Hands-On with the new Macbook: Too Hot

Hot damn.

Apple just recently added a new laptop to their lineup. No it is not just an iterative spec update, but rather Apple positions this as the laptop of the future. Well, the future of now. They say your next laptop will be like this, and maybe even the one after that. The company wowed the world with the MacBook Air back in 2008, but can they do it again with the new MacBook?

Most of you will hear "MacBook" and a few different laptops will pop into your head. There's the current MacBook Pros, MacBook Air, and then the old black and white plastic MacBooks that were discontinued in 2011. The 2015 MacBook is an entirely new beast. Apple is not pushing the boundaries on what a laptop is supposed to be, but they are pushing the limits in many other areas.

The new MacBook comes in three colors: space grey, silver, and gold. The space grey looks exactly like the space grey on the iPhone, and the silver model is identical to the MacBook Air. But if you pick up the gold model two words come to mind: too hot. Usually I think gold/champagne colored devices and jewelry look tacky, because it does, but the MacBook is different. It's a gorgeous computer that might be the prettiest laptop that I've ever seen.

Apple's Retina displays have always been the industry standard, and the MacBook continues that with its 2,304 x 1,440 Retina display. Colors are incredibly rich, blacks are incredibly deep, and everything seems to pop right off the display. At 226 PPI, it's also impossible to see any pixels. It's the only thing that comes close to being as beautiful as the MacBook's hardware.

Back in 2008, Steve Jobs shocked the world when he pulled the MacBook Air out of a manila envelope. This does not seem like a big deal now, but most laptops were around an inch thick back then. Fast forward seven years and the 0.52 inch MacBook is not a big deal. There are thinner laptops out there, but the MacBook is a bit different. It weighs barely over two pounds, you can still open it without the laptop wobbling, and the weight is distributed perfectly. Instead of feeling like a laptop, the MacBook feels more like an iPad.

Ever since the iPad was released in 2010, people have been claiming that we are in a "Post-PC" world. We aren't quite at a point where we can do everything on a tablet or phone, but there are many people that do not need a full-fledged computer. Not everybody needs to edit pictures, videos, or play games. Apple is aiming directly at these people with the new MacBook. It's 1.1 or 1.2GHZ Intel Core M processor accompanied by 8GB of RAM is fast enough, but just that. If all you do is check email, Twitter, watch Netflix, and type up documents, it will be plenty fast. A MacBook Pro would be a better choice if you really need to edit photos and videos on the go.

Since there is no touchscreen on the MacBook, the keyboard and trackpad are the only ways you interact with the MacBook. In my opinion, that makes them the most important parts of the laptop. Apple is known for their great keyboards, and the MacBook doesn't continue that. It doesn't have a bad keyboard, nor a subpar keyboard. It's just not an amazing Apple-standard keyboard. To make the keyboard and mouse fit, Apple had to create completely knew peripherals. The keyboard now uses a "butterfly" mechanism and the trackpad "Force Touches" instead of actually clicking. What this means is that they both are weird, cool, and hard to get used to. While the keyboard does not have much travel, it is very clicky and feels nice to type on after you get a feel for it. The new Fource Touch trackpad feels very strange, but might be more useful in the near future.

The MacBook is a familiar, yet strange machine. It looks like any other MacBook Air, and almost any other laptop for that matter, but it's completely different. Apple developed an entirely new keyboard, trackpad, logic board, and much more to keep it impossibly thin. There are only two ports on the MacBook: a USB Type-C port and a headphone jack, yet it seems right. We are quickly approaching a completely wireless world, and Apple knows that. Someday you might be able to charge your laptop, use a monitor, and connect to your phone over Bluetooth, WiFi, or whatever new radio that the world develops. The future is the MacBook, but is this MacBook the future?

At $1,299 for the base model, the MacBook is probably not going to be your next computer. Apple's latest computer is essentially an expensive, high-res Chromebook that's not worth $1,299. If you have enough disposable income to support a small family, then go ahead and buy it; you will not regret it. As for everyone else, I would wait a few years. Let the MacBook get faster, less expensive, and more functional. Until then, let's just bask in the future that will be.

But did I tell you it was pretty?