MBA D: June'10 and none the wiser-Disgruntled? How much longer are you going to wait?

[Scottsdale]

Really? In the benchmarks I've seen that favour the i5 or i7, I see only about a 30% improvement over the C2D, at the same clock speed. And many benchmarks they look the same, clock for clock. Even 30% isn't enough to warrant carrying around the heavier 15" over the 13", for me. Of course, I plug it into a display on my desk, so the built in screen size is of minimal importance. The high cost is of course mostly for the 512GB SSD, and Apple's pricing for this seems competitive. Time will tell if it was the right decision.

To get back on topic, my point was that I'm willing to spend a lot of money on the right laptop, and I'm frustrated that the right laptop wasn't available. An Air with close specs to the 13" MBP should be possible, and I'd have bitten their hand off for it. Instead, every time I have to lug the MBP around, I'm going to be cursing its weight...

Duncan

A lot of people buy into the marketing hype. The truth is, all of the 13" MBP buyers are getting a much better overall system no matter what their use, AS IT'S ALSO THE MOST PORTABLE MBP, and due to the C2D with Nvidia 320m vs. similar clock speed and only the Intel GMA-worthless or GMA 4500 HD or whatever. In Windows, people might be okay with the GMA, but OS X is so much worse when it comes to graphics.

The power of the 13" MBP is incredible. I would think that computer with a 512 GB SSD and 8 GB RAM would absolutely be lightning fast for 95% of the users out there. I congratulate the user, and say I wish I was getting that speed demon! What a gem and good price, congrats! There's always going to be that one person saying "OMG the Core i7 is like totally rad and I need it for Adobe CS because I do like so much, totally." People just need to be happy and realize that marketing hype doesn't affect the vast majority of users.

I wish computer companies would fight back and show how needless the CPU updates are. Apple could show everyone the huge performance differences if they could just stomach bashing Intel more over their worthless GMA and brilliant system of making people believe the only way to make a faster computer is to upgrade the CPU. Apple had the right intentions when it stuck with C2D and Nvidia 320m in the 13" MBP. Most 15" MBP owners are getting inferior graphics most of the time whenever it's "sipping" energy with its GMA. Intel does a good job skewing the numbers and making people believe whatever they want. The vast majority of users would be much better off with an SSD, better GPU, better software to take advantage of hardware already available, and more RAM... after they get all of those really "right" then another CPU bump would help again.

I certainly wish Apple would be happy giving us "real" ultraportable Mac users a new MBA with ONLY a Core 2 Duo CPU and Nvidia 320m... and only 4 GB RAM and only a glass trackpad and only an IPS display... heck, I would have taken just the 4 GB RAM... it's too bad that Apple realizes it's pointless because all of the buyers out there will truly believe Apple didn't upgrade the MBA if it has the same "advertised" Core 2 Duo as with the current 2.13 GHz. If the "fans" understood what a sham Intel has going, Apple probably would have "wasted" the time to just update the Nvidia 320m, RAM, and drive size.

I congratulate anyone that decides they can get more value out of another Mac that's cheaper... and especially one of the recent "updated" Macs that "still" has a Core 2 Duo. They are really nice Macs... especially with C2D and Nvidia's 320m... and even more so with a 512 GB SSD and 8 GB RAM. I envy that... I wish Apple made a Mac portable enough that I would like it and that had those options of drive space and RAM.

I say June 2010 goes by without an update... as does July, August, and September. Next "good" chance has to be October or January. I certainly hope I am really wrong there though... There's still one more Tuesday in June.

 

[gwsat]

Really? In the benchmarks I've seen that favour the i5 or i7, I see only about a 30% improvement over the C2D, at the same clock speed. And many benchmarks they look the same, clock for clock. Even 30% isn't enough to warrant carrying around the heavier 15" over the 13", for me. Of course, I plug it into a display on my desk, so the built in screen size is of minimal importance. The high cost is of course mostly for the 512GB SSD, and Apple's pricing for this seems competitive. Time will tell if it was the right decision.

To get back on topic, my point was that I'm willing to spend a lot of money on the right laptop, and I'm frustrated that the right laptop wasn't available. An Air with close specs to the 13" MBP should be possible, and I'd have bitten their hand off for it. Instead, every time I have to lug the MBP around, I'm going to be cursing its weight...

I think that you made a good choice. It was expensive but you have a very powerful computer as a result of your purchase. Anyway, I wouldn't pay much attention to posters whose social skills are so inadequate, they criticize strangers for buying a top of the line computer. This was probably one more example of the politics of envy at work.

 

[Spacekatgal]

I think that you made a good choice. It was expensive but you have a very powerful computer as a result of your purchase. Anyway, I wouldn't pay much attention to posters whose social skills are so inadequate, they criticize strangers for buying a top of the line computer. This was probably one more example of the politics of envy at work.

I totally agree with this. That SSD is massive! Super envious! It will more than make up for any deficiencies in the CPU. I would pay no attention to people that criticize your decisions - it's just jealous and arrogance. It's your computer! ^_^

As far as the question with PS regular versus PS elements, I don't own Elements. But I did find CS3 ran much better than CS4 did. I would expect that Elements would be less demanding.

The problem is, when you're dealing with a file of any size on the MBA the 2 gigs of Ram is just totally inadequate. Part of it has to be used by your system, and PS wants to eat up every bit that you have. That means that your history is quickly shunted to your scratch disk, meaning your hard disk is being written to with every action. The regular HD is pretty slow, and even on an SSD, writing is slow.

If you're dealing with RAW, I would guess that Lightroom/Aperture would also run reasonably well.

Bri

 

[halledise]

...and what is your plan?


To be honest I've been a little dejected at the lack of an MBA update. I've been waiting for almost a year now (literally), ready to buy one as soon as Apple release it.

Every milestone that we'd pass without an update, eg:

Media Event Sept 09
Arrandale release Jan 2010
MBP Update
D8

...there was still hope that the next one would be the time they do it. I had convinced myself that there was a strong possibility of seeing an all-new MBA at WWDC. But now that even that even that has passed, I'm less optimistic.

This makes me think that we're going to have to wait some time before we ever hear of the MBA again, if we ever do, - some here are guessing Q4 2010 or early 2011. Of course we may see a minor Core 2 Duo updated MBA quietely in the upcoming weeks. However we are getting quite close to Intel's Core 2 chip production cessation (which I think was late 2010?). Apple have just released a new C2D machine (Mac Mini) so this is still a possibility.


I'm craving a new MBA more than I think I can communicate here, I'm on this forum, engadget and google news ("macbook air" search) several times a day hoping for good news, heck any news. Even if it was news of Steve Jobs replying to an MBA-related email confirming either our wishes or fears (EOL). But so far...nothing. Just an empty, unsatisfying chasm.

Do I buy something else or do I not.

I'm almost certain I'm not going to get any Windows machine that I had considered very strongly in the past (mainly the Vaio Z and Vaio X). I have tried these and to be frank there was no romance with the Z, small trackpad, blows hot, design meh. With the X there was a bit more I have to say, however the Atom+2GB wasn't lifting what I wanted it to.

Earlier last week I found myself moving close to the 13" MBP. I like that machine. Solid build, clean design. I love how it has that insane battery. The 2.6GHz C2D + 320M + Intel X25 G2 would be really great for a 13" notebook and quite a bit faster than the MBA. So I went to the pristine-as-ever Apple store and did stuff on it. But then I kept trying to lift it with one hand, trying to nonchalantly move it in various directions. I put it in a bag and lifted it. It's just too heavy for what I functionally want. I didn't like the Hollywood glossy screen either (I didn't hate it, just strongly preferred the matte screen). However overall it's the closest non-MBA notebook I've got to buying. But it's no MBA.

So with even the 13" MBP ruled out, I realised I had little options. I played with the iPad too and actually came close to buying one: my rationale was that it's not too expensive and it may well tie me up for light computing until MBA D is upon us, however I brute-forced some logical points and realised I wouldn't be as satisfied as I lead myself to believe in the marketing den I was in. Plus with the iphone 4, I was getting the same CPU and x2 the RAM. That would tie me up somewhat.


The conclusion for me is that I'm actually thinking of going back to a Rev C MBA if there's no update in the next few weeks.

Apple please don't make me go back to the Rev C! It's not that I don't like it (I LOVE it, in fact I think it's the best notebook any manufacturer has ever created), it's just that I feel that it's quite outrageous at the price at which it still stands today.

But I'm almost certain I will still buy it. When? To be honest I do not have any particular target - I don't know. Maybe sometime after the rumored possible Apple event at the Moscone Centre on June 27? (it's a long shot).

I want to hold off as long as possible, but I'm running out of patience. If only Jobs would confirm either way

aah Jobsian, you've done it again!
and stirred a few people up in the process.

you make some very valid points, but I'd say whichever way you swing you could potentially be screwed.
for mine, I'd buy a RevC off eBay (they're going for anywhere between Aus$1150 and Aus$1600 for smicko SSD models) and that'll slake the thirst immediately.

then when the mighty Apple decide to do a RevD you can upgrade and flog off the RevC on said eBay.
sure you'll drop a few bucks, but you'll have had the Air in the meantime and you won't be spending anywhere near the $3500 that the brother in the UK shelled out.
(who on earth needs a 512gb SSD anyway! that's wot external drives are for)

 

[gwsat]

then when the mighty Apple decide to do a RevD you can upgrade and flog off the RevC on said eBay.
sure you'll drop a few bucks, but you'll have had the Air in the meantime and you won't be spending anywhere near the $3500 that the brother in the UK shelled out.
(who on earth needs a 512gb SSD anyway! that's wot external drives are for)

I wouldn't have sprung for a 512Gb SSD at the current price, either. Nevertheless, I was put off by the sheer bad manners of the guys who unloaded on our Brit friend for deciding to buy one. He could afford the loaded 13 inch MBP and bought it. At that point it seemed to me it stopped being any of our business. Anyway, ill-tempered unsolicited advice tends to make me grouchy.