Prediction on next MBA

[PracticalMac]

MBA is about 2 years old, so its due for a major revamp.

SSD only, mounted directly to motherboard (save space, thinner, lighter)
3GB (4gb?) of RAM, also mounted
SD slot (trend with MB/P's)
Dual eSATA/USB socket (USB sucks for large backups and transfers, eSATA for that. Prefer FW800, but will take eSATA)
Possibly 2ed USB

Expect the MiniDP and audio out to stay, upgraded camera.
Likely better screen.

Case design will change, of course, but I will leave that imagination to you.

 

[Patrick Boyle]

EDIT: I assumed you were referring to the MBP. Wrong forum.

 

[iSpoody 1243]

someone needs to move this to the right forum. mods?
it would be a bit odd for apple to only put 3gb in the next air imo, 4gb is pretty standard these days and the integrated gpu sucks a substantial amount of ram aswell. 4gb with 6gb or 8gb option would be more realistic.

 

[lostime]

I hope they transform the MBA into a low cost Netbook competitor

 

[DesmoPilot]

I hope they transform the MBA into a low cost Netbook competitor

Apple and low cost do not go together.

 

[Hisdem]

Apple and low cost do not go together.

So true.

 

[maflynn]

I hope they transform the MBA into a low cost Netbook competitor

Not going to happen given Jobs remarks about netbooks during the iPad unveiling.

The MBA is the red headed step-child in apple's line up and I expect them to kill it off. Its a thinner more expensive 13" MBP with less computing power, less hard drive, no optical drives.

While I love the design and idea, it just doesn't seem to fit apple's line up now.

 

[applebook]

I hope they transform the MBA into a low cost Netbook competitor

I hope that Apple transforms the MBA into oblivion.

 

[PracticalMac]

EDIT: I assumed you were referring to the MBP. Wrong forum.

No, this post for the MBAir, not MBP.

What this post moved to MBP??? Can mod move it back to MBA?

 

[PracticalMac]

any more thoughts?
Yeah, no work will all the latest announcements.

 

[KyleKlink]

I have to laugh when I read people mentioning that the MBA is going to killed off. Yeah, it's been a while since it was updated, but the Mini also went a long time without much change. Did that get killed off (as many on here predicted)? Nope. Nor will the MBA.

Just because the update schedule doesn't match what people here think should be the case doesn't mean the MBA is going to be EOL'd. I know this forum is a place to discuss (and create) rumors, but I think we should at least try to be a bit logical in our arguments.

 

[fyrefly]

MBA is about 2 years old, so its due for a major revamp.

SSD only, mounted directly to motherboard (save space, thinner, lighter)
3GB (4gb?) of RAM, also mounted
SD slot (trend with MB/P's)
Dual eSATA/USB socket (USB sucks for large backups and transfers, eSATA for that. Prefer FW800, but will take eSATA)
Possibly 2ed USB

Expect the MiniDP and audio out to stay, upgraded camera.
Likely better screen.

Case design will change, of course, but I will leave that imagination to you.

SSD Only would be welcomed, but would make the machines more $$$, and people already complain the MBA is too much $$$.

4B of rAM I bet. I doubt they'll have room/give us the ability to upgrade it.

No eSATA - it's not even on the MacPro's, or MacBook Pros - not gonna come to the MBAir.

SD Slot I could see, if they can fit it. Be neat to have an SD Card with a backup of SL on it in the MBAir box instead of a CD (but that's a pipe dream as well).

Whatever Apple does with the Air, I just hope they do it soon (11.6" Model? Kill it off? Who knows...). I hope they don't just leave it to hang in oblivion like the iPod Classic.

 

[spatlese44]

How about just a faster processor that generates less heat. Whatever my next machine is, I want it to be able to do iChat and not have the fan going crazy. It's not sexy on the surface, but I'd call it likely something mondane will happen like that.

 

[Scottsdale]

SSD Only would be welcomed, but would make the machines more $$$, and people already complain the MBA is too much $$$.

4B of rAM I bet. I doubt they'll have room/give us the ability to upgrade it.

No eSATA - it's not even on the MacPro's, or MacBook Pros - not gonna come to the MBAir.

SD Slot I could see, if they can fit it. Be neat to have an SD Card with a backup of SL on it in the MBAir box instead of a CD (but that's a pipe dream as well).

Whatever Apple does with the Air, I just hope they do it soon (11.6" Model? Kill it off? Who knows...). I hope they don't just leave it to hang in oblivion like the iPod Classic.

I agree, it would add $300 to the price to keep 128 GB SSD standard in the low-end and a $300 upgrade to move to 256 GB SSD in the high-end.

I personally believe it would be best for Apple to jack the price back up now. Since it has a netbook competitor now, I believe it can refocus the MBA strategy on high-end high-price being the best in its category.

I would WELCOME a $2999 price tag if the benefits/components matched the price tag. I would welcome 8 GB RAM option, and I believe it's a guarantee with the next model MBA. I don't believe Apple will stick people with only 2 GB or even 4 GB anymore. 8 GB is quickly becoming standard for the average high-end user, and that's what the MBA is... I see two RAM DIMMS as a guarantee, but I have been wrong before. I just noticed on another computer that stacking the two RAM DIMMS requires depth space, but it's not so bad. What I also wonder about is 8 GB on 1 So-DIMM. I have heard it's a possibility. Maybe?

 

[thinkdesign]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 8.12; MSIEMobile6.0) Sprint T7380)

"Apple and low cost do not go together." (reply) "So true."

Well, if one looks exclusively at the shrinking half of Apple's profits (computers), yes. But if one looks at the products and linked services (iPods, iPhones, iPads, iTunes etc.) that are now producing over 50%
of the company's products -- all these hot products do have low-price versions. The iPod's down to what $50. now? The iPad surprised us by starting as low as $499. (Obviously the phone's subsidy makes it not a good simple example.)

As a percentage of profits, the 3 handheld product lines (that I call iToys) -- which Apple is making a relatively strong design effort on (as well as an effort to price low, for volume) ARE Apple's big booming profit center. And this %-wise is the case, IN SPITE of how fast the computer sales have also grown in the past year or two. The iToys' profits have zoomed FASTER.

Since the Air is the lightest and most mobile of the computers... it's obvious to wonder if... in Apple's approach, it MIGHT crossover into the realm of -- products (like the iToys) they make big design effort on, and price to go for market share.

IMO this doesn't require switching the Air to share an O/S with the iToys.

Maybe the Rev. D Air models, or the Rev. E ones
... will have a low model and a high model. With a larger space between them. The rumor from was it Gene Munster said that higher sales rates planned by Apple implied a model with a cost lower than the current low $1,499. model.

But there's no reason the higher new model couldn't be a relatively generously-equipped model... perhaps with some BTO options to keep the published price without options no higher than, say, $1,999.?

$1,199. for the low one & $1,999. (+ BTO options) for the higher one?

The distance between high and low models could increase. It's logical given the Munster rumor, plus the facts that Scottsdale has laid out for what a higher end model needs. Of course, logic alone is no basis for predicting. Neccessarily.