As someone that loves his Macbook, I thought I'd give some context for my decision to buy the Macbook and why I'd still probably the Macbook if I had to choose again today.
It really comes down to two things
1. Weight
2. Tolerable Performance
The Macbook I have has a 1.4 GHz Core i7 and 16 GB of ram. Very rarely do I feel that I have issues with the daily things I need to do with the mac, which are some light programming/scripting/SQL and even hums when I have to do spreadsheets and manage multiple websites.
Given the performance is very good by real life standards, the weight is really the big issue to consider.
This is a considerable amount of difference between 2.03lbs and 2.75lbs. That's 35% lighter, that's a huge percentage when you have to drag your laptop around everywhere with you. I would gladly pay up to $1000 for that weight cut because of how much better my quality of life is with a smaller and more portable Macbook.
For me, I need to have my computer with me everywhere I go: dinner, hiking, vacations, etc. Having it do everything I want in a reasonable performance threshold and being 35% lighter, the Macbook is still by far the superior product.
It’s so tiny it’s practically the size of an iPad. If you travel a lot this can be a huge deal. I did a ton of development on one and it was great, but I had a beefier machine for visualizations and big compiles. Still, the tiny 12” is my go-to computer, small disk notwithstanding.
It also appears anecdotally that the smaller screen is more popular in Asia than in US/EU (for both Mac and Windows).
I used to have the 13" MacBook Air but am now on a 15" MBP. What I found is that whereas I'm reluctant to pull out my MBP on the couch or bed; I used to do that without hesitation with the MBA. There seems to be some threshold of weight/size that produces friction and makes me keep the MBP on a desk instead of using it like a (more) mobile device.
This is bizarre since the 2 machines are not immensely different in sizing, but it's something about the feel. Obviously this is highly subjective but this is making me consider a 12" MacBook to have as my personal, non-workhorse machine.
My carry-on and camera bags have a pouch for this size laptop, originally the 11” MBA. The bags only cost a hundred each so I am not putting a large dollar value on a laptop that fits.
The smaller laptop is lighter, and when we have airlines aggressively enforcing 4kg limits on carry-on, every gram matters. I put my chargers in checked baggage, while my camera, lenses and laptop live in carry-on.
An extra 200g of laptop means leaving behind part of my camera. Not price sensitive about one-off purchase, but I am price sensitive about more frequent purchases!
It really comes down to two things
1. Weight
2. Tolerable Performance
The Macbook I have has a 1.4 GHz Core i7 and 16 GB of ram. Very rarely do I feel that I have issues with the daily things I need to do with the mac, which are some light programming/scripting/SQL and even hums when I have to do spreadsheets and manage multiple websites.
Given the performance is very good by real life standards, the weight is really the big issue to consider.
This is a considerable amount of difference between 2.03lbs and 2.75lbs. That's 35% lighter, that's a huge percentage when you have to drag your laptop around everywhere with you. I would gladly pay up to $1000 for that weight cut because of how much better my quality of life is with a smaller and more portable Macbook.
For me, I need to have my computer with me everywhere I go: dinner, hiking, vacations, etc. Having it do everything I want in a reasonable performance threshold and being 35% lighter, the Macbook is still by far the superior product.