CNET claims June for new MBA release?

[EspressoLove]

I'm happy with my 2.13 Ghz 13" MBA right now.
I have and enjoy it now - that's what counts!

So, it's only my lust for 11" might push me to "upgrade" this year .... and only if they add SD reader and keyboard backlight

But a year from now, I certainly will be happy to switch to Intel GPU
I hear it'll be much upgraded in Ivy Bridge - twice as fast and stuff

 

[Sounds Good]

i5 or i7 CPU combined with 512 GB of storage would be frickin' amazing. Throw in an anti-glare display and a backlit keyboard and I would just about roll over and die.

If they made a Macbook Air with i5 plus 512 GB of storage and a backlit keyboard... even I might buy it!

 

[robeddie]

The other models most obviously have more room for it. The Macbook Air doesn't, and Apple probably decided it wasn't worth bothering with for this model. For the other models with a lot more space, no reason not to if the space is there. But once you run into space constraints it is pretty easy to peg as one of the first things to be cut out.

I don't buy it.

Again, the link:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/the-macbook-airs-biggest-omission-keyboard-backlight/8945

 

[bcaslis]

I don't buy it.

Again, the link:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/the-macbook-airs-biggest-omission-keyboard-backlight/8945

So your link is to an article where the writer has no clue why it wasn't done? Not very useful. Again, I don't get why people don't get this. A backlight keyboard takes more room. Not a lot but some. The new MBAs are thinner with larger batteries than the first. Seems pretty reasonable it wouldn't fit. Note this is Apple, which do you think they would chose, thinner or a backlight keyboard?

 

[robeddie]

So your link is to an article where the writer has no clue why it wasn't done? Not very useful. Again, I don't get why people don't get this. A backlight keyboard takes more room. Not a lot but some. The new MBAs are thinner with larger batteries than the first. Seems pretty reasonable it wouldn't fit. Note this is Apple, which do you think they would chose, thinner or a backlight keyboard?

Cool. Then in a couple months, when the new macbook air is released and its as thin, or thinner than the current model AND includes a backlit keyboard, you'll come back here and admit you were ignorant, right?

 

[Edmoil12]

If you're alluding to the theory that Apple took it out to 'differentiate' it from the macbook pro's, I still don't get that concept.

I mean, if you want to differentiate your higher end products from the lower end ones, you ADD features to the higher end one. You DON'T remove features that were once standard for years on the lower end machine.

***It's like if Ford all the sudden removed air conditioning on all but their high end cars - saying that's a 'luxary' feature for their high end vehicles. We'd ALL cry BULL.....!!! Same thing has happened with the MBA.

I definitely disagree with you there. Many companies will remove features to differentiate their product lineups, and provide an incentive to buy high end products. Think Intel, could add hyperthreading and turbo boost to every processor they make for a relatively small cost, but they don't and disable features so they can market you an i7 or i5 instead of a 'lowly' i3. Think auto makers, many will offer a bigger engine along with many low cost trim upgrades as a 'sport' package. They could include all of those minor upgrades in the lower models, but they don't because it creates a stronger incentive to pay for an upgrade.

With Apple, the biggest reason the macbook air doesn't have a backlit keyboard or 4GB of ram is to save costs to keep their margins up. Also it creates an incentive for people to buy a more expensive macbook pro, or pay $100 extra for the 4GB of ram. Plus, it gives them another selling feature if they decide to bring it back later. Remember when apple removed the buttons from the iPod shuffle, only to promote how great they are when they brought them back?

If apple thinks that the savings they get by removing the backlit keyboard are greater than the lost customers/profits from removing it, then they are better off.

 

[robeddie]

I definitely disagree with you there. Many companies will remove features to differentiate their product lineups, and provide an incentive to buy high end products. Think Intel, could add hyperthreading and turbo boost to every processor they make for a relatively small cost, but they don't and disable features so they can market you an i7 or i5 instead of a 'lowly' i3. Think auto makers, many will offer a bigger engine along with many low cost trim upgrades as a 'sport' package. They could include all of those minor upgrades in the lower models, but they don't because it creates a stronger incentive to pay for an upgrade.

With Apple, the biggest reason the macbook air doesn't have a backlit keyboard or 4GB of ram is to save costs to keep their margins up. Also it creates an incentive for people to buy a more expensive macbook pro, or pay $100 extra for the 4GB of ram. Plus, it gives them another selling feature if they decide to bring it back later. Remember when apple removed the buttons from the iPod shuffle, only to promote how great they are when they brought them back?

If apple thinks that the savings they get by removing the backlit keyboard are greater than the lost customers/profits from removing it, then they are better off.

All I'm saying is that if, in the event Apple, or ANY other company REMOVES once-standard features ... to later then call them 'luxary' features ... those companies deserve a big round of boos from us - the consumers. That's a pathetic and cynical way to try to goose sales for your higher end products.

 

[HelloPanda]

What if Apple puts regular Sandy Bridge Processors instead of ULVs. Then, would anyone here consider getting one? Toshiba did it, and they're getting 8+ hours of battery life on their Portege line. CNET has been gushing over Toshiba's Portege Line. That's who Apple should be looking at, not Samsung Series 9.

 

[Edmoil12]

All I'm saying is that if, in the event Apple, or ANY other company REMOVES once-standard features ... to later then call them 'luxary' features ... those companies deserve a big round of boos from us - the consumers. That's a pathetic and cynical way to try to goose sales for your higher end products.

Fair enough, but it seems all we can do as consumers is vote with our dollars if we don't like it.

 

[bcaslis]

Cool. Then in a couple months, when the new macbook air is released and its as thin, or thinner than the current model AND includes a backlit keyboard, you'll come back here and admit you were ignorant, right?

Wow, are you this much of a jerk in person?

 

[Buckeyes1995]

I am not a gamer but still will not buy an MBA with an i series chip if it means I have to suffer Intel's woefully weak integrated graphics processor. I bought an early 13 inch Ultimate in October and plan to keep it for at least three years. It handles everything I throw at it easily so until and unless it won't do that anymore I don't plan to replace it.

I'm the same boat.. at first I was pretty P.O.ed that Apple would be downgrading the GPU.. but then realized 'hey dummy, you just bought your MBA 13 Ultimate.. you won't be replacing it for 2-3 years anyways".. by that time hopefully Intel will have a better chipset.. or perhaps Apple will figure out how to put a true graphics board in the MBA

The ONLY thing that concerns me.. if two years from now my MBA fails and has to be replaced and not repaired.. I assume Apple would give me a new one under Apple Care.. which would be a downgrade for me, as I do some gaming.

 

[robeddie]

Wow, are you this much of a jerk in person?

Absolutely! But only when it's warranted.

 

[Legion93]

Wow, are you this much of a jerk in person?

Abrupt, abusive or insulting comments are not permitted on macrumors.

 

[iRun26.2]

Cool. Then in a couple months, when the new macbook air is released and its as thin, or thinner than the current model AND includes a backlit keyboard, you'll come back here and admit you were ignorant, right?

Thank you for writing exactly what I was thinking!

(Because I think space has nothing to do with it...they fit in the 'caps lock' led in the current model!)

 

[57004]

Yeah I'm sure it can be done, but it could have needed a redesign of the keyboard backlight, so they could have left it to the next generation.

For example, the old-style backlight such as present on the MBP's, seems to have a whole load of visible 'dots', either separate LEDs or glass fibres or something. Either way there's a bunch of bright dots around the keys. I noticed this all the time because on my old MBP the backspace key was tilted forward a bit so the bright dots came into view at the edge and it was actually fairly annoying. This way of building a keyboard backlight is probably relatively thick.

They could replace this setup with a simple layer of Electroluminescent foil, or a lightspreader such as used behind an LCD screen. That requires only the thickness of the foil, and a slightly thicker edge at one end where the light goes into it, but that can be placed at the thickest part of the device. Apple manages to put a backlight in the extremely slim screen of the MBA so this should be possible as well. It probably won't be as light as direct LEDs underneath each key but it should be sufficient in situations where you really need it. I always ran my key backlight at the very lowest setting anyway.

So I won't be surprised if it makes its way back. I guess the more people will complain, the more incentive Apple will have to design something that will fit.

 

[striker33]

The main reason I bought the current MBA in January was for the C2D/Nvidia combo and I love it. It handles everything I throw at it including gaming on the LAN with my son. My fear is that the next MBAs will be graphically crippled compared to the current models. But time will tell.

Also, my current MBA runs silent and cool. Seeing all the current heat issues with MBs and MBPs running Sandy Bridge it will be interesting to see how cool or silent the SB MBAs run.

Thats probably because the new MBPs completely obliterate the MBA in terms of specs. Run a photoshop render, any render you like, on both machines, you'll see a HUGE difference. The are quiet up till around 70c, which only happens when gaming or doing anything CPU intensive, the same as the MBA.

 

[FX4568]

Thats probably because the new MBPs completely obliterate the MBA in terms of specs. Run a photoshop render, any render you like, on both machines, you'll see a HUGE difference. The are quiet up till around 70c, which only happens when gaming or doing anything CPU intensive, the same as the MBA.

Oh really? Man, I didnt know.
You are comparing a 2011 chip vs few years ago. Also, from your signature, you are comparing a 15 inch laptop with a 13 ULTRAPORTABLE.
Furthermore, this thread is talking about the GPU sacrifice for the CPU gain... We arent talking about how the CPU in the MBA is better or worse, of course Sandy Bridge will blow the C2D out of the water.
The difference is not in the processors, unless you are doing something such as handbrake, but instead, for the average user, is the GPU, SSD, and software.