New Retina MacBook Now Available to Order on Apple's Online Store

Along with accepting pre-orders for the Apple Watch, Apple has also begun accepting orders for the new 12-inch Retina MacBook through its online store. Orders are available through the website and through the Apple Store app.

Shipping estimates for most pre-configured MacBook models are currently at one to three days, while custom configurations will ship in three to four weeks. Shipping estimates for the high-end gold MacBook have slipped to three to four weeks.

The 12-inch Retina MacBook features Apple's latest technology, with an ultra thin chassis that's 0.31mm thick (a half-inch), a Retina display, a Force Touch trackpad that enables a range of new gestures, a thinner keyboard with larger keys stabilized by a new butterfly design, a single USB-C port, and a low-power Core M processor that lets it operate without a fan for silent performance.

retinamacbookyosemite
Reviews of the new MacBook came out on Thursday morning and are worth a read before purchasing the new MacBook. Many reviewers have compared it to the first-generation MacBook Air, praising its cutting-edge design while highlighting some of the performance compromises compared to the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro.

The machine's Core M processor lags behind the more powerful Intel-based processors available in Apple's other notebooks, but it runs all modern apps (including those like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro). It is, however, noticeably slower, which may be a concern for users who use system intensive tasks on a regular basis. For day to day use, many reviewers found it more than adequate, but there was a general consensus suggesting that it's somewhat impractical in its current incarnation, given the price to performance ratio.

The Retina MacBook is available in three colors: Silver, Gold, and Space Gray. It's available in two configurations at two price points. The entry-level model ships with a 1.1GHz processor, 8GB of memory, Intel Graphics 5300 HD, and 256GB of flash storage for $1,299. The higher-end model includes a 1.2GHz processor, 8GB of memory, Intel Graphics 5300 HD, and 512GB of flash storage for $1,599.

Both models offer an optional processor upgrade, boosting the 1.1GHz processor to 1.2 or 1.3GHz, and boosting the 1.2GHz processor to 1.3GHz.

Related Forum: MacBook

Top Rated Comments

Scott6666 Avatar
106 months ago
Backed off.

Got to the cart with the 512GB model and applecare. Saw it was just about $2k. Decided that was $500 too much for too many compromises.

Bought an Apple Watch instead.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mklnz Avatar
106 months ago
$250 for the 1.3 GHz processor upgrade!? That's a bit sleep.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz- Avatar
106 months ago
To clarify - it's 31mm, not 0.31mm. Even Apple's not THAT good... Yet.

Actually, try 13mm. 31mm would be quite unimpressive… (over an inch)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
106 months ago
To clarify - it's 31mm, not 0.31mm. Even Apple's not THAT good... Yet.

They'll get there. Eject the battery, keyboard and screen and sell what's left as a Macbook Nano for the same kind of pricing, "thinnest & lightest Macbook ever".

I joke (but probably not).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Bogeyman Avatar
106 months ago
I'm amused that at current count, this thread is on 46 posts but the one for the watch is at 492- almost ten times the demand.

My customised Air is brilliant. More powerful, much longer battery life, better connectivity. I think I'd save my money and stick with that rather than go for this. Maybe in a few versions time I may consider, perhaps.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SuperCachetes Avatar
106 months ago
The 12-inch Retina MacBook features Apple's latest technology, with an ultra thin chassis that's 0.31mm thick (a half-inch)
To clarify - it's 13mm, not 0.31mm. Even Apple's not THAT good... Yet.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

google drive for desktop1

Google to Roll Out New 'Drive for Desktop' App in the Coming Weeks, Replacing Backup & Sync and Drive File Stream Clients

Tuesday July 13, 2021 1:18 am PDT by
Earlier this year, Google announced that it planned to unify its Drive File Stream and Backup and Sync apps into a single Google Drive for desktop app. The company now says the new sync client will roll out "in the coming weeks" and has released additional information about what users can expect from the transition. To recap, there are currently two desktop sync solutions for using Google...