What do we really gain or lose if we decide to buy the new MacBook?

The first word that comes to mind when I ask myself this question is recurrent over and over again and it is none other than productivity, in essence it is like that, what we lose is the ability to be more productive using a tool like this computer equipment already Although its portability and lightness make it one of the best of what we have seen both this year and last year, as my colleague Jesús Arjona commented in a previous post in his article comparing it with other alternatives available in the market, does not hide its shortcomings in terms of connectivity, with a single USB 3.1 type C port or its somewhat "limited" power characteristics.

On the other hand we also have to see the side of innovation with a more robust keyboard in its construction, a totally renewed trackpad integrating pressure sensors, haptic vibration systems In addition to an extra-thin and very light aluminum body with only 0.92 kilos they speak as a whole of something very positive in relation to the team. However, from my point of view, these advances do not make up for their deficiencies in other sections that are fundamental to me. Let's see what we gain or lose if we decide to buy this MacBook.

Processor

There are currently seven Core M models available, ranging from 800 MHz to 1,2 GHz clock speed. All of them are dual-core with a 4 MB cache memory and integrating in the same package, the graphics chip, an Intel HD Graphics 5300.

In the case of the MacBook, Apple has opted for the two fastest speeds, that is, at 1.1 and 1.2 GHz respectively, although the company has also promised an upgrade option to 1,3 GHz. This is an advantage since they are much chips. smaller and more efficient in terms of consumption with a standard average of 4,5W, something really good if we compare it with the more than 10W that the most economical of the laptop lines in other ranges consume, in addition to also achieving passive heat dissipation without using additional fans so there will be practically no overheating. It is achieved thanks to a 14 nm architecture, which makes it the first to use this type of architecture.

If we focus on performance, this may not be the team we are looking for, we see that compared to other solutions the Intel Core M Broadwell is a chip oriented to total portability with great characteristics in terms of consumption savings with a more focused use in office automation than in professional photo and video editing, 3D modeling or simply as a multimedia center if we also plan to use it with games. This chip until the output of the 1,3 Ghz option, is slower than the slowest of those that integrates the latest MacBook Air, Intel core i5 dual-core 1,6 Ghz.

Also the fact that the CPU is more efficient, does not mean a quantitative leap in terms of battery life, since due to its extreme thinness and the battery solution by scale to take advantage of more space, it is only possible to equal the duration or even below the 13-inch MacBook Air which can spend up to 12 hours in both movie playback and web browsing.

Screen

This new MacBook like the entire range of products that Apple sells the MacBook Air less and the Thunderbolt screen (it won't take long to update), they have a retina screen. This case was not going to be less and it has a magnificent 2304 × 1440 LED IPS screen that supposedly according to Apple is the best screen they have mounted on any Mac. This may seem an advantage a priori, it is not so much, since consumption rises from the 4,5W announced by intel to 5W since being partly dominated by an Intel Core M CPU can lead to inherent speed problems.

People who buy this MacBook will probably have a difficult time with Photoshop, and much more if we think about editing 3D games or video at a professional level as I have pointed out before. It is clear that due to the situation of not targeting gamers or more advanced productivity, the question is whether a sharper screen and a ultra slim chassis are worth those 1449 Euros compared to 999 Euros for the Air model. I do not have it very clearly.

Connectivity

Apple's desire to reduce everything to a minimum, both the chassis of the equipment to an extreme thinness, as well as energy consumption and other factors has also affected the connectivity possibilities of the equipment. So far, the exercise of making things complicated simple to avoid additional headaches has always seemed good to me, but this must be made very clear ... up to a point. The single USB 3.1 type C connection is clearly insufficient. We cannot give priority to aesthetics so much as to leave the equipment "orphaned", since what we gain in portability by making it so thin and light we get dirty having to carry the user with a huge amount of adapters for power, video connection, hubs, etc ...

I can't help thinking about the first MacBook Air to be released with a single USB port and headphone jack to later launch revised editions with Thunderbolt port, two USB and even card reader.In short, I only see it useful if what you need is to do without a tablet, have a similar portability and the price factor is not a problem. Since otherwise you will only be paying a fairly high extra cost for a magnificent design but deep down having a very "capable" team compared to other alternatives.