Getting rid of magsafe seemed like a bad idea. Good thing you can get the adapter to make it work though. I hope I can get a few years out this 13 inch 2015 MBP, because I have no wish to replace it anytime soon.
On 8/18/17, Scott Granados <scott.grana...@gmail.com> wrote: > Mark, this was a great article. > > I have contemplated an air for years but never pulled the trigger for some > of the reasons the author mentioned. Lack of a quad core processor being > the biggest for me. I use many parallel virtual machines so cores are > important to me. One reason I’m looking forward to the iMac pro. (I’m > already saving up for that 17,000 price tag) > > Love this article though, thank you for posting. > >> On Aug 17, 2017, at 8:07 PM, M. Taylor <mk...@ucla.edu> wrote: >> >> CNET Reviews - Thursday, August 17, 2017 at 4:00 AM >> Apple MacBook Air (2017) review - CNET >> Apple's MacBook Air is as close to iconic as a piece of consumer >> technology >> gets. It's the single laptop model you're most likely to see everywhere, >> from college campuses to airports to coffee shops and even offices. And >> it's >> been that way for a very long time. >> That's the problem. Not counting an incremental spec bump in mid-2017, >> this >> is still internally almost the same MacBook Air as the last refresh in >> 2015, >> and externally, it's had basically the same design since 2010 (when the >> original 2008 design got an overhaul). In technology terms, that's >> roughly >> forever. >> Sarah Tew/CNET >> But it's also a testament to what a strong product the Air was in its >> heyday. To have a laptop that looks and feels the same as it did for so >> many >> years while still a maintaining a loyal following, that's a rare >> achievement. The MacBook Air is no longer the best-for-almost-everyone >> device it once was, but it's the least expensive way (by far) to get >> MacOS >> on a laptop, so there's certainly still a place for it. Note that the Air >> we >> tested had a Core i7 CPU and 256GB SSD upgrade, for a total of $1,349, >> £1,234 or AU$2,039. The Air still starts at $999, £949 and AU$1,499, and >> can >> be found for even less online. >> SYSTEM NAME >> Price as reviewed $1,349, £1,234 or AU$2,039 (starts at $999, £949 or >> AU$1,499) >> Display size/resolution 13-inch, 1,440x900-pixel display >> CPU 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-5650U >> Memory 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz >> Graphics 1,536MB Intel HD Graphics 6000 >> Storage 256GB SSD >> Networking 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless; Bluetooth 4.0 >> Operating system MacOS 10.12.6 Sierra >> Still kicking >> And a lot about the MacBook Air still works. As a long-time Air user, but >> also someone who hasn't spent a lot of time on one over the last few >> years, >> firing up the 2017 version felt like visiting an old friend. >> There's the just-right size of the 13-inch screen, still the best balance >> between viewability and portability; the rock-solid aluminum body, which >> can >> stand up to years of abuse; and the chunky island-style keyboard, itself >> now >> extinct across the rest of the MacBook line, replaced by super-shallow >> butterfly keys that lack this level of tactile feedback. >> Sarah Tew/CNET >> The Air also scores points for being the last MacBook with a good, >> old-fashioned USB-A port. You know, the kind that every mouse, memory key >> and other accessory you own fits into. The MacBook Pro and the 12-inch >> MacBook have both gone all-in on USB-C, which is forward-looking to be >> sure, >> but a limiting frustration for many. >> Picking it up, I was reminded of another reason I loved this particular >> laptop line for so long: the MagSafe power connection. The plug, which >> automatically pulls away from the body when you yank the cord or trip >> over >> it, remains one of the most brilliant bits of consumer PC engineering >> ever. >> Sarah Tew/CNET >> It's since been replaced by USB-C power connections, which are handy for >> sharing data, power, video and other connections through the same port, >> but >> not nearly as flexible. That classic MagSafe has rescued many, many >> laptops >> from a grim fate over the years, and that's just the ones I've personally >> almost killed. >> Feeling its age >> But using a MacBook Air, even a brand new one, in 2017 feels like getting >> stuck in a bit of a time warp. The processor is years out of date >> compared >> to newer slim laptops -- even though the big update for 2017 is a slight >> base CPU uptick, from a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 to a 1.8GHz one, or in our >> case, an optional 2.2GHz Core i7. All are from the same fifth generation >> of >> those chips, while Intel is about to announce details of the upcoming >> eighth-generation Core CPUs. >> I'd argue that for websurfing, video streaming and social media, it's not >> a >> huge deal to have an older-generation processor, but for a thousand bucks >> and up, you're not wrong to want something newer. It is great, however, >> to >> get 8GB of RAM as the default now, over the previous 4GB. The optional >> Core >> i7 in our test system helped the Air keep pace with, or beat, some slim >> laptops with newer Core i5 CPUs. But much more importantly, the Air is >> still >> a battery life king, running more than 10 hours. >> >> A 13-inch Pro vs. the 13-inch Air in a battle of the bezels. >> Sarah Tew/CNET >> The single biggest thing that keeps the MacBook Air stuck in the past is >> its >> display. This is a 1,440x900-pixel display, the same as the Air has used >> for >> many generations. It's also not an IPS display, the in-plane switching >> technology found in newer laptops that helps with off-axis viewing. For >> anything above an ultrabudget laptop, it's not wrong to expect a higher >> resolution, especially in 2017, where even bargain basement televisions >> have >> 4K panels, and a growing number of midrange laptops are shooting past >> 1,920x1,080 towards 2,560x1,440 or even 4K. >> So many new devices have shaved down the bezel, which is what we call the >> outer border around the screen. TVs and phones are nearly bezel-free >> today, >> and high-end laptops like the Dell XPS 13 or Samsung Notebook 9 are >> following the same path. By comparison, the wide silver border around the >> 13-inch MacBook Air screen may be the single most dated thing about the >> design. >> Two years ago, I said: "On the Air, you have a very thick bezel, the dead >> space between the edge of the display and the edge of the lid ... giving >> you >> a less premium look and feel." The feeling is even more pronounced now, >> especially as the MacBook and MacBook Pro combine great higher-resolution >> screens with much thinner borders. >> Sarah Tew/CNET >> It's a price thing >> I know it sounds like I've judged the MacBook Air harshly for not keeping >> up >> with the times, but there's an important mitigating factor that could >> still >> make it the right choice for a great many shoppers. >> The original MacBook Air launched in 2008 (with a single USB port and a >> slow >> non-SSD hard drive!) at $1,799 in the US. Over time that came down to >> $999 >> for the base 13-inch Air, which is where it still sits today. That's $300 >> less than either a 12-inch MacBook or the lowest-end 13-inch MacBook Pro >> (both start at $1,299, £1,249 or AU$1,899), making this the most >> affordable >> MacBook by a wide margin. >> Spending around the same on a new Windows laptop will get you a better >> display, newer processor and probably more RAM and SSD storage (and even >> a >> hybrid hinge and touchscreen) -- but if you're determined to buy a MacOS >> laptop over a Windows 10 one, this is the least expensive option. >> >> From left to right, the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and MacBook. >> Sarah Tew/CNET >> Even better, while Apple sells the 13-inch MacBook Air for $999 and up, >> it's >> often easy to find at many US retailers for $899 or less, or $100 off the >> higher-end 256GB SSD configuration. Pre-2017 models, which are >> essentially >> identical in almost every way, can be found for as little as $799. >> Years ago, I called the MacBook Air the most universally useful laptop >> you >> could buy, because of its great design, long battery life and decent >> specs. >> Today, its appeal isn't quite as broad, and the design is definitely >> showing >> its age. But the lower prices available from some retailers, plus >> performance that's decent enough and battery life that still tops 10 >> hours, >> has given the Air another shot -- perhaps its last one -- at avoiding the >> old laptop retirement home. >> >> Original Article at: >> https://www.cnet.com/products/apple-macbook-air-13-inch-2017/#ftag=CADe9e329 >> a >> >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the Mac >> Visionaries list. >> >> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or >> if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the >> owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> >> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark >> at: macvisionaries+modera...@googlegroups.com and your owner is Cara >> Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com >> >> The archives for this list can be searched at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the Mac > Visionaries list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. 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