So, are you guys really interested in 11.6 inch MBA?

[jclardy]

I would be. I love the portability of my iPad, being able to slip it into an outside pocket of a messenger bag. With the 13" format it is too wide/tall for that (unless you have a bigger bag of course...)

Also being that it has less surface area it will probably have a bit more structural integrity. Not that the current one is fragile, but it just seems that it would be more solid since it is not as tall and wide.

Of course it all depends on what the actual specs are along with the price.

 

[ronjon10]

If this was an option, I might have purchased one of these instead of the iPad.

I love PC tablet's with swivel keyboards (lenovo t200 tablet style) and would love to see what Apple could do with that form factor. An 11" Macbook Air running OSX that could pivot into iPad mode. I'd be all over that.

 

[Mr. Savage]

Nope. As a matter of fact, I was fully prepared to buy one of the last remaining current gen MBAs before the stock dried up if all Wednesday brought us was an 11 inch.

Gotta see it and hold it my hands first to be sure, but as of right now: zero interest.

 

[halledise]

nay

no to 11"
yes to 13"

had 2x 12" PowerBooks back in the day, but they were only marginally ok for my usage.
soon as the 13" came out - wow what a difference.

looking forward to 20 October and a hi-res 13" Air at a much lower price than I paid for my RevC.
the newly touted components make this eminently possible without compromising Apple's profit margins.

(judging by the sale of Airs on eBay lately, the lower price point for the new model(s) would seem to be a definite)

 

[Undo Redo]

Is there a technical reason for the large bezel around MacBook screens? Seems to me, Apple could make the 13" model much smaller just by shrinking that bezel and the space around the keyboard.

Put me down as very interested in an 11.6 inch Air, if it's priced right.

 

[zipelius]

YESSSSsssssssss of course!

YES to 11.6" or even 10"

When I was traveling with my 12" PB it did fit all safety box but 13" Air did not fit anymore. So yes... I really like to see smaller Air!

 

[Jaro65]

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I think $1400 with 4gb of ram and core i7 with at least 64gb ssd(hopefully fast) would be fair.

Core i7? What about the heat?

 

[aberrero]

Core i7 ULV Dual cores are the most power efficient chips you can buy.

Anyway, i have decided that I don't want a 1280x800 display, and would prefer a 1440 x 900 13.3".

I used to like the idea of an 11.6", but I already have an iPad. I don't need something that portable and i need the extra screen real estate to get stuff done.

 

[macbook123]

Is there a technical reason for the large bezel around MacBook screens? Seems to me, Apple could make the 13" model much smaller just by shrinking that bezel and the space around the keyboard.

Put me down as very interested in an 11.6 inch Air, if it's priced right.

The "reason" are the tapered edges. They're tapered to make the Air "look" thinner than it is. Jon Ive must have smoked some really bad stuff when he came up with this. Good design is practical, not a lie.

 

[seek3r]

Steve jobs once said that he doesn't want any compromises on MBA and he went 13.3 inch display. So, 11.6?

Who really wants 11.6 inch MBA?

A lot of people want the 12" powerbook back, that's basically it!

That said, I wonder if we're all thinking from the wrong direction, a 15" Air maybe?

 

[jclardy]

no to 11"
yes to 13"

had 2x 12" PowerBooks back in the day, but they were only marginally ok for my usage.
soon as the 13" came out - wow what a difference.

Your 12" powerbook only had a 1024x768 resolution so there wasn't much screen space to work with along with it not being widescreen. An 11" widescreen would feel a lot different than the old 12" PB screen. Especially if they kept the resolution the same as the current 13" (1280x800).

 

[halledise]

Your 12" powerbook only had a 1024x768 resolution so there wasn't much screen space to work with along with it not being widescreen. An 11" widescreen would feel a lot different than the old 12" PB screen. Especially if they kept the resolution the same as the current 13" (1280x800).

good point

 

[soberbrain]

If they keep a 13" option with a decent processor and an upgrade path to more ram and hard drive space, then I almost certainly will buy one at any price.

Agreed. That's what kept me from getting an MBA in the first place.

I'd be interested in seeing a 11" MBA in person, but would probably choose the 13".

 

[tigres]

Not me. No on the 11".

 

[jclardy]

Man I can't wait to see what they actually announce tomorrow. I really hope the rumor about the "significantly lower starting price" is true...

 

[hcho3]

600 dollars for a macbook air? Steve and Apple doesn't want to make junk ones, so you won't see MBA priced at under 900 dollars for sure. I am expecting it to start at 999 dollars.

 

[stockscalper]

What halledise said.

 

[kingsal]

I'll buy an 11.6" Air if it gets 3G

 

[thinkdesign]

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I might be interested in the 11.6" ... if it was some new screen type so bright and sharp that it is more legibile.

But then, I'd rather they use any such screen tech, on the 13.3" screen.

If they Air-ified the 15" I could maybe see wanting that... if they're careful on watching the weight. Now THAT could be a good place to audition carbon fiber, or LiquidMetal.

 

[GDOX316]

why is it that we have no solid proof? no pictures, no confirmations, no nothing.

 

[bossxii]

Anyone who is remotely a gadget enthusiast would buy the 11.6" air vs an ipad.


It's got a built in kickstand for watching videos b/c it's a laptop.
You can run full-fledged mac os x programs and other mainstream programs
It's got a keyboard
This should be as heavy as just carrying an ipad + a keyboard.

I'd actually expect the ipad to get a price drop by $100 but if I were Apple, the ipad is obviously selling well, so making people choose would be fine with me. Apple customers are willing to shell out whatever Apple asks. Cannibalism of their products is driven by overlapping functionality, not by price.

Actually if the fix the hinge issue, put in a glass trackpad and add ram, all for under $1,000. I'll own both a new MBA and keep the iPad for the times I use it most, at home in the recliner watching tv, or like many nights reading various news articles in bed before I goto sleep. The iPad for me is much easier than any previous laptop to use mauling down at night. Not having a keyboard to deal with makes the iPad well worth the price.

The MBA would travel with me vs my iPad and allow me to be more flexible in the things I can do on the road. Leaving the company laptop at the office to collect dust as it's a heavy slow pc of $heeeit that wastes more of my time than it's worth.

 

[ccsicecoke]

Is there a technical reason for the large bezel around MacBook screens? Seems to me, Apple could make the 13" model much smaller just by shrinking that bezel and the space around the keyboard.

Put me down as very interested in an 11.6 inch Air, if it's priced right.

It's because they need to put the wi-fi antenna and isight cable behind the bezel.

I heard that Apple is going to implement the same antenna design as iPhone 4's on the new MacBook Air. If it's true, and they can manage to put the isight downward from the screen, then there is no need to keep the bezel

 

[aberrero]

It's because they need to put the wi-fi antenna and isight cable behind the bezel.

I heard that Apple is going to implement the same antenna design as iPhone 4's on the new MacBook Air. If it's true, and they can manage to put the isight downward from the screen, then there is no need to keep the bezel

No, but you will need to get a Bumper to go with it.

 

[Moodikar]

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Yes. I want one!!!!
Been waiting for ever since the first air, since era of pb12inch and pb duos.

- small footprint
- full size keyboard
- less bezel less wasted space

Better for transports and full OS not iOS.
- matching or better everything else

 

[thinkdesign]

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"It's because they need to put the wi-fi antenna.... behind the bezel."

I thought the wifi antenna was inside that grey plastic part that fills the space between the two hinge covers.

In one of this forum's hinge discussions several months back, someone had looked up the hinges' replacement part numbers, to see if there had been any changes, suggesting the possibility of the hinges having been upgraded. (There had been no change in the part numbers.) The two hinges came in a set with a replacement for that narrow covering part that runs between the hinges, which was mentioned as being plastic "because" (I'm not vouching for this) the antennas were in there.

If the antenna were in the bezel, then the condition of having the aluminum lid on one side seems like it might produce some directionality in the antenna's performance.

But for me this is largely academic, if the antennas are just for bluetooth and wi-fi. I need a cell modem antenna in there, too.

Everywhere I go the wi-fis I find are either plainly labelled as being locked, or if I try to connect to one that initially seems unlocked, then in a step or 2 it turns out that really they're locked, too.

My city's promised free municipal wi-fi system never happened. The old dream/hype of "mobility" via wi-fi may have happened somewhere, but not anywhere that I find myself.

If they don't add 3G, then if the "smaller, thinner" rumors are correct.... we can have an even MORE thin and svelte Air, with a clumsy-looking plug-in cell modem contraption hanging off the side....

.... with all the leverage of a small crowbar, just waiting to get bumped, and thereby wreck the USB jack -- which, of course, quite obviously was not designed to be strong enough to hold anything more than a USB plug attached to a cable.

Having to use an outboard 3G modem on a MacBook Air, reminds me of the antique cars from the 1920's and early 30's with the spare tire stored & displayed on the outside of the car's body, behind the trunk lid, or on the side in a shallow well on huge swooping-type front fender. Quaint; pre-modern design.