MacBook Pro is the sensible head’s choice. For the moment. However, I see the future in the minimalist approach of the MacBook. Like many first generation products it is compromised. But within a couple of years we will have overcome connection and speed problems and will all be able to enjoy a lighter, more beautiful but competent computer. I think for now you made the right decision.
I actually had no choice: it was either get a MacBook OR use my sweet Cinema Display, and I certainly didn’t want to give up the latter, and wasn’t able to hold off my purchase in the (possibly vain) hope the right adapter would appear for a display that was discontinued more than half a decade ago. The unexpected $200 off sale made the decision even easier, but wouldn’t have affected the outcome. I now tote my MBP to campus each weekday and don’t notice the extra weight over days when I carry my iPad (which weighs even less than the MacBook) instead, but I nevertheless look forward to the day when I do own the little wonder or whatever successor exists three or four years hence. I wish you luck in your decision and thank you for sharing your thinking process here; it actually did help me decide. I’m still actually amazed that I can have so much beauty and power in the 13" MacBook Pro’s slim, light (or so it seems to me even in this tiny MacBook era) case. I don’t even notice the difference between it and my old MB Air. BTW my disabled friend, who’s also a photographer, reports that her new MacBook (with an adapter for her external hard drive) is serving her well. Maybe we should be celebrating instead of lamenting the fact that we have too many good choices!
The absence of an update to the Cinema Display was the reason I gave in and got the iMac 5K for the office. For years I had managed with a powerful MacBook for travel and work. But eventually I have up waiting, with the result that I need a road warrior computer as well. I hope you enjoy your new MacBook Pro. I suspect I shall be joining you but ice out off the decision until the Autumn.
Oh, the irony: "This is serious stuff." Ha!
Yes, it has quite put me off my food. All this stress!