Yesterday was Apple’s spring event. I was pretty sure we would not see the rumored 12-inch lightweight portable. I was surprised to see Apple’s new a 2-pound, 12-inch MacBook today. I was ever more surprised about my not-so-impressed reaction. So: I’m trying to wrap my head around what I was hoping to see. Here goes:
- Two pounds is good, but that’s twice as much as the iPad I carry every day. The 11-inch MacBook air weighs 2.4 pounds. I want the new–let’s call it the Mac Book Air 3—to weigh about 1.5 pounds.
- Today’s model: still too heavy for me!
- 4G and Wi-Fi–if Apple can offer 4G on the iPad, why not on the thin portable, too?
- Today’s model: nope!
- A 12-inch retina display is the right thing to do. Lots of visual information in a small space. Good call, Apple.
- Today’s model: yep!
- One cable that fits into one connection jack that does it all.
- Today’s model: yep!…but…
- I don’t want to deal with a multi-adapter. If we’re going down the adapter path, let’s instead include one connector for power and another to connect a device—but I want some sort of a snap-on dock that’s not going to get lost. An SD card slot would be welcome, too.
- Today’s model: nope!
- A keyboard that flips away so I can use the device as an iPad. With a sweeter design than Lenovo’s Yoga or Microsoft’s Surface.
- Today’s model: nope!
- $999 price point for the basic model, $1199 for the better one.
- Today’s model: starts at $1,299—and the better one costs $300 more
What’s a guy to do? Keep using the new iPad Air 2 until Apple catches up with me? Shift to Windows or Android? (Nope, not for me.) Make my own? (I wish.) Buy the existing 11-inch Mac Book Air for $899 and get most but not everything I want, or the new 12-inch MacBook thin edition for $1,299 and still not get everything I want? Or wait ’til next year?
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