Why do you think the MacBook failed? Poll

[leeuk321]

Absolutely, fully agree with you both there on all points, and I can definitely appreciate the use of a fan in hot climates. And although I wouldn't say the word 'stingy' is fitting, since obviously it's not merely a case of saving money by having a single port, I'd probably say that they maybe prioritized weight a little more than they should have, in the weight/performance tradeoff. I love the 0.92kg portability of the Macbook, but if the Macbook still existed and there was hypothetically a middle-ground laptop between the Macbook and the Air on the market, such as a Macbook that weighed 1.1kg to 1.15kg but had that extra port (or single thunderbolt port) and maybe beefed up slightly in other areas, I'd go for 1.1kg laptop in a heartbeat, because that little extra weight would be a welcome tradeoff for a huge amount more practicality. So, whilst I admire what Apple did with the 12" Macbook, and appreciate that they were hitting the limits to get it down to 0.92kg, they probably went too far for the general market. In a weird way, it was too good in the area that counted for too little.

I know that the 13" Air is 330g heavier than the Macbook, but that 330g is actually 36% extra weight, and it actually makes a huge difference imho. It goes from feeling like there's nothing on your lap, to being able to actually feel the weight of the laptop, even if it is generally light. It is actually the 12" Macbook that truly feels almost like air.

 

[icymountain]

In 2011 or so, they designed the 11" MBA (more like 11.7", I think), at a weight of less than 1.07kg, with old keyboard, two USB ports, magsafe, DVI, and audio jack (and also huge bezels). So, I tend to think that a 12" close to the rMB form factor (same footprint with small bezels, very slightly thicker if needed) with 2 USB-C and audio jack should be doable under 1kg (or barely above), even with the new MBP 16" keyboard.

 

[leeuk321]

In 2011 or so, they designed the 11" MBA (more like 11.7", I think), at a weight of less than 1.07kg, with old keyboard, two USB ports, magsafe, DVI, and audio jack (and also huge bezels). So, I tend to think that a 12" close to the rMB form factor (same footprint with small bezels, very slightly thicker if needed) with 2 USB-C and audio jack should be doable under 1kg (or barely above), even with the new MBP 16" keyboard.

Absolutely, that'd be perfect. I think if they did away with the headphone port it wouldn't be a huge deal, in today's bluetooth age. And if someone wanted to plug in a physical lead, there's always adapters, hubs and docks to address that. Obviously, if they could get 2 USB-C ports in there and a headphone port then all the better. Whatever their lightest offering may be, whatever specs or name they want to give it, I think a line in the sand is that it has to a lot lighter than 1.25kg to give it breathing room from the 1.37kg 13" MBP. I know the Air will hit the sweet spot in terms of weight/price/spec for some users but for me, the lineup just doesn't make as much sense as it should.

 

[bsamcash]

I thought Apple discontinued it because it was cannibalizing their other notebooks. That plus redesigning the Air made it superfluous.

 

[Brammy]

I thought Apple discontinued it because it was cannibalizing their other notebooks. That plus redesigning the Air made it superfluous.

I feel it was the chips and the price. I am not sure Intel was making chips that would give it a better performance, and the new Air model met a lot of those needs. From what I remember reading, the laptop sold well. I work near a coffee shop that is close to a university, and I see a decent amount of these around. Even though the performance sucks, I still think of getting one to replace my old 11" Air for days I don't want to bring my big 15" 2016 MBP

 

[ZeuSGoKiL]

I think you hit the nail on the head there. It was quite an engineering accomplishment, but many didn't realise it or appreciate it. I think there's a lesson for Apple here in understanding what is important to end users. Many people would quite happily carry around an extra 300-400g of laptop if it is a more practical device to live with.

Engineering marvel yes agreed but the problem with Apple is that they are too slow to adopt new changes ...

 

[revmacian]

Folks, it didn’t mean fail in the sense one day they they all turned off and stopped working.

Failed meaning discontinued

Discontinued != Failed
Discontinued = Discontinued

Fail: To prove deficient or lacking; perform ineffectively or inadequately.

I know a couple people who still use their MacBooks and love them. I used one and it seemed to work as advertised.

The 1957 Chevrolet 2-door, hardtop Bel Air was discontinued. If it was a failed product then I doubt it would still be a popular automobile today.

Things change, that does not necessarily mean things fail. We could guess all day about failures and still not get it right. Such is the folly of speculation without the facts.

 

[KidFraud]

The FACT remains the design is amazing and the concept alone is ahead of its time introducing AIO-port machine... the problem here is that since the 2015 macbook the logic board which holds the GPU/SSD/RAM does not last performance nor longevity. The blame we are not sure if its on Intel or Apple for this matter and only time will tell because the end goal for Apple is to make the CPU/GPU chipset so they might end up re-introduce the Macbook series with their own in house CPU CHIPSET maybe not 12'' display but the name alone is clearly a "start to end" product series title. In 2017 i was happy they introduce the 16gb of ram and the i7 upgrade but look at the Forums here on MR of people that actually owned it that config (i7/16gb ram).....they had issues even when it came to light gaming with games like CSGO or GTA. Issues with the logic board even lasting (durable ) doing light photoshop as well. It seems the i7 they had installed was just a poor attempt on trying to give the people the power they wanted but due to the fact of heat and chipset build the machine could not last. Overall it was a solid and amazing attempt on apples side but we needed a fan.
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Discontinued != Failed
Discontinued = Discontinued

Fail: To prove deficient or lacking; perform ineffectively or inadequately.

I know a couple people who still use their MacBooks and love them. I used one and it seemed to work as advertised.

The 1957 Chevrolet 2-door, hardtop Bel Air was discontinued. If it was a failed product then I doubt it would still be a popular automobile today.

Things change, that does not necessarily mean things fail. We could guess all day about failures and still not get it right. Such is the folly of speculation without the facts.

lol great car ref but the macbook had two recall programs and horrible expenisve repair options this was def a discontinue/fail you can tell by the way the had both the macbook and the air around for a couple of months before pulling it in the end of the summer. They wanted to cut ties with the machine asap. The timing was placed perfectly too. Overall it was a aesthetic machine that was driven by vanity we can thank Angela Ahrendts for this she def pushed for colors as well but when she left or gave the heads up she was leaving they threw this concept series away.

 

[DeepIn2U]

It didn't fail, Apple just consolidated thier macbook line.

2017 MacBook Failed for a few reasons:

Cost was too expensive for the performance.
1 Thunderbolt port
Apple tried to make a modern MacBook Air without the name and sell it far TOO expensive for the target audience/user

MacBook is a base line of portable computers and SHOULD have remained that way. Apple's and Intel's engineers made some very BOLD moves (I dare say better than the 2013 nMP) ... Retina display was crisp, no fans(!) and significantly VERY tiny motherboard! Intel's chips were FAR too underpowered with the M3 line unfortunately.

I'd like to chalk up this last iteration of the MacBook as an incubator for a future Arm or RISC-IV based system:
tiny motherboard with modular chip performance/sizes and power WITHOUT power consumption and heat needing a fan.
VERY thin design, both open and closed .. the current MBA is shaving mm's off thickness to make it's 'claim' for a reason of being.

I'm glad Apple learned on this and created the MBA but the MBA should be MORE powerful than it is and be THE cutting edge for the elite global traveller. Many MBA owners love the current performance and don't really need more, yet would love to have it, but battery life and weight and thinness is THE main concerns for purchasing it.

late 2020 ... MBA should have a graphene based battery technology - we'll see Xiaomi and Huwaei phones carry this tech in Q1 and Q2 of 2020 I see no reason laptops cannot.

 

[KidFraud]

one usb c port. Macbook never had a thunderbolt port
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2017 MacBook Failed for a few reasons:

Cost was too expensive for the performance.
1 Thunderbolt port
Apple tried to make a modern MacBook Air without the name and sell it far TOO expensive for the target audience/user

MacBook is a base line of portable computers and SHOULD have remained that way. Apple's and Intel's engineers made some very BOLD moves (I dare say better than the 2013 nMP) ... Retina display was crisp, no fans(!) and significantly VERY tiny motherboard! Intel's chips were FAR too underpowered with the M3 line unfortunately.

I'd like to chalk up this last iteration of the MacBook as an incubator for a future Arm or RISC-IV based system:
tiny motherboard with modular chip performance/sizes and power WITHOUT power consumption and heat needing a fan.
VERY thin design, both open and closed .. the current MBA is shaving mm's off thickness to make it's 'claim' for a reason of being.

I'm glad Apple learned on this and created the MBA but the MBA should be MORE powerful than it is and be THE cutting edge for the elite global traveller. Many MBA owners love the current performance and don't really need more, yet would love to have it, but battery life and weight and thinness is THE main concerns for purchasing it.

late 2020 ... MBA should have a graphene based battery technology - we'll see Xiaomi and Huwaei phones carry this tech in Q1 and Q2 of 2020 I see no reason laptops cannot.

one usb c port the macbook line never had a thunderbolt port

 

[MarkAtl]

one usb c port. Macbook never had a thunderbolt port
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one usb c port the macbook line never had a thunderbolt port

Sad but true.

but I still love my 2017 i7 16 GB. Matches pretty well in sidecar with my iPad Pro 11” too.

 

[oneMadRssn]

In 2011 or so, they designed the 11" MBA (more like 11.7", I think), at a weight of less than 1.07kg, with old keyboard, two USB ports, magsafe, DVI, and audio jack (and also huge bezels). So, I tend to think that a 12" close to the rMB form factor (same footprint with small bezels, very slightly thicker if needed) with 2 USB-C and audio jack should be doable under 1kg (or barely above), even with the new MBP 16" keyboard.

They're actually incredibly similar in specs. I had an 11" MBA for a long while before upgrading to the rMB recently. The biggest difference IMO between the two is the physical size. The rMB is ~4mm thinner at the thickest point, 20mm narrower than the 11" MBA, yet only 4mm deeper. Yet both have approximately the same battery capacity (38Wh vs 41.4Wh). The size smallness of it is the first and last thing anyone notices about it. Even close to 5 years after launch, it still looks and feels impossibly small.

If you look at the rMB teardowns, you can see they used every available little bit of space. They even did the terraced battery thing in the rMB to fit it all in - a technique they never used in any other device since (my guess is it's too expensive or difficult to manufacture). Even if they could have managed to add more components while staying under 1kg, I'm sure the device would have had a slightly larger volume or a slightly smaller battery.

I think most people would have agreed this would be fine and preferable. But Apple sought out to build the smallest possible by volume Macbook with a 12-inch retina display and all-day battery life. In that they succeeded.

I've owned it for half a year now, and I really don't wish it had more ports. One USB-C is fine. The only thing I wish it had was Thunderbolt3 so that it could drive dual monitors.

 

[iOS Geek]

I wouldn't necessarily say it "failed". But someone else here mentioned the redesign of the MacBook Air...and I would agree that that is why it was discontinued. It almost seems as though keeping it in addition to the Air redesign would have been redundant.

 

[oneMadRssn]

To add, I think after a number of years people will look back on the 12" Retina Macbook in the same way they look back on the G4 Cube: bold and impressive design, but ultimately flawed. There things will surely be collectible someday.

 

[Hieveryone]

My only regret is not adding "cost" to the poll. Seems like that's a theme throughout this thread.

I agree the $1299 price tag is way to high. I paid around $800 I think so I got a sweet deal.

My MacBook is by far my favorite laptop

 

[Erehy Dobon]

.

 

[Sedulous]

It should have not been called “macbook”. It should have been called “MacBook Air” and had two ports and priced lower.

 

[Eric Idle]

Is the Macbook (2017) a significant upgrade to the 2016 model?

 

[MarkAtl]

Is the Macbook (2017) a significant upgrade to the 2016 model?

the Core M3 2017 benches around 30% faster than the 2016 and storage is faster.

also there are 16GB memory and 512GB storage options

 

[Eric Idle]

the Core M3 2017 benches around 30% faster than the 2016 and storage is faster.

also there are 16GB memory and 512GB storage options

Thanks, although 512GB was an option in 2016. The rest I was not certain of.

 

[Hieveryone]

I think the MacBook is the perfect laptop for some including myself. I love mine even more than my 15” or the 16” I used for a couple months.

They just got greedy. Nobody wants to pay $1299 for Something that is so crippled. No real juice. Just something that looks nice and is easy to carry around.

I paid $800 for mine. But I think if Apple had priced it at $999 that would’ve been abest seller

 

[AustinIllini]

Not enough power is probably the main reason.

I would comment on the keyboard but I think that butterfly was the only option at the time to keep that keyboard that thin.

 

[NOT..BLUE..ENOUGH!]

Passive cooling, every passively cooled Mac(and pre-mac pc) has failed, the Apple III, the G4 Cube, and now the MacBook. Yes all these devices failed for different reasons, the III for awful reliability, the Cube for it's price-point and being too niche and the MacBook for some of the same reasons as the cube. but the cheif issue of the MacBook platform is it's cooling capacity and until a rumored ARM architecture makes it's way to Mac it's simply a nonstarter, sadly. I really wanted touch ID and a right usb-c to make their way to this awesome sub-kilogram notebook. First the lack of an up-to-date SE form factor iPhone and then the discontinuation of the MacBook, Apple doth giveth products I love then taketh away.

 

[Hieveryone]

Not enough power is probably the main reason.

I would comment on the keyboard but I think that butterfly was the only option at the time to keep that keyboard that thin.

I like the keyboard tbh. My 12” is my fav laptop.

I also have a 2019 15” and used the new 16” for about 2 Months.

 

[MarkAtl]

Passive cooling, every passively cooled Mac(and pre-mac pc) has failed, the Apple III, the G4 Cube, and now the MacBook. Yes all these devices failed for different reasons, the III for awful reliability, the Cube for it's price-point and being too niche and the MacBook for some of the same reasons as the cube. but the cheif issue of the MacBook platform is it's cooling capacity and until a rumored ARM architecture makes it's way to Mac it's simply a nonstarter, sadly. I really wanted touch ID and a right usb-c to make their way to this awesome sub-kilogram notebook. First the lack of an up-to-date SE form factor iPhone and then the discontinuation of the MacBook, Apple doth giveth products I love then taketh away.

USB-C is on the MacBook. What it doesn't have is TB3. If you mean a second one that's fair.