Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Why do you think the MacBook failed? Poll
- Thread starter Hieveryone
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I've had MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, and a MacBook, iPads, Apple Watches, and iPhones. The MacBook is the one Apple product I've owned that didn't seem to have any special character all its own. It's only claim to fame seemed to be that it was relatively inexpensive (and you could get it in new colors). Was there anything else that made it special? The only word that comes to my mind is .. blah.
Are you sure we are talking about the same device?
The MacBook arrived when the 11” Air was at its peak. Yet the MacBook was enough smaller, slimmer, and lighter to make the Air feel bulky and overweight. Yet it had a 12” 16:10 retina screen that had far more usable real estate while being razor sharp. The trackpad was enormous, and with Force Click, again, made the diving board trackpad of the Air feel antiquated. And it was dead-silent, being fanless, compared to the Air which often sounded like a jet plane.
Nor was it inexpensive. In fact the primary complaint was quite to the contrary.
If there is a laptop in recent years that is ..blah, it’s the current 13” Air which has no raison d’etre whatsoever.
People who bought a MacBook largely didn't want a Pro, which was at least 1lb heavier, and much bulkier and hotter. The MacBook was the first Apple laptop that truly disappeared into a bag or purse, making it comfortable to bring with you everywhere.
IMO the MacBook line seemed too crowded with the Air and Pro versions. Also the portability niche that the MacBook filled was mostly covered by the 12" iPad with keyboard. The MacBook got canned due to consolidation.
The Pro was bigger, heavier and noisier.
A 2lb 16GB 512GB silent laptop with enough performance for daily tasks was expensive, but should last me at least another year or 2. The net difference is a hundred or 2 dollars a year.
When a 14” scissor keyboard model comes out and is deemed to not have flaws I will probably look at it.
It didn't. I still think is the best Apple thing I've had (and I have an iMac, iPad Air (got it on launch day), and I had a Macbook Pro, iPhone 5, and an iPhone 6S). Works perfectly, is small and light, and I've got it on launch day too so I had so many people in awe with it. During the first few months I had to carry adapters everywhere (HDMI/USB-A) but now they are so common they are just lying around and lots of people have them in case I forget to carry what I need. Even chargers.