Future OS X Updates for MacBook Air?

[andreab35]

I am dead set to purchase a MacBook Air in the near future.
I've seen the MacBooks and tried it out in the Apple Store, but it's heavy for me and has external features I don't need.
The Air has the thin and light feature that makes this laptop excellent for taking around. I've deeply read into it, and the Air is for me.

Anyway, my question was- for future OS updates, and even totally new Mac OS's, will the MacBook Air keep up with the OS? Leopard on this thing is pretty quick, from what I've tested at the Apple store. But in the future, I'm concerned for new Mac OS's, and that the MacBook won't be able to handle it for it's low specs.
If Apple does come out with a new OS in the future, do you think the Air will keep up with it and perform quickly as it does with Leopard?

Additionally, will Vista run ok as a dual boot for the Air? (again, low specs)

Sorry for sounding so confusing. I've been a PC user for years, and I am finally making the switch, because I'm sick of using a PC. I have VIsta on my XP laptop and it drives me nuts! It's like pulling individual hairs painfully off your head!

Thank you for your help! I greatly appreciate it!

 

[LinMac]

Vista might run well on a quantum supercomputer cluster, but short of that "good" is simply unrealistic. XP might be a better option.

I'll let someone with more information about Snow Leopard follow up with the rumor, thin facts, and outright speculation about the new OS.

 

[andreab35]

Thanks for the reply!

I do have a copy of an XP disk in the house from a desktop computer I have in the office. Vista looks great, but doesn't perform well at all from my experience. If I dual boot on the MBA with XP, that's not bad at all.

 

[Savagestorm]

The next iteration of OSX coming from Apple will be named snow Leopard, which we have been told will primary aim to streamline the OS and make it faster and more efficient rather than releases a large amount of new features, so a new OS will not be a problem. I'm very happy with my MBA, and although I'm quite technology savvy, I still expected the transition to mac to be a bigger issue after having used a PC all my life, but it really is great, and I couldn't recommend the MBA enough for portability.

 

[n0de]

Considering the early information about Snow Leopard the Air should be OK. It sounds like they are removing alot of the cruft and really slimming apps down.

Definitely use XP, even the high end machines designed for Vista are less than optimal. I rarely use XP so I have it virtualized in Fusion and it runs just as well as my Dell D630. Going the dual boot route is a real pain to reverse, so when the day comes that you do not need it anymore it will be a real pain. With a VM, you just delete it.

 

[glitch44]

Snow Leopard will be smaller and more efficient. Examples of how much savings:

 

[andreab35]

Ok this is great!

Now I feel more comfortable purchasing a MacBook Air.
I want to keep the Air for a long time. I wanted to do that with my current laptop, but my current laptop is just too slow and can't handle Vista one bit.
Plus, I think the power cord or something is ready to go because it is getting extremely hot within the first five minutes plugging it into the laptop.

Thank you for all your responses!
I will possibly consider XP on my Mac, but maybe I'll lean toward a no and just keep Mac OS X on it itself.

And with my future purchase:

1) Hopefully I won't get a faulty MBA
2) When I buy it, I better not hear a few weeks later that there is going to be a new MBA coming out. That would totally blow my day.
It happened to me with my iPhone. I bought my iPhone in the middle of May, then I heard there was going to be the 3G one. Oh well, I guess I tend to purchase things a bit late.

Thanks again everyone! I really appreciate your input!

 

[question fear]

The buyers guide might be helpful in the future for you, although there's no historical data to back up WHEN the MBA will be updated.

I would say definitely within one year of release, but I understand not wanting to wait that long. So just watch the rumors, and take the plunge when you take the plunge, don't stress about timing...there's always something better, but it doesn't mean you NEED it.

 

[andreab35]

The buyers guide might be helpful in the future for you, although there's no historical data to back up WHEN the MBA will be updated.

I would say definitely within one year of release, but I understand not wanting to wait that long. So just watch the rumors, and take the plunge when you take the plunge, don't stress about timing...there's always something better, but it doesn't mean you NEED it.

You are absolutely right about that.
The new iPhone is mighty nice, but do I feel like paying an extra $15 a month for AT&T's sucky service? No.
I'm going to take the plunge around September or October. If I hear something about a new MBA around that time, I may be able to settle myself to hold on and wait.