Do you think the MBA will be refreshed during WWDC?

[KylePowers]

I said I think they may come out around now, but if not in June, then probably not until September-October. However, I don't think Intel even makes the C2D anymore, so unless Apple has planned ahead and had adequate stockpiles of C2Ds for their MBA, I figure they'd be forced to update soon based on necessity.

If you guys check out the CPUs the 11" and 13" MBAs use on Intel's site, all 4 of them (base + upgrade options) have a Status of "Launched". But if you check out older CPUs (typically stuff from like 2006), their Status is "End of Life". Soooo, while I've read that the C2Ds used aren't being manufactured anymore, I don't know where that particularly proof comes from.

(11") 1.4 GHz (SU9400) Intel Core 2 Duo with 3 MB on-chip L2 cache
Optional 1.6 GHz (SU9600) Intel Core 2 Duo with 3 MB on-chip L2 cache
(13") 1.86 GHz (SL9400) Intel Core 2 Duo with 6 MB on-chip L2 cache
Optional 2.13 GHz (SL9600) Intel Core 2 Duo with 6 MB on-chip L2 cache

 

[Funkymonk]

No I don't think they will.

 

[Abstract]

If you guys check out the CPUs the 11" and 13" MBAs use on Intel's site, all 4 of them (base + upgrade options) have a Status of "Launched". But if you check out older CPUs (typically stuff from like 2006), their Status is "End of Life". Soooo, while I've read that the C2Ds used aren't being manufactured anymore, I don't know where that particularly proof comes from.

If something is not EOL, it may mean that it's still being sold, but not manufactured. Intel could have made a lot of them, enough to sell for months, and enough for them to sell to companies like Apple.

Since Intel is definitely manufacturing and selling SB ULV processors to at least one laptop manufacturer, and SB is clearly a strong part of Intel's future for the next little while, why would you believe that Intel would still dedicate a manufacturing line to producing obsolete processors that they'd need to sell at firesale prices due to their obsolescence? As a matter of both cost and profit, it makes little sense for Intel to produce something that they'd need to sell at rock-bottom prices. If Intel is going to manufacture something, it may as well be current, and make them a heftier profit.

 

[peskaa]

THowever, I don't think Intel even makes the C2D anymore, so unless Apple has planned ahead and had adequate stockpiles of C2Ds for their MBA, I figure they'd be forced to update soon based on necessity.

I also can't see Apple being happy with a finite 'stockpile' of any component. What happens if demand is higher than expected, and they run out of chips, and hence laptops? Not good for Apple in the slightest. Equally, they don't want to be left with a big pile of C2D processors from a stockpile when they update the MBA to Sandy Bridge.

An update has to be coming soon. I cannot see Apple sitting on a pile of C2Ds big enough to last until Ivy Bridge in 2012.

 

[Hellhammer]

An update has to be coming soon. I cannot see Apple sitting on a pile of C2Ds big enough to last until Ivy Bridge in 2012.

Especially now that the recent rumors suggest that Ivy Bridge won't be out until March-April, and that is for quad core CPUs. U/LV CPUs, which will most likely be dual core, won't be out until mid-2012 so potentially, we would be waiting for over a year.

Last order date for mobile C2Ds was in late April and the last shipping date is October 14th. Production was already ceased in December. If Apple waited for IB, they could be without a single shipment of C2Ds for ~8 months or so. Quite hard to predict the sales for so long time.

 

[dawnrazor]

I reckon the MBA upgrade will be a pretty quiet one, i5/i7 and maybe a thunderbolt on the 13", but I wouldn't bet on it. Maybe a bit more storage, but not a big increase if any. I'll be very surprised if there is anything bigger then the above when ever it does get upgraded... which hopefully will be pretty soon, as I'll have an order for a 13" maxed out Air put in straight away...

 

[Golmaal]

Would be nice...

.. if they do update it. I was hoping that they would give it a touch screen like Ipad with LION. Sigh.... Maybe next year.

 

[pgiguere1]

I reckon the MBA upgrade will be a pretty quiet one, i5/i7 and maybe a thunderbolt on the 13", but I wouldn't bet on it. Maybe a bit more storage, but not a big increase if any. I'll be very surprised if there is anything bigger then the above when ever it does get upgraded... which hopefully will be pretty soon, as I'll have an order for a 13" maxed out Air put in straight away...

By quiet upgrade you mean not a big one or one that Apple won't hold a special event for? Because what you describe is far from being a minor upgrade. Going with a Sandy Bridge CPU would be already 3 CPU generations better than the current MBA.

The Thunderbolt port is a given on both models, since they already both have a mini DisplayPort output. It's the same connector, they don't even need to change the body, which is perfect the way it is anyway. Maybe we'll see 4GB RAM standard and a backlit keyboard, but I wouldn't hold my breath for bigger storage capacities.

Flash storage is the MBA's most expensive component, and Apple seems pretty serious about hitting mass market with the MBA. Notice how it's now used just as much as the MBP in recent promo material, if not more. I'm pretty sure they want to keep the price as low as possible, and make it the popular cheap model that the white MacBook used to be.

Plus, it's all about iCloud now. I have a feeling Apple won't increase its mobile devices' (iPhone/iPod/iPad/MBA) storage capacity as a way to kind of force you to store your music and pictures into the cloud, and keep hardware at a reasonable price since like I said Flash memory is pricy. I expect iCloud to continue growing in the upcoming years. Maybe it will hold pretty much all your data, including movies and applications. If that's the case then the current MBA's capacities will actually be overkill, since all you would need is the OS and maybe a little space for caching. Then all you would need is a cheap 8/16GB flash chip. The cloud is going to kill storage. They did it already with the Apple TV.

I know not everyone's a fan of depending on the internet to use their data. But that's what the future is shaping like (Chrome OS netbooks and such), and since we hear the next MBP will likely ressemble the Air (thinner and no optical drive), they have to keep the Air in a distinct class so maybe it will be the first to have integrated data connectivity and be the first Mac made for the cloud, until the MBP follows just like it will follow the current Air in the upcoming months.

Trust me, this iCloud thing is just a start. They're preparing you gradually for the next OS, which will likely be cross-platform across all Apple hardware and heavily dependent on iCloud. Lion is teasing it already with its iPad-like features. Maybe that "tiny" 64/128/256GB storage on the Air is the most it will ever have.

 

[Variant]

Apple doesn't hold events for spec. bumps, even if they are substantial. Apple isn't that 'special' that they need an event to announce to the world they have finally stopped using outdated processors.

 

[trims]

Yeah, I'm thinking probably close to Lion release date

Launching the 'refreshed' MBA with OS X Lion installed makes best sense of the guesses to date IMHO.

 

[Sam235]

i heard they announce hardware updates on tuesdays is that true by any chance?

 

[Apple Expert]

I would like to see if the MBA will receive teh Sandy Bridge cpu. Hopefully soon as I need a new computer now!

 

[endhalf]

i heard they announce hardware updates on tuesdays is that true by any chance?

as u can see, tuesday it is and no HW announcement yet so my next bet would be that new Airs will ship with new Lion... So in a month.