The New MacBook Is a Laptop for the iPad Generation

March 10, 2015 11:49 AM EDT

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First you’re in awe of how thin and light it is. Then you’re amazed that it’s totally fanless. Next you’re floored by its beautiful screen. You’re intrigued by its innovative Force Touch trackpad; envious of its flawless design; impressed that it’ll still last nine to ten hours on a full charge.

But then you start to think about the practicalities of Apple’s new MacBook, announced Monday. It doesn’t have a normal USB port. There isn’t even a microSD slot, let alone a proper SD card slot like almost every other laptop on the planet. If I wanted an iPad, I’d buy an iPad. In fact, I already own one! What am I supposed to do with this?

The new gold edition Macbook laptop is displayed during the Apple Inc. Spring Forward event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Monday, March 9, 2015. Apple Inc. began showing off features and applications for its first new device in five years, a smartwatch designed to put information on peoples' wrists and break open the fledgling market for wearable technology — The new gold edition Macbook laptop is displayed during the Apple Inc. Spring Forward event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Monday, March 9, 2015.David Paul Morris—© 2015 Bloomberg Finance LP

And there’s the key point. The new MacBook will replace the iPad for some people. Indeed, when you look at it closely, it has as much in common with an iPad as it does a laptop.

It has a Retina screen like an iPad. It has a single connection for power and video out like an iPad. Its only other connection is a headphone jack just like an iPad. Here’s a great stat for you: the new MacBook is only 0.1mm thicker than the original iPad! Yes, seriously.

Now let’s flip that around – what similarities does the new MacBook have with a typical laptop? It looks like a laptop. It has a keyboard like a laptop. It runs a laptop operating system and, well, that’s all I have. By my count, that’s a draw.

That’s why I think the new MacBook is, in effect, an iPad-MacBook hybrid. It’s just not a hybrid in the way the Surface Pro 3 is a hybrid. It combines the spirit of the iPad and MacBook into one, not their incompatible designs. It is, in other words, the perfect laptop for the iPad generation.

Some of you are probably thinking I’ve drunk the Apple Kool-Aid, that I’m a rabid Apple fanboy and my opinion isn’t worth jack. I urge patience. It’s true that all the things that make the new MacBook wrong for me (and you) are deeply annoying. Just try and remember that there’s a large body of people out there for whom none of those things matter.

Let’s start with that SD card slot business. Have you seen camera sales recently? Every month the good folks at Gfk UK send me a report that shows the sales trends across various markets. I can’t remember the last time the photography market wasn’t 20% to 30% down year on year. That 20% to 30% are the people for whom a phone is the only camera they need, and whose photos sync wirelessly as they go.

See Steve Jobs’ Legacy in 16 Photos

Apple Announces Launch Of New Tablet Computer — **1976** Apple I was Apple's first computer, which became obsolete within a year. Today, they are auctioned off as collector's items.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

Steven Jobs — **1977** Apple II was the follow up to the Apple I computer. Apple II proved highly successful and spawned several variations.Ralph Morse—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

Apple computer Chrmn. Steve Jobs (R) and technician w. new LISA computer during press preview. — **1983** Lisa was Apple's office computer that was the first personal computer to use a graphical user interface. It was a commercial flop, largely because it retailed for a whopping $10,000. Ted Thai—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Steve Jobs ist tot — **1991** NeXT Station was a workstation computer manufactured by NeXT, a computer company Steve Jobs founded in 1985 after he was forced out of Apple. After Apple acquired NeXT in 1996, Jobs rejoined Apple. Kristy MacDonald—dapd/AP

Pixar's Toy Story 1995 text — **1995** Pixar's *Toy Story* was the film studio's first feature film in 1995. Pixar had spun out from a larger graphics corporation in 1986 with funding from Steve Jobs. Alan Dejecacion—Getty Images

Foreign media photograph and film the new Apple Co — **1998** The iMac was originally released in 1998, and it was the first Mac computer to have a USB drive but no floppy disk. Many media outlets heralded it as a game changer. Over two million were sold in two years. John G. Mabanglo—AFP/Getty Images

FILE PHOTO: Farewell In 2011 — **1999** The iBook was a line of laptop computers designed for use in schools. The computer, called the "iMac to go," was a huge hit with several upgrades over the years. Ted Thai—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

San Francisco Ca Steve Jobs Apple's Interim CEO Introduces The Macintosh — **1999** The Power Mac G3 was a personal computer in the Power Macintosh line. Its upgraded hardware meant it was faster than most other computers on the market. Alan Dejecacion—Getty Images

Apple Unveils iPad 2 — **2001** Apple opened its first Apple Stores in 2001, with the original two stores in Virginia and California. On the opening day, thousands of Apple fans stood in line and collectively spent over half a million dollars. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

Apple Launch iTunes Music Store In London — **2003**The iTunes Store is Apple's online digital media store that redefined the music purchase experience and became a runaway success within years. By 2008, it had become the largest music vendor in the U.S. Ian Waldie—Getty Images

Steve Jobs at MacWorld — **2001**The iPod followed the release of iTunes and other consumer-facing software. It offered data storage and a sleek design, and soon became the nation's go-to portable music player. Gabe Palacio—Getty Images

Steve Jobs Launches Annual MacWorld Expo — **2006** Macbook Pro was Apple's first computer to use Intel Core processors, replacing PowerBook computers. The Macbook Pro line is Apple's latest laptop collection. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

Apple CEO Steve Jobs Delivers Opening Keynote At Macworld — **2005** The Mac Mini was Apple's first consumer-targeted computer to ship without a display, keyboard or mouse, intended to minimize the space taken by a desktop computer.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveils — **2007** The first iPhone was released after years of speculation that Apple would produce a smartphone. It was known for its large touch screen and finger-touch method, as opposed to using a stylus. It was marketed under the slogan "This is only the beginning." Tony Avelar—AFP/Getty Images

Apple Unveils New Software For iPhone And iPad — **2008** The App Store is Apple's online marketplace for downloading and developing apps. It was released alongside its iPhone 3G, and both proved to be massive successes. The App Store logged over 10 million downloads on the first weekend.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

Next, let’s talk USB. USB is great and this new USB Type-C connection is a special thing – I recommend you read Edward Chester’s guide to USB Type-C when you get a spare moment. But even I don’t need USB ports that often – I most often use them to access press kits I’m given on a flash drive.

For many people, a USB flash drive is a quaint tradition, though. They also don’t use printers, or at least use them wirelessly. They don’t have external hard drives. For the once in a blue moon that they’ll need a USB port, Apple will sell an adapter that includes video and USB connections. It’ll sit in a drawer for most of its life, I’ll wager. It’ll probably cost $70 or so, but does that matter when you’re buying a $1299 laptop? It’s a bit like agonizing over spending pocket change on a mobile app.

It’s a similar story for video out. I bought a Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI cable when I bought my MacBook Air back in oh, 2011/12. I still haven’t used it. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I just don’t need to plug my MacBook into screens anymore. Ordinary users need to do so even less than I do.

And this is why the new MacBook is Apple’s hybrid. Anyone who’s ever bought a keyboard for their iPad is looking at the new MacBook very hard right now. If you can live with an iPad paired with a keyboard, you can live with a proper laptop with iPad-like restrictions.

Moreover, so much of the software on Macs is now just like it is on iPads – the new Photos app, currently in public beta, is a near carbon copy of the iPad version. It’s increasingly true across the whole operating system, and that integration and homogenization is only going to increase.

So, when a friend or relative expresses an interest in buying the new MacBook, remember that the things you care about probably don’t matter to them anymore. They’re a member of the iPad generation. They are, to use Steve Jobs’ brilliantly ambiguous term, “Post-PC”. And, for them, the new MacBook is everything they need in a laptop.

For the original article, please go to TrustedReviews.com.

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