MacBook Analysis (2017), the impossible Mac

The word that best defines the two weeks I’ve been using the new 2017 MacBook is this: impossible. It’s an impossible Mac, which can’t be real. Yes, we’ve all tried it on an Apple Store, raised with one hand and withstood its ridiculous weight. But by doing this, we are leaving out the real experience that you have using it day by day. And this is where the magic of the third generation of this Mac is hiding.

An impossible format

This 2017 MacBook inherits qualities from the original MacBook Air and laptop name for masses of the same name. Both Macs were introduced in precisely the same year: 2008. And now almost ten years later, in a twist of fate, they rejoin a single team. And it doesn’t do it either way, as Apple has decided to take this laptop to impossible extremes.

Because when you start using this MacBook in your day-to-day life, you realize the titanic effort behind its format. Twelve inch retina display. A second generation butterfly keyboard. An audio system that you don’t expect to make it work that much and so well. And a battery to last a full day of work under the hands of a professional of demanding mobility.

All this enclosed in an ultra-compact package that weighs only 920 grams (less than one kilo). A laptop that is more likely to weigh less than the briefcase you’re carrying it in. And this is a detail that more than once has scared me: it’s so light and compact that you don’t know if what you’re wearing on your shoulder is a briefcase with a Mac or it’s completely empty. The way to get out of doubt without having to open it is to try to gently fold the leather case and, if it offers resistance, is that you carry it inside.

Tech enthusiasts may be more than accustomed to the most state-of-the-art products. Being an early adopter makes us impervious to novelty when it barely exceeds a couple of months on the market. But the common of mortals doesn’t follow the news to the minute, so watching a laptop of these features live, catches your eye.

The MacBook is still, two years after its revival and three renovations later, a very sexy laptop.

What’s changed on the 2017 MacBook

Under the same external appearance as the previous two versions of MacBook, the 2017 revision raises the stakes in several key sections. The most important improvement of all hardware is the addition of Intel processors from the Kaby Lake family. The one who assembled our test unit is the 1.2Ghz, two-core m3 model, which achieves a surprising 3.0Ghz under demanding tasks.

As can be seen from the geekbench result, the MacBook 2017 is a machine with very attractive performance. In both types of tests, the current generation improves from last year’s loosely. Specifically, the single-core test scores 3,284 compared to 2,481 the previous year, a 32% increase. And as for the multi-core test, this year scores 6,825 in contrast to 4,991 of 2016, an increase of 36%.

Here we need to clarify one thing. Although Intel has renamed the m5 and m7 processors as i5 and i7 respectively, they are still comparable to the «m» family of previous years. If you look at the power increments of each, it occurs in jumps of only 100MHz. Which makes sense. The MacBook is still a very compact laptop that has no room for fans, so power can’t go up dramatically without requiring extra ventilation.

Another point of improvement of this generation is in the PCIe-type SSD memory, which according to Apple is much faster than that of the previous model. The RAM remains the same, type LPDDR3 at 1.866 MHz but now we have the option to choose 16GB instead of the only 8GB that had been available previously.

The latest enhancement that will please many is a change on the keyboard. The 2015 and 2016 models introduced a new butterfly mechanism that reduced key thickness, increased stability and surface area, and minimized vertical movement. A keyboard that was not to the taste of some but that, despite everything, ended up reaching the rest of Apple’s laptops.

Now, with the 2017 MacBook we have the second generation with an improved mechanism. Adapting to it coming from one of the keyboards of other models is easier than one expects. The amplitude of the keys coupled with its stability, makes typing faster and with fewer errors than before. I find that typing requires less effort on this keyboard, even though it feels a little harder (maybe tougher maybe?).

The transition is done in a few days of constantly typing in it and after testing it, any other keyboard becomes something primitive. It is also slightly louder than other systems without becoming a problem. For a user accustomed to Apple laptop keyboards (not desktop), this is a clear improvement.

MacBook wireless life

I’m going to tell you a secret. The transition to a Mac with a single USB-C port created some insecurity when working with it. I didn’t want to see myself in the situation where I needed an adapter to an obsolete (but functional) port and didn’t have it handy. Let alone meet a client who would like to pass me documents through USB and not be able to do it.

In almost every departure from home to meetings with clients I have taken an adapter to a traditional USB port. Until I finally realized one thing: I haven’t connected anything to this MacBook in the two weeks I’ve been testing it. Not a single cable different from the charger, not even an audio jack (I see very primitive again having to connect a headset to a device having the AirPods). My iPhone 7 Plus I haven’t connected it yet either. For what?

In these weeks I have lived that vision of a wireless future that began several years ago. Gradually, the apple company has lay the foundations for this way of understanding communications. We have Continuity, Hand-Off, AirDrop, names that for someone outside this world say nothing. But they translate into specific uses and improvements in experience:

Unlocking your Mac with my Apple Watch makes me wonder for the convenience of Touch ID even though this is another discussion. Now, I barely remember my password.

Send me files and photos from iPhone to MacBook and vice versa. What’s more surprising: it takes a handful of seconds and is more efficient than doing it via email, messages or cable (what’s that?).

Have Safari tabs in the Dock, ready to open when I check them from iPhone.
Share the internet between my iPhone to the MacBook with a simple click.

Synchronization of AirPods with a couple of clicks. Here is a button missing that reduces to a single touch of the trackpad to toggle the sound source.

Have you forgotten to send a document that you saved on your desktop? Don’t worry, you have it on your iPhone thanks to iCloud Drive.

These benefits add up only when the user is committed to the Apple ecosystem, including devices, software, and services such as iCloud and Apple Music. Come on, the experience is better when you use a larger number of company devices. Another necessary but non-Apple ingredient is this: a good WiFi and data connection. It is essential to live wirelessly.