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Time Frame on Next MBA Release
- Thread starter MBABuyer
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well, in the 13 MBP, it seems the graphics performance of the Sandy Bridge CPU + IGP is on par, sometimes better, than the C2D + 320M, so, in this case, they didn't really sacrifice graphics power.
the 13 MBP uses a more powerful CPU than the MBA would, so, the weakness of the IGP, which can be carried by the Pro's CPU, would be expected to show more in the Air. this, as i understand it, is the problem.
for example, see the 13" Samsung Series 9 for a worst case scenario. In fact, this seems to be a good model for the potential 11" Sandy Bridge Air.
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Oh Please
If they can squeeze thunderbolt, core ix, and offer a 512gb SSD upgrade I would buy one this summer. A backlit keyboard would be icing on the cake. Graphics is not as important to me as processor power for rendering video and images.
I don't know about a summer release though, apple seems to have a slower update schedule for the MBA, and it seems like they would be unlikely to do it during the Back to School event profits-wise. C2D clearly has to be replaced soon though...
Either way, I'll be getting something over the summer for school next year.
If they can squeeze thunderbolt, core ix, and offer a 512gb SSD upgrade I would buy one this summer. A backlit keyboard would be icing on the cake. Graphics is not as important to me as processor power for rendering video and images.
I don't know about a summer release though, apple seems to have a slower update schedule for the MBA, and it seems like they would be unlikely to do it during the Back to School event profits-wise. C2D clearly has to be replaced soon though...
Either way, I'll be getting something over the summer for school next year.
there seems to be no such thing as an update schedule for the Air. this model was neglected for quite some time and all but discontinued before the 2010 update. for one, the MacRumor's Buyer's Guide, in my estimation is pretty much worthless here.
how do you know Apple won't increase their profit margin by going Sandy Bridge? they no longer have to buy a separate (integrated) video card and Intel's list prices for the CPU's themselves are about the same for the 2010 C2Ds and the ULV/LV Sandy Bridge CPUs. (yes, i assume the 2010 CPUs have come down in price by now.) just a thought.
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Incredibly ridiculous posts in this thread... really. All of the inaccuracies are really absurd, and those false points don't help anyone learn anything or make qualified decisions.
OP, wait and see. If it's updated, buy the new one or better yet save money and get a most likely far superior Nvidia-based MBA on clearance at Apple.com. Apple typically reduces the price on old models by 25% when clearing out to make way for new Macs.
OP, wait and see. If it's updated, buy the new one or better yet save money and get a most likely far superior Nvidia-based MBA on clearance at Apple.com. Apple typically reduces the price on old models by 25% when clearing out to make way for new Macs.
i use a mid 2007 mac mini. as of today the mba processor is pretty much the same, which translates to me not buying.
so if the sandy bridge update has graphics better the gma950 i'm sold. (+thunderbolt, and an 8 gb ram option please!)
so if the sandy bridge update has graphics better the gma950 i'm sold. (+thunderbolt, and an 8 gb ram option please!)
Some quotes from other articles:
"After a highly successful first run of the ultra-light notebook that was introduced in October last year, it looks like Apple is ready to begin replacing them. According to reports and speculations, Apple will begin production of the next generation MacBook Air notebooks next month. Beginning this year, shipments of the MacBook Air notebooks have been slowly declining, and dropping even more when Apple introduced the new MacBook Pro notebooks. As you know when a company stops restocking supplies of an old product, it usually signifies the arrival of something new.
According to an analyst, who checked with suppliers and system builders, the next generation MacBook Air notebooks are said to be running on Intels latest Sandy Bridge microprocessors, integrated Intel graphics and will be packing the new Thunderbolt high-speed port as well. The new models are also said to enter mass production in late May, which backs up previous rumors about Apple being ready to officially announce and ship the new MacBook Air notebooks in June."
If you're eager for a featherweight Mac laptop with enhanced I/O and the latest Intel CPUs, you may not have to wait that much longer. Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has told AppleInsider that Apple is set to begin mass production on new models of the MacBook Air in May. The new Air will sport a Thunderbolt port as well as Intel's latest Sandy Bridge microprocessors and integrated Intel graphics. Kuo's assertions are based on checks with system builders and other suppliers in the region.
A May production date would make sense for several reasons: it corroborates earlier reports for a June launch of an updated MacBook Air, but more importantly, it means that Apple's hottest laptop would be refreshed in time for the back-to-school buying season, which typically begins in late June/early July. Kou's assertion about the new MacBook Air gains some additional weight based on his track record; he accurately predicted the 11.6-inch MacBook Air three months before Apple unveiled it.
"After a highly successful first run of the ultra-light notebook that was introduced in October last year, it looks like Apple is ready to begin replacing them. According to reports and speculations, Apple will begin production of the next generation MacBook Air notebooks next month. Beginning this year, shipments of the MacBook Air notebooks have been slowly declining, and dropping even more when Apple introduced the new MacBook Pro notebooks. As you know when a company stops restocking supplies of an old product, it usually signifies the arrival of something new.
According to an analyst, who checked with suppliers and system builders, the next generation MacBook Air notebooks are said to be running on Intels latest Sandy Bridge microprocessors, integrated Intel graphics and will be packing the new Thunderbolt high-speed port as well. The new models are also said to enter mass production in late May, which backs up previous rumors about Apple being ready to officially announce and ship the new MacBook Air notebooks in June."
If you're eager for a featherweight Mac laptop with enhanced I/O and the latest Intel CPUs, you may not have to wait that much longer. Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has told AppleInsider that Apple is set to begin mass production on new models of the MacBook Air in May. The new Air will sport a Thunderbolt port as well as Intel's latest Sandy Bridge microprocessors and integrated Intel graphics. Kuo's assertions are based on checks with system builders and other suppliers in the region.
A May production date would make sense for several reasons: it corroborates earlier reports for a June launch of an updated MacBook Air, but more importantly, it means that Apple's hottest laptop would be refreshed in time for the back-to-school buying season, which typically begins in late June/early July. Kou's assertion about the new MacBook Air gains some additional weight based on his track record; he accurately predicted the 11.6-inch MacBook Air three months before Apple unveiled it.
Best Article:
Apple to begin production of Thunderbolt MacBook Airs next month
By Kasper Jade
Published: 11:00 AM EST
Apple next month will reportedly begin manufacturing the first updates to its rejuvenated MacBook Air line as the company looks to maintain the impressive sales momentum generated by the ultra-thin notebooks and limit the market opportunity for would-be competitors hoping to wedge their foot in the door.
Sales of the aggressively-priced 11.6- and 13.3-inch MacBook Airs got off to a hot start following their introduction last October, with Apple assembling roughly 1 million units within their first quarter of availability. During those three months, consumers reportedly chose the new MacBook Airs at a one-to-two ratio to the company's more established MacBook Pro offerings, making for one of the company's most successful Mac product launches ever.
However, shipments of the Airs declined 51 percent sequentially during the first calendar quarter of 2011 -- including a 40 percent month-over-month decline in February -- as Apple introduced new MacBook Pros that caught consumers' eyes, according to Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has proven sources within the Cupertino-based company's Far Eastern supply chain.
Kuo tells AppleInsider that his latest round of checks with suppliers and system builders in the region reveals that MacBook Air shipments are set to rebound during the current calendar quarter, fueled by an upgrade to Intel's latest Sandy Bridge microprocessors, integrated Intel graphics, and the expected adoption of the new Thunderbolt high-speed I/O technology that made its debut on MacBook Pros earlier this year.
Specifically, he said the new models will "go to mass production in late May," which corroborates an earlier report that cited reliable sources as saying Apple would be ready to publicly announce and ship to consumers MacBook Airs with Sandy Bridge processors during following month of June.
The upgrade should help boost Apple's overall notebook shipments between 5 percent to 10 percent sequentially for the current quarter, according to Kuo, reversing a 5 percent decline from the fourth quarter of 2010 to the first quarter of 2011, which he notes was still less than the 11% average decline for notebook shipments from the top 6 OEMs worldwide during the same period.
In moving to Intel's 32-nanometer (nm) Sandy Bridge architecture, the mid-2011 MacBook Airs will jettison two-year-old Penryn-based 45-nm Core 2 Duo chips for the chipmakers' new line (below) of low-voltage and ultra-low-voltage Core i5 and Core i7 chips, which sport between 3MB and 4MB of Smart Cache and support a theoretical maximum of 8GB of internal system memory.
Should Apple follow its current trend of using ultra-low-variants for the 11.6-inch MacBook Air and low-voltage ones for the 13.3-inch models, consumers can expect to see new 11.6-inch MacBook Airs sporting 1.4GHz to 1.6GHz Core i5 and Core i7 chips and 13.3-inch MacBook Airs with 2.10 and 2.30GHz Core i7 processors.
In a report shared with AppleInsider last week, Kuo also noted that production of Apple's legacy white MacBook model has been on a steady decline since the start of the year, with shipments falling 10% and 50% in February and March, respectively. As such, it's likely that Apple will similarly need to make some form of announcement regarding the future of this offering sometime in the coming months.
Apple to begin production of Thunderbolt MacBook Airs next month
By Kasper Jade
Published: 11:00 AM EST
Apple next month will reportedly begin manufacturing the first updates to its rejuvenated MacBook Air line as the company looks to maintain the impressive sales momentum generated by the ultra-thin notebooks and limit the market opportunity for would-be competitors hoping to wedge their foot in the door.
Sales of the aggressively-priced 11.6- and 13.3-inch MacBook Airs got off to a hot start following their introduction last October, with Apple assembling roughly 1 million units within their first quarter of availability. During those three months, consumers reportedly chose the new MacBook Airs at a one-to-two ratio to the company's more established MacBook Pro offerings, making for one of the company's most successful Mac product launches ever.
However, shipments of the Airs declined 51 percent sequentially during the first calendar quarter of 2011 -- including a 40 percent month-over-month decline in February -- as Apple introduced new MacBook Pros that caught consumers' eyes, according to Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has proven sources within the Cupertino-based company's Far Eastern supply chain.
Kuo tells AppleInsider that his latest round of checks with suppliers and system builders in the region reveals that MacBook Air shipments are set to rebound during the current calendar quarter, fueled by an upgrade to Intel's latest Sandy Bridge microprocessors, integrated Intel graphics, and the expected adoption of the new Thunderbolt high-speed I/O technology that made its debut on MacBook Pros earlier this year.
Specifically, he said the new models will "go to mass production in late May," which corroborates an earlier report that cited reliable sources as saying Apple would be ready to publicly announce and ship to consumers MacBook Airs with Sandy Bridge processors during following month of June.
The upgrade should help boost Apple's overall notebook shipments between 5 percent to 10 percent sequentially for the current quarter, according to Kuo, reversing a 5 percent decline from the fourth quarter of 2010 to the first quarter of 2011, which he notes was still less than the 11% average decline for notebook shipments from the top 6 OEMs worldwide during the same period.
In moving to Intel's 32-nanometer (nm) Sandy Bridge architecture, the mid-2011 MacBook Airs will jettison two-year-old Penryn-based 45-nm Core 2 Duo chips for the chipmakers' new line (below) of low-voltage and ultra-low-voltage Core i5 and Core i7 chips, which sport between 3MB and 4MB of Smart Cache and support a theoretical maximum of 8GB of internal system memory.
Should Apple follow its current trend of using ultra-low-variants for the 11.6-inch MacBook Air and low-voltage ones for the 13.3-inch models, consumers can expect to see new 11.6-inch MacBook Airs sporting 1.4GHz to 1.6GHz Core i5 and Core i7 chips and 13.3-inch MacBook Airs with 2.10 and 2.30GHz Core i7 processors.
In a report shared with AppleInsider last week, Kuo also noted that production of Apple's legacy white MacBook model has been on a steady decline since the start of the year, with shipments falling 10% and 50% in February and March, respectively. As such, it's likely that Apple will similarly need to make some form of announcement regarding the future of this offering sometime in the coming months.