If someone told me "If you need more than 8GB you shouldn't be owning an iPhone" I'd hit them with my 32GB GS.
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A disappointing day for the MacBook Air. When will we see rev 3,1?
- Thread starter Scottsdale
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If someone told me "If you need more than 8GB you shouldn't be owning an iPhone" I'd hit them with my 32GB GS.
Seriously, just because some people are happy with the same 1000 songs doesn't mean the rest of us are.
Seriously, just because some people are happy with the same 1000 songs doesn't mean the rest of us are.
Or when half the songs you listen to are over 10 minutes, Apple's 1000 songs really isn't accurate.
Seriously, more space is good for everyone.
Or when half the songs you listen to are over 10 minutes, Apple's 1000 songs really isn't accurate.
Way back when I always said 1MB per minute when explaining how many songs could fit on the first iPod.
I was already in for the long haul, but I finally gave up waiting for an update to the MBA and broke down and bought a MBP 13 instead.
And that's a big step for me, considering how much I hated the junk display of the first unibody Macbook 13 that I bought. The ironic part is that the horrible display of the unibody Macbook 13 was what drove me to buy a Macbook Air (rev A) in the first place, since the screen on the MBA was perfect.
Then the bloody lines on the screens of rev Bs drove me back to the updated Macbook Pro 13.
I've pretty much given up on MBAs. The upcoming tablet or slate or whatnot will satisfy my portability needs. Anything else my MBP will handle.
Doesn't Apple still measure the iPod's capacity based on 128 kbps, rather than the now standard 256 kbps? Fishy to me.
Apple measures based on iTunes, not iTunes+ songs. Its only fishy if they tried to hide that info but its plainly written on their site.
MacBook Air
I am still using the first version of MBA launched 2 years ago. As a computer to be used at home, I really have nothing to complain. In terms of graphic display, if you load MBA with jobs MBA should be doing, I doubt why MBA would let you down.
It is a great machine that I have much more frustrations from my notebook PC which has faster CPU and graphic display cards.
I am still using the first version of MBA launched 2 years ago. As a computer to be used at home, I really have nothing to complain. In terms of graphic display, if you load MBA with jobs MBA should be doing, I doubt why MBA would let you down.
It is a great machine that I have much more frustrations from my notebook PC which has faster CPU and graphic display cards.
I haven't seen any threads about lines in a long time. Quite honestly, I had completely forgotten about the issue! Amazing as I was consumed by it when the new MBA was released in June. I can honestly say that my lines are gone and I don't know why. I saw a few MBAs recently and didn't see the lines either... WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? Let's all start some new line issue threads to tick MBA buyers off some more.
The MacBook Pros all have really nice displays for watching videos in a dark room. Other than that, I prefer the MBA displays.
The MacBook Pros all have really nice displays for watching videos in a dark room. Other than that, I prefer the MBA displays.
I haven't been following the MBA developments for quite a while, so if the line issue has gotten much better since then, that's great. When the new iMacs just came out, I stopped by the Apple store to check them out and looked at the two MBA machines on display. Both still had the lines even though they were the latest models.
The MBP screen is amazing though if you have control over the lighting in your workspace. Otherwise it's pretty much a mirror if the light is right behind you.
I love my MBA - it's the current model with the 2.13ghz and 128gb ssd.
the screen is bright and line free.
(that said, I did return for replacement the 1st RevC Apple sent me due to light bleed for top and bottom of led panel - but there were no questions asked and a most polite follow up phone call from the online sales dept)
I don't understand all the complaints about it except to say that some ppl seem obsessed with speed, change and the latest specs.
it's perfect for my daily use - as I'd imagine it would be for all other owners who purchased it knowing its capabilities and 'limitations'.
Horses for Courses.
I don't need to have all my 1000's of pix and tunes on the HDD at one time - that wot external HDD's are for.
I simply select the ones I want to show off/listen to this week/month.
I don't do home videos - but if I did, I'd have bought another Mac.
for writing (which I do a lot of); designing and maintaining websites; internet and email; it's ideal.
MactheRipper is as quick as I need it to be as are many other apps.
overall it's sleek, slim, fast and beautiful.
one has to remember that the Air is a specialised notebook aimed at a niche market. It's ideal for journalists, writers, travellers and sales road warriors
in the fullness of time we'll see a RevC - probably around Sept/Oct 2010.
for now, I'm most grateful and am enjoying what I have.
out of interest, a friend of mine it the US has the original RevA with the 64gb ssd - she travels the world with it; has written countless articles and is on her 2nd novel using it and sees no need to upgrade it in the forseeable future.
the screen is bright and line free.
(that said, I did return for replacement the 1st RevC Apple sent me due to light bleed for top and bottom of led panel - but there were no questions asked and a most polite follow up phone call from the online sales dept)
I don't understand all the complaints about it except to say that some ppl seem obsessed with speed, change and the latest specs.
it's perfect for my daily use - as I'd imagine it would be for all other owners who purchased it knowing its capabilities and 'limitations'.
Horses for Courses.
I don't need to have all my 1000's of pix and tunes on the HDD at one time - that wot external HDD's are for.
I simply select the ones I want to show off/listen to this week/month.
I don't do home videos - but if I did, I'd have bought another Mac.
for writing (which I do a lot of); designing and maintaining websites; internet and email; it's ideal.
MactheRipper is as quick as I need it to be as are many other apps.
overall it's sleek, slim, fast and beautiful.
one has to remember that the Air is a specialised notebook aimed at a niche market. It's ideal for journalists, writers, travellers and sales road warriors
in the fullness of time we'll see a RevC - probably around Sept/Oct 2010.
for now, I'm most grateful and am enjoying what I have.
out of interest, a friend of mine it the US has the original RevA with the 64gb ssd - she travels the world with it; has written countless articles and is on her 2nd novel using it and sees no need to upgrade it in the forseeable future.
A very well-reasoned and insightful post, Scottsdale. Expect the next Air notebook to have Arrandale, and expect it to come later than the 15/17" revisions that are probably early next year.
The current high-end processor in the Macbook Air consumes 17W. This is right in line with the coming Arrandale ultra-low voltage CPUs, which if I recall correctly are 18W. The 25W is not outside the realm of possibility, since that number includes the GPU--power consumption here is not as bad as it seems. The power/performance ratio for the 25W is much better than its 17W counterpart.
Now graphics are where we roll the dice a little bit. Worst case scenario is obviously to stick with the Intel IGP, but I would venture you see a discrete chip and graphics switching. ATi 4530 at the minimum, but quite possibly the upcoming 40nm "Park" upgrade (presumably the 5430) which should be out by then. The TDP of this chip should be almost exactly in line with the 12W 9400, and since the GPU on Arrandale would be completely disabled (and consuming almost nothing) the TDP would be able to match up with the current Air.
If you're lucky enough to see the 25W Arrandale + ATi 5430, it will definitely have been an upgrade worth waiting for. So here's to that and a second USB port as well!
The current high-end processor in the Macbook Air consumes 17W. This is right in line with the coming Arrandale ultra-low voltage CPUs, which if I recall correctly are 18W. The 25W is not outside the realm of possibility, since that number includes the GPU--power consumption here is not as bad as it seems. The power/performance ratio for the 25W is much better than its 17W counterpart.
Now graphics are where we roll the dice a little bit. Worst case scenario is obviously to stick with the Intel IGP, but I would venture you see a discrete chip and graphics switching. ATi 4530 at the minimum, but quite possibly the upcoming 40nm "Park" upgrade (presumably the 5430) which should be out by then. The TDP of this chip should be almost exactly in line with the 12W 9400, and since the GPU on Arrandale would be completely disabled (and consuming almost nothing) the TDP would be able to match up with the current Air.
If you're lucky enough to see the 25W Arrandale + ATi 5430, it will definitely have been an upgrade worth waiting for. So here's to that and a second USB port as well!
This +4GB RAM would make for a totally worthwhile upgrade. I'd expect the 256GB drive in there too, but I don't really need it (though I'm not an accurate representation of most people when it comes down to space requirements).
Than there will be a run for the MBA as all the people patiently (more or increasingly less, such as myself) waiting are running for the last available MBAs - if the tables is not more than a larger mobile browsing device.... Who wants to edit a paper in MS Word with a tablet...?
in the fullness of time we'll see a RevC - probably around Sept/Oct 2010.
for now, I'm most grateful and am enjoying what I have.
Not a chance. The MBA will see updates before March 2010 for CERTAIN! I absolutely guarantee it. And, if I am wrong and there is no update before March 2010, consider the MBA to be EOL! There is no way Apple is going to keep the same MBA for essentially two full years from Oct 2008 to Sep/Oct 2010. If they do, the MBA is done.
The white MacBook's design lasted for 3 years, and the Aluminum design lasted for a total of 5 years from the Powerbook to the MCB. Just because the design is 2 years old doesn't mean its EOL.
umm - the revC MBAir was released mid-2009 (June if I recall correctly); thus if the next revision came out late 2010 it would be just 14 months old.
that said, the average cycle time is 255 days according to Macrumors - so you could well be right my friend for a March '10 refresh!
(I'll have to hold off whenever the new release comes as I generally update after tax time and the refund comes in; which is around Aug/Sept)
I'll be hanging onto this Air for a few years yet though.
Good luck with your prediction - you owe me a beer if you're wrong
I absolutely meant the internals... was obvious to you and me at least. Look everyone, the MBA has been rev 2,1 since Oct 2008. Apple is not going to let it stay the same internally for two years. The 2.13 GHz CPU bump was simply Intel's bump to the SL9600. Nothing else has changed except tiny battery bump just to meet certain gold star ratings BS! I predict a new MBA v 3,1 by March of 2010 or the MBA is EOL!
Apple has either learned its lessons the hard way, or figured out how to make money on the MBA by now. After the disastrous start and the economy, I have no clue which will happen. But I do know the MBA isn't going to stick around as a rev 2,1 for two years. That much is obvious. All Mac notebooks in going on four years since the Intel switch have been updated at least every ten months (except the MBA which is now over one year). It's not going to be two years.
umm - the revC MBAir was released mid-2009 (June if I recall correctly); thus if the next revision came out late 2010 it would be just 14 months old.
that said, the average cycle time is 255 days according to Macrumors - so you could well be right my friend for a March '10 refresh!
(I'll have to hold off whenever the new release comes as I generally update after tax time and the refund comes in; which is around Aug/Sept)
I'll be hanging onto this Air for a few years yet though.
Good luck with your prediction - you owe me a beer if you're wrong
That's not true either... rev 2,1 is the rev B/C on these forums. It has been 95% the same MBA since Oct 2008! People here call it a rev C to clarify the processor bump only. The revision itself is still noted as 2,1 to Apple and all of us dorks just are begging for it to be different.
Or when half the songs you listen to are over 10 minutes, Apple's 1000 songs really isn't accurate.
Seriously, more space is good for everyone.
Or when all your songs are lossless and weigh in between 40MB and 150MB.
I just hope Apple doesn't pull another Mac mini-like delay on us.
I really do not understand why everyone wants such horsepower in an MBA. I chose an MBA because I travel frequently for work and any less weight to carry in my laptop bag is welcome to me. If I rarely traveled or only went to a coffee shop or something, I'd bring my MBP. I guess the question I have for people wanting all this horsepower is why did you require an MBA? Why didn't you buy a MB or MBP? My storage and memory needs were met for what I need to do while on the road, so I bought an MBA. If I needed 4GB of RAM and a 500GB HD, I'd have bought bought something else. You should too if that's what you need. Don't like the specs? Don't buy one. It's pretty simple.