To those with 2010 Macbook Airs - Will you automatically buy the Sandy Bridge update?

[IngerMan]

I purchased my MBA 13 in mid February. It would have to be some very nice spec bumps along with battery. Since I transport mine every work day in and out of customers. I would consider a trade in for a new 11", if the battery spec went up to 7 hours along with some other nice bumps. Honestly though I think my next new computer should be a replacement of my iMac, Waiting to see what the next Mac Mini brings

 

[nebulos]

my guess is that most of the people that already went with an Core2Duo Air, can get by without too much CPU horsepower, i.e. they're not doing intense video/audio work, for example, so, for many, it wouldn't even make sense to upgrade. (and, there are some who would rather die (or at least kill) than give up their 320M.)


... there seem to be two camps on the MBA forum these days:

1. Current Owners: Don't need much CPU, (sometimes think nobody should), like their GPU (well, some have gone from 'like' to calling non-stop, hiding in the bushes, ...).

2. Sandy Bridge Anticipaters: Want the form factor of the Air (and price and resolution), but simply need more CPU.

many of the threads on this forum, including a lot of the fights, i think, can be understood by understanding the needs of these two populations.

there are very, very sensible and knowledgeable people on both sides. and there are some people who could improve a bit on these fronts.

 

[Hellhammer]

That big orange thing would not exist in an Ivy Bridge machine.

Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge both still need a separate PCH which is a discrete chip, just like the 320M is.

 

[mush10]

I don't own one yet, but am patiently waiting. Although I am torn as there is a good refurb deal on the 256, 4GB, 13 inch right now that is really tempting me.

 

[iRun26.2]

I'm being a pedant here but if you intend to automatically buy it it can't then depend on anything. You'll either automatically buy it (not caring about the specs or cost) or you won't (where won't includes not buying it at all or buying it if there's enough reason to).

I agree. The poll asked about 'automatically' buying the SB version. There should not be an option 'C' for the 'It depends'.

Thus, I would have to say, categorically, 'No' (for me, it depends). If the SB version comes with a backlit keyboard, I might buy it. If 256G becomes an option for the 11.6" model, then I will definitely buy it.

 

[iRun26.2]

If it has Sandy Bridge plus an AMD or Nvidia GPU, then I will be hard pushed to not buy it. Thunderbolt, HD3000 alone don't interest me at all. If it is an amazing bump in Sandy Bridge that results in the same net graphics power, then I may consider it, but I will wait for extensive testing with the HD3000 before I buy it.

I agree here, too: I will not be sold on the SB HD3000 until I see some evidence that it proves acceptable for most applications. I don't intend to play games but it better not be noticeable otherwise.

 

[yly3]

To be really honest, if the "weaker" GPU is ..well weaker in everyday Facebook-iTunes-8 Safari Tabs-etc tasks then I probably won't. I thought that I will play games on my 11". 4months+ have passed and nothing yet, besides I have an xbox for that.

If the 11" gets 7h battery life then I will buy it. It's what matters most actually for me. Taking notes and browsing the web. And if it comes preloaded with Lion then hell yeah !

 

[jayo123456]

yes i will.....regardless of how much of an update it is.

if you know how to swing things, you really don't have to be rich to have the latest. It's actually more economical to update every refresh, if you really know how to swing things.

 

[2IS]

I agree here, too: I will not be sold on the SB HD3000 until I see some evidence that it proves acceptable for most applications. I don't intend to play games but it better not be noticeable otherwise.

Proof? You do realize HD 3000 has been in use for quite sometime now on many PC laptops right? Go to your nearest best buy and play with the laptops, launch some apps. They'll run fine.

 

[torbjoern]

Absolutely not. If SB would make that much of a difference to me, I wouldn't have bought the 2010 MBA in the first place.

 

[Oli3000]

But daft enough to not realise that an IGP by ATI/nVidia is impossible on the Core iX series of processors ?

So either it's discrete or it's Intel IGP. There are no chipsets by 3rd parties for the Core iX series because Intel refuses to license the required tech/specifications.

As for this topic : I upgrade my computers when they stop being useful to me in certain aspects. I am not part of the crowd who simply wastes money away on computers.

Bugger, I just looked this up. I had the sony z series (http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/11/sony-vaio-z-series-vpcz114gx-s-review/) in mind when I posted, but now I realise they do use a discrete chip...

Apple probably could fit a discrete chip if they really wanted to, but it's all about desire.

 

[Jobsian]

I forgot that apart from battery, there is something else that would really enamour me to an updated MBA - integrated cellular internet (3g or above).

If it had that, instead of buying it on the second or third day, I would queue at the Apple store on the first day (i'd be the only person there) with a look of terrifying zeal in my eyes.

 

[App Downloader]

No. My MBA is already future-proof, and even if it wasn't, it could still run most of the things the next MBA could without showing a very big difference

 

[netdog]

My 13" is faster at the day to day stuff than my Mac Pro. Why would I need to upgrade to Sandy Bridge? You spec-hounds crack me up sometimes.

 

[jamesryanbell]

Waiting for Ivy Bridge, if I even update at all. No need to update anytime soon, as the current model does everything I need and more as a SECOND computer. Not that important to me yet.

 

[striker33]

My 13" is faster at the day to day stuff than my Mac Pro. Why would I need to upgrade to Sandy Bridge? You spec-hounds crack me up sometimes.

You might not need to, but some people dont buy a £1000+ ultraportable to browse facebook.

 

[KnightWRX]

Proof? You do realize HD 3000 has been in use for quite sometime now on many PC laptops right? Go to your nearest best buy and play with the laptops, launch some apps. They'll run fine.

Intel IGPs and other graphics options have been in use for the longest time, it doesn't mean they don't suck. They are always a generation or 2 behind and they are most always slower than the current offerings from all other vendors.

Let's face it, since they introduced the i740, which was supposed to be "The" reference on how to implement a 3D accelerator on AGP, Intel has met with failure after failure in the GPU market.

As for them being "good enough", let me throw it back right at you. The people who are running "apps" that are running "fine" on Intel's shovelware GPU don't need Sandy Bridge either. Computer hardware is advancing at a pace that outpaces the tasks people need to accomplish on computers.

Web, e-mail, word processing/spreadsheet/productivity apps, these are all things we did 10 years ago. Music you say ? My Pentium 100 with 32 MB of RAM could play MP3s in the background without a hitch while I was browsing the web and reading my e-mail in a dedicated mail reader. Video ? My Pentium 2 333 mhz could play back DVD. In software. But I preferred the Dxr2 card I had that accelerated MPEG2 decoding and provided TV output.

A lot of people who "want" Sandy Bridge don't really "need" Sandy Bridge. The people who "want" the nVidia stuff actually do "need" the nVidia stuff though (3D games). That is the difference.

I forgot that apart from battery, there is something else that would really enamour me to an updated MBA - integrated cellular internet (3g or above).

If it had that, instead of buying it on the second or third day, I would queue at the Apple store on the first day (i'd be the only person there) with a look of terrifying zeal in my eyes.

I'd rather stick with 3rd party options. Advantages :

- Reduced costs on buying the actual laptop (Apple charges 130$ for 3G options in the iPad).
- No carrier lock-in. What do you mean I can't move my 1500$ MacBook Air from AT&T to Verizon ?

 

[maclaptop]

I matched the 11" & 13" MBA's to my needs, they are ideal. Therefore I have no reason to replace them.

 

[Hellhammer]

I'd rather stick with 3rd party options. Advantages :

- Reduced costs on buying the actual laptop (Apple charges 130$ for 3G options in the iPad).
- No carrier lock-in. What do you mean I can't move my 1500$ MacBook Air from AT&T to Verizon ?

Making 3G/4G a BTO option wouldn't hurt anyone. I'm sure there are people who are willing to pay 130$ for built-in 3G instead of using a clumsy 3G USB adapter. Carrier lock-ins are US crap, they don't exist in most European countries for instance (I can go and buy any phone and put any SIM card in it). Besides, Apple seems to be selling iPhones and iPads quite nicely even though they have carrier lock-ins

Just because you don't need something doesn't mean that nobody does. Giving people an option would be a win-win situation for everyone, nobody would be forced to pay extra. On the other hand, one can always tether using a smart phone so to be honest, I don't see that big need for this but I guess there would still be people who would opt for it.

 

[leowyatt]

I only got my air on Christmas Day and have no plans to replace it for a good couple of years yet. It does exactly what I want now and I don't see that changing. I'm not desperate for a processor bump or a thunderbolt port. I don't game on my mac as I have consoles for that so I'll stick with this until it doesn't meet my needs anymore.

 

[theturtle]

dont need it. just hope i could stop the obsession. haha.

 

[2IS]

Intel IGPs and other graphics options have been in use for the longest time, it doesn't mean they don't suck. They are always a generation or 2 behind and they are most always slower than the current offerings from all other vendors.

Except the post I was responding to clearly said he had no intention of gaming and wanted "proof" that it can run most apps without issue, which it absolutely can.

 

[Oldandintheway]

If

The only thing I wish my 11" had is an SD Card slot. No point in updating without that.

 

[MH01]

No way. It's all about portability for me. Getting the new 17 mbp for grunt, but will not replace my air. Mac mini is another matter.

 

[KnightWRX]

Making 3G/4G a BTO option wouldn't hurt anyone. I'm sure there are people who are willing to pay 130$ for built-in 3G instead of using a clumsy 3G USB adapter. Carrier lock-ins are US crap, they don't exist in most European countries for instance (I can go and buy any phone and put any SIM card in it). Besides, Apple seems to be selling iPhones and iPads quite nicely even though they have carrier lock-ins

Just because you don't need something doesn't mean that nobody does. Giving people an option would be a win-win situation for everyone, nobody would be forced to pay extra. On the other hand, one can always tether using a smart phone so to be honest, I don't see that big need for this but I guess there would still be people who would opt for it.

I have the option right now. It's called HotSpot on my iPhone.

No need for an expensive add-on that locks me into a single carrier. If I want to switch carriers, then I simply use the tethering option of my new phone.

Carrier lock-in is not just a US thing. Looking at 3G options on Dells, I have to choose a specific carrier and pay extra for the priviledge. Carriers give away the 3G USB modems and most phones support tethering out of the box.

Not to mention Apple would not make it BTO.

Except the post I was responding to clearly said he had no intention of gaming and wanted "proof" that it can run most apps without issue, which it absolutely can.

And the post you were responding to also didn't really list anything that required Sandy Bridge. Making it entirely moot and addressed by own post if you had bothered to read it entirely.