In the old days, narrower tyres were lighter, higher pressure and had lower air resistance so were quicker. Big balloon tyres were heavy, cheaply made and cumbersome.
Schwalbe applied some high tech to balloon tyres and made the Big Apple. It has the flexy sidewall of a racing tyre so is very efficient and fairly lightweight. I think is it a bit more efficient than Marathon in similar sizes. My bike came with 26x 2.0" (thinner) size and it is great for rough roads, cobbles, a bit of decent trail and it is fairly speedy for cruising around town. It is not a tyre I would choose for long distance, for going as fast as possible or for slippery surfaces.