I have been using Apple products since 1984 with my first Macintosh computer with a black and white 5" monitor. What seemed amazing at the time is merely a relic now. Yet now, as then, Apple keeps the excitement and innovation alive in the MacBook 12" Laptop. This has replaced both my desktop and my MacBook Pro 13" for several reasons. First I don't do graphics and I am not a gamer. If those are priorities for you then you would be better served by either one of the MacBook Pro Laptops or one of the iMac desktops with more processing power. But for the majority of users who use their computers every day in a multitude of ways, this is the ideal computer. At just 2lbs., this is a joy for taking with you wherever you go, almost the same weight as an iPad. However don't be fooled. This is a very powerful and fast computer that is more computer than device. Some of my favorite features are its easy portability, amazing Retina display and unique color schemes. I chose gold because I like the black Tech21 protective shell and the black exterior against the gold interior is very sexy yet professional and a real eye catcher. For the first time in my many years with Apple computers, I have actually used one of the Apple logo stickers that come with every Apple laptop. The sticker is gold like the laptop and I neatly place it where the logo normally shines through on the MacBook Pro laptops. May sound tacky, but it isn't. Looks as if it came from the factory like this. Which begs the question "Why not?!?". When I get home from work, I take my MacBook out of my backpack, put it on my desk at home and connect it to my beautiful Ultrawide Curved 4K monitor. The MacBook supports this seamlessly and honestly I cannot tell the difference between this and the amazing 27" iMac 5K retina that this set-up replaced. Also, once you get used to it, the low island style keyboard lends itself to faster typing (at least for me) and is much more forgiving as the keys are wider than the traditional Apple Keyboard and there is no dissipation of light from the center out to the edges due to the fact that each individual key is lit separately. I bought the upgraded version primarily for the extra storage, but I have used both and there is very little difference in performance. For me, this computer is a game changer in laptop computers. Once again Apple is light years ahead of its competitors in quality, design and performance. I highly recommend this laptop to everyone from the casual user to the more advanced users.