First look: Apple's new rose gold 12" MacBook with Intel Skylake CPU
Apple's new 12-inch MacBook features the same chassis as last year's debut model, but the company has brought a new color into the mix -- rose gold -- that brings it in line with the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch product lineups.
The new rose gold MacBook is joined by the same colors as last year: space grey, silver, and gold. Like the 2015 model, the early 2016 MacBook features a single USB-C port on the left side for syncing and charging, while a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack and two small microphone inputs are located on the right side.
The ultrathin keyboard and Force Touch Trackpad also return for this year's model, as well as the gorgeous 12-inch Retina display. Also unchanged is the low-resolution 480p FaceTime camera, likely a limitation of the thinness of the device.
As with the other rose gold products in Apple's lineup, the new MacBook can look subdued in soft light, but the pinkish hue certainly stands out more in brighter environments.
Aside from the rose gold color option, the real changes for the 2016 MacBook are on the inside, in the form of Intel's latest ultra-low-power Skylake processors, as well as faster flash memory. Apple also upped the clock speed for the 8 gigabytes of RAM in this year's model, and it says battery life is improved by an hour.
Without any major, showstopping changes, and the same $1,299 starting price point, this year's MacBook seems unlikely to change the mind of anyone who formulated an opinion on last year's model. Tests have shown the new processor is 15 to 20 percent faster --?a welcome improvement, but not likely enough to win over users who need more processing power.
Of course, power users are not who this notebook is intended for, and there is certainly a segment of the market who appreciates the minimalist design of the 12-inch MacBook. Those who are content with the concessions made to achieve such an impressive, ultra-thin design will find a lot to like in this svelte, gorgeous chassis.
AppleInsider will have much more on the early 2016 12-inch MacBook in our full review. For now, take a closer look at the new notebook in our gallery below.
The new rose gold MacBook is joined by the same colors as last year: space grey, silver, and gold. Like the 2015 model, the early 2016 MacBook features a single USB-C port on the left side for syncing and charging, while a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack and two small microphone inputs are located on the right side.
The ultrathin keyboard and Force Touch Trackpad also return for this year's model, as well as the gorgeous 12-inch Retina display. Also unchanged is the low-resolution 480p FaceTime camera, likely a limitation of the thinness of the device.
As with the other rose gold products in Apple's lineup, the new MacBook can look subdued in soft light, but the pinkish hue certainly stands out more in brighter environments.
Aside from the rose gold color option, the real changes for the 2016 MacBook are on the inside, in the form of Intel's latest ultra-low-power Skylake processors, as well as faster flash memory. Apple also upped the clock speed for the 8 gigabytes of RAM in this year's model, and it says battery life is improved by an hour.
Without any major, showstopping changes, and the same $1,299 starting price point, this year's MacBook seems unlikely to change the mind of anyone who formulated an opinion on last year's model. Tests have shown the new processor is 15 to 20 percent faster --?a welcome improvement, but not likely enough to win over users who need more processing power.
Of course, power users are not who this notebook is intended for, and there is certainly a segment of the market who appreciates the minimalist design of the 12-inch MacBook. Those who are content with the concessions made to achieve such an impressive, ultra-thin design will find a lot to like in this svelte, gorgeous chassis.
AppleInsider will have much more on the early 2016 12-inch MacBook in our full review. For now, take a closer look at the new notebook in our gallery below.
Comments
Force Touch: check
Pencil: check
Battery: ?
Thanks to Intel Core M, Force Touch / Force Click and Apple Pencil we are one step closer to imagine a "tablet Mac". The fanless Retina MacBook may be even tought as its prototype. Tech is almost ready maybe except some powerful tablet-size battery that would support the full multitasking of OS X. Retina MacBook has a huge battery placed in a layered design.
>:x
I don't need a USB dongle for accessing a cellular network and better video/graphics performance. I have replaced my MacBook Air with the iPad Pro and do not feel the need to purchase an x86 powered machine again, ever.
While the macbook book comes with a USB-C port the Lightning port on the iPad Pro is capable of interfacing with the USB 3 interface at high speed.
I remained convinced that OLED panels are coming eventually to the iPhone/iPad line of machines and probably never to the MacBook lines.
The Skylake bump is nice with 20% better performance than the outgoing machine, but I suspect the A10X is going to bring greater improvements to the iPad line and much better graphics performance.
The only thing that may have made the MacBook a better machine would have been Thunderbolt, but that port isn't available.
I am really digging the 12.9" iPad Pro. Once Apple releases an OLED version, I will be immediately upgrading.
Sorry, it just comes across as an unnecessary purchase.
its an ultraportable. to someone who wants the best ultraportable it won't be a waste of money. dur dur
Although the price tag in that case (around $800) is still a bit high (although 33 hours battery life is unheard-of).
>:x
If you're too poor to buy Apple, well, though luck on that bud; cry me a river somewhere they actually need water
You're kind of useless, rambling, droning repeated troll comment is free, but that still doesn't make it worthwhile.
As for necessity, get a dictionary about what necessity actually means and then come back.
That's just arrogant. I'm kind of surprised you would say something like that.
It's a beautiful piece of tech. I'd love to have one, but I know it's not for me... I don't harp over it, and certainly don't judge others for buying one. People said the exact same thing about the Macbook Air before the popularity of it shut their pie-holes quickly.
So thin and so light, and they look great too. I haven't tried the keyboard on one of them yet, but I wonder how that is, since it's so slim.
If somebody doesn't need mega power, then I can definitely see these as being useful for certain people.
Too many people make self centered, ignorant comments, and they fail at viewing things objectively. It's not about you and it's not about your wallet either. Nobody cares.
As far as the product goes, it looks like a great machine for someone needing portability above all else and especially Lovers of Pink (LOP) who must be on a pink product induced high by now. I'd like to see the MacBook slotted into the spot formerly held by the MacBook Air when it first represented groundbreaking portability but eventually moved to tweak up the performance to make it less of a compromise. Of course this begs the question about where the heck the MacBook Air fits in Apple's lineup. As much as I love the Air it seems like Apple is struggling mightily to figure out where it should fit in the lineup. It's not the top dog in portability and its non-Retina display is now a serious detractor. Despite the monoport design of the MacBook I would absolutely buy it over the current Air because it's a forward looking product and the Air is stuck in the past. The MacBook's display is stunning compared to the Air's.
I hate to say it but I think Apple's current lineups are looking a bit too much like they're riding too many of their cash cows and not bringing the heat on new product introductions. They have a sizable workforce and a massive brand equity. I hope they aren't squandering it on something silly like an overpriced electric car and losing sight of the markets and customer base that got them to where they are today. They are still years ahead of the competition but the gap is shrinking and some of the current products are losing their luster as they show signs of advanced age and neglect, most notably the Air and the Pro. We really need something to totally wow us and remind us that Apple still has a few tricks up its sleeve - beyond making everything Pink that can be made Pink.
http://www.amazon.com/HT-UC001-Shuttle-Delivery-MacBook-ChromeBook/dp/B019R9ILTG
There are cheaper models that reduce the number of ports. TB3 would be better but USB C satisfies entry-level use where TB3 would serve primarily as a display output.
In terms of performance, the Macbook is about 1/3 the performance of a quad-core MBP. Anyone upgrading from 2008-2010 Macbook Pros would find it to be faster than what they are used to. Price is a bit high but that's just because of the base spec. If you put 8GB/256GB in either the 11" or 13" Air, it's $1199 so the Macbook with a Retina display is $100 more.
They could always have a 128GB model Macbook but the SSD is soldered to the motherboard, which makes upgrades impossible. The Macbook price will come down with component prices but it won't be able to hit $899. If they can get it to $1099, they can discontinue the 13" Air and just maintain a couple of entry 11" models.