MacBook

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Did you buy the 12-inch MacBook? I did, but not because I wanted one.

No: the laptop I really wanted was a new MacBook Air, or even a redesigned 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro with a sleeker chassis. Of course, neither came. And like many other Air fans, I realised that another year was to pass by without Apple’s best laptop getting an upgrade. So I bought the next best thing.

The MacBook is all about compromise. With more pixels than the Air, its display allows me to be more productive on the move and slinging it into a backpack almost feels like cheating. While no powerhouse (editing 4K images on it is slightly painful), it handles basic tasks with ease.

One year later, Apple has refreshed the MacBook with Intel’s sixth-generation Skylake processors while introducing faster storage, memory and graphics for the same price. The most interesting change is on the outside: a new Rose Gold finish that genuinely makes me consider owning a shiny pink laptop for the first time. Gender stereotypes be damned.

But despite its upgrades, the new MacBook is not the MacBook Air replacement that rumors once again predict will arrive this summer – it’s the same unique, dazzling and challenging laptop as the one that launched one year ago. Only faster, and with longer-lasting battery life.

A new processor, coupled with faster internal storage, memory and graphics has brought tangible improvements to the MacBook’s performance. You’ll still have to somehow manage with a single USB-C port, bolting on adapters and connectors to equip your FrankenMac with vital extra limbs.

And if you didn’t get on with its super-shallow keyboard, your fingers will remain as unconvinced as they were before – especially during long typing sessions. The MacBook brings more megahertz, and I’m not talking about clock speed.

Recent developments

Since Apple’s introduction of the Rose Gold-tinted MacBook in spring 2016, macOS Sierra has shaken the featherweight laptop to its core, adding Apple Watch compatibility and even Siri, which is made better by a pair of wireless earbuds that won’t go missing.

The silver lining is that a 2017 MacBook is presumably just a few months out. A sequel to Apple’s 12-incher has been in talks since last summer and, following concerns of stuck keys as reported by 9to5Mac, we can only hope for refinement to the ultra-thin butterfly keyboard.

In the meantime, MacBook users can take advantage of updates to both Garageband and Logic Pro X. For music and podcast creators, you’ll be exultant to know that not only has Logic’s interface been touched up, but Garageband has been treated to Multi-Take Recording for when you just didn’t get it right the first time.

Big money Mac

Some people expected Apple to discount its refreshed MacBook to sweeten the deal. It didn’t. The entry-level model still costs £1,049 ($1,299 or AUS$1,999), around $50/$73/AUS$99 more than the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro.

If the cost remains too high for you, then consider picking up last year’s version from Apple’s refurb store. While the 2016 refresh is technically the better machine, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two when undertaking low-level tasks such as surfing the web or typing up documents in Pages.

At the time of writing, the entry-level version is on there for £749 (around $1,108 or AUS$1,457) alongside eight other models of varying specs and price.

First reviewed: April 2015

Gabe Carey has also contributed to this review

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