Best post in this thread, well justified. I totally agree with you, even with making up "an office pool"...
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New MacBook Air.....When ?
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Best post in this thread, well justified. I totally agree with you, even with making up "an office pool"...
OK, here's the start of a description of one possible product: liquidmetal, 11.6" screen, retina display to make up for the smaller screen.
You realise that would mean a screen resolution of about 3000x2450, I think not.
Man, don't even joke with the idea of a hybrid
If they did that, it wud mean wasted 1 year waiting for an upgrade which turned out to be a filthy disappointment
I wudnt buy it.
Much of OS X is still run by bitmaps, regardless of all the talk of resolution independence. That being the case, a screen such as that would require a special build of the entire OS or a very handy magnifying glass.
Man, don't even joke with the idea of a hybrid
If they did that, it wud mean wasted 1 year waiting for an upgrade which turned out to be a filthy disappointment
Why is that? You wouldn't lose any functionality. I'm talking about a full OSX machine with physical keyboard and trackpad, no different than current MBA, but it also has a multitouch display and can run iOS.
Let's say it contains both a Core i7 and an A4. You can choose what OS to boot into. OSX will run on the i7 and get six hours battery. Booting into iOS will turn off the i7 and run solely on the A4, giving it 12+ hours battery life.
Hmm... Engadget reports that Intel says Sandy Bridge will "begin shipping in very high volume" early 2011. This begs the question: when will it begin shipping in relatively small volume (as in for MBA) ;-)
Sigh. Either Apple got some deal with Intel and we might see new MBA before Christmas (if they did, that would give them pretty huge advantage; the only Sandy Bridge laptop); or probably not and it's many more months before we *might* see some update.
Hmm... what to do? what to do?...
Either Vaio Z or basic MBP? Grrr... I hate freaking Apple and Steve Jobs. I hate them so much...
Sigh. Either Apple got some deal with Intel and we might see new MBA before Christmas (if they did, that would give them pretty huge advantage; the only Sandy Bridge laptop); or probably not and it's many more months before we *might* see some update.
Hmm... what to do? what to do?...
Either Vaio Z or basic MBP? Grrr... I hate freaking Apple and Steve Jobs. I hate them so much...
As much as I really want an update before Christmas, I don't believe we will get one. I think realistically we are looking at February availability. That's based on two assumptions;
1 - Apple are waiting for the new processors
2 - They are actually updating the Air!
If no updates at all for the Air then I think that will be announced in October, if the update is coming in February (which I believe it is), I don't think we shall hear anything official until January.
1 - Apple are waiting for the new processors
2 - They are actually updating the Air!
If no updates at all for the Air then I think that will be announced in October, if the update is coming in February (which I believe it is), I don't think we shall hear anything official until January.
You mean "it was amazing a year ago"?
It still looks nice? with that I could agree. Its still thin. How about it still has the same processor, it still hasn't been updated, it still offers only 4GB of ram, it still has low resolution screen ;-)
I decided I'm getting basic model MBP. And this is only because I'm going to Japan and they're dirt cheap there compared to UK.
Or if you're American, MBP is dirt cheap compared to UK or Japan ;-) The price difference blows my mind...
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I think that as each month passes with no upgrade and no tangible sign of one in the works... the usefulness of considering logic / history / people's needs... in predicting the Air's fate, declines.
They could illogically dump it. Just as possible... they could be lavishing a huge design and planning effort on it, for some Great Leap Forward to be released a long way down the road. Illogically, in the sense that it only pays for itself if you factor in intangible benefits like prestige or halo effect.
It's interesting to build these air castles of thought (or argue how it's so logical, if they'd make exactly the one you want to buy)... but the Air has always been an atypical product for them, somewhat neglected... and not only have all our timing predictions been wrong, but our "what" predictions may be off, too.
I think that as each month passes with no upgrade and no tangible sign of one in the works... the usefulness of considering logic / history / people's needs... in predicting the Air's fate, declines.
They could illogically dump it. Just as possible... they could be lavishing a huge design and planning effort on it, for some Great Leap Forward to be released a long way down the road. Illogically, in the sense that it only pays for itself if you factor in intangible benefits like prestige or halo effect.
It's interesting to build these air castles of thought (or argue how it's so logical, if they'd make exactly the one you want to buy)... but the Air has always been an atypical product for them, somewhat neglected... and not only have all our timing predictions been wrong, but our "what" predictions may be off, too.
As it stands right now Apple isn't in the ultra portable market at all. That's incredible since their 12" PowerBook was a home run - in the ultra portable market.
We can thank the iPad i suppose for all this neglect.
Where does the Air go from here? Well they have serious competition now, OSX aside there's contenders, some are well priced and work like a charm.
What does Apple have to do to hit the mark? Well I'd bet a bundle they'll miss the mark and Apple will NOT make the ultra portable us MacBook Air fans are longing for.
Sony Z for example. While I'm certainly not a fan of the notebook or the company the Z is packed with features and it's 3 pounds. It truly feels light as feather in your hands and it fly's.
High Resolution, 3 ubs ports, express card slot, sd, hdmi PLUS dvd or blue ray burner ... wow. That's a lot of computer.
The MBA and the 13" MBP may become as one and we'll see an 11" MBA maybe ... still missing the mark for a productive ultra portable and we all know now as far as ports and features are concerned a new MBA will NOT have them, hell the 17" MBP can't be spec'd to this degree.
It's an iPhone, iPad buy a 15" MBP or a 27" iMac company now ... ultra portables? full featured ultra portables? No interest from Apple there, too small a market, not enough profit and a hell of an R and D cost to redesign all this while all Engineers are iOS crazy ....
Maybe time to look elsewhere ..... want a full featured ultra portable from Apple don't hold your breath ... Asus, Sony, Lenovo they've taken the interest Apple hasn't.
There is a lot of people I'm sure who don't want a 15" MBP sitting on their lap every evening, or fitting into tight spots when you're traveling and the the iPad is far to underpowered for many, a good ultraportable along with an external display can replace a LOT of devices ... like the ipad, 15/17" MBP and the Desktop all could be replaced by a notebook like the Sony Z for example, just as good on the couch as an iPad except you can actually type fast and do work, it can handle what a 15" MBP can handle hook up to an external monitor the desktop is gone.... just thinking out loud here I guess...
We can thank the iPad i suppose for all this neglect.
Where does the Air go from here? Well they have serious competition now, OSX aside there's contenders, some are well priced and work like a charm.
What does Apple have to do to hit the mark? Well I'd bet a bundle they'll miss the mark and Apple will NOT make the ultra portable us MacBook Air fans are longing for.
Sony Z for example. While I'm certainly not a fan of the notebook or the company the Z is packed with features and it's 3 pounds. It truly feels light as feather in your hands and it fly's.
High Resolution, 3 ubs ports, express card slot, sd, hdmi PLUS dvd or blue ray burner ... wow. That's a lot of computer.
The MBA and the 13" MBP may become as one and we'll see an 11" MBA maybe ... still missing the mark for a productive ultra portable and we all know now as far as ports and features are concerned a new MBA will NOT have them, hell the 17" MBP can't be spec'd to this degree.
It's an iPhone, iPad buy a 15" MBP or a 27" iMac company now ... ultra portables? full featured ultra portables? No interest from Apple there, too small a market, not enough profit and a hell of an R and D cost to redesign all this while all Engineers are iOS crazy ....
Maybe time to look elsewhere ..... want a full featured ultra portable from Apple don't hold your breath ... Asus, Sony, Lenovo they've taken the interest Apple hasn't.
There is a lot of people I'm sure who don't want a 15" MBP sitting on their lap every evening, or fitting into tight spots when you're traveling and the the iPad is far to underpowered for many, a good ultraportable along with an external display can replace a LOT of devices ... like the ipad, 15/17" MBP and the Desktop all could be replaced by a notebook like the Sony Z for example, just as good on the couch as an iPad except you can actually type fast and do work, it can handle what a 15" MBP can handle hook up to an external monitor the desktop is gone.... just thinking out loud here I guess...
While I will agree Apple has focused far too much time, energy, and product development on iOS, I don't believe it will continue to ignore the Macs. I believe the MBA will be the next Mac to receive a complete makeover. I don't believe there's a chip, and also given the issue of Intel bullying Nvidia out of the game, that allows Apple to aggressively redo the MBA. I do believe it will take some time and a lot of resources to revamp all of the 13" Macs. Since Apple kept them with C2D CPUs, it seems fair that the MBA not get an update. Really, the MBA is already using the fastest CPU in its class.
That being said, I will not continue to give Apple a free pass indefinitely. I do believe that Apple has had nearly enough time... by January, I want to see new 13" Macs across the board. I want Apple to focus on the MBA, and I want to see an MBP and MB with beyond C2D and Nvidia chipsets. I hope this means Core i-series CPUs and ATI 54x0 series GPUs. I really believe the 54x0 series offers Apple a streamlined solution that enables users to have the graphics performance necessary of OS X and yet uses lower TDP as Apple is used to in the 13" Mac series of notebooks.
The MBA needs a redesign to enable Apple to keep up with ultraportable competitors. At the same time, I don't believe Apple is not in the ultraportable market at all. In fact, I would say its entire 13" line of notebooks COULD all be considered ultraportable... to a varying degrees. The thing is the MB is the budget, the MBP is the performance, and the MBA is the classy and elegant super thin sans the optical drive and two pound battery (I know it doesn't really weigh two pounds). I think the redesign comes to thicken up the thinner parts and thin out the thicker parts of the MBA. I see a .5/.6" MBA as the "sweet spot." I believe Apple could cool it better with a uniform thickness, and I do think Apple went too thin. My "money" is on keeping the weight at 3 lb. with the MBA.
If Apple goes with 11.6", I believe it will be too close to its iPad market. I don't feel there's any reason to do that. Ultimate user "experience" comes with the full-sized keyboard. At the same time, Apple could make the MBA much smaller, in terms of depth, width, by eliminating most of the bezel and wasted space around the keyboard. However, that leaves less space for a logic board, GPU, RAM, and SSD... does Apple have to thicken it up then, maybe? I don't know, but I know from my own experience that the number one feature of the MBA is its weight, or lack thereof, that makes it my favorite Mac of all time.
Finally, I have been on the attacking side of the fence, with the lack of update to the MBA, but I honestly feel the MBA just keeps getting more and more relevant with each update to OS X. The 9400m just keeps getting better and better. Apple has also speed up the SSD. The top-end MBA is twice the Mac it was when introduced... and that's saying something for Apple to actually keep making a Mac better and better... because it used to be Apple wouldn't focus on its prior Macs and required users to buy a new one to get any performance improvements.
With Intel axing Nvidia out of the GPU and chipset market, I do believe Apple gets a pass until Quarter One 2011... beyond that I will jump the fence and ignore the 13" Macs for a long while. However, Intel hasn't left Apple with many outs on the CPU/GPU/chipset side of the Macs.
The clearing out of Nvidia was a blow to us consumers. It was a disgusting anti-competitive practice, and I hope Intel pays dearly for its unethical move. We still are better off with Core 2 Duo and Nvidia GPUs/chipsets... and that will be the case for a long time to come.
Intel has integrated worthless graphics and forces a lackluster chipset to boot... that is the way unethical and worthless companies do business, so we should all hope Apple jumps ship and finds an AMD solution that could further its complete line of Macs. The Mac users are losing here and the only right move Apple had was to keep C2D in the 13" Macs as long as possible. We won by Apple not giving us Core i-series CPUs with Intel's worthless IGP. Let's give Apple a break for making the smart move there.
Beyond Q1 2011, I make no more excuses for Jobs and co. Until then, I am willing to accept the MBA as a hell of a competitor to all ultraportables on the market. It's not the fastest, nor most powerful Mac ever, but it is the most fun Mac ever. In addition, it's completely capable of running one OS with its 2 GB RAM, OS X 10.6, Nvidia GPU, new Toshiba SSD, and 2.13 GHz C2D.
Scottsdale: ok, ok, C2D + 9400M should be fine for a while. But what about "cosmetic" upgrades? Glass touchpad? High-res screen?
Those two things alone would make for a fabulous refresh. I don't understand the silly argument "glass is heavy". Its a tiny little bit of glass but it makes a HUGE difference to me. I love the glass touchpad. It won't really make the laptop noticeably heavier.
And high res screen; they're dime a dozen. They could update this any second. There really is no justification of keeping 1280x800 the only option. Is it year 2000?
I've said it dozen of times and I'll say it again - as it stands MBP 13" and Macbook Air have only marginally higher resolution than the stupid iPhone. That ain't right.
If Jobs recognizes the benefit of high resolution screen, why not offer that in notebooks. They do that in 17" MBP, they do that in 15" MBP, why not 13" MBP and Air? I'm willing to pay for it!
Those two things alone would make for a fabulous refresh. I don't understand the silly argument "glass is heavy". Its a tiny little bit of glass but it makes a HUGE difference to me. I love the glass touchpad. It won't really make the laptop noticeably heavier.
And high res screen; they're dime a dozen. They could update this any second. There really is no justification of keeping 1280x800 the only option. Is it year 2000?
I've said it dozen of times and I'll say it again - as it stands MBP 13" and Macbook Air have only marginally higher resolution than the stupid iPhone. That ain't right.
If Jobs recognizes the benefit of high resolution screen, why not offer that in notebooks. They do that in 17" MBP, they do that in 15" MBP, why not 13" MBP and Air? I'm willing to pay for it!
Did it ever occur to you what higher resolution on a 13" display would do to readability? It would destroy it. I speak form experience. Dell used to offer 1080P on their XPS 15s and it's not readable at all. The resolution on the 13" is fine as it is.
I have to call this argument BS. Point in case: iPhone. Somehow ppl aren't going blind trying to read retina display. More: Vaio Z with 1600x900 is awesome.
Besides, why do you care? I want an option for high res screen. You don't like it, don't buy it but shut up and stop telling me what I want or need or what my eyes can handle.
The iPhone is a separate case and incomparable to a laptop. And no, the higher resolution on the Vaio Z is not awesome, not to mention unhealthy. To run 1600x900, at least a 17" screen is required.
I don't care what you want, but the fact that you post without expecting someone to respond to your posts is idiotic and stupid. Get out of your fantasy world.
I don't like random folks online telling me what *I* want, what *I* need or what is healthy for *me*. See the pattern?
Where is the research data to back your claim that 1600x900 on 13" is unhealthy? Right, you have none.
What you're trying to do is to force your view of the world on me and I don't like it.
Either your eyesight is poor and if that iss the case then I'm sorry, or you just don't like high resolution. If it is the latter, then it would be acceptable to say "I think 1600x900 is to much, I don't like it". But instead you're trying to convince me that I'm crazy for wanting it because I'm killing my eyesight and so on.
In short, your reply is worthless because you're trying to push a personal opinion as an objective fact.
It is objective that Resolution Independence is still far from perfect on both Windows and OSX, but especially OSX. You don't need to have a poor eyesight to be annoyed by small UI elements, Menù elements, and webpages (CMD++++++++++++++ all the time) created with 1024x768 in mind. All of this does not prevent SOMEBODY to like an higher resolution ANYWAY (and you can use Firefox to skip all the CMD++++), I'm not willing to tell you what you should like/hope/want. But IT IS objective that the system is not optimized to rise the resolution withouth annoyances, so there ARE reasons to be against higher resolutions for the moment. We can only hope things will change with OSX 10.7.
On iOS-for_iPhone/iPod_Touch it's a different matter, stuff is simply tailored to 2 standard resolutions.
pfft or you could use a triple SLI GTX 480 to heat your houseand it still keeps me warm during the winter months
who needs a snuggie
Rubbish! The fact that you find the menu items small is your subjective opinion.
My opinion is that THEY R HUGE and I'd like to make them smaller
Stop trying to sell your opinions as objective criticism.
It is true that rising resolution makes things smaller. But perception of how small something is can only considered relative to the observer in question.
You want to increase pixel density while keeping proportions the same (resolution independence), while I want to have smaller things so I could put more of them at the same time.
Besides, give me your universal measure of smallness. 1cm? 1mm? 1 micron?
All you're saying is that you don't like high resolution screens and hence there should be no high resolution screens. And argument like that is rubbish.
Cheers!
I could not agree more. It seems as though Apples desire to create & sell leading edge laptops, or even desktops for that matter, has faded. The first sign was Jobs changing the name of the company to Apple Inc. from Apple Computer. A wise strategic move as they continue to pander to the Hollywood types, portraying Apple as the entertainment company they have morphed into. Also it took them years to finally offer hi-res for the 15" MBP, a laptop I use on a daily basis.
That said, why they insist on buying into the current media position that a tablet is all we need, is another sign that Apple is no longer a leader, but chasing profits only.
What the future holds for the MBA is very ambiguous.