The next MacBook Air will define the future of computing

[historylover]

Nope

I am really looking forward to the new MBA, but I highly doubt it will be the "game changer" or "future of computing" that everyone wants it to be. It was the 2010 MBA that did that, and if you notice, many of the new ultraportable PCs have come out since the 2010 MBA is released. Now Apple needs to man up and put in better parts.

For this next release, things will be sacrificed (the graphics) for a better processor, and there will be things left out (SD slot for 11"? Yeah right.) One of the great things about the MBA is that people will be able to use it as a computer on the go, but I would never have it as my sole computer, I would want a computer at home (iMac, laptop, whatever) that is faster for any silly game I want to play (I play silly games) and to store music and pictures, etc etc etc.

If you want true game changers, you need to look to the initial releases of the iPod, iPhone, iPad, even the iMac (the originals - I don't remember what they were actually called - that put everything together behind the screen, the ones that were all different colors? those were great).

I want an MBA, but I'm considering just buying a refurb of the current generation, and to be honest, I'm starting to hate these threads because not only do they add to the hype, it seems like they are just started to get people to talk about something that doesn't exist in the wild yet. This is the "what if" portion that keeps driving Apple's stocks.

 

[Cynicalone]

Nothing, nVidia is out of making chipsets for x86. I was surprised that even MCP89 even came into being. nVidia must have been desperate to get that out the door and actually into some hardware.

That explains why I hadn't heard any news. I was wondering if I had missed something.

 

[Horlics]

I am really looking forward to the new MBA.

I'm not, because it'll probably have dead pixels like the one i have just bought. THIS IS NOT A TROLL so don't take it as one, but guys, i am done with Apple. Fed up of some issue or other with every device i buy. Discoloured iPad 1, dead pixel MBA, and i really really want an iMAC but in my local store 75% of them have lousy yellow tinted screens.

 

[Oppressed]

"Game changing" and "future of computing" machines deserves a keynote. This refresh doesn't have anything that every other ultrabook out there doesn't already have.


On an separate but related topic, I personally believe that they will bring back the backlit keyboard on this refresh. Due to the money saved on the graphics chip and the lower voltage of the chipset. Plus its one of those features that would push many people to the other side of the fence.

 

[ResPublica]

The real breakthrough was the introduction of the 11" in 2010. This update will only consolidate the previous success. I surely hope they give the new base model 11" Air 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD, besides Thunderbolt and the new processors.

 

[Melrose]

The future of mobile computing is touch screen, and the as a workstation the Air will never match a full-fledged desktop or even a large MacBook Pro, or at least until they offer comparable HD space and screen resolution.

Desktops will not be replaced until we live in a Minority Report-style computing environment.

I would love to have an excuse to buy an Air, but for it does I can't justify it.

 

[Cali3350]

Miles ahead ? With a slower GPU ? Yeah right.

In most workflows going on airs, you won't even notice the Sandy Bridge CPU as the thing is mostly sitting idle waiting on user input anyhow.

Are you serious? A 60% faster CPU for a 20% slower GPU, on a machine where the CPU is infinitely more important.

 

[KnightWRX]

Are you serious? A 60% faster CPU for a 20% slower GPU, on a machine where the CPU is infinitely more important.

Infinately more important for what ? Sitting idle in textareas and NSTextViews ?

On my machine, the GPU is more important, since games are about the only that push the MBA that I use. Anything else can be done on a 10 year old computer, as it's just coding/light image manipulation/terminal work/VMs.

 

[tbobmccoy]

Infinately more important for what ? Sitting idle in textareas and NSTextViews ?

On my machine, the GPU is more important, since games are about the only that push the MBA that I use. Anything else can be done on a 10 year old computer, as it's just coding/light image manipulation/terminal work/VMs.

If you want to play heavy games, why are you going for any computer with an IGP? Get a MacBook pro 15" at a min. MBAs won't have dedicated gpus for a long time, if ever.

 

[Roman2K~]

Infinately more important for what ? Sitting idle in textareas and NSTextViews ?

Haha! Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[KnightWRX]

If you want to play heavy games, why are you going for any computer with an IGP? Get a MacBook pro 15" at a min. MBAs won't have dedicated gpus for a long time, if ever.

It plays games decently. A MBP 15" is too big and heavy to drag around as much as I need and I don't play games that require a dedicated GPU to be playable. I don't care if I have to set the graphics to medium. The 2010 MBA is a good all-arounder, better than an Intel 3000 HD equipped MBA would be for me.

 

[Roman2K~]

It plays games decently. A MBP 15" is too big and heavy to drag around as much as I need and I don't play games that require a dedicated GPU to be playable. I don't care if I have to set the graphics to medium. The 2010 MBA is a good all-arounder, better than an Intel 3000 HD equipped MBA would be for me.

+1

And for having the 2011 15" MBP (HD 3000 + dedicated AMD 6750M), I can say that adding a dedicated GPU into the mix is not a good solution either. At least not with "graphics switching" in its current state. (See this post for a description of the problems.)

 

[ess5]

<iPhone4/iPad2 user, looking to get into a Mac laptop...most likely a MBA, since major concerns are battery life, weight, and start-up time>

So, I'm a lil' confused here...does Apple have a history or releasing new hardware that happens to be slower than the old hardware?

I'm definitely not in the "The new MBA is the gamechanging future of technology!!!" camp, but I would think comparing currently existing and bench'able hardware with something unreleased, and then definitively declaring the unreleased hardware "xx% slower/faster/cooler/betterer/worser/shinier" than the current version would be a bit premature.

It could absolutely be a case of me not understanding the history/information available (i.e. Apple having a habit of duping consumers into new-yet-inferior tech while somehow keeping their gajillions of tech-savvy fans...or a 100% guaranteed & confirmed final build of the machine with absolutely no room for tuning, new/improved tech, or surprise upgrades). Are either of those the case?

 

[Eidorian]

People are still concerned about start up times? The only times I reboot are when updates force me. I delay updates occasionally just because I do not want to reboot.

 

[ess5]

People are still concerned about start up times? The only times I reboot are when updates force me. I delay updates occasionally just because I do not want to reboot.

If we were discussing iMacs, I'd definitely agree with you...but I tend to power down my laptop whenever I take it, well, pretty much anywhere. I'm fairly certain that still requires that I start it up at some point, and I'd like for that to be done as quickly as possible.

That said, hopefully the battery life of the MBA would allow me the luxury of just closing it and tossing it into a travel bag for the day.

 

[tbobmccoy]

+1

And for having the 2011 15" MBP (HD 3000 + dedicated AMD 6750M), I can say that adding a dedicated GPU into the mix is not a good solution either. At least not with "graphics switching" in its current state. (See this post for a description of the problems.)

I didn't realize graphics switching was so problematic on the newer MBPs; it makes me glad I have a mid '09 model with manual switching then

The performance of the hd3000 will be fine for playing older games, which is all I'll be using it for now that I'll be teaching. My wife wouldn't be happy with the lack of gfx horsepower, but I don't really need it so an iGP that'll run hd video is all I need. Of course, if the price of the 2010 model drops enough, I'll scoop that up instead of the new MBA... But I doubt it'll go low enough for me to justify keeping a C2D dinosaur.

 

[Eidorian]

If we were discussing iMacs, I'd definitely agree with you...but I tend to power down my laptop whenever I take it, well, pretty much anywhere. I'm fairly certain that still requires that I start it up at some point, and I'd like for that to be done as quickly as possible.

That said, hopefully the battery life of the MBA would allow me the luxury of just closing it and tossing it into a travel bag for the day.

Sleep it or force Deep Sleep. Even that is faster than booting and dependent on the size of the hibernation file.

Turning off a computer when you are not required or forced to do so seems so very unnecessary in this day and age.

 

[Davidkoh]

<iPhone4/iPad2 user, looking to get into a Mac laptop...most likely a MBA, since major concerns are battery life, weight, and start-up time>

So, I'm a lil' confused here...does Apple have a history or releasing new hardware that happens to be slower than the old hardware?

I'm definitely not in the "The new MBA is the gamechanging future of technology!!!" camp, but I would think comparing currently existing and bench'able hardware with something unreleased, and then definitively declaring the unreleased hardware "xx% slower/faster/cooler/betterer/worser/shinier" than the current version would be a bit premature.

It could absolutely be a case of me not understanding the history/information available (i.e. Apple having a habit of duping consumers into new-yet-inferior tech while somehow keeping their gajillions of tech-savvy fans...or a 100% guaranteed & confirmed final build of the machine with absolutely no room for tuning, new/improved tech, or surprise upgrades). Are either of those the case?

Well, the thing is that I doubt they will be able and want to make the Air more powerful than the MacBook Pro. The Air seems to have fallen into the category of being like the pro but with ULV processors. They didn't have a problem putting the HD3000 in the 13" MBP and make it slower GPU-wise, and I doubt they will have a problem doing so with the Air.

I haven't been held back by CPU for years, but any old game can make these low-end graphics cards to choke, so I rather take a hit in CPU then GPU.

 

[firewood]

I don't think MBA will be capable as a full workstation.

The MBA 11 is already far far more powerful than most of the workstations that HP, Sun, and SGI sold billions of dollars worth.

It's a game changer because of the iPad. The MBA 11 is both smaller and lighter than an iPad plus a full sized keyboard, but just a nice looking, and perfectly usable for a huge range of typical keyboard-oriented business and consumer tasks.

 

[Eidorian]

The MBA 11 is already far far more powerful than most of the workstations that HP, Sun, and SGI sold billions of dollars worth.

Please, please elaborate.

It's a game changer because of the iPad. The MBA 11 is both smaller and lighter than an iPad plus a full sized keyboard, but just a nice looking, and perfectly usable for a huge range of typical keyboard-oriented business and consumer tasks.

It is a thin Core 2 ULV notebook with a custom nVidia chipset solution. Unless you invoke product incest feedback loop it is yet another ULV notebook.

 

[Hellhammer]

The MBA 11 is already far far more powerful than most of the workstations that HP, Sun, and SGI sold billions of dollars worth.

Maybe if you compare MBA to workstations sold a decade ago. Back then, we didn't have Full HD videos or other heavy content. Computers need to evolve because the content processed by them is evolving as well. Try shooting at +50Mb/s AVCHD for instance and then editing it on MBA with Final Cut. I can guarantee you will need many cups of coffee before you will even be able to start editing.

 

[Cali3350]

The MBA 11 is already far far more powerful than most of the workstations that HP, Sun, and SGI sold billions of dollars worth.

Wow.

Hey, my Android Phone is far, far more powerful than the computers used to send us to the moon too. Yet thats not used on their advertising material...

 

[tom vilsack]

my thoughts of future: the cloud...arm...cd/dvd's is finished...cheap (ie: x101)...cross platform os...

the air's are nice (overpriced but nice) but the future (apple yes...computing in general...no)

 

[Icaras]

The MBA 11 is already far far more powerful than most of the workstations that HP, Sun, and SGI sold billions of dollars worth.

Yes, I second some elaboration. I just want to know more details of why you made this statement.

It's a game changer because of the iPad. The MBA 11 is both smaller and lighter than an iPad plus a full sized keyboard, but just a nice looking, and perfectly usable for a huge range of typical keyboard-oriented business and consumer tasks.

How is the MBA 11 smaller and lighter than an iPad?

 

[ess5]

How is the MBA 11 smaller and lighter than an iPad?

I'm fairly certain he means iPad + full-sized keyboard
(Not that I agree, just...RIF and all)