MBA getting case redesign possible intel LV processors?

[Scottsdale]

Hey Scottsdale, I'm not sure if you saw this already or not, based on your comments regarding AppleTV.

Exactly what they need to do. All of Apple's products help sell each other, and the AppleTV is one of the most important pieces in the entertainment puzzle... and Apple just hasn't got it right, yet. This certainly seems better.

I'd rather see a bigger screen in the same size case than the footprint shrinking. The reason is because when I look at where my hands sit comfortably on the palm rests, they are generally near the outer edge of the case anyway. This may vary depending on the person, but I suspect many people would be similar to me.

I didn't really think of it that way, but you might be correct. I suppose I could be really happy with the same size footprint and a near 15" display then, LOL.

 

[soph]

I love the tapering, it makes typing dreamy... I hate it on thicker computers (if they did it on an MBP, I would hate it).

I agree. But if we could remove the tapering and make it 1.5" narrower and 1" shallower, at 1/2" thick all at 3 lb. or less, I could be even happier. I see the MBA's footprint as too big compared to the display size. I either want a 15" display in the same footprint (or as close to it as possible) or make the footprint as small as possible for a 13.3" display. I just see the bezel as wasted space. If the space can be utilized by a larger display, even better.

Just depends on which "tapering" we're talking about. I don't know whether it's a language issue as English is not my native language, but I see two distinct tapering design features in the MBA: One is the fact that the unibody is not nearly as thick in front as it is on the back and Two is that it tapers (well, is there another word?) all around the circumference very gently towards the edges. In engineering it's called chamfer.

Now for me essential is One, and that's probably what Mhkobe refers to, too, because it affects typing. This costs volume, but when it comes to my personal needs, I'd gladly give up some battery power to keep that feature. The ultimate thinness of the MBA in front is one of its main appeals to me.

Two is a mainly stylish issue, IMO. It makes the MBA look even slimmer than it is. And it can help heat circulation, at least on a flat, rigid surface, but that secondary. But if I were to choose I'd rather give up Two for some more battery space.

But, having said this, as weight is an issue I'd rather not have any of these changes if they imply more weight.

Frankly, I'd simply like an even better computer in the exact same case

 

[soph]

Look at the value of potential from earning NEW market share. The iPhone OS products have incredible growth in smartphone and tablet markets. Apple learned with its OS that it cannot allow one company to dominate and then earn back share later. Look at the Mac now at 8% market share. Think that the smartphone market is growing substantially and will be for several years. So each Mac converted usually comes from Windows. Each new iPhone OS product buyer probably didn't own a product in that market category before.

Couldn't agree more on general terms.
I estimate MacOS doesn't get even near 5% market share in Europe, but even that figure could only be achieved in the wake of the iPod and iPhone. Apple existed only in hearsay before . So there's even more incentive to focus on iPhone OS, because over here it brings the extra value of additional growth in the Mac OS segment even without improvement of Macs or OS X themselves.

I certainly understand what Apple is doing. I cannot say I disagree with putting as many people as possible on iPhone OS 4 and its products. However, with as much money as Apple has why not leverage that into building Macs and consumer i-electronics at the same time? My point is if they need every current employee possible on iPhone OS 4 and its products, then Apple needs to grow fast! I read something the other day about Apple making the most of its acquisitions and investments, but I see it differently. Cash is a waste that Apple is making very little from. Why not invest that money and do the things it needs to with both iPhone OS and products AND its long standing Mac market segments?

Well, in all fairness, good engineers don't grow on trees and I think I can say from the quality of their products that Apple does indeed focus on developer knowledge and training. Growing rapdily means you generally have to take almost everyone, and I really think this would not help Apple product quality. But of course they could have prepared that growth for some time now and might have built a decent developer base already.

I know AAPL is worth $255 per share, but why not grow faster and make it bigger AND make their customers happy at the same time? How can Mac Pro or MBA customers be happy buying products so outdated? How about ACDs, and maybe most importantly AppleTV?

Ha! Years back when I built up my home cinema AppleTV was brand-new and I really wanted to integrate it into my setup. However, I soon saw that it would not meet my needs and went for a Sony PS3. It's really ugly and there's no chance of integrating iPods in any way, but in all these years AppleTV never got any nearer to want me swap them.
As a business move however it was probably a smart decision of Apple not beefing up AppleTV, because AFAIK Sony is yet to gain financial profit on any PS3 sold.

 

[thinkdesign]

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(Soph wrote) "Frankly, I'd simply like an even better computer in the exact same case." ---- It's interesting to a non-computerati like myself, to see on these threads how people can imagine and discuss the pros and cons of all manner of hypothetical electronic chipware, cloudware and software futures for the 'Air'.... but when it comes to the physical form, it seems that either the eyes glaze over (no response), or a sort of AVERSION TO CHANGE in shape (or weight) quickly emerges. ---- If some CEO hadn't decreed that the Newton had to weigh one pound and have the exact dimensions of the block of wood he picked.... the first model wouldn't have had awful battery life; but with a 1-1/8" thickness and a 1.2 lb. weight, enabling a stronger launch -- the arc of that product's life may have gone higher and longer. Similarly, IMHO if the original 'Air' had weighed 3-1/4 lbs. (allowing a bit more running time, plus... say... having more jacks on non-"chamfered" left and right sides), the 'Air' might have been a bigger-selling model (thus getting more attention for upgrades, too) -- and I'll bet nobody here would be saying "No! It has to weigh a round number of exactly 3.0 pounds!"

 

[tsubikiddo]

After reading about the Canoe Lake from Intel,
it seems that we (& potential Air) owners will need some more patience till a proper spec refresh.
(i.e. Not a rev.B->rev.C refresh, these two are still rev 2,1;
but a rev.A->rev.B kind, rev 1,1 -> rev 2,1)

Strictly in my opinion, the GMA3150 is still a waste of silicon.
Intel may have sorted HD playback, but still got a tonful on their to-do list,
battery consumption is a big one amongst many others such as coding, streaming...etc
Personally would not look at the GMA chips until at least some GMA7500.

Hopefully quad-core can achieve mainstream status by mid-2011, if not 2H'11

I will even go as far and convinced that the nVidia 3xx series will miss out.
Hopefully by the time Canoe Lake is ready,
GF1xx series has shrunk enough to be the 9400m successor.

In the meantime, a battery capacity bump remains possible,
introduction of 256GB SSD is also within reach, but that's about it.

 

[thinkdesign]

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Scottsdale -- Thoughts on how fast Apple can expand to work on all fronts at once: 1.) Perhaps it's not purely a $ matter? It could also a matter of how many balls certain execs can juggle at once in their minds. (And of course, scratch that -- if the rest of 2010 brings lots of new surprises.) 2.) Apple's cash hoard may be stored in investments that are down these days... the worst time to sell. 3.) Maybe the iPhone's recent new competition put Apple in a 1-time ultra-prioritised hurry to complete and test that growing cash cow product? 4.) Will the program of construction at the Apple campus provide more space, and THEN they'll hire more skilled people? --- Does anyone happen to know: Where can I read more about the new construction going on at the Infinite Loop campus I'm curious... Who are the architects?

 

[Scottsdale]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint PPC6850SP)

Scottsdale -- Thoughts on how fast Apple can expand to work on all fronts at once: 1.) Perhaps it's not purely a $ matter? It could also a matter of how many balls certain execs can juggle at once in their minds. (And of course, scratch that -- if the rest of 2010 brings lots of new surprises.) 2.) Apple's cash hoard may be stored in investments that are down these days... the worst time to sell. 3.) Maybe the iPhone's recent new competition put Apple in a 1-time ultra-prioritised hurry to complete and test that growing cash cow product? 4.) Will the program of construction at the Apple campus provide more space, and THEN they'll hire more skilled people? --- Does anyone happen to know: Where can I read more about the new construction going on at the Infinite Loop campus I'm curious... Who are the architects?

Well, Apple has seen this coming for two years. There is no excuse to not be ready right now. With enough money it can buy out anything it wants. I know it takes time to build from scratch, and hire developers, and etc, but there's no excuse in my opinion to not be ready right now.

 

[soph]

(Soph wrote) "Frankly, I'd simply like an even better computer in the exact same case." ---- It's interesting to a non-computerati like myself, to see on these threads how people can imagine and discuss the pros and cons of all manner of hypothetical electronic chipware, cloudware and software futures for the 'Air'.... but when it comes to the physical form, it seems that either the eyes glaze over (no response), or a sort of AVERSION TO CHANGE in shape (or weight) quickly emerges.

LOL, you see, I'm no visionary

The point is however, that there's a very capable MacBook Pro 13 in direct vicinity to the MBA that is not tapered and has a much longer battery life at the price of somewhat higher weight if I'm overdoing it a bit.

Can you imagine a niche for a Macbook Air that's essentially a marginally slimmer Pro without the optical drive but extended battery capacity at a +300 USD price tag?

 

[gwsat]

Ha! Years back when I built up my home cinema AppleTV was brand-new and I really wanted to integrate it into my setup. However, I soon saw that it would not meet my needs and went for a Sony PS3. It's really ugly and there's no chance of integrating iPods in any way, but in all these years AppleTV never got any nearer to want me swap them.
As a business move however it was probably a smart decision of Apple not beefing up AppleTV, because AFAIK Sony is yet to gain financial profit on any PS3 sold.

My experience with the Apple TV and PS3 was similar to yours. I bought an Apple TV when Apple started making HD movies available on iTunes. Unfortunately, I soon tired of paying $4.99 to watch a newly released film at 720p resolution when I could see the same film on BD, at a resolution of 1080p, that I got from either Netflix or Blockbuster on a monthly subscription plan. The net effect of this has been that my Apple TV is the least used component in my home theater and my PS3 is one of the most used.

 

[gwsat]

The point is however, that there's a very capable MacBook Pro 13 in direct vicinity to the MBA that is not tapered and has a much longer battery life at the price of somewhat higher weight if I'm overdoing it a bit.

Can you imagine a niche for a Macbook Air that's essentially a marginally slimmer Pro without the optical drive but extended battery capacity at a +300 USD price tag?

I nearly decided to buy one of the new 13 inch MBPs and upgrade its RAM to 8Gb and its hard drive to a 256Gb SSD. I finally changed my mind because experimenting with the MBP at the Apple Store convinced me that even a 13 inch MBP was still too heavy for my purposes. The correctness of my decision hit home over the holiday weekend when my grandson, who is going to university in the fall, came over with the new 13 inch MBP his mother had given him for graduation. Thanks to being able to use my grandson's new machine in a familiar environment I realized that I was disappointed by how heavy it seemed, although I thought its form factor was just fine. In stark contrast to my experience with the MBP, every time I check out the MBA at the Apple Store again, I am amazed and impressed all over again by how thin and light it is.

 

[thinkdesign]

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Soph: I am very weight-sensitive due to early-onset arthritis... and I live in a world with too few outlets. And I want the Air to be my only computer, maybe w/ a supplemental USB thumbdrive for when my home archive/backup must travel with me. ("Cloud" appeals to me, less.) Consider also that when battery life is small and the "solution" is carrying the power brick, then your weight is no longer 3 lbs. It's that PLUS the brick's weight. (Apple says they don't even know the power brick's weight.) So I'd rather see the Air gain a few ounces, if it needs to (then I'll leave the brick at home, most days)... than see the MBP lose a few ounces (which would still require a backpack, which itself is heavier than a shoulder bag). ---- Also I live in a world where wi-fi on a laptop for communication is worthless... wifi's are usually all locked, even if at first they appear to be unlocked. ------ I think discussions exaggeratedly guess the whole topic of needed distance between models, or needed small numbers of models; Apple's big now. ------ U.S. car makers at least thru the 60's -- used to let many people build-to-order. And even when the trend went away from that, they'd pre-build many many variants and your local dealer would "find" one exactly as you wanted, with this engine, that transmission, that radio, that body, in red, etc. ... by asking the factory if they already have one like that, or almost like it. Quasi-customisation. --- So when Apple won't even offer a BTO option for a decent sized SSD in the 'Air' ... I can't buy any excuses. ----- Well, it's another Tuesday w/ no fresh Air. Sigh.