MacBook (2015–2019)

The MacBook (known colloquially as the Retina MacBook or 12-inch MacBook) is a discontinued Macintosh portable computer developed and sold by Apple Inc. In Apple's product line it was considered a more premium device compared to the second-generation MacBook Air (at the time consisting of 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch models that were larger and heavier, while lacking the high-resolution "Retina" screen and having thicker bezels), and sat below the performance range MacBook Pro.

It was introduced in March 2015. It was more compact than any other laptop in the MacBook family, and includes a Retina display, fanless design, a shallower "Butterfly" keyboard, and a single USB-C port for power and data. It was discontinued in July 2019, being largely supplanted by the third-generation MacBook Air (consisting of a 13.3-inch model incorporating a Retina display with thin bezels).

Overview

The MacBook was announced at an Apple special event on March 9, 2015, and was released a month later on April 10. It included Intel's Broadwell Core M processors that allowed for a fanless design and allowed the logic board to be much smaller than that of prior MacBooks. It had a similar appearance to the MacBook Air, but was thinner and lighter, had more storage and memory, and a high-resolution 2304×1440 Retina display, though the processor and graphic performance was inferior. The MacBook available in space gray, silver, and gold finishes.

The MacBook has only two ports, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a single, multi-purpose USB-C port; it was the first Mac with USB-C. The port supports transmission speeds of up to 5 Gbit/s, and can be used for data, and audio/video output, and charging; it was the first MacBook without MagSafe charging. Apple markets an adapter that can provide a full-size USB connector, and a "Digital AV Multiport Adapter" with a charging pass-through, full-size USB port, and HDMI output. Although Thunderbolt 3 technology uses USB-C connectors, the MacBook's USB-C port does not support Thunderbolt. It was one of only two Macs, along with the 2012 Mac Pro, to not support Thunderbolt since it was introduced to Macs in 2011. Thunderbolt devices, such as storage media and the Apple Thunderbolt Display, are not compatible. Shortly after the MacBook’s introduction, various companies began announcing cables and adapters for the USB-C port.

Despite its small size, it features a full-sized keyboard and a large trackpad. The MacBook introduced a new "Butterfly" keyboard, with traditional scissor mechanism keys replaced with a new, Apple-designed butterfly mechanism, making the keyboard thinner and, as Apple claims, individual keys more stable. However, individual keys, especially shift and space, tend to stick because of the extremely short travel. The keyboard's backlight no longer consisted of a row of LEDs and a light guide panel, but instead used a single LED for each key. It also introduced the Force Touch trackpad, a solid-state trackpad that measures pressure sensitivity, and replicates a click with haptic feedback. The trackpad was later brought to the Magic Trackpad 2 and the 2015 MacBook Pro. A similar technology (3D Touch) is also used in the Apple Watch and introduced with the iPhone 6S.

The aluminum enclosure was 13.1 mm at its thickest point at the hinge end. The battery was custom-designed to fill the available space in the small enclosure. It uses a new 39.7 watt-hour lithium-polymer terraced battery cell which was advertised to provide "all day" battery life. Apple claimed nine hours of Internet browsing or ten hours of iTunes movie playback. The battery was improved in the 2016 refresh, with Apple claiming ten hours for Internet browsing, and eleven hours of iTunes movie playback. The MacBook did not include any beryllium, BFRs, or PVCs in its construction. The display was made of arsenic-free glass and contains no mercury. It was made of recyclable materials such as aluminum and glass, meets Energy Star 6.1 standards, and was rated EPEAT Gold.

On April 19, 2016, Apple updated the MacBook with Skylake Core M processors, Intel HD 515 graphics, faster memory, longer battery life, faster storage and a new rose gold finish.

On June 5, 2017, Apple updated the MacBook with Intel Kaby Lake m3, i5, and i7 processors (previously known as m3, m5, and m7). It featured the second generation butterfly keyboard, which introduced new symbols for the control and option keys. It also features faster storage and memory.

On October 30, 2018, Apple quietly eliminated two color options (rose gold and the original gold) and added a new color option (new gold) to match the MacBook Air's 2018 color scheme. On July 9, 2019 Apple quietly discontinued the MacBook line again as it had been effectively superseded by the lower-price and higher-performance 
MacBook Air.

Design

Externally, the MacBook follows the design of the MacBook Air with a tapered aluminum enclosure. It has a flush screen with black bezels similar to the MacBook Pro. The Apple logo on the rear of the display is glossy and opaque, rather than backlit and white as seen on every Apple laptop since the 1999 PowerBook G3 and 2001 iBook. It is the thinnest and lightest laptop Apple has produced to date, 0.52 inches (1.32 cm) at its thickest point, and 2.03 pounds (0.92 kg).

The letters on the MacBook's keyboard and the model name at the bottom of the screen bezel are in the San Francisco typeface, whereas previous laptops made by Apple used VAG Rounded.

Apple's introduction of a gold MacBook finish had been cited as an example of positioning itself as a luxury-style brand. The choice follows the introduction of the gold iPhone 5S after Apple found that gold was seen as a popular sign of a luxury among Chinese customers.

Reception
Reception for the MacBook was generally mixed. Critics praised the design and overall quality of the product, with some regarding it as a potential successor to the MacBook Air, as the Air had an aging design and low resolution screen. However, Apple continued to offer the MacBook Air while selling the MacBook at considerably higher price. Several described the MacBook as a limited first-generation proof-of-concept design for early adopters, and recommended against buying the MacBook until it reached greater maturity, and its price dropped sufficiently for mainstream adoption. The slow performance of the Intel Core M processor was regarded as the new MacBook's main deficiency, relative to the cheaper and faster MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Among the other criticisms of the new MacBook are the lack of various popular ports, particularly USB Type-A ports, and that it only contains a single port which limits data transfer and overall convenience without the use of an adapter.

The keyboard received considerable criticism as being poor for long-term use: developer Marco Arment described the laptop's build and small size as "absolutely amazing, revolutionary, and mind-blowing… until you need to use the keyboard for something." He also criticised the trackpad as worse than on previous MacBooks, and said that he would be returning the model he had bought.

A report by AppleInsider had claimed that the updated butterfly keyboard fails twice as often as previous models, often due to particles stuck beneath the keys. Repairs for stuck keys have been estimated to cost more than $700. In May 2018, 
two class action lawsuits were filed against Apple regarding the keyboard issue with one alleging a "constant threat of nonresponsive keys and accompanying keyboard failure" and accusing Apple of not alerting consumers to the issue. In June 2018, Apple announced a Service Program to "service eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards, free of charge".

Technical specifications

Notes:
1 Apple states the processor specifications as "1.1 GHz, turbo boost 2.4 GHz ", "1.2 GHz, turbo boost 2.6 GHz", and "Configurable 1.3 GHz, turbo boost 2.9 GHz", but there are no Intel Core M processors that correspond to these specific specifications that have been publicly announced. It can be inferred that Apple adapts the newest Core M models launched in Q4'14, which support Configurable TDP. The Core M-5Y31 runs at a base frequency of 900 MHz, M-5Y51 at 1.1 GHz and M-5Y71 at 1.2 GHz, the clock speeds of which seem to have been raised up to 1.1 GHz, 1.2 GHz and 1.3 GHz, respectively. All of three models match the Max Turbo Frequency specification given by both Apple and Intel.

Supported macOS releases

See also 

 MacBook Air
 MacBook Pro

References

External links

  – official site

Category:MacBook
Category:x86 Macintosh computers
Category:Computer-related introductions in 2015
Category:Products and services discontinued in 2019