SuperSubZero
2[H]4U
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2000
- Messages
- 3,780
Had one of these fall into my possession on long-term loan (cuz I ain't paying for one lol). It's the m7/512GB config.
These things get knocked on for the price, and yeah, it's totally insane. However, getting it for $0 definitely changes things. It's amazingly usable, even upping the scaling to "like 1440x900" the text is clear, and the Intel iGPU keeps up on regular use without any real slowness. My daily commute driver is a 15" Retina, I decided to forego it and use the MacBook for a day. It handled my workflow without issue. The small 12" screen took some adjustment, but the high res Retina display helps a lot. I'm probably Apple's key demographic for these things; No external display, bountiful wifi, all cloud storage, light workload. I run a browser, mail, IRC client, Messages, some Word 2016. The single USB-C port is fine for me, all I do is charge the battery (cuz I'm OCD about battery charge). As a mobile device in a desk-less environment it's very easy to use on any marginally flat surface or even.. a lap!
With the 11" Air decom'd, and the 13" Air assumed to be on the endangered list, Apple's "thin/light/low workload" space has an awkward lineup. The MacBook, base 13" MBP, and the 12.9" iPad Pro(?) are here, but their pricing vs. size/specs doesn't make a lot of sense. This little MacBook is cool, but there's no way I'd recommend one over a base 13" MBP. The MBP is cheaper, would run circles around it and is only one pound heavier and slightly larger.
So yeah, don't buy one. But if your work offers one or one falls out the back of a truck cheap, check it out. It's enough power for light/moderate use stuff, and weighs less than many PC laptop power bricks.
These things get knocked on for the price, and yeah, it's totally insane. However, getting it for $0 definitely changes things. It's amazingly usable, even upping the scaling to "like 1440x900" the text is clear, and the Intel iGPU keeps up on regular use without any real slowness. My daily commute driver is a 15" Retina, I decided to forego it and use the MacBook for a day. It handled my workflow without issue. The small 12" screen took some adjustment, but the high res Retina display helps a lot. I'm probably Apple's key demographic for these things; No external display, bountiful wifi, all cloud storage, light workload. I run a browser, mail, IRC client, Messages, some Word 2016. The single USB-C port is fine for me, all I do is charge the battery (cuz I'm OCD about battery charge). As a mobile device in a desk-less environment it's very easy to use on any marginally flat surface or even.. a lap!
With the 11" Air decom'd, and the 13" Air assumed to be on the endangered list, Apple's "thin/light/low workload" space has an awkward lineup. The MacBook, base 13" MBP, and the 12.9" iPad Pro(?) are here, but their pricing vs. size/specs doesn't make a lot of sense. This little MacBook is cool, but there's no way I'd recommend one over a base 13" MBP. The MBP is cheaper, would run circles around it and is only one pound heavier and slightly larger.
So yeah, don't buy one. But if your work offers one or one falls out the back of a truck cheap, check it out. It's enough power for light/moderate use stuff, and weighs less than many PC laptop power bricks.