Sure, noise-cancelling headphones are great for work but they saved my sleep (and sanity) and several vacations too – here’s how - Related to sanity), ago, saved, revolutionary, but

10 years ago today, Apple launched a revolutionary MacBook that failed spectacularly

Table of Contents Table of Contents Innovative new elements Time for a reappraisal.

Ten years ago today, Apple unveiled the 12-inch MacBook to the world, claiming it had “reinvented the notebook” for the improved. The laptop almost instantly divided opinion, with fans and detractors at each other’s throats from the start. And sure, it was by no means perfect, but look a little closer and I think you’ll find a device that has had a monumental impact on the world of computing — not just on Apple, but on the industry as a whole.

The 12-inch MacBook is often seen as a flop and as a product emblematic of the excesses of Apple’s Jony Ive era, where the design guru’s penchant for thinness and lightness ruled all. The fact that this MacBook was discontinued after just four years is seen as proof of this idea.

Yet I see it as something else: a precursor to many of the class-leading attributes that Apple fans enjoy today. Sure, it was deeply flawed, underpowered and overpriced. But it was also way ahead of its time and brilliant in so many ways. Ultimately, we probably wouldn’t have many of the attributes we see in the best MacBooks today were it not for the 12-inch MacBook.

When the 12-inch MacBook launched, it attracted attention for many of the wrong reasons. For one thing, it was expensive, with its $1,299 price tag on a par with the MacBook Pro. That alone made it tough to swallow, but when you realized you were only getting an Intel Core M chip for your money — a chip that was designed for mobile devices rather than high-powered laptops — it really stuck in the craw.

As well as that, the 12-inch MacBook introduced the now-infamous butterfly keyboard, which was uncomfortable and prone to failure. Apple spent years trying to fix and refine this keyboard before giving up entirely. And then there was the gold color — the first time we’d seen this in a MacBook — which just felt plain pretentious.

Yet at the same time, this laptop packed in some incredible elements not found anywhere else. It was amazingly thin and light for a laptop, drawing comparisons to when the original MacBook Air was unveiled in 2008 to shocked audience reactions. Ironically, the 12-inch MacBook threatened to cannibalize the MacBook Air, as the former was now far more slimline and portable than the Air.

The 12-inch MacBook also introduced the large Force Touch trackpad, an ingenious feature that is beloved to this day and has inspired copycats across the industry. And while it might not have been the first Mac with a Retina display, it still got this before the MacBook Air, showing that even portable notebooks could come with fantastic screens.

There’s more. Not only did Apple pack in an innovative battery design that helped it last all day despite its super-thin chassis, but it even managed to go without an internal fan, giving you the kind of silent operation that wouldn’t be seen again until 2020’s Apple silicon MacBook Air.

And then there was the single USB-C port, which the 12-inch MacBook was the first to offer in Apple’s laptop range. At the time, the move was mocked for ushering in the ubiquitous “dongle,” but it also helped spur the industry on to adopt USB-C far more widely. Now, it’s everywhere you look. In a way, it was reminiscent of when the iMac G3 dropped the floppy drive. No one misses those disks now.

It’s easy to remember the worst elements of the 12-inch MacBook. Don’t get me wrong, I was absolutely not a fan when it launched, and I know I’m not alone there.

But armed with a few years of hindsight and the knowledge of what the device went on to inspire, I think it’s worth reappraising the 12-inch MacBook. While its failures were many, it also helped introduce numerous class-leading capabilities that you can find today in Apple’s MacBook lineup.

The way I see the 12-inch MacBook is that, like the equally notorious Apple Newton, it was a good idea done too soon. It was ahead of its time and wasn’t able to deliver on the promises it made, and while not all of its capabilities were on the money, many of them were. Indeed, the ideas it embodied have driven Apple devices forward, and plenty of them have been widely adopted across the market.

The 12-inch MacBook may have failed, but Apple returned to the idea of a fanless, lightweight laptop driven by a highly efficient chip a few years down the road in the form of 2020’s Apple silicon MacBook Air. Some of the 12-inch MacBook’s best concepts are still alive today, even if the device itself has been consigned to the history. And that’s got to be worth something.

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Sure, noise-cancelling headphones are great for work but they saved my sleep (and sanity) and several vacations too – here’s how

Outside of the invention of penicillin, noise-cancelling cans might be humanity’s greatest creation. I’m not just making that obviously wild statement as an audiophile. Oh no, I’m spouting those controversial words as someone who has suffered from severe insomnia for many moons.

A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to go on my ultimate dream vacation. Make no mistake: this was bucket list territory of the highest order. As a lifelong Jurassic Park fan, my best friend was gracious enough to join me on a trip to Honolulu in Hawaii.

In case you don't speak fluent 'Spielberg Dinosaur 101', Honolulu is the Hawaiian island where several key scenes from the dino masterpiece were filmed – the gorgeous Kualoa Ranch, to be exact. Such is the pull of the all-time great 1993 masterpiece, 22 years on, the stunning tourist-luring spot still runs several JP themed tours a day.

So what does my favourite film of all time have to do with my AirPods Max and an incredible holiday I’d been dreaming up since I was eight years-old? That would be Apple’s first class noise-cancellation aspects. With a press of their highly effective Noise Control button, you could silence even the mighty roar of Jurassic Park’s T-Rex.

Not that I was overly concerned with the greatest (very much extinct) predator that has ever walked the Earth disturbing my sleep while staying in Waikiki with my bestie in early 2023. At full blast, the roar of the Tyrant Lizard King could probably shift this planet’s tectonic plates. Yet even the dino to end all dinos can’t hold a prehistoric candle to the constant hum of a mobile food van’s energy generator when you’re trying to nod off. But I’ll get to that.

This is where my Apple AirPods Max’s $399 / $399 credit card-crippling price tag justify that significant outlay. They saved my sleep on this incredible holiday.

Sure, we all know effective noise-cancelling capabilities can put a set of the best over-ear headphones into an elite bracket. Yet without trying to sound hyperbolic, my AirPods Max’s headline noise-kiboshing capabilities put them up there with some of the finest tech purchases to have dented my bank balance.

in recent times, and far from the picturesque mountain ranges of Honolulu, I rediscovered the power of Apple’s noise-slaying tech. It is quite simply the best in class din-dampening wizardry. This is a tale about trying to work at a kitchen table beside an adorable doggo, whose snores could perforate your eardrums. Again, that’s another tale I’ll get to in a bit.

It’s no secret that in a busy office, background noise (constant chatter, someone dropping a big jug of milk behind you, the low-level thrum of the printer/scanner/microwave/AC unit above your head, the gurgle of the water cooler as another colleague takes a glass) can severely dampen your productivity. It's hardly a spoiler akin to discovering Darth Vader is Luke’s perpetually wheezing papa. Yet when it comes to craving peaceful moments on vacation, the AirPods Max’s noise-nixing aspects are nothing short of transformative.

When I had the privilege of staying in Kauai for a few days – one of the smaller Hawaiian islands that Jurassic Park was primarily filmed on – noise-cancelling saved my sleep. And the last lingering remains of my sanity. Despite being the primary filming location of what I’d argue is the greatest, most influential blockbuster of all time, Kauai also has one, far more annoying credit to its name… roosters that won’t stop crowing their guts out.

The beautiful island is absolutely covered with them. And you know what? They really enjoy screaming for hours on end during the dead of night. As someone who suffers from crippling arachnophobia, it’s the audio equivalent of sharing your bed with a dozen tarantulas… all of which are into hardcore metal bangers.

Thankfully, my AirPods Max and their noise-kiboshing functions helped to slay the rooster racket. I'm a poor sleeper generally, so I’ve never been more appreciative of a piece of technology, even if wearing Apple’s chunky cans in bed is pretty uncomfortable for a side sleeper like myself (although I'm told you can buy ANC sleep earbuds, too).

The best noise cancelling headphones can bring your lobes much welcome peace during what should be the most relaxing days of your life. You know what didn’t bring out my inner audio zen? Staying in an oh so cheap and cheerful two star ‘hotel’ in downtown Waikiki, one that just so happened to be situated above that aforementioned mobile food truck and the world’s noisiest generator. This is where noise-cancelling attributes really came into their own again.

While holidaying in Hawaii, my friend slept like a vampire… a vamp who’s been heavily sedated before taking that trip to the Land of Nod. I, on the other hand, could barely catch 40 winks during a tornado. Throw in relentless generators, cheeky chickens and the fact the residents of downtown Waikiki never seem to go to bed, and you’re left with an incredibly effective recipe for a terrible night’s sleep. My ears – nay, my very sanity! – owe my AirPods Max a lot.

Circling back to work issues, it’s hardly an eye-rubbing shocker that headphones able to nullify loud sounds can be tremendously effective when it comes to getting work done with minimal distraction. That brings me back to my recent issues with constant ear-pummelling pooch snoring.

Forget any of the toothy residents of John Hammond’s doomed theme park; I’ve been staying at my cousin’s house in recent times and the noise his French bulldog makes would drown out the wails of that poor cow as it's being crunched by Jurassic Park’s ruthless raptors.

Yes, Spielberg’s T-Rex could perforate your eardrums with a mild cough in certain movie theaters. But my cousin’s ageing Frenchie could easily ruin both your sleep and productivity from half a house away, due to its adorable squished nose and the resulting room-reverberating racket of her snores.

And hoo-boy, does that dog enjoy its sleep – just try writing a tech feature within 30 ft of that lovely little hound. Without my AirPods Max, I would never have gotten a single word written over the past few weeks. You’d think I was some sort of weird Frenchie whisperer, the way Pixie decides to plonk herself down for an epic nap the second she seemingly hears my digits tapping away on one of the best gaming laptops.

It’s no surprise that the finest headphones or best noise-cancelling earbuds can significantly improve your sleep and ability to work in peace. Whether dealing with a Hawaiian cockerel or a pooch who loves noisy napping more than I love oxygen, subduing ambient noise through headphone tech can genuinely have an uplifting effect on your general mood.

And when it comes to trying to catch some kip on a dream vacation, nullifying noise is an absolute soul-lifting game-changer. And my set of Max cans didn’t just save my trip to Hawaii – they were also lifesavers in both New York’s Times Square and Tokyo. Now those are two cities that really have a creative interpretation of what constitutes sleep.

When it comes to the AirPods Max’s best in class noise-cancelling, Apple is top of the tree in my book. Those premium cans have improved the three best holidays of my 39 years on the spinning rock, and for that, my eardrums will be forever thankful to them.

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lexluthermiester Perhaps. Let's be honest, it would trivial to also do HD character models and give the user the option to switch between them. Otherwise, It's a piss poor showing and I'm not going to reward such lacking efforts with money.

You mean something like the Langrisser remake? At that level it would be closer to a remake: you have to make new character models and new animation both for the characters, animals, and skills which is the most time-consuming part... and would make the dev cost of the game higher, without the guarantee that some fans of the old hours wouldn't find the new presentation offensive. That release is banking on the nostalgia factor. Just look at the comment under the announcement trailer. And looking at how popular the HD 2D remake of Dragon Quest 3 is, the notalgia factor works. In Japan this was the second best-selling game on the PS5 for the year 2024. and that gameI really think that this style just don't cater to you, but isn't really an issue in the grand scheme of things. From what I could see on steam DB, that HD 2D remake had the highest peak players for a 2D JRPG ever, even beating out a few 3D masterpiece like [website] that Langrisser game had a more "HD look," I've seen many people who found the sprite "meh" at best. Clean-lined high-res chibi is also very hit or miss. The "Kawai" undertone for something that talks about war won't sit well with some people . That remake only had 400 players peak even though Langrisser I&II were cult games in their era. Right now, the Suidoken remaster has a better rating and over x10 the peak player count.

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