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Advice: Wait For Better Processor?
- Thread starter John25
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the c2d is ALREADY obsolete... will it still work for you in 2 years..sure, it will only be a 6 year old CPU tech by then... and we all know Tech never changes that fast...
You're paying for a $1700 machine and getting a already 4 year old CPU??
PASS
stop listening to the apple fanboys who rationalize it as being an OK purchase.. when the competition is using i cores which is the CURRENT tech...
i waited 2 years for an update and got nothing to have waited for... Hell they even took away the backlighting...
FAIL FAIL FAIL
again I repeat.. a $1500 plus machine with 4 year old outdated tech... justify that!!!
HAH you cant and you know it!!
You're paying for a $1700 machine and getting a already 4 year old CPU??
PASS
stop listening to the apple fanboys who rationalize it as being an OK purchase.. when the competition is using i cores which is the CURRENT tech...
i waited 2 years for an update and got nothing to have waited for... Hell they even took away the backlighting...
FAIL FAIL FAIL
again I repeat.. a $1500 plus machine with 4 year old outdated tech... justify that!!!
HAH you cant and you know it!!
One of the most uneducated responses thus far. First it's $1700 then it became $1500?
Anyhow... mine was $1200 and I got a 11" that's smaller than ANY PC or any other portable on the market.
For me, I need a laptop for when I travel (weekly) that can accomplish any business as well as personal tasks. The C2D is not "legacy" technology, it's just that the guy who posted above has fallen victim to the marketing companies that say you can't use your computer unless it's the latest and greatest processor.
If you are a video editor, or need to do photoshop rendering, or anything else processor intensive, this computer may not be for you, but no 11" or 13" is going to be your primary computer anyhow.
Not sure why guys like this feel the need to put down the system... maybe they can't afford it? Maybe they want one computer that is their primary and portable, in which case this may not be the system for them? But for the 90% of mac users who surf the web, word process, watch movies, photoshop, etc, this computers specs are 4x what's "minimum" ... if you want to play World of Warcraft, yeah, it might not be the best option.
STOP posting misinformation because you only confuse people. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, especially considering it's 2-3 the specs of the most powerful iPad, which many people use as their portable device... so to say it's somehow substandard just shows your lack of technological knowledge.
Seriously, though, apart from the pony, the Ivy Bridge platform may well make it possible in about a year or so to get 320m-style graphics performance and Core i-series processor performance in a ULV chip. SSDs will naturally continue to get cheaper and become more commonplace (on the Windows side, as well as the Mac side). The rumor is that Apple is satisfied with the Sandy Bridge platform (Ivy Bridge's predecessor), which is coming out in January at CES. It might be a lateral move overall, since it provides a GHz-for-GHz boost in processing power, but supposedly only provides NVIDIA 9400m-style graphics performance. That said, it might be enough to Apple to make the move, since it would eliminate the objection that they are using "old" technology in the soon-to-be-discontinued Core 2 Duo while providing acceptable enough graphics performance. That would not have been possible with the current Core i3 or i7 ULV, which have very poor graphics performance (equivalent to average GPUs from 3-4 years ago).
Sure seems like lots of people are loving the "old technology" enough to buy a MBA... myself included.
Part of it is a function of hardware advancing faster than software. Let's face it. Even a $300 netbook has more processing power than a high-end PC from 10 years ago, and we were on the Internet, making slick presentations, listening to music, etc. on our computers back then.
The Core i-series chips, particularly the i5 and i7, provide some real improvements over the Core 2 Duo. However, a lot of software still hasn't even been optimized to take advantage of 2 cores, let alone the 4-8 "virtual" cores in the i5/i7, and a lot of everyday software doesn't need that power.
Hard core gamers would be better off with more powerful notebooks, as would those who really need the fastest processors. That said, even older technology is adequate for many of us, particularly those who are looking at ultraportables.
Well said. If an i3\i5\i7 MB Air comes out, I'll upgrade, but what's available is entirely acceptable for just about anyone, as like you said software doesn't demand any more. The only reason people think they need more is because they listen to the marketing hype.
Lexus has built in driver and passenger seat-warmers, and in Hawaii they sell lots of them, yet nobody uses the feature. People see what's available as what's requisite, even if they never use it.
So true. There's always going to be a new something to entice everyone to upgrade. The next must have. But you live in today and what else are you going to get today that's a better package? If the MBA is the best for you, then get it now... and its still really new to the market yet in its product cycle.
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Haha yeah the thing is I don't really NEED it, although it would make things easier since my old MBP is starting to slow down and the battery is horrible! So tempting!
Haha yeah the thing is I don't really NEED it, although it would make things easier since my old MBP is starting to slow down and the battery is horrible! So tempting!
I have the ultimate air and I had some of the same reservations. This is my first Apple computer and I love it. I was opening programs side by side comparing it with my mother in laws Macbook pro, 2.4ghz 4GB ram SATA HDD and it was quite a bit faster opening any application on the computer. I realize there are many variables here but I am very happy with mine and don't feel in anyway that speed is compromised by the processor, the solid state storage is nice too.
Just to clarify, i'm not one of the sickening types of fanboy of which there are plenty here I agree, but then you'd expect that given it's a Apple forum.
However, I think you are being rather irrational in your comments to be honest. Using the expression obselete means by definition that it doesn't perform the task it was designed for, which the MBA does do with it's current processor and will do for a good few years to come. So you're wrong, it's not obselete.
Also, please do tell me where I can buy a brand new laptop where every bit of technology inside it is not "old" because I bet you can't.
You're getting too hung up on the numbers, it's what the final product performs like that matters, and there are no problems there with the MBA.
The rumor is that Apple is satisfied with the Sandy Bridge platform (Ivy Bridge's predecessor), which is coming out in January at CES. It might be a lateral move overall, since it provides a GHz-for-GHz boost in processing power, but supposedly only provides NVIDIA 9400m-style graphics performance. That said, it might be enough to Apple to make the move, since it would eliminate the objection that they are using "old" technology in the soon-to-be-discontinued Core 2 Duo while providing acceptable enough graphics performance. That would not have been possible with the current Core i3 or i7 ULV, which have very poor graphics performance (equivalent to average GPUs from 3-4 years ago).
I don't think that is the case. I believe the Sandy Bridge graphics core is quite a bit better than the 9400m and is quite comparable to the 320M. If they get the drivers right, I imagine it should meet or exceed the 320M.
I've heard conflicting data on that. Certainly if it puts out 320m-like numbers, there would be no reason for Apple not to put the chip into the next MacBook Air and Mac Mini since it would provide a CPU boost while maintaining power usage and graphics performance.
I have been using the 13"/2.1Ghz/256Gb MBA for about a month now and all I can say is that it is an incredible machine, just what I have been waiting for.
It is very responsive, to the point that with simple, non cpu-intensive tasks it feels quicker than my i7 iMac. Of course, you will notice a significant difference when it gets down to some heavy lifting. I have just recompiled my whole LAMP system on both machines and the speed difference became obvious.
In any case the MBA handled the job just as well. I also have to run XP in Vmware Fusion, no problem with that either.
I am really, really pleased and still very surprised at the capabilities of this brilliant little machine. Display is gorgeous, battery life is more than acceptable, I get at least 4 hours running on a medium to heavy load. I don't miss the CD at all, the extra USB and the SD slot are really handy. What I would recommend is getting the USB-Ethernet adapter, it has saved me a lot of time transferring Gigabytes from the NAS and the iMac over to the MBA. And it is LIGHT. Seriously light. And dead quiet too.
Fans did start up on some Flash based sites (more than during heavy compiling!), but they aren't noisy at all, one can just barely hear them.
I don't remember being as satisfied and pleased about a PC in a long, long time.
To the OP: You will absolutely love the MBA2010!
Regards,
Claudio
It is very responsive, to the point that with simple, non cpu-intensive tasks it feels quicker than my i7 iMac. Of course, you will notice a significant difference when it gets down to some heavy lifting. I have just recompiled my whole LAMP system on both machines and the speed difference became obvious.
In any case the MBA handled the job just as well. I also have to run XP in Vmware Fusion, no problem with that either.
I am really, really pleased and still very surprised at the capabilities of this brilliant little machine. Display is gorgeous, battery life is more than acceptable, I get at least 4 hours running on a medium to heavy load. I don't miss the CD at all, the extra USB and the SD slot are really handy. What I would recommend is getting the USB-Ethernet adapter, it has saved me a lot of time transferring Gigabytes from the NAS and the iMac over to the MBA. And it is LIGHT. Seriously light. And dead quiet too.
Fans did start up on some Flash based sites (more than during heavy compiling!), but they aren't noisy at all, one can just barely hear them.
I don't remember being as satisfied and pleased about a PC in a long, long time.
To the OP: You will absolutely love the MBA2010!
Regards,
Claudio
i'm interested in the air. My concern is how long the c2d will be supported by apple (i expect 2-5 years from this purchase).
Anyone run Ableton Live on their MBA?
Anyone run Ableton Live on their MBA?
I have this processor on my model Mr. Coffee 12 Cup Brewer, but it's a 2008 model. Guess I better upgrade to the latest and greatest, because surely I "NEED" it right? ;-)
How many ARM-powered devices (like the iPad) will be around in 2 years?
How many iPads will see regular use on the internet?
How many of them will be faster than today's MacBook Airs?
^ From Wikipedia.
Anyway, I'll throw my hat into the "waiting" pile. More than anything I want the backlit keyboard they decided to yank out of the MBA. My current Rev. C MBA has it, and I won't upgrade again until Apple puts the backlit keyboard back into the MBA.
I agree with you 100%! I'm very happy with my MBA 11", for what I wanted it for travel, etc. I have an iMac 27" i7 for anything else!