Yesterday’s Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Spring Forward event raised questions about the direction the company is taking.
Most of these are centered around the Apple Watch and its steep price tag. I have concerns about this as well, but it was the new product reveal that has me really worried.
In the new MacBook, Apple seems to be signalling it’s also ready to sacrifice functionality for form in its quest to be a luxury brand.
Apple — or at least the Apple that morphed into a consumer electronics powerhouse after Steve Jobs returned to the helm in 1997 — has always prized design. The company has churned out some eclectic products in the name of eye-catching visual appeal. The G4 Cube for example, and more recently the cylindrical Mac Pro.
The new MacBook takes Apple’s design ambitions to new levels. It’s a visually stunning computer, but at what cost?
New MacBook: But It Comes in Gold!
What’s not to love about this ultraportable laptop? A 12-inch Retina display, full-sized keyboard, all-day battery life, no fan, only 0.52 inches at its thickest point and it weighs only two pounds. Better yet, just like the iPhone and iPad, the new MacBook is available in Space Grey, Silver and Gold!
That all sounds great.
But when you consider the realities of the hardware, the sacrifices that have been made to put together than incredibly slim PC become apparent.
To cut down on space, heat and power consumption, an Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Core M chip was used. That choice immediately makes the new MacBook the least powerful computer offered by Apple.
The keyboard that apparently required such extensive engineering? It’s full-sized and backlit (both good), but in the name of thinness, there is virtually no key travel, making anything but casual typing questionable. Wired’s David Pierce tried out the new MacBook’s keyboard and had this to say:
“I immediately hated using the keys. There’s basically no travel, no movement. It’s not that different from tapping on a touchscreen.”
Perhaps the biggest casualties in this quest for thin are ports. As in there is only one and it’s USB C (a new standard that’s uncommon at the moment).
To use the new MacBook with USB peripherals, you have to disconnect the power (only one port) and use a USB C adapter to plug in a standard USB thumb drive, external hard drive, printer or other USB device — even Apple’s own iPhone or iPad. Want to plug in an external monitor? There’s no video out port. You’ll have to unplug the power cable and find a USB C to video adapter to plug into that single port.
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Apple isn’t leaving people completely stranded, though. It’s selling a $79 Multiport Adapter for the new MacBook that expands the single port into a power port, full-sized USB port and video out port. Of course that means shelling out another $79 for the adapter and worse, having this white plastic mess hanging out of the side that shiny, gold Apple MacBook.
Kind of ruins the effect if you ask me.
Yes, USB C connectors will eventually become standard on peripherals (I’m not bashing USB C). It’s Apple’s decision to offer only USB C at this early stage and more importantly to offer only one — all in the name of making the new MacBook as thin as possible — that has me concerned.
Function has been tossed aside in the name of form.
The New MacBook Lacks Ports? They Said the Same Thing About the MacBook Air…
When the original MacBook Air was released in 2008, critics said many of the same things. Apple released an incredibly thin and lightweight laptop, but cut down on ports, ditched the CD drive and plugging into an ethernet network required buying an adapter.
However, the MacBook Air is viable as a working laptop. I know; I bought the original in 2008 and an 11-inch Apple MacBook Air has been my primary work machine for the past two years. Despite the svelte form factor, it has a decent keyboard, a pair of USB ports and a Thunderbolt port (that doubles as video out).
The Air represents a balance between Apple’s design aesthetics and usability. It’s that balance that’s key.
The only complaint I have about the MacBook Air is that it lacks a high-resolution display. At the same time that Apple announced the new MacBook, it refreshed the MacBook Air line, but no Retina display — the new MacBook got one, though.
Generally speaking, there are two major groups that buy Apple products. One does so for the looks and because they’re popular in the “it” devices in many categories. The other does so because Apple gear tends to be well-made, long-lasting and thoughtfully designed. Neither group minds paying a little extra as a result.
Apple seems to be pushing to add a third group, the people who will pay a considerable premium for luxury gear that looks beautiful and bears the Apple logo. They’re willing to pay a lot more, valuing the exclusivity as much (or more) than functionality.
The Apple Watch clearly targets that third group, but so does the new MacBook. At a starting price of $1299, it comes at a hefty premium compared to the more powerful MacBook Air (which starts at $899). For that extra money you get a laptop with the Apple logo that’s crazy skinny, has a beautiful display and can be bought in a fashionable gold case. Using it is a series of compromises, but you’ll look fabulous.
I’m worried that the new MacBook shows Apple is putting design before function, shifting to focus on that luxury market in general, not just with gold smartwatches. While the luxury market can be immensely profitable, it is also fickle. And that second group of Apple users — the ones that have helped Apple MacBook sales beat industry trends — may eventually move on.
As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
