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Desktops

Apple Updates Its Thinnest MacBook

By Consumer Reports
Published | Updated

Apple has added yet another rose gold product to its line of devices, but this one doesn’t run iOS. The super slim MacBook gets both the fresh color choice and an internal upgrade. As you might expect, the enhanced style and performance come at a premium price.

Inside the laptop, you'll find Intel’s latest Core M processor. It isn’t as powerful as the options in Intel's Core i line, but its power-saving features yield more battery life and laptops that don't need fans, which helps trim away bulk. Apple claims you can get about 10 hours of web browsing from the new MacBook before the battery dies, which would be plenty of time for a few movies on the 12-inch Retina display. (We'll being doing our own battery tests once the laptop hits our lab.)

If you’re in the market for a thin and light notebook, you can purchase the new MacBook from Apple today, starting at $1,299 for a model with a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of flash storage.

Available in four colors (rose gold, space gray, silver, and gold), it’s one of the most beautiful laptops around. But there’s still the matter of the MacBook's singular port—like its predecessor, this laptop lets users connect just one USB Type-C cable. A huge flaw in this radical design choice? No drop-friendly magnetic power cord. That's because that lone USB-C port also functions as the charging port.

The machine comes with a USB-C to Lightning cable for your iPhone. To plug in any other device, you're going to need an adapter produced by Apple or another manufacturer. And a lot of those USB-C adapters lack pass-through charging, which means the only way to refuel another device is to plug the power cord directly into the MacBook.

If you prefer at least two USB ports, consider the MacBook Air, which also received a small upgrade, kicking its memory up from a paltry standard of 4GB RAM to 8GB.

Before deciding on a new laptop, you may want to consult our Computer Buying Guide. If you're a subscriber, you can also check out our Laptop Ratings.

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