what do think about the mba still having c2d? is now a good time to buy mba?
The MBA is incredibly capable... I cannot get over all of the C2D crying all over these forums. The MBA is so capable because Apple attacked the points that truly needed upgrades, and those don't include the CPU. We would all be amazed by Macs that get incredibly better over five years if we didn't have to worry about Intel's marketing of the CPU.
Intel would have everyone believe that the only way to make a computer faster is by installing a new Intel CPU. That is absurd, and the MBA is Apple's proof that Intel's marketing is absurd. Apple attacked the true bottleneck in today's computers, the drive and drive controller. In addition, it's software that takes advantage of hardware, and there is a world of opportunity there which Apple attacked with instant on technology.
Another problem with Intel's pitch is it knows it can sell chipsets to Apple when Apple switches beyond C2D. Intel has played disgustingly dirty, and I believe illegally pushed Nvidia out of the chipset market. The end result is we're all forced to use Intel's chipset even though Nvidia had a contract to be able to sell chipsets with Intel CPUs. Since Intel was losing business, all of Apple's low-end Mac business, it had to play dirty. It then played technicality cards and WE ARE THE LOSERS. Apple doesn't lose, we lose. We lose the capabilities of 5x GPU and we're forced to use USB 2.0 forever. I cannot believe the US JD hasn't acted upon Intel's obvious anti-competitive actions.
We don't need Core i7 CPUs... btw, when the MBA gets SB it will be Core i7 and not Core i3 others brag about. The MBA has always had a high end C2D CPU with 6MB L2 Cache which is a heck of a CPU. The replacements are Core i7 CPUs and not Core i3 nor i5. There are possibilities of some low voltage Core i5 CPUs making their way into MBAs, but I think it's obvious that Apple is going to use a quality CPU in the MBA.
I would be happy with C2D in the next MBA, but that isn't going to happen. I would be happy with Apple just updating the backlit keyboard, RAM, and USB 3.0 on the MBA... but that's not going to happen either. What is going to happen? I guess Core i7 Ivy Bridge has to be the front runner. I believe Apple will use the C2D and Nvidia 320m in the exact same MBA until January 2012, but if it could get IB earlier that would be great (I have no clue on that roadmap). I think IB will bring more capable IGP.
The problem with the SB HD3000 IGP is in the low voltage and ultra low voltage variants the MBAs use, it's running at about 65% clock speed according to what I have read... what does that mean??? It means much slower graphics than the SB 13" MBP standard voltage 35W CPUs have. I don't think Apple can put a 35W CPU in the MBA, but perhaps that is where I am wrong. In addition, if Apple did use the 35W Sandy Bridge CPU in the 13" MBA it would eliminate the problems I am suggesting with the Intel IGP in low voltage variants.
I would like to believe AMD is in the hunt for the low voltage Macs. AMD has some amazing CPUs coming down their roadmap. These CPUs have on die IGPs that are quite amazingly capable... perhaps even 5x the Intel IGP in the same TDP envelopes. I would say AMD is possibly a more likely candidate than Sandy Bridge in an MBA update due to the graphics. I also believe that Apple would introduce this AMD chip and chipset, so we wouldn't necessarily see it coming in AMD's roadmaps. Now, the big problem with this theory is Thunderbolt. It is surely in Apple's plans, so AMD isn't likely either.
There is one last option... discrete GPUs. With Intel's SB, Apple could use an AMD discrete GPU at as little as 7W. Before people say no, we read rumors of Apple using ultra low voltage CPUs and overclocking them by disabling the IGP. So Apple could use a Core i7 SB ultra low voltage CPU at 17W, and use its capabilities all the way up to the turbo boost speeds when needed. This is 17W of CPU, 7W GPU, and uses an Intel chipset so Thunderbolt makes the grade here. Will it fit??? I don't know??? Probably not, but if Apple could do it would they accept the costs? Probably not.
In my estimation, Apple has to wait until Ivy Bridge to update the MBAs. I don't believe the MBA can take a 35W CPU, but I could be wrong. I don't believe Apple would accept the low voltage Sandy Bridge's IGP in the 13" MBP and even worse would be the ultra low voltage Sandy Bridge in 11" MBAs. Perhaps Apple could use low voltage in the 11" MBAs though due to the savings in TDP.
The biggest problem with waiting for Ivy Bridge is feeling outdated with C2D CPUS??? Would Apple care? I don't think so. I would guess maybe 5% of MBA buyers actually would care or wouldn't buy an MBA until it gets a Core i-series CPU. Most of those people aren't factoring in the problem of the difference in Intel's IGP in low and ultra low voltage CPUs. I just don't think there's a reason to hurry here. Look, Apple is updating its MacBook Pros once per year... why would it rush to update the MBA? Apple is reversing trends and updating less and less. It used to be the MBP got at least spec bumps every six months or so, but now it's 11 months plus!
I think the natural time for an MBA update would be October 2011. That is before Christmas and perfect timing. Will Intel have Ivy Bridge available by then even for Apple? Maybe (I don't know Intel's roadmap or if it would rush for Apple). However, I doubt the MBA gets updated until January 2012 or when the Ivy Bridge chips are ready and the IGP becomes more capable.
I wouldn't hesitate one bit in recommending anyone to buy an MBA right now. If I had to buy a Mac right now, I would buy another MBA. I believe the current MBA is the best Mac ever for normal users. The top 5% that do professional CPU/GPU intensive work don't use MBAs but Mac Pros. The current MBA is faster than any other Mac right now that 95% of MBA users would use for "normal" standard duty uses. Think about what you use your computer for and when you're actually waiting on it... starting up, opening apps, transferring files, depending on Internet connection speeds, and the list goes on. For the top 5% that actually need MORE POWER, the MBA isn't right for them. For all the rest, the MBA, with its C2D CPU and mighty capable NAND Flash storage, incredible software, 4GB RAM, and etc, is faster than anything else available stock from Apple right now.
Don't hate on the MBA just because it has a C2D CPU in it... realistically, it's faster for the average user than all of the other Macs in NORMAL uses that average users usually wait on their computer for. People will wait less on the MBA than any other Mac if they're in the normal user range who doesn't need faster CPUs to calculate things because they're doing relatively non-intensive tasks, and the C2D is still mighty capable.
I wouldn't wait for Sandy Bridge, as I don't believe it even makes it into the MBA. Wait for Ivy Bridge??? Do you really need it? The current MBA is incredibly capable, even with C2D CPUs. The people here talking about SB CPUS aren't the normal MBA buyers. I don't believe MBA buyers give a darn about the CPU, as if they test it out in the Apple store they will see even the 1.4GHz is incredibly fast. THE CPU DOES NOT MAKE THE COMPUTER! The computer uses the CPU along with all of the other components along with great software to make the users' experience incredible... and the MBA does it better than the rest!
