Inside of Israel proper is a democracy with almost full equality and an Arab Israeli population who is not only keeping up with Israelis overall rapidly increasing standard of living but gaining ground. The Gazans have 0 Jews among them. They live in misery after the withdrawal because they have been unwilling to live in peace. Most of the West Bank is arguably a military dictatorship on issues of defense. But even here the areas that Israel inhabits has very little Palestinians population. The population centers where the Palestinians live (Areas A and B) are self governing.

Israel is not an apartheid state. People just like to make up crap about Jews.

They are mostly taken way out of context and grossly distorted. On top of that the Talmud itself is a collection of debates and offhand comments. Saying something is in the Talmud is a lot like saying it is in Federalist papers, it is not saying it is a point of law.

So for example to take one of the less offensive ones touching wine makes it unclean. The context there is that wine blessed to an idol isn't kosher. As a Jew if you are ambiguous whether wine has or has not been blessed to an idol don't drink it. That's the meaning. The above has it appear as racist when the discussion in context is not shockingly about wine not about gentiles.

The MacBook is for those people who want an ultra-light portable with a retina display and care about nothing else

That's fair. Which IMHO is very similar to what the Air was like 7 years ago. The Air when it came out was all about thinner and lighter. The iPad's big distinction was thinner and lighter. I don't like Apple's obsession with thin and light but I have to admit it seems to be something people really really like.

You're basically getting an $899 MacBook Air with a retina display. Now, again, I won't short change the retina display, but that's pretty much the only thing that is "better" about the MacBook. Everything else is either worse or equal.

Ye you are getting: thinner, lighter and retina we agree. I should say, even though I don't care much about thin and light, retina, I know from experience, matters a lot I do think that's worth the price difference. Now that I've used retina I'd pay double for it. I spend a lot of time looking at the screen having it be extra sharp makes computing much more pleasant. I can imagine that the weight and size of the macbook might be getting down to the level where you can carry it around in a binder. Business cards, pen, pad for quick notes, and computer when I need to do something detailed. That's a nice setup. Might even be worth enough to get me to go back to a desktop + laptop setup. I've been thinking about a iPad + keyboard for much the same reason.

OTOH f I still have to carry a bag then they can add an extra pound or two and I don't care. Certainly I think the Mac Pro is the far far better computer. Apple is offering genuine choice. One person wants a Mac but can't afford so they go with the Air. If thin and light matters a ton, the MacBook becomes a no brainer. If thin and light is important, and retina is important but neither is critical then the person has a choice Air vs. Macbook. If they need ports Air vs. Pro....

How are you on the corporate network when you are plugging directly into a piece of networking equipment to do serial? You aren't really on a network at all when you are doing that.

I'm saying have 2 laptops. 1 for using serial connections and one for other work.

I see Thunderbolt get used for DAS. I also see it get used a lot for ethernet and firewire. getting ethernet, firewire and high-speed down to one port is a success.

I have a retina pro. I plug my external speakers into my retina. I don't use an external screen or keyboard anymore but I do still use an external HD for time machine and external speakers for sound quality. Those require the jack though I suspect there are now USB options.

I have a retina pro. I have to hookup my external DVD drive about once every 2 mo (rip CDs to iTunes mainly). And if I had it I'd be using it more often. Worth the space for me, but I can see how that's the exception and becoming rarer.

Thunderbolt customers are mainly mac pro customers. Apple is clearly killing it off like they did with firewire but I suspect there will be a transition. I can still use firewire with my pro and a $20 adaptor that Apple makes.

Why not just use an old laptop that has serial for this?

I have the macbook retina. When I need wired ethernet I use the adaptor. Not a big deal. If a company needs to install adapters on desks that's a drop in the ocean next to the cost of renting and maintaining real estate.

Why is the need for the apple smartphone a problem? Most people carry their phones with them to most places. You can assume a phone is available except for exercise, shower..

The cost to service a Rolex every 5 years, and yes they need oil, is about the same as the as the price of an Apple Watch.

I have my doubts about that graphical aspect too. I bought the first generation macboot retina which had the external Nvidia 650. I can quite often see lag and I don't have great eyes. Though the problem is diminishing as the OS and applications are more uniformally becoming retina aware and thus smarter about using the screen.

As for the power I'd expect so. Apple devices deliver very good battery life. Not what's claimed but better than the battery life of most other products, moreover the advantages of the OS and applications designed to support battery life just keep compounding.

As for the status symbol. This fits their idea of a lineup each one a few hundred more:
good = macbook air
better = macbook (retina)
best = macbook pro retina

It wasn't. This expansion was caused by a bunch of Republican judges who liked patent law. It has been a disaster for software. What we need is black letter law from congress on software patents. This isn't particularly partisan so I don't see why congress can't just do this.

Google has tried to step into these suits. The problem legally is that Google doesn't sell Android licenses per device so it is unclear if there is a patent violation if they are the ones doing it. This is another area where the legal status of open source is ambiguous.