The Apple Beat: Evolution of Apple Ultraportables

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

It looks like a MacBook Air but that Retina Display is certainly fit for Pro users (as is the price tag). The specs are a bit confounding as well. It comes with a generous minimum of 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage, but the new Intel Core M processor sounds rather measly at 1.1GHz (which does Turbo Boost to 2.4GHz).

Apple’s latest MacBook is a revelation in ultraportable computing. It heralds radical new standards, pushes the cutting edge on design and engineering and continues a long tradition of Apple ultraportables.

Apple’s been making subnotebooks since the mid-90’s. Their PowerBook Duo line was similarly ‘compromised’ with fewer ports to accommodate a smaller size but the notebook itself was eminently portable and even docked into a full PC setup.

I never owned a Duo back in the day, but I did at some point own the PowerBook 2400c, an IBM-manufactured subnotebook that was a big hit in Japan where space is a premium and small, smart subnotebooks have always been very popular.

The 2400c was so popular that owners paid a lot to cram in new technology and extend this notebook's life with such things as  faster G3 processor, more RAM, and larger hard drives.

From 10-inch screen notebooks, Apple settled on more popular 12-inch displays for their succeeding ultraportables.

For a long time, the iBooks and even the last true subportable Mac, the 12-inch PowerBook G4, were designed around 12-inch displays.

For the most part, these devices tried to cram as many ports and options as their larger brethren and were favoured as being the most portable full-capacity Macs that could run most applications without any problem.

So, while the new 12-inch MacBook may seem like a new product category altogether (with a lot of confusion as to whether it is In between the Air or Pro lines), it is actually the latest offering that follows an Apple tradition of providing users the ultimate in portable Mac computing, for a price.

Apple, it seems, had this one planned all along and patiently waited until the technology was in place (and likely, the components were agreeably priced) to get right.

MacBook Examined

This new MacBook is a strange beast.

It looks like a MacBook Air but that Retina Display is certainly fit for Pro users (as is the price tag). The specs are a bit confounding as well. It comes with a generous minimum of 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage but the new Intel Core M processor feels rather measly at 1.1GHz (it does Turbo Boost to 2.4GHz).

On the bright side, this is a completely fanless Mac portable, which means it is whisper quiet, this is a factor for a lot to some users. Remembering how noisy (and hot) some older MacBooks and even MacBook Airs can get, makes this new iteration even more inviting.

The 12-inch IPS display has 2304 x 1440 resolution with 226 pixels per inch is the thinnest Retina Display Apple's made and is likely one of the more expensive components in the new MacBook, as well as one of the reasons battery life is limited to an acceptable 9-hours despite the volume of batteries packed into this notebook.

This stealthy MacBook also gets rid of the iconic glowing Apple logo (because it is just too thin to enable this feature).

As someone who uses my computer in the bedroom while others are sleeping, this means less ambient distraction for them, which is good.

Same thing if you’re using it on a plane while the lights are out and you don’t want to bother passengers seating nearby.

The 420p FaceTime Camera will be a bummer for heavy video call users and people who regularly use Skype or Hangouts and other such apps.

Anyone thinking of doing a podcast with the MacBook will need to get an external HD camera, which brings us to another issue. The single USB-C port on the MacBook.

Apple seems to expect users to use the MacBook as they would their iPads or iPhones (which also, coincidentally, also only have one input, the Lightning port).

This means it’s not really designed for being plugged in all day. If you do, plug in and need to output video or plug in a USB accessory (like a better HD camera), then you gotta get the dongle.

I expect accessory makers to jump all over this and offer dock solutions for the MacBook.

I’ve been impressed with Henge Docks and their products in the past, so I’m hoping they will create a compelling solution for the MacBook’s out-of-the-box limitations.

 

User Scenario

I’ve been obsessed with ultraportable Mac notebooks since I can remember. Thinking about the new MacBook with its Retina Display, 2-pound weight and the Space Grey variant has kept me up at night. I have a perfectly good 13-inch MacBook Pro, it has all the ports I need and the battery life is super good at 9-hours.

While I can’t afford to rush out to buy the new MacBook, I do understand how it fits into some user’s work scenarios.

It is the perfect portable companion to someone who has an iMac, a Mac Pro or even a PC at home. It Is a viable solution to many of us who have been hell-bent on morphing our iPads into mini-MacBooks with small and often frustrating keyboard accessories and apps that try and fail to emulate a proper desktop experience on iOS.

The MacBook also reveals some things about Apple as a company. Their engineering and design as well as their obsession with invention is still very much front and centre.

But, we’re also seeing an acceptance of offering more fashionable choices in colour. This is the first time, in a long time where we have notebooks in various colours (remember the original Tangerine and Blueberry iBooks? Blue Dalmation and Flower Power iMacs?).

This time around, the new MacBook colour options aren’t, chintzy, they’re somewhat stylish. Classic silver, sleek space grey, and even a muted gold. To me, this signifies Apple playing off the success of these colour variants from their iPad and iPhone lines as well as positioning the new MacBook as a notebook for the generation of users who come from iPads.

Finally, the specs are quite generous. 8GB of RAM, 256 GB of SSD storage for the ‘base’ model is more than enough for most users and should satisfy users for at least three years.

Conclusion

Apple’s ultraportables aren’t for everyone. Historically, they've had smaller QWERTY keyboards, shorter battery life, fewer ports and lacked features found on larger models. They've traditionally cost more as well, but consumers who want the ultimate in portability accept the tradeoffs for the ability of having a lightweight and easy to carry Mac.

The good news is there is now even more choice in MacBooks. For anyone who has wanted a small-form factor Mac with a Retina Display, this new MacBook is the only game in town. At least for now.

Apple seems to see iPad users as ideal customers for this product. They profess a 9-hour battery life and seem to be saying you’ll only be tethering it at the end-of the-day, like an iPad.

I can tell you that PC makers are going to be all over this type of design and form-factor. Intel made Ultrabooks a standard after the original MacBook Air came out, we expect the chipmaker to be heavily promoting the new Intel Core M processor as the platform to build the ultraportable experience around.

I’m eager to check out these new MacBooks when they come to my local Apple Retail Store and see and feel the new features as well as how OS X Yosemite translates to this new size display. Like it or not, they provide the template of what Mac portables are going to be like moving forward.