MacBook, Chromebook Pixel: hole lot of difference to design and performance

Δημοσιεύθηκε: 23 Απριλίου 2015 - 12:19

It is not often that the most interesting thing about a new computer is the hole for the power cable. But that is one of the big innovations in two new laptops from Apple and Google, the MacBook and the Chromebook Pixel.

Both these notebook computers have done away with the traditional USB and power ports in favour of the new USB-C connector. Smaller, faster and symmetrical so you never try to plug the cable in upside down, the USB-C is a rare example of harmony in the tech industry. Not only has Apple, famous for its proprietary cables, such as the iPhone's Lightning, signed up to adopt USB-C, but so have hundreds of other manufacturers.

Thanks to this new standard, the same socket can be used for power or data transfer, and at much faster rates than previous USB ports.

So excited were Apple's designers by this that they decided the MacBook needed just one slot for everything, the only other port being for headphones.

This yields huge benefits, not least that the MacBook is slimmer than ever, only half an inch thick. Just as swapping the old iPhone cable for Lightning let Apple make its devices much thinner, USB-C will enable new kinds of laptop design.

All this is helping to revive an old computing idea: the netbook - which, because it was designed to run wirelessly with all its data in the cloud, did not need traditional wired connectors.

Back in 2008, I paid about £220 ($350) for one of the first netbooks, an Asus Eee PC 4G Surf. It ran a basic version of Linux on a 7-inch screen and handled little more than word processing and web browsing. It won no prizes for performance or design but weighed just 2lbs. I could take it everywhere. I loved it.

MacBook v Chromebook

Google's Chromebook line of laptops has been rebooting the netbook idea for a few years now, with mixed results. Its cheap little laptops are most popular in niche markets such as schools. The Chromebook Pixel, first released in 2013, was Google's attempt to nudge other Chromebook manufacturers to aim higher. It had aluminium casing, top-end specs, a high-resolution touchscreen and a $1,299 price tag.

The newly updated Pixel boasts a faster processor, 10-hour battery life and a price of $999 that includes a huge 1TB of Google Drive cloud storage for three years. Since the original Pixel, Google has also made big improvements to the Chromebook's ability to run offline, which ends the terror of working without a save button.

In its hardware, the Chromebook Pixel is the most Apple-like device Google has ever made. Its smooth finish has no visible screws, vents or speakers, aping Apple's minimalist approach to design.

The new MacBook returns the compliment. By offering so few connectors, it is much more reliant on the cloud and wireless interfaces than any Mac before.

Because they share the same USB-C connector, they can also share a power supply. There is something thrillingly transgressive about inserting a Google plug in to an Apple computer. Would that such universal compatibility came to the rest of Apple's line-up.

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> Despite their netbook heritage, both the Pixel and the MacBook are delightful, extravagant computers, especially thanks to their high-res screens. Of course, laptops that are quicker or lighter are available for far less and neither is really suitable as a primary computer. The Chromebook in particular feels a little heavy at more than 3lbs, especially next to the MacBook's 2lbs - even with its 12in screen, that is less than the 11in MacBook Air.

Even typing on the new MacBook feels luxurious, with keys on the full-sized keyboard requiring a gentler press than any I have used.

MacBook v netbooks

A gold-coloured MacBook with a retina display costing upwards of $1,299 may seem far removed from my trusty old Asus Eee PC. But they do have two things in common: unbeatable portability and a feeble processor. One serves the other, but the MacBook struggles with too many browser tabs, let alone video editing. It is the only flaw in a near-perfect laptop.

Thanks to USB-C, we can hope many more laptops may soon be as thin, light and elegant as the MacBook. For now it is the best second computer you can buy.

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