Since it's just $100 to get 250 -> 500 GB and Touch ID, I think it's okay.
replyIt means people who need the cheapest computer can get it, and people who want to upgrade pay a small amount and get all the upgrades in a package without jumping up to the MacBook Air, etc. for much more.
I bet there are some paranoid people out there who will love that no touch-ID means no way for law enforcement to compel you to unlock the device.
replyYou could just not set it up don't add your finger.
replyI would say "No keyboard backlighting" is a true show-stopper for a huge portion of the target audience (students).
replyMy experience with students (outside of engineering) is that the most common show stopper for MacBooks is price. They’re not nit picking about keyboard backlighting.
replyMost people have no problem using a keyboard in the dark or with light from the screen.
Backlit keyboards are a nice-to-have, not a showstopper.
Learned touch typing just fine on a non-backlit keyboard. What would you feel would be the issue?
replyCan't see the keys in a dark classroom or bedroom.
replyI think different people will have one feature they feel should have been kept (other than the ram which is universal). For me not so much the Touch ID but the backlit keyboard.
replyAgree on the Touch ID. Love that feature for passwords etc.
replyNot terribly happy about the USB 2.0 port as well