I’m typing on a MacBook 12 Retina 2016 … and I like it. 😀
With an iPad Mini I wrote about 40,000 words thumb typing on the split keyboard and I was actually ok with that. But I was always looking for the right physical keyboard to add to the Mini. I tried two but in the end it was iOS that ended the Mini’s run as a content creation tool.
So I went with a cheap Dell 3531.
I knew what I really wanted though: an iPad-ish sized machine with a physical keyboard and glorious battery life, but not iOS. For a long time I had my eye on the Dell XPS 13.
The perfect combination finally appeared in the Macbook 12. This past Christmas 2016 I put an order in for a refurbished 2016 m3/256 in the correct color, space gray. I ended up with a new one and a free Apple multi-port dongle for the same price, but that’s another story (caused by UPS).
The thing that made the difference here is MacOS (vs iOS). There were now no limitations due to software. The limitations due to having only one USB-C port are mitigated with the dongle.
SIZE:
The approximate size of this laptop is slightly smaller than an iPad Pro. It is thicker but it will still fit in sleeves designed for a regular iPad. It will stick out since it is about 0.75 inches wider than an iPad is tall.
BATTERY LIFE:
Outstanding.
I have gotten, no kidding, more than 12 hours of casual use, such as typing on this blog. That was 1/3 brightness. 50% brightness brings it into the the realm of 9-10 hours. Certainly still fantastic. Running out of power is not a worry of any sort. With my Dell 3531 I was always distractingly conscious of the battery life lol.
ERGONOMICS:
When closed it feels awesome, like holding a favorite paper notebook. Opening the lid can be done one-thumbed, barely raising the base of the laptop, yet keeping whatever angle you set the lid.
And now the keyboard. Yes, this keyboard. I like it. I’ve seen youtube videos and articles online talking about the keyboard. But for me it’s fine. Keys are spaced out quite nicely, easy to type on and the feel, or travel, of the keys is again, just fine.
And, they’re backlit. That may seem ho-hum to you but my Dell was not backlit lol. I t was something I always wished I had. I knew what I was buying when it came to the Dell so that’s ok.
TRACKPAD:
Yep, I love the trackpad. The Windows/Dell combo tried to mimic many of the gestures in it’s own trackpad but smoothness, the robustness of the software, yes, software, simply was not there. It would take several swipes for the trackpad to recognize what you were trying to do.
With the MacBook trackpad it almost seems to read your mind. It is awesome.
CONCLUSION:
All told I am very pleased with my MacBook 12 m3/256gb space gray. It’s a keeper 😀
Dan Passaro 