I can totally see many, many students and parents use that machine for daily tasks. Yes, base specs are pretty low: 8Gb RAM, 256 Gb drive - but the price tag is also low in the Apple world. I assume the trackpad will be excellent and the promise that the battery lasts all day is probably true (all day = 6-7h max). Good move from Apple, for once.

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mushufasa 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I also know many professionals who have a work computer and just want a personal device for occasional things like personal web browsing/shopping/occasionally watching videos -- things that would be inappropriate on a work computer and inelegant on a phone. These people already basically use their phone for everything -- many of them have never upgraded from their college laptop, which is now obsolete. They'd value a well-built (design, feel, screen) computer but have no performance needs.

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justonceokay 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It looks like a perfect replacement for my 2011 MBP. I always figured I’d get a Chromebook when it croaked but this is a viable contender

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uf00lme 8 hours ago | parent [-]

A 2011 MBP is likely a better a general purpose PC, those early models had some great engineering. Wait for the reviews and benchmarks but the M1/M2 based MBPs are still great daily drivers.

	▲	jamesgeck0 7 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Those old 2011 machines aren't really getting macOS security updates anymore, and compatible apps are dropping; I wouldn't recommend using anything but Linux on them. And even with a non-15-year-old battery, you'll be lucky to get half the battery life of Apple Silicon with a 2nd gen Core i5 CPU.
	▲	mushufasa 7 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		2011 is 15 years ago -- MacOs will not support that device, so it is a real security risk to use online. This new offering seems comparable to the price of a refurbished M1/M2.

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j45 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I thought Apple's RAM architecture/speed lets more than 8 GB be addressed, effectively letting it have 50-100% more operating capacity?

	▲	piyh 7 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Doesn't stop it from shitting the bed when you try to run anything like Fusion or Docker

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romanovcode 8 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> the trackpad will be excellent

Nope. It is mechanical.

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tverbeure 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

The mechanical trackpad of my 2007 Macbook (the first unibody) is still better than any PC trackpad I've ever used.

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freehorse 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

What do you mean, "mechanical"?

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alex_young 7 hours ago | parent [-]

A mechanical trackpad is like an unpowered treadmill iirc. Sometimes they ship with a gimbal mount so you can scroll more than one direction.

	▲	swiftcoder 7 hours ago \| parent [-]
		This explicitly says "Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and support for gestures", so at most it's the clicking action that is mechanical (rather than the click being faked with haptic feedback, as it is on the current models)

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busymom0 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Their mechanical trackpads were excellent too. It's only their keyboard which they messed entirely up.