I'm hoping for the best and prepared for the worst.
Sony had that special on and I just had to bite, I'm SO GLAD I did. 3lbs, good screen, good keyboard, 512 ssd, 8gb ram and blu ray for $2,900 was an excellent price as is the entry level model at $1220 or $1499 with the free xbox.
Apple is no longer in this market, it is over and has been for a while now.
To get back in it they'll have to pull a rabbit from a hat ... we'll see.
I feel the same. I am hopeful for an amazing MBA that destroys the competition as the v 2,1 MBA destroyed the competition when it was introduced two years ago on October 14th, 2008. However, I am prepared for something much different also.
When introduced, the v 2,1 MBA was the only ultraportable that had a real Core 2 Duo CPU instead of Atom, it was the first to have 2 GB DDR3 RAM, it was the first to have an LED backlit GPU, it was the first to have an SSD STANDARD, and it had a ton of other great features like OS X, illuminated keyboard, unibody aluminum case, multitouch large trackpad, magsafe charger, and was a shear joy and a complete change over the original MBA.
I really want an MBA that dominates the way the v 2,1 dominated. Now, the competition have caught up. There are 3 lb. Vaios that destroy the MBA. There are thinner ultraportables. There are ultraportables with more SSD drive space. There are ultraportables with faster CPUs. There are ultraportables with more RAM. There are incredible competitors.
I don't believe Apple could dominate with an MBA now as it did in October 2008, but I hope I am wrong. I want to believe.
I am prepared for something very different. I find the 13" display a great luxury, and I will be disappointed to use an 11.6" display. I feel like Apple could disappoint us here. Instead, I don't understand why they don't just reduce the footprint by eliminating the worthless gigantic bezel and eliminate the wasted space around keyboard. I feel they should even go with a 14" 15" display that fits in nearly the same case with just a bezel eliminated.
I want a Core i7, but I fear we could have an Atom CPU or even CULV CPU. I want 8 GB RAM, but I fear we could have only 4 GB of RAM or worse. I want a 256 GB SSD, but I fear we could still be stuck at 128 GB.
I am not planning for disappointment, but I am completely prepared for disappointment. With the way Apple has ignored the Macs all year, due to too much focus on iOS products, anything can happen. I am eager to see the new MBA, and while I have great hopes I also have great fears.
I do believe we will really get an update, but I am clueless as to whether my hopes and guesses, and thoughts of where the MBA needs to go, is actually accurate or dreaming. I just hope we see some real innovation no matter which direction Apple takes it in terms of CPU/GPU.