Apple's new MacBook is nice, but it isn't a good deal (AAPL)
Apple
Apple announced brand new MacBooks on Tuesday with updated specs and fancy new color options, including pink!
We expect the new specs, which include upgraded processors, faster RAM, and improved graphics to give the new MacBooks a well-needed bump in performance. Indeed, the original early 2015 model couldn't quite handle some basic workloads, like a bunch of open Chrome tabs while running a few other apps.
So the better specs are great, because the MacBook could finally be the lean, mean, light productivity machine Apple designed it to be.
But despite the potential for decent performance, the 12-inch MacBook's $1,299 price tag is still way too high relative to its specs. You'd be paying a huge premium purely for the luxury of slim design and ultra-light weight.
Yes, there's a lot of engineering and brilliance that goes into the MacBook's ultra thin and light design, but it's still hideously overpriced when you compare it to other machines with similar specs, sizes, and price tags.
For one, it's the same price as the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which runs on a Core i5 processor that's much more powerful than the Core m processor in the MacBook. And the 13-inch Pro is plenty thin and portable. Then there's the 13-inch MacBook Air that starts at $999 and is also significantly more powerful than the MacBook. (And the 13-inch Air now comes standard with 8 GB of RAM, a nice bonus.)
There are also more reasonably priced Windows 10 laptops out there. Sure, they're not quite as light or slim as the MacBook, but they come pretty close. And Windows 10 has proven to be a worthy operating system.
The $800 13-inch LG Gram, for example, weighs 2.16 lbs versus the MacBook's 2.03 lbs, and it's 0.5 inches thick compared to the MacBook's 0.52-inch thickness. And the Gram runs on superior specs, including a Core i5 processor and a larger 13-inch screen (1 inch more than the MacBook's 12-inch screen). Just like that, you've saved $500. Five. Hundred. Dollars.
Apple
But if thinness is the name of your game, there are Windows 10 hybrids that beat the MacBook at its own game. Samsung's Galaxy Tab Pro S has a 12-inch screen, is 0.24 inches thin, 1.5 lbs light, and it runs the full desktop version of Windows 10, all with a $900 price tag, which is $400 less than the MacBook.
Apple
If money is no object and you absolutely must have the thinnest and lightest laptop that Apple offers, then sure, go ahead with the new MacBook. Otherwise, save yourself a few hundred bucks and get yourself a MacBook Air or a slim and light Windows 10 machine.