The release of each year’s new model of Apple MacBook is anticipated with similar fervor to Christmas, the Super Bowl, and the new season of Game of Thrones . The latest 2015 Apple MacBook Pro update recently hit the stores, offering several exciting hardware improvements. Contrast that with the new MacBook, which has been met with criticism from one influential iOS and Mac developer.
The key Apple MacBook Pro upgrades getting many fans hot in the loins include the following.
- A flash storage speed boost
- An additional hour of battery life
- AMD’s latest discrete graphics chip
- Some welcome user interface (UI) tweaks
- Apple’s new ForceTouch trackpad.
For those unfamiliar with the latter feature, it’s the new trackpad tech unveiled around at the same time as the Apple Watch. Its “Taptic Engine” gives users haptic feedback to better feel the relationship between the position of the mouse pointer and finger, allowing for greater flexibility when using it with many apps. The new MacBook Pro costs the same as the 2014 versions so, sadly, there are no price reductions to be had.
However, the news published on Business Wire by Apple did have something for iMac users, who can now procure the 27-inch model for just $1,999, provided you can resist the temptation to select higher performing components on the configurations screen. It features the much-lauded 5K resolution panel that lets you have 4K worth of space, but with plenty of space left over for tools, palettes, and instant messaging windows.
Apple has announced a positive response overall so far, with the Business Wire press release reporting as follows.
‘The response to the new MacBook and updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display has been amazing, and today we are thrilled to bring the new Force Touch trackpad, faster flash storage, and longer battery life to the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display.”
However, one influential Mac dev worth listening to, Marco Arment, and who’s well-known for being an Apple evangelist who isn’t afraid to let rip when he feels the company’s stepped awry, isn’t so pleased with the new, thinner MacBook. In what BGR described as a “scathing review” of the device, he was quick to criticize the keyboard, the Force Touch trackpad, and the performance, reporting as follows.
“If I were only using this computer for writing and light web work as intended, it’s capable enough. But it would be frustrating if I ever needed to do anything else on it. It’s not as slow as the 2008 MacBook Air was, relative to its time, but it certainly evokes that era for me.”
Further negative comments included “I just hate using it” and “I hate returning things, but I’m returning this.”
I might have bought a new MacBook. http://t.co/VWL4eKIx9Z I might have hated it.
— Marco Arment (@marcoarment) May 20, 2015
Apple may have had a good response overall for the new MacBook.
But, readers who are particularly concerned about typing fast on a quality keyboard or having a machine with a little more horsepower for more demanding tasks should do some research or head down to an Apple shrine of retail glory prior to making a purchase — at least for the lower-end 2015 MacBook. We recently reported that all this slimming down comes at a cost, and it seems to have proven true.
What do you think of the new Apple MacBook and will you be buying one? Let us know in the comments section.
[Image credit, Apple.com / Cliparts.co ]