The new MacBook delivers a full-size experience in the lightest and most compact Mac notebook ever. Every element, from the new keyboard and Force Touch trackpad to the 12-inch Retina display, USB-C port, battery and logic board, has been completely re-imagined to make it not only thinner but also better. The result is more than just a new notebook. It’s the future of the notebook. Available in gold, space gray, and silver.
- Intel Core M processors
- Intel HD Graphics 5300
- Flash storage
- Up to 9 hours of battery life1
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi Force Touch trackpad
For a powerful computer in a compact, lightweight case, try Apple’s 12” MacBook with Retina display. Super thin at just 0.03” (0.88 mm), it’s hard to believe that it contains such amazing graphics and packs so much power. Not only is the 12” MacBook ultra thin, sleek, and stylish, but thanks to its innovative aluminum unibody, smaller logic board, and no fan, it weighs a remarkably low 2 pounds.
IMPRESSIVE GRAPHICS
With a 16:10 aspect ratio and 2304 x 440 native resolution, the Retina display offers 226 pixels per inch (ppi) to maximize visual quality while keeping the screen impossibly thin. You could say “it’s bigger on the inside,” because it’s edge is paper-thin at just 0.03”. Thanks to Apple’s specially developed process, they can form the glass edge-to-edge at only 0.02” (0.5 mm) thick.
The MacBook also provides the user with a wide 178-degree view of the screen, enabling a family gathering to share videos, slideshows and more, from virtually every angle, without having to crowd around the screen. Apple’s innovative pixel design for the Retina display allows more light through thanks to a bigger aperture. With the speedy Intel HD Graphics 5300 and optimized OS X, get spectacular colors while saving the planet with 30% more energy efficiency that doesn’t sacrifice the brightness of the back-lit LED screen.
FINE PERFORMANCE & PORTABILITY
This slender, stylish case might make you wonder just how something so elegant can give you what you need in a notebook computer. Worry not. With a dual-core 5th generation 2.6 GHz (Broadwell) Intel Core M processor, this machine has an innovative 14-nanometer architecture beneath its casing, which translates to more transistors for higher density and more efficient performance than its predecessors. With native speeds up to 1.3 GHz, the dual cores can push the processor to over 2.9 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 technology.
Since the Intel Core M only uses 5 watts of power and generates so little heat, it doesn’t even need a fan, which give you a quieter machine and a more peaceful experience. Apple used that extra space to give you more performance, not bulk or weight. The logic board is 67% smaller than the one in the 11-inch MacBook Air, and it sits on an anisotropic graphite sheet that helps disperse the little heat it does generate.
Despite its miniature insides, the 12” MacBook with Retina display has bulk where it counts. 8GB of onboard 1600 MHz LPDDR3 RAM and 512GB of PCIe-based flash storage easily runs hi-end applications and stores your most precious files securely.
If you’re still wondering what Apple did with the extra space, here it is. Since the importance of mobility increases with each passing day, Apple used that extra space with a custom battery that provides 35% more capacity than before. This increased capacity ensures that you can work on-the-go without interruption. Get up to 9 hours of web browsing on a single charge, or up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback!1 Watch movies on that long flight or get into the writing zone beneath a weeping willow. If you prefer working at a coffee shop or from home, this model has the ability to connect with high-speed 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and it also supports abgn networks, so you have the greatest options for connection.
THE WONDERFUL FORCE TOUCH TRACKPAD
Apple has taken the next giant leap in technology with the astonishing Force Touch Trackpad, making navigating and workflow smoother and more natural than ever, including all the multi-touch gestures Apple users have come to know so well. The Force Touch Trackpad adds several new gestures: Click. Tap. Scroll. Swipe. Rotate. Navigate. Pinch… but that’s not all. Now you can also Force Click. Add Events. Preview a Link. Drop a Pin. Pressure-sensitive fast-forward and zoom, and so much more. All with simple gestures.
Integrated force sensors work with the Taptic Engine, enabling users to click anywhere on the large, glass surface. Click anywhere. Tap anywhere. It’s that easy. Users can also customize pressure settings, making the uniform interface respond to their individual touch.
FANTASTIC FLASH STORAGE
Apple’s innovative flash drive eliminates the need for a traditional moving hard drive that can be damaged if not shut down properly or if the computer is turned on its side while it’s spinning. This PCIe-based flash drive gives up to 9 times faster access to your files than a traditional 5400 rpm notebook hard drive.
Perform even the most demanding tasks quickly and fluidly with this incredible flash technology. Suddenly high-end programs load as quickly as a simple browser or Mail. With the plentiful storage capacity, access all your files –even large video or image files– with alarming speed and ease, and since the flash drive doesn’t spin like a traditional hard drive, do it all in peaceful silence. No more whirring. Reduce white noise. All this along with the reliability and performance Apple always delivers.
STAY CONNECTED
Whether you want to connect a Bluetooth printer, keyboard, mouse, trackpad, or other peripheral devices, your new MacBook rises to the challenge with integrated Bluetooth 4.0.
With this incredibly thin and portable machine, you also have a USB-C port, a single dynamic port that’s quickly becoming the universal connectivity standard. The USB-C port supplies charging, quick USB 3.0 data transfer, and a video output that supports HDMI, VGA, and Mini DisplayPort connections. All this in a small, innovative design that's one third the size of a USB port.
MORE STYLE; MORE VALUE
Its full-sized backlit keyboard includes twelve (12) function keys and four (4) arrow keys, so even though it’s ultraportable and lightweight, you have the ability to type naturally without crowding your hands.
SOFTWARE GALORE
Since the MacBook comes with OS X Yosemite installed, you get many useful apps for no extra money. Play music, create captivating presentations, and even do basic video, photo, and PDF editing with its built-in apps. iWork, which used to be $100 on its own, now comes with every new Mac. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote give you productivity software for all your work needs. Whether you need to create spreadsheets, multimedia presentations, or newsletters, Apple’s got you geared up and ready to go.
Make your own videos with iMovie. Compose songs or produce podcasts with GarageBand. Rock out with iTunes. Relax and read on iBooks. Surf cyberspace with Safari. Stay connected with long-distance family and friends with FaceTime. If you need a quick picture for a profile or chat icon, Photo Booth makes it easy to snap a quick one of yourself as well as play around with fun filters to make it representative of your unique personality.
Organize contacts and sync them across iDevices with the combination of Contacts and iCloud. Same with Calendar, Mail, and more. iCloud also offers iCloud Keychain which remembers all your passwords and login information so you don’t have to. It stores all this information remotely and protects them with 256-bit AES encryption. Autofill upon demand. Check out securely as well because it even safely stores your credit card information.
All this comes with your new MacBook as well as Apple’s native backup software Time Machine, so you won’t lose any of your important documents, files, or photos. After a simple set up with an external HD (sold separately), Time Machine will backup your entire system every hour (or interval of your choice).
Call your PowerMax Sales Representative today at 800-844-3599 to order your new MacBook 12” with Retina display today! PowerMax offers a personal touch and a friendly voice. Talk to a real person who knows how to match your needs with the perfect computer. After all, we are the Mac Experts!
The following is a review of the MacBook, posted by our friend and customer Dennis Sellers on April 24, 2015.
I’ve been using the 12-inch MacBook for about a week now. My prognosis: it’s a good (if pricey) secondary Mac, but won’t work as the main computer for anyone who does tackles more than basic computing chores.
If you’re looking for a laptop to complement your desktop, the MacBook is a reasonable choice. My primary computer is my 27-inch iMac (the best computer ever made, in my opinion). However, when I’m making a road trip or simply want to work in the sunroom at home, the new Apple laptop comes in handy.
At least it did once I got everything set up. Unfortunately, I ran into problems shortly after I unboxed it and tried moving some some basic content (Safari bookmarks, Pages documents, etc.) over Wi-Fi from my iMac. Strangely, I was never presented with an option to select the iMac for importing data, just my Time Capsule. But when I chose the Time Capsule, the “spinning wheel of death” appeared. And. It. Just. Kept. Spinning.
Evidently, this isn’t an uncommon problem. In online post Apple says if your MacBook stops responding and shows a spinning wheel after you create a user account in Setup Assistant, simply allow the setup to continue. The setup process will purportedly resume after about 30 minutes. However, it never did for me. I finally moved the content I wanted to transfer to an external drive and plugged the drive into the MacBook via a $18.95 USB-to-USBC cable.
Once the content was moved and I began using the teeny ultra-portable, I was immediately impressed with two things: its size and the Retina display. At just two pounds and and 13.1 mm thick, it’s hard to believe this is a full-fledged laptop. However, it is (well, with some compromises; more on that in a sec). In terms of sheer svelte design, Apple has done an incredible job.
The MacBook display (with a 16:10 aspect ratio) is stunning and simply pops with clarity. Its physical resolution is 2304 by 1440 pixels. This means that, at standard “2x” retina resolution, it’s the equivalent of a 1152×720 display. For some folks that’s going to be too small.
That’s why Apple ships the laptop with its default resolution scaled to emulate a 1280 x 800 display, which is about the same screen area as you’d find on an 11-inch MacBook Air. However, I prefer the More Space setting, which emulates a 1440×900 display (think 13-inch MacBook Air pixel size).
It took me a while to acclimate myself with the new keyboard and trackpad. The MacBook’s keyboard is 34% thinner than those on other Mac laptops. It uses an Apple-designed butterfly mechanism that’s 40% thinner than a traditional keyboard scissor mechanism.
Apple says the keyboard is four times more stable, “providing greater precision no matter where your finger strikes the key.” New stainless steel dome switches located beneath each key deliver a responsive feel when typing with no “give” on the sides of the keys.
Since other keyboards wiggle a bit on the sides, this takes some getting used to. However, after about an hour, the new tactile experience had won me over. Also, every key on the new keyboard is individually backlit with its own single LED, which comes in handy in low (or no) light situations. (Alas, the Apple logo isn’t backlight like with other Macs. You’ve been warned if that’s important to you.)
The MacBook also features the all-new Force Touch trackpad that features built-in force sensors that allow you to click anywhere and haptic feedback that provides a responsive feel. This also requires a bit of adjustment, but it’s a pleasure to use once have. Unlike the hinge-based multitouch trackpad it replaces, Apple’s Force Touch unit doesn’t move, but the effect of simulated clicks is so convincing that you’ll think it’s moving.
You can even customize the feel of the trackpad by changing the amount of pressure needed to register each click. The Force Touch trackpad also enables a new gesture called Force Click. That’s a click followed by a deeper press, and can be used for tasks like pulling up the definition of a word, quickly seeing a map or glancing at a preview of a file.
With no moving parts or vents, the new MacBook was designed from the ground up to be the first fanless Mac notebook. I expected it to get warm with long use. However, in work stretches of an hour or so, it’s remained comfortable enough that it can sit on my uncovered legs without discomfort.
The MacBook features the new fifth-generation Intel Core M processor that runs at just five watts and Intel HD Graphics 5300. This makes it very energy efficient, but means it’s no powerhouse. You can check out specific benchmarking at CNET, LAPTOP, and Geekbench Browser, but the bottom line is that the MacBook is more powerful than I’d anticipated. I can work with Pages, Safari, Mail, Pixelmator, and Calendar open simultaneously with no performance hits. iMovie also chugs along well. However, if you’re a serious gamer, Final Cut Pro X user, or Photoshopper, move on along, cause the MacBook isn’t for you.
The new laptop features a terraced battery design layered in individual sheets contoured to fit the MacBook’s sleek, curved enclosure. Apple says the new portable has 35% more battery capacity than would be possible with traditional battery cells and delivers all-day battery life with up to nine hours of wireless web browsing and up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback. I found the company’s estimates to be spot-on.
Unfortunately, other things aren’t so seamless with the MacBook. For one thing I miss the MagSafe connector that comes with all other Mac laptops. The connector is held in place magnetically so that if it’s tugged — for example, by someone tripping over the cord — it will pull out of the socket without damaging the connector or the computer power socket, and without pulling the computer off the surface on which it’s located.
Perhaps Apple thinks the MacBook will run long enough on a full battery charge that folks generally won’t use the power cord when working with the MacBook. I think that’s a poor assumption, but Apple has made the move because of the next-generation USB-C port. A new industry standard, USB-C supports higher wattage charging, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps) data transfer and DisplayPort 1.2 all in a single connector that’s one-third the size of a traditional USB port. It’s the word “single” that’s the key here. Sharing a single port for all accessories as well as the power cord will be frustrating if you’re using the MacBook as your main computer.
Overall, the 12-inch MacBook is such a different beast that I have to give it two ratings. If you’re using it as a secondary, supplemental Mac, give it 9 points out of 10. If you intend on using it as your main Mac, make that 5 out of 10.
The MacBook is available in three finishes—gold, silver and space gray (the one I chose) —and is the first MacBook with an all-metal enclosure. It comes with a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.4 GHz, 8GB of memory, 256GB of flash storage and Intel HD Graphics 5300 starting at $1,299 and with a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.6GHz, 8GB of memory, 512GB of flash storage and Intel HD Graphics 5300 starting at RMB 1,599 Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online.
