I haven't tried this yet but as a regular VirtualBox user now on several different platforms, I would suspect that under a situation where you're not depending on the VM for a lot of graphics acceleration or sub-ms-level latency (games, for example, or _possibly_ video editing/composting), this macbook would handle it just fine. So for the uses you're describing she should be happy.
FYI the new version of Office for Mac will be out soon (preview is available now for free) if that's what you're referring to when you say "bad OSX experience."
Thanks for the feedback. I have a 2012 rMBP 15". I use Windows 7 VM in VirtualBox primarily for Tableau and large Excel files. I noticed the fan runs continuously and MBP gets hot while using VM. I am concern that if something similar happens on new MacBook w/o fans, it might be cooked. Both MS Office and Tableau are terrible on OSX. My wife is more concerned with Quicken. She prefers Quicken for Windows.
I don't think you have to worry about the chip getting too hot unless it turns out there is a serious manufacturing defect. This chip is quite unlike the ones in earlier MacBooks and is closer in efficiency and thermal performance to a chip you'd find in a phone or tablet. So it'll just throttle down for a bit, not fry, no matter what you throw at it.
Plus, once you have a chip that efficient, it simplifies your heat dissipation... a lot of times you'll have people put chips that really aren't made for laptops in because they are relying on the air flow to cool it to compensate, but air flow can be very unreliable. And that is the exact situation you have with some of the more notorious heat problems of other laptops. If however you have a good chip, and know it can't exceed X heat generation, and its low enough you can passively cool it, that's actually much more reliable... there's nothing mysterious about how much heat can be transferred from a chip to the piece of metal touching it, and the rate at which it transfers (note sturdiness and looks is not the only reason the case is metal). So in a lot of ways this device is actually far more thermally dependable than most actively cooled laptops, even though it'd seem to be the opposite at first glance.
As an aside, have you tried Win 8 for your VM? If you can deal with the UI, Win 8 is about 20% more efficient than 7 due to changes made for tablet support in 8. If you're running 8 in a VM and the VM is on a laptop and you're having heat issues, switching might be particularly beneficial. Also, consider VMWare Fusion or Parallels... I use VirtualBox myself but there's no question that the native Mac versions of the 2 main commercial VMs are going to be more efficient and give you less heat problems on day to day tasks.
Thanks for clarification on toasted chips. You just persuaded me to buy the new Macbook instead of 13"rMBP for her. We have been waiting for Retina to come out on Air weight/size format to buy new laptop for her.
I just can't get used to Win 8 interface. My wife uses Win 8 desktop. Anytime she asks me to troubleshoot issues on her desktop, I just cringe and become frustrated. I used Parallels and VMware Fusion before switching to VirtualBox. VMware asked for more money for compatible version with Yosemite. So, I finally gave up and switched to VirtualBox. I don't use Windows/other VMs often enough so VirtualBox is good enough.
/edit P.S. Adding this one line, as I forget if you mentioned this, but have your wife try out the laptop in the stores. The keyboard is awesome but may not be for everyone. Someone who used an Air for a long time shouldn't have any issues but I would definitely try it first just to be sure.
My pleasure.
I was in a similar situation, using the 2011 13.3 Air for years as a secondary device (being what I guess others would consider a "power user" I have always kept available a bitching desktop and/or (now) a bunch of cloud VMs, depending on the task), super happy with it (my Air is the best laptop I've ever owned, having started in about 1998), but wanting to upgrade, and watching the last Apple keynote in anticipation of a Retina Air. And I'm very happy with the new MB. It's not quite what I was expecting but if the form factor and power suits your needs, it's great.
Whew. That a was quite the run-on sentence.
Anyway, regarding Win8, I have to use it at work a lot and I feel your pain, it's pretty damned awkward at times. My experience so far is that the best way to navigate it is to a) use the search facility on the Start Screen to access your usual stuff (similar to OSX searchlight, so, Windows key to get to the Start Screen and then just start typing out the application or file name... its kind of awesome when it works) and b) set the OS to default to the desktop view on boot, in which case it's almost exactly the same as 7. The best way to look at it IMO is that Win8 = a more efficient Win 7 kernel + a mobile/tablet/metro API + a new UI start screen. Once you get past that it's surprisingly good.
Comments
I haven't tried this yet but as a regular VirtualBox user now on several different platforms, I would suspect that under a situation where you're not depending on the VM for a lot of graphics acceleration or sub-ms-level latency (games, for example, or _possibly_ video editing/composting), this macbook would handle it just fine. So for the uses you're describing she should be happy.
FYI the new version of Office for Mac will be out soon (preview is available now for free) if that's what you're referring to when you say "bad OSX experience."
Thanks for the feedback. I have a 2012 rMBP 15". I use Windows 7 VM in VirtualBox primarily for Tableau and large Excel files. I noticed the fan runs continuously and MBP gets hot while using VM. I am concern that if something similar happens on new MacBook w/o fans, it might be cooked. Both MS Office and Tableau are terrible on OSX. My wife is more concerned with Quicken. She prefers Quicken for Windows.
I don't think you have to worry about the chip getting too hot unless it turns out there is a serious manufacturing defect. This chip is quite unlike the ones in earlier MacBooks and is closer in efficiency and thermal performance to a chip you'd find in a phone or tablet. So it'll just throttle down for a bit, not fry, no matter what you throw at it.
Plus, once you have a chip that efficient, it simplifies your heat dissipation... a lot of times you'll have people put chips that really aren't made for laptops in because they are relying on the air flow to cool it to compensate, but air flow can be very unreliable. And that is the exact situation you have with some of the more notorious heat problems of other laptops. If however you have a good chip, and know it can't exceed X heat generation, and its low enough you can passively cool it, that's actually much more reliable... there's nothing mysterious about how much heat can be transferred from a chip to the piece of metal touching it, and the rate at which it transfers (note sturdiness and looks is not the only reason the case is metal). So in a lot of ways this device is actually far more thermally dependable than most actively cooled laptops, even though it'd seem to be the opposite at first glance.
As an aside, have you tried Win 8 for your VM? If you can deal with the UI, Win 8 is about 20% more efficient than 7 due to changes made for tablet support in 8. If you're running 8 in a VM and the VM is on a laptop and you're having heat issues, switching might be particularly beneficial. Also, consider VMWare Fusion or Parallels... I use VirtualBox myself but there's no question that the native Mac versions of the 2 main commercial VMs are going to be more efficient and give you less heat problems on day to day tasks.
Thanks for clarification on toasted chips. You just persuaded me to buy the new Macbook instead of 13"rMBP for her. We have been waiting for Retina to come out on Air weight/size format to buy new laptop for her.
I just can't get used to Win 8 interface. My wife uses Win 8 desktop. Anytime she asks me to troubleshoot issues on her desktop, I just cringe and become frustrated. I used Parallels and VMware Fusion before switching to VirtualBox. VMware asked for more money for compatible version with Yosemite. So, I finally gave up and switched to VirtualBox. I don't use Windows/other VMs often enough so VirtualBox is good enough.
/edit P.S. Adding this one line, as I forget if you mentioned this, but have your wife try out the laptop in the stores. The keyboard is awesome but may not be for everyone. Someone who used an Air for a long time shouldn't have any issues but I would definitely try it first just to be sure.
My pleasure.
I was in a similar situation, using the 2011 13.3 Air for years as a secondary device (being what I guess others would consider a "power user" I have always kept available a bitching desktop and/or (now) a bunch of cloud VMs, depending on the task), super happy with it (my Air is the best laptop I've ever owned, having started in about 1998), but wanting to upgrade, and watching the last Apple keynote in anticipation of a Retina Air. And I'm very happy with the new MB. It's not quite what I was expecting but if the form factor and power suits your needs, it's great.
Whew. That a was quite the run-on sentence.
Anyway, regarding Win8, I have to use it at work a lot and I feel your pain, it's pretty damned awkward at times. My experience so far is that the best way to navigate it is to a) use the search facility on the Start Screen to access your usual stuff (similar to OSX searchlight, so, Windows key to get to the Start Screen and then just start typing out the application or file name... its kind of awesome when it works) and b) set the OS to default to the desktop view on boot, in which case it's almost exactly the same as 7. The best way to look at it IMO is that Win8 = a more efficient Win 7 kernel + a mobile/tablet/metro API + a new UI start screen. Once you get past that it's surprisingly good.
But yeah, I feel your pain.