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Why I'm Not buying the new 2015 Macbook

If you've been following this blog, you'll know my obsession with all gold everything. So as soon as I saw they came out with a Gold Macbook, I thought right away I was going to buy it. As a location independent entrepreneur my laptop is my life. I run my business on it, use it for entertainment as well as keeping in touch with friends.

Two years ago, I build my first online store using a borrowed laptop, but as soon as I made my first $1,000 in profit from that store, I used it to invest in buying a 2013 Macbook Air as I knew it would help me build faster and be more productive.  I also promised myself that every year I would upgrade to the latest Macbook as both a reward and as a tool. But after watching the entire 90 minute Apple Keynote, I've decided not to buy the new Macbook, even though it looks awesome in gold.

2015 Gold Macbook

The great things about the new 2015 Macbook aside from looking really cool and coming in three colors is having it be the thinest and lightest Macbook ever at only 2lbs. I love that it comes with super high definition Retina screens standard and have the highest quality feel and build quality in the world.  However, none of that really matters to me. 

As a digital nomad, I need my laptop to be fast, powerful enough to edit videos, have great battery life, be ultra portable, and be reliable. In my opinion, the new Macbook is not the best choice for digital nomads.

Check out the official Macbook reveal video:



Things I don't like about the 2015 Macbook:

12" Screen is too small, having a 13" screen is the smallest that I can comfortably use as I don't use external monitors.

Only 1 multi use port. I do like the idea of USB4 but only having one shared port is unpractical. The air has just enough with 2 usb3 ports, and SD slot, and a lightning jack (that I use to connect to flat screen TVs)

It's useless. I still can't figure out why it exists. It's priced halfway between the Air and the Retina but is slower than both, less useful, and the only advantage is that it's lighter and smaller.

*both have headphone jack

A great first look video on the new Macbook by my favorite tech reviewer MKBHD:


The Best Macbooks for Digital Nomads:

I personally use a mid 2013 13" Macbook Air and it's perfect for me but I would also recommend the more powerful version of it that other nomads friends I have use for heavy editing, the 13" Macbook Pro Retina.

The Macbook Air: You can get the base model for less than $1,000 and it's fast enough to edit videos, use photoshop and run your online business. It's super lightweight at less than three pounds, and has even better battery than the new Macbook. 




The Macbook Pro Retina: Almost as thin as light as the Air but more powerful. The battery life is directly related to the power, so even though it has than the air in specs, in real life use, the Retina and the top of the line upgraded Air has similar battery life.

Which one should you get? If you're on a budget, just get the 13" Air, it's perfectly fast and no one actually needs a retina display, it just looks cool.  I edit all of my videos, podcasts and photos using the Air and have done so on the base model which I got for less than $1,000 just fine. The biggest downside to the air is having a small hard drive, so be prepared to either use an extra hard drive or erase unused photos and videos regularly. 

The only reason why I'd get a Retina is if you do HEAVY video editing, as in 1hr+ plus videos with multiple tracks.  If you're not on a budget and the extra $500 isn't a big deal, go for the Retina, there are no downsides.


Everyday Usability:

Another big reason why I'm not upgrading to the new Macbook is because it won't fit on my Roost stand and since I use an external keyboard and mouse the upgrades to their fit and feel won't matter. Plus I often use my external USB drive, USB sticks, wired headphones, and the SD slot, so the new Macbook would be annoying having only one shared input.

I'm 100% content using my current mac air and will hold out until they refresh the air or the retina next year.  

Hope you guys enjoyed this review! Also check out the Macbook vs. Chromebook review here.

Johnny

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  1. Thanks for the heads up. I'm really loving the 15" macbook pro with the quad drive. Can't imagine a better computer for myself, but it's great to hear your heads up. Keep on rocking. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Johnny,Thanks for your post on Mac I am planning to buy one before coming to Chiang Mai so you gave me great info hope to see you soon....J

    ReplyDelete

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