MacBook (Retina)

Design

The MacBook is designed with thinness in mind; the aluminum enclosure is 13.1 mm at its thickest point at the end of the computer next to the place where it pivots. The MacBook includes Intel Core M processors (Skylake architecture) which requires no fans or heat pipe, allowing the logic board to be much smaller than the one of the MacBook Air, however, storage upgradeability is no longer possible. The computer still features a full-sized keyboard and trackpad.

The battery was redesigned to a custom shape to fill the available space in the smaller enclosure. It uses a new 39.7 watt-hour lithium-polymer terraced battery cell which is said to provide "all day" battery life. It is said to last up to 9 hours for Internet browsing or 10 hours of iTunes movie playback. The battery was improved in the 2016 refresh, with Apple claiming to provide 10 hours for Internet browsing, and 11 hours for iTunes movie playback.

The MacBook does not include any beryllium, BFRs, or PVCs in its construction. The display is made of arsenic-free glass and contains no mercury. It is made of recyclable materials such as aluminum and glass, meets Energy Star 6.1 standards, and is rated EPEAT Gold.

Keyboard and trackpad

The MacBook has a new keyboard and trackpad. Compared to previous models, the individual keys have a larger surface area. Apple replaced the scissor-like mechanism with a butterfly mechanism, making the keyboard thinner overall and, as Apple claims, individual keys more stable. The keyboard's backlight no longer consists of a row of LEDs and a light guide panel, but instead uses a single LED for each key. The letters on the MacBook's keyboard are set in San Francisco, whereas previous MacBooks used VAG Rounded.

The 2015 model of this computer was the first to introduce the Force Touch trackpad (MacBook Pro was the second computer to have this technology), allowing for pressure sensitivity, and replicating a click with haptic feedback. The trackpad was later brought to the Magic Trackpad. A similar technology was used in the Apple Watch and iPhone 6S.

Ports

To achieve its thin chassis, the Macbook only contains a single, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The vertically symmetrical port supports transmission speeds of up to 5 Gbit/s, and can be used for charging, output and input of data, and output of video and audio. 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. Thunderbolt devices cannot function, however, since there is no built-in support for Thunderbolt data. Other devices have Thunderbolt 3 support via USB-C. Shortly after the MacBook’s introduction, various companies began announcing cables and adapters for the USB Type-C port.

Reception

Reception for the new MacBook has been generally positive, with critics praising the design and overall quality of the product. However, several described it as a limited first-generation product to avoid for extensive use until the category reached greater maturity, and its price dropped enough for mainstream adoption. The low-power but slow performance Intel Core M processor was regarded as the new MacBook's main deficiency, relative to the cheaper and faster MacBook Air and Pro which were not much bulkier. Among the other criticisms of the new MacBook are the lack of various popular ports, particularly USB type-A ports, which limits data transfer and overall convenience without the use of an adapter.

The keyboard also received 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.

Soon after the launch, the 2015 MacBook became the object of a humorous Ratones Coloraos interview meme, featuring Spanish comedian El Risitas in Jesús Quintero's TV show. In the meme, a Spanish-language interview was given subtitles claiming to present an engineer who worked on the prototype of this MacBook, laughing at how limited its features were. Within a month of its uploading, the video received over five million views on YouTube.

Apple's introduction of a gold style has 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 product among Chinese customers. Noting the appeal of Apple introducing gold laptops, IT and science journalist Casey Johnston commented, "I'm marrying one."

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.