Apple Inc.’s new Macbook is an engineering marvel. It’s a startlingly thin 2-pound laptop with a dazzling 12-inch screen, and when you close the lid, it is not much bigger than an iPad. I can use it for hours on end without feeling like too many compromises were made, and as anyone who has ever used a small-footprint computer knows, that’s a rare feeling.
But that’s my take, and that’s the thing about this innovative (and at $1,299 to start, pricy) piece of hardware: It’s not for everyone. Some will find the Macbook comfortable to use, and reasonably powerful, while letting you travel hyperlight. But others will regard the approaches that Apple took in trying to get full-size performance from a pint-size machine as deal-breakers.
