Ondrej Holzman One reason why the new MacBook, which is going to the market in April, is so thin is hidden in the Core M processor. It is a processor that was launched by Intel last year and has the task of powering the thinnest laptops and tablets. Of course, all of this comes with a number of advantages and disadvantages. That's why the new MacBook won't be for everyone.
MacBook introduced at the beginning of March has not yet started to be sold, but we already know about all its possible configurations. Intel offers its Core M chip in speeds from 800 MHz to 1,2 GHz, all dual-core with 4MB cache and all with integrated HD Graphics 5300, also from Intel.
Apple decided to put the two fastest options in the new MacBook, i.e. 1,1 and 1,2 GHz, while the user can choose a one-tenth higher clock rate at the time of purchase.
In the MacBook Air, Apple currently offers a 1,6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 as the weakest processor, and in the MacBook Pro with Retina display, the same processor with a frequency of 2,7GHz. This is just for comparison, what difference in performance can we expect within the entire notebook portfolio of Apple, although we do not yet know the benchmarks of the 12-inch MacBook.
Almost mobile motherboard size
However, a gold, space gray or silver MacBook is not primarily intended for high performance. Its advantages are minimal dimensions, weight and the associated maximum convenient portability. Intel Core M, which is significantly smaller, makes a significant contribution to this. The entire motherboard in the MacBook is thus closer to that of the iPhone, compared to the MacBook Air, it is roughly one-third the size.
Apple engineers were able to make the MacBook much thinner and lighter thanks to the fact that the Core M processor is less powerful, heats up less, and thus can run completely without the need for fans. That is, assuming that there are well-designed ventilation paths on the machine.
Finally, the Core M has an advantage in power consumption. Conventional processors to date have consumed well over 10 W, Core M takes only 4,5 W, mainly due to the fact that it is the first processor produced with 14nm technology. Although it is less demanding on energy consumption and practically the entire interior of the MacBook is filled with batteries, it does not last as long as the 13-inch MacBook Air.
Apple's weakest laptop
If we are to talk about the disadvantages of the Intel Core M chip, then we clearly have to start with the performance. Even if you choose the most expensive variant with a 1,3GHz processor, the performance of the MacBook will not be close to the weakest 11-inch MacBook Air.
In Turbo Boost mode, Intel promises a frequency increase of up to 2,4/2,6 GHz for Core M, but it is still not enough against Air. It starts with Turbo Boost at 2,7 GHz. In addition, you get Intel HD Graphics 6000 in all MacBook Airs, HD Graphics 5300 in MacBooks.
We will have to wait for the real performance when the first benchmarks appear after the start of sales, but at least on paper, the new MacBook will be significantly the weakest of all Apple laptops.
At the moment, at least we can take Lenovo's Yoga 3 Pro for comparison. It has the same 1,1GHz Intel Core M chip as the MacBook, and according to the Geekbench tests, it ranked below the cheapest Air from this year in both the single-core (score 2453 vs. 2565) and multi-core (4267 vs. 5042) tests.
Retina as a flashlight eater
As already mentioned above, the significant decrease in performance and consumption unfortunately does not bring a very significant increase in battery life. The MacBook should be able to compete with the 11-inch MacBook Air, but it loses a few hours on the larger version. As with performance, we'll see what real-world results bring.
The Retina display, which has a resolution of 2304 × 1140 in the MacBook, and it is an IPS panel with LED backlight, is probably responsible for the weaker battery life. The aforementioned Yoga 3 Pro laptop showed that Intel Core M can have problems handling such a high-resolution display. On the other hand, Lenovo deployed an even higher resolution (3200 × 1800), so Apple should not have such problems in the MacBook.
So everything leads to the fact that with the MacBook, Apple is definitely not targeting graphics or avid gamers, for whom (not only) the thinnest Apple laptop will be clearly insufficient. The target group will primarily be relatively undemanding users who, however, will not be shy about putting their machine behind them at least 40 thousand crowns.
I still don't understand the price of 60 thousand. (with a couple of upgrades) for the weakest laptop that Apple sells, +$80 for various reductions. It's like an iPad without a touchscreen, but with OSX. On the one hand, Apple claims that this is the music of the future, and at the same time throws in a 480p facetime camera...
Of course, apple could make the camera resolution higher, but at the expense of brightness, taking into account the thickness of the display, it is important to imagine how big the given camera chip is, so I think (my opinion) that a lower resolution and higher quality is better than the other way around...
I understand. For example, as a second machine or for a translator and interpreter wife
It's a facetime camera. Do you want to stream it over wifi in 1080p or 4K???
720p would be enough for me in 2015.
What for? Do you want to stream your 720p video to someone's iPhone when they pay for data on a 3g/4g network? In the worst case, there is only edge/gprs network? Is 480p really not enough? and what if you are on a mobile network and pay for data? Is 720p really the minimum?
Yes it is. But I would not confuse the 3g/4g standard in the Czech Republic.
720p is simply a must in 2015.
Well, I think that a person who pays so much € for this does not care about how much he spends on data. I think that's what it's all about.
Well, when I look at downloaded videos from YouTube in 720p, they have around 300kB/s (2.4Mb/s) in MP4, so you can easily calculate how many minutes of facetime calls you can make on a 2GB pausali per month in 720p. And 2GB is quite a lot by Slovak standards.
Stop living in the past :-)
Have you complained that the MacBook Air has a 720p FaceTime camera? Fast wireless internet already exists today and it's nothing out of the ordinary. There is no need to defend every press release, Apple tests what the customer can withstand, they can afford it. The new MacBook is much more a piece of equipment than a computer.
The more, the better. If a lower resolution is currently needed, this can be done programmatically.
Would 720 be enough for you? well, not even that for me, there should be the best that exists at this price, it's dollar matters, it's not something that apple can't afford to add.
As someone writes here. The second or third machine in the family is ideal. So the main machine is about an iMac 5k for 90000, a laptop for the master of the house about a Mac Book Pro Retina for about 75000. The wife of a translator and an interpreter Mac Book for 40000. In addition, each iPhone 6 64GB for 24000 each, and two tablets for the kids. One better iPad Air 2 and one weaker one for the little capart. About iPad Mini 3. So, for the stylish equipment of one family with "amazing" Apple hardware, less than 300000. I think it's worth it.
And what do you see as the problem?
Me in nothing. I was just wondering how many people would buy a 40 liter machine with the power of a mobile phone as a second computer for their family. I understand that the thinking of Apple fans is different and that they are willing to pay such money for something as elusive as "style". I like technology and I am also willing to pay a lot of money for things that are unnecessary for many, but the most important thing for me is functionality and then the price-quality ratio. I could have easily bought a Note 4, but after weighing the pros and cons, I went for the Note 3. For the money saved, an SSD drive for the desktop. Both things are working great for me and I have nothing to complain about. The Note 3 with a bluetooth keyboard will easily take care of what the notepad is intended for. But if someone wants it, I approve. It is necessary to extract money from people, otherwise the state will fail. And the VAT on it is quite large. Just as there was a large VAT on my Note 3 and on that SSD drive.
Well, people who will buy equipment for 300k, as you wrote, certainly don't think that they will save 5k somewhere to buy an SSD disk.. It's all just about the fact that someone has money and simply buys the most expensive thing, because they can assume , that the product will most likely be of high quality and he doesn't want to read reviews and certainly doesn't want to manually change some component in the PC... These people don't have time for that. I don't see anything wrong with buying things from Apple as long as the "master of the house" has 60k+ and the wife brings something too. so let him buy apple stuff for 2k once every 300 years. And honestly, even if they ate only hay with the whole family for 2 years to buy it, it's still their business :D.
And I don't know why you put the word amazing in quotes. Apple technology seems really great to me. Of course, there are bugs here and there, but I am very satisfied with the phone/tablet/computer from them.
Oh and about the style...I don't know why it's so popular on the internet to try to be cool by wanting functionality and not "style". I would really like to know what apple products are not functional. That style is something extra. And we all want nice things. But not everyone can afford them.
it's not that we can't afford it, each of us has machines for 3000 euros for God's sake, it's that as customers we deserve more than old performance in a new design. I don't understand when the world got to the point where people don't care how things work but are interested in how they look, probably with the advent of Facebook and similar shit
The very concept - functionality, price and quality ratio is the biggest hell. For example, for pants, overalls come to mind, we will all be walking around in overalls, they are functional, a great price-quality ratio.
Or the main machine 27″ iMac with 3GB fusion disk without 5K for about 2000 euros, plus one 13″ and one 11″ macbook air with maximum RAM, two iPhone 5S 32GB and one iPad mini 2 with 32GB and one iPod touch. And in total it is about 6500 euros. But no one buys it all at once anyway.
And I forgot about the amazing iWatch. But that will probably be lost in those numbers.
It's a bomb for a target. Retarders dependent on benchmarks, let them keep benchmarking.. ;-) Hello
maybe we're retards, but where do you go if your favorite company makes you a cover of an old sheet music and you pat them on the back, you're blind. that's the introspection, apple boys have billions, they have something to play with, they just don't play, they have the best design team without a doubt, but that's not enough for everyone, it's not enough for some of us that it just looks nice and otherwise it's just worth 2 years old shit. If they repackage the iPhone 5 into the iPhone 7 design, maybe you'll understand why it bothers us. yes, yes, if you are the target of this note, a person who is satisfied with the way it looks, do not judge anything but the design, just as we only judge the interior and do not question the design. the target will buy this for a terrible amount, the person who wants to buy a computer will buy an old Air, it will last a little longer and he will have a lot of money left over. because you don't pay for anything but this amount only for the track pad. so the target is to shop and brag about what you have before other targets. the rest of us will be afraid that they will approach PROck in the same way.
A goose hit… well, screw it. By the way, I also have a pro. And yes, if I were to decide today, I would buy a new MacBook because it would be enough for my needs. But I won't buy it because I don't have it. But that's not Apple's fault, is it.. All in all, you're a dork who cares about every MHz, MB, and GB, while I'm a user who knows what he wants, knows what's good for him, and knows that even the pros have plenty to choose from. So stop crying and admit that the new MB is a damn beautiful piece of iron, which is sufficient for most ordinary users in terms of performance. Hello