Why I’m excited to get the new Macbook

I’m currently using a Macbook Pro (15inch Retina) that I’ve had since the middle of 2012. And its still a fantastic machine, works great, with a big beautiful display. But I’ve long wanted a Macbook Air, mostly for the long battery life that they get. Plus, the Air is designed for ultimate portability, which is what I crave.

Note: If you haven’t used a Retina display, or any super high resolution display, then my advice is: DON’T! It will ruin you for anything that isn’t that crisp and clear. I compare it to watching HD television vs. standard definition. 

Because I have decided that the Retina display is something that is at the top of my list for a laptop, I have been patiently waiting until Apple came out with a Macbook Air with Retina. And in their keynote in March, they did! Kind of. They created a new line, simply called the Macbook, and there is currently only one model (available sometime in April). It is small – 12 inch screen – and the thinnest and lightest laptop that Apple has ever created. And its getting a lot of flack, as new Apple products often do.

The big hangups for people:

– It has only one port. For anything. That includes power, USB, display connection, etc. Anything.

– Its not as powerful as it could be.

My response:

I never use ports anymore! Honestly, I was handed a USB thumb drive two weeks ago, and before that it might have been 3 months since I had to use one. I receive everything through the cloud or email. And if once every 3 months I have to attach a dongle to my laptop to connect a USB thumb drive, no worries. And I don’t connect to an external monitor, so I can easily use a dongle for that when I need to project (which is very rare as well).

I relish portability and battery life over computer horsepower. I spend 95% of my computer time on a browser or in Evernote, both of which will run great on this laptop. I don’t use huge tools like Photoshop, nor do I play intense games on my laptop. What’s more important to me is a fantastic battery and the lightweight nature of this laptop. It’s the ultimate portable laptop.

I spend most of my day not at a desk, but rather out and about (in fact, I basically no longer even have a desk). I steal time by getting to a coffee meeting a half hour early and knocking things out. Having a laptop that is able to make it through the day without a charge is a huge help to me.

So I’ll be trading in my 15in Macbook Pro for the new 12in Macbook sometime in April. I’ll report back whether or not that was a big mistake ;)