MBA sales going well?

[gwsat]

You could get around this with a translation layer, like Rosetta, which worked very well during the PowerPC -> x86 transition. However, in those days the new x86 chips were a lot faster than the PowerPC chips they were replacing, so Rosetta was able to execute PowerPC code at "close enough" to native PowerPC speeds.

When I bought my MBP, two and a half years ago, I was worried about how my Office X suite for PowerPC that I had been running on my Powerbook G4 would run under Rosetta. Not to worry, though. Rosetta is fast and stable. In fact, Excel from my now 7 year old Office X suite is still my primary spreadsheet program. It loads marginally more slowly than native apps written for the Intel chip but seems to be just as fast in every other way. If Apple could come up with another translation program as good as Rosetta has been then a port of OS X to Arm might be a pretty neat thing.

 

[jdechko]

When I bought my MBP, two and a half years ago, I was worried about how my Office X suite for PowerPC that I had been running on my Powerbook G4 would run under Rosetta. Not to worry, though. Rosetta is fast and stable. In fact, Excel from my now 7 year old Office X suite is still my primary spreadsheet program. It loads marginally more slowly than native apps written for the Intel chip but seems to be just as fast in every other way. If Apple could come up with another translation program as good as Rosetta has been then a port of OS X to Arm might be a pretty neat thing.

True, but I think the iPad and iOS shows that Apple, while capable of doing the port, is unlikely to do the port. Essentially, Apple would be porting its full OS over to its Mobile platform. Hackers would rejoice.

Not saying they couldn't, just saying they (probably) won't.

I also think that while ARM was the obvious choice for the iPad, it's performance isn't up to par for a full-on desktop OS. I think the closest we will ever see to a MacBook running an ARM is if they add a clamshell/netbook iPad to the line.

 

[ludavico]

Hello gwsat,
I too am waiting for the next MBA. In the interim, however, I was thinking about an iPad as a short-term solution (for reading documents mostly). I am traveling every two weeks and need something less cumbersome than my i7 MBP.

I feel your pain regarding file-copying on the iPad...it is one of the big issues for me. Have you tried either of these?

Air Sharing Pro by Avatron http://avatron.com/apps/

LogMeIn https://secure.logmein.com/US/products/ignition/iPhone/

 

[gwsat]

Hello gwsat,
I too am waiting for the next MBA. In the interim, however, I was thinking about an iPad as a short-term solution (for reading documents mostly). I am traveling every two weeks and need something less cumbersome than my i7 MBP.

I feel your pain regarding file-copying on the iPad...it is one of the big issues for me. Have you tried either of these?

Air Sharing Pro by Avatron http://avatron.com/apps/

LogMeIn https://secure.logmein.com/US/products/ignition/iPhone/

The Goodreader app is very good at what it does, so I have no interest in getting something else right now. Goodreader for iPad costs only $.99 and allows me to copy audio CD aiff files from the portable drive attached to my MBP to my iPad. My frustration is not with Goodreader but with the primitive nature of the iPad, which keeps me from copying whole directories to the iPad. Instead I have to download all of the individual files from each CD and then move them, one disc's worth at at time, into the proper directory on the iPad after the download. It's doable but it is very slow. I have read reviews of other file transfer programs for the iPad, such as Air Sharing Pro, and the reviewers found them hard to manage, primarily because of the iPad's own limitations.

 

[DoFoT9]

The Goodreader app is very good at what it does,

when using GR for PDFs i find its navigation to be DISGUSTING, as in it makes me want to throw my iPad out the window.!!

 

[thinkdesign2]

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

Scottsdale: Is your Mac-5 prediction unfolding, now that the Mini got upgraded after the MB?

But not the smaller iMac or Air, yet. Is it just the ending of June coming up, that's why hope for the Air seems to be fading?

 

[gwsat]

when using GR for PDFs i find its navigation to be DISGUSTING, as in it makes me want to throw my iPad out the window.!!

So far, I have only used Goodreader to download CD aiff audio files to my iPad from my MBP. Goodreader has performed that task for me pretty well, given the iPad's limitations. The best thing it has going for it is that it uses the iTunes USB connection from the iPad to make the transfers, which is much faster than wireless.

 

[DoFoT9]

So far, I have only used Goodreader to download CD aiff audio files to my iPad from my MBP. Goodreader has performed that task for me pretty well, given the iPad's limitations. The best thing it has going for it is that it uses the iTunes USB connection from the iPad to make the transfers, which is much faster than wireless.

Good. Don't use it for PDFs. You will be horrified!!

Why don't you just transfer the .aiffs via iTunes directly through the use of playlists? Or do you transfer stuff?

Would you mind running benchmarks comparing wired transfer to wireless transfer over 5ghz 892.11n if you can? Normally I never hit over 15MB/s over USB, and I have seen the ipad transfer above 30MB/s over wireless... Just would be once to compare.

 

[MUCKYFINGERS]

I can tell you when I worked at Apple Retail, I definitely sold less than 10 MacBook Airs, probably less than 5. And I worked there for a little less than a year.

 

[Psychj0e]

I can tell you when I worked at Apple Retail, I definitely sold less than 10 MacBook Airs, probably less than 5. And I worked there for a little less than a year.

That only implicates your poor abilities as a sales person.

I hope you're in a vocation you're better suited to now.

 

[gwsat]

Good. Don't use it for PDFs. You will be horrified!!

Why don't you just transfer the .aiffs via iTunes directly through the use of playlists? Or do you transfer stuff?

Would you mind running benchmarks comparing wired transfer to wireless transfer over 5ghz 892.11n if you can? Normally I never hit over 15MB/s over USB, and I have seen the ipad transfer above 30MB/s over wireless... Just would be once to compare.

I have been downloading the aiff files directly to the iPad. Using iTunes on the MBP and the iPod app on the iPad isn't convenient because that requires that the MBP be up and running whenever I am using the iPad. That wouldn't work for me.

My network has to be compatible with both 802.11g and n because I have some devices that still require g. I haven't had much success at getting network speed readings that seemed reliable. No two seem to be the same and no two people can seem to agree on what they mean. All I can tell you, then, is that USB transfers seem to me to be much faster than wireless ones do.

 

[Hellhammer]

I have been downloading the aiff files directly to the iPad. Using iTunes on the MBP and the iPod app on the iPad isn't convenient because that requires that the MBP be up and running whenever I am using the iPad. That wouldn't work for me.

My network has to be compatible with both 802.11g and n because I have some devices that still require g. I haven't had much success at getting network speed readings that seemed reliable. No two seem to be the same and no two people can seem to agree on what they mean. All I can tell you, then, is that USB transfers seem to me to be much faster than wireless ones do.

Wireless n gets maximum of ~10MB/s in real world, usually 7-8MB/s while USB can easily hit over 30MB/s, so it's not a surprise that USB is faster Theoretical maximum of n is 75MB/s but I haven't seen any consumer routers that can really get sequential +10MB/s

 

[gwsat]

Wireless n gets maximum of ~10MB/s in real world, usually 7-8MB/s while USB can easily hit over 30MB/s, so it's not a surprise that USB is faster Theoretical maximum of n is 75MB/s but I haven't seen any consumer routers that can really get sequential +10MB/s

My real world experience seems to confirm this. I have seen so many heated debates at Mac Rumors and elsewhere about what benchmark numbers for wireless network speeds mean that I stopped trusting them a long time ago. If I can't tell the difference by just doing downloads, I'm not going to worry about what some test may show. Part of the problem is that there are so many variables contributing to what the actual transfer speeds are, a measurement now may not be valid 5 minutes from now.

 

[DoFoT9]

I have been downloading the aiff files directly to the iPad. Using iTunes on the MBP and the iPod app on the iPad isn't convenient because that requires that the MBP be up and running whenever I am using the iPad. That wouldn't work for me.

My network has to be compatible with both 802.11g and n because I have some devices that still require g. I haven't had much success at getting network speed readings that seemed reliable. No two seem to be the same and no two people can seem to agree on what they mean. All I can tell you, then, is that USB transfers seem to me to be much faster than wireless ones do.

ahh right. running over the 2.4GHz spectrum wouldnt help either. i might run some tests on my composite speeded network and see what i can come up with. i just have to figure out how to transfer files using goodreader

Wireless n gets maximum of ~10MB/s in real world, usually 7-8MB/s while USB can easily hit over 30MB/s, so it's not a surprise that USB is faster Theoretical maximum of n is 75MB/s but I haven't seen any consumer routers that can really get sequential +10MB/s

My real world experience seems to confirm this. I have seen so many heated debates at Mac Rumors and elsewhere about what benchmark numbers for wireless network speeds mean that I stopped trusting them a long time ago. If I can't tell the difference by just doing downloads, I'm not going to worry about what some test may show. Part of the problem is that there are so many variables contributing to what the actual transfer speeds are, a measurement now may not be valid 5 minutes from now.

i guess this is why you stick to GPUs and CPUs lol? 802.11n @ 2.4GHz can hit a max theoretical of 18.75MB/s, whilst 5GHz can hit about 37.5MB/s. what really annoys me is the fact that the real world tests are NOWHERE near these results. using 802.11n on the 2.4GHz i get about ~3MB/s transferring at home from iMac i7 -> iMac C2D, this is pretty much what i use to experience with my old 802.11g Airport Extreme! pathetic!

transferring from the iMac C2D over the same network to TC gives me about 7MB/s max. too bad the real world limitations of wireless are pathetic. what ridiculous numbers.

just tested 5GHz spectrum, 8.8MB/s. im just happy i have ethernet

 

[BadgerMac]

Apple sells $50,000 MacBook Airs per month.

50,000x12months= 600,000 units per year

600,000x$1,499 price tag = $899,400,000 in revenue!


Don't listen to the pundits or naysayers about the Airs demise, these are just people who the Air to be something it wasn't intended for. Usual the people who hate the Air the most or who constantly complain about it can be found on this site. They don't see how childish they sound about owning a current Air whatever they price they paid for it, not knowing that some kid or people in another country would kill to have $1,499-1,799 to throw on a computer, but they had the money they would probably use it to help out family etc....


Go buy an Air.

Uhh....REvenue is sales - expenses there professor.

 

[iMacThere4Iam]

I think that Apple's not going to do anything to take the momentum away from the iPad and iPhone 4 launches.

There's the usual summer printer and iPod bonus to clear inventory, and it would make sense to wait until Fall to release an updated MBA, to maintain a steady stream of fresh offerings leading into the holidays.

The MBA suits the needs of many people perfectly, and seems to me to be the ideal candidate to showcase SJ's vision of mobility + required power in the cloud oriented future. All it would need is SJ taking an interest in laptops again.

 

[pharmx]

...

Ultraportable Macs will be a big part of Apple's Mac strategy in the future. Ultraportables are becoming more and more popular, and Apple hit the concept perfectly with v 2,1 MBA. Full-sized display and keyboard allowing a full Mac computing experience with a lower weight and thinner Mac that runs OS X will be around for a long time to come. But nobody will believe it until they see it themselves. Until then, we're all going to read EOL rumors especially when the Mac Pro and MBA are the two "oldest" Macs.

I agree with pretty much everything you said in this post...but I think the direction will be "ultraportable iOS device" which will either be a hybrid of the iPad and MBA, or somewhere inbetween.

 

[gwsat]

transferring from the iMac C2D over the same network to TC gives me about 7MB/s max. too bad the real world limitations of wireless are pathetic. what ridiculous numbers.

just tested 5GHz spectrum, 8.8MB/s. im just happy i have ethernet

We agree that transferring files of any size over a wireless network is a slow process. Despite knowing this, I experimented with doing downloads to the iPad wirelessly with Goodreader yesterday. The wireless method really works better than doing so via a USB connection to my MBP's iTunes app does. Here's how.

By using a wireless connection with Goodreader, I can mount the iPad to my iPad as a network drive. By so doing I was able to download an entire audio book with one drag and drop operation. Before I copy audio book CDs to my hard drive, I create a directory, which I give the same name as the book's title. Then I create a subdirectory for each CD and include the CD's number in the subdirectory's name. It is then easy to load a CD and copy all of its files all at once to the proper subdirectory. Then, all I need to do to transfer the version of the book on my MBP's disc to the iPad is to select the directory containing the subdirectories with the books files and drag and drop it into the Finder window for the iPad's drive, which is mounted on the MBP. When the transfer is complete, the entire book, including its directory, subdirectory, and files, are in Goodreader on the iPad and ready to be played.

The downside of the wireless transfer procedure is that it is, of course, very slow. It took two hours to transfer a 6.6Gb audio book from the MBP to the iPad, although doing so was easy.

If I use iTunes and USB to do the Goodreader file transfers to the iPad, I have to select one disc's files at a time for copying to the iPad because the file transfer utility built into Goodreader doesn't support copying directories. This means that I have to manually setup the directory structure in the Goodreader app on the iPad first and then copy each disc's files onto the iPad, one disc's worth at a time. Doing transfers this way is faster than wireless but ends up taking up a lot more of my time than the wireless transfers do.

 

[DoFoT9]

We agree that transferring files of any size over a wireless network is a slow process. Despite knowing this, I experimented with doing downloads to the iPad wirelessly with Goodreader yesterday. The wireless method really works better than doing so via a USB connection to my MBP's iTunes app does. Here's how.....

.....Doing transfers this way is faster than wireless but ends up taking up a lot more of my time than the wireless transfers do.

interesting to know! that seems to work well for you process wise! speeds things up a bit for you, if only there was a way for GoodReader to mount virtually using USB?! that would be the best case scenario. very interesting to know - i might try this process when i get home. normally i only stream things such as video to my iPad, never copy directly.

thanks for following that up though

 

[gwsat]

interesting to know! that seems to work well for you process wise! speeds things up a bit for you, if only there was a way for GoodReader to mount virtually using USB?! that would be the best case scenario. very interesting to know - i might try this process when i get home. normally i only stream things such as video to my iPad, never copy directly.

thanks for following that up though

Yeah, I, too, have been disappointed by Goodreader's inability to allow me to copy whole directories via USB. Alas, the iPad has a good way to go before it's ready for prime time. Anyhow, the wireless way is good in every way but for how much time it takes.

EDIT: Sorry for the thread hijack, gang. I will say, though, that this discussion of one of the iPad's frustrating weaknesses does go to show that it is not yet a serious threat to the MBA. Maybe someday but certainly not yet.

 

[DoFoT9]

Yeah, I, too, have been disappointed by Goodreader's inability to allow me to copy whole directories via USB. Alas, the iPad has a good way to go before it's ready for prime time. Anyhow, the wireless way is good in every way but for how much time it takes.

i wonder if its a limitation directly from Apple? i am sure the team at GoodReader would have made it work if they could.

in the mean time - i think you should convert to lossless

 

[gwsat]

I post to report the latest problem that has arisen because of the iPad's limited ability to download files. As reported earlier, I managed to download a 6.6Gb audio book from my MBP to the iPad via a wifi network in about 2 hours. Last night, though, when I tried to download an 8.6Gb audio book via wifi, the connection failed twice. All that got downloaded were the directory structure and the first file on Disc 1 and the first file on Disc 2. I then went back to using the iPad's USB connection to iTunes to complete the download. It was vastly faster. An entire disc's worth of files can be transferred from the MBP to the iPad via USB in less than 1 minute. I got the whole job done, including moving each disc's worth of files from the iPad's Goodreader root directory to the appropriate subdirectory, in less than 45 minutes. Thus, for the moment at least, the USB and iTunes method will remain the default.

All of this makes me wish even more fervently for an upgraded MBA that will let me do most of what I now do on my MBP and more than I can do on my iPad currently.

 

[thinkdesign]

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Wow. The amount we're willing to suffer for a little alleged convenisnce.

45 minutes to download!!!

Last night I pulled an actual (paper) book off my actual (wood shelf. Total elapsed time until I was reading, under 4.5 seconds.

And, no techno headaches of any kind.

I forget... what's that German word that means "the improvement that makes things worse" ?

 

[gwsat]

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

Wow. The amount we're willing to suffer for a little alleged convenisnce.

45 minutes to download!!!

Last night I pulled an actual (paper) book off my actual (wood shelf. Total elapsed time until I was reading, under 4.5 seconds.

And, no techno headaches of any kind.

I forget... what's that German word that means "the improvement that makes things worse" ?

If I listened to recorded books on a real computer it would be easier, easier still if I played the actual discs. I have opted, though, to copy the discs to a hard drive so that they are readily available anytime I want them. I get it that you wouldn't do it but it works for me. By the way what is "alleged convenience" and what is the real thing is in the eye of the beholder. Trust me on this. If you do things your way and leave it to me to do them in the way that works best for me, I'm sure we'll both be very happy.

 

[robeddie]

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

Wow. The amount we're willing to suffer for a little alleged convenisnce.

45 minutes to download!!!

Last night I pulled an actual (paper) book off my actual (wood shelf. Total elapsed time until I was reading, under 4.5 seconds.

And, no techno headaches of any kind.

I forget... what's that German word that means "the improvement that makes things worse" ?

'Schlimmbesserung' is a German word for an
improvement that makes things worse.