Wait for Rev.E for the Macbook Air?

[loby]

Easy question: Should I wait for Rev.E sometime next year to buy the MacBook Air or is the latest rev. a solid one? I would like to purchase the 2.13mhz with 4 gigs 13 in. sometime since I have a Rev. A (which I still like, compared to some).

Also, I noticed something with my Rev. A after the resent update....the fan does not come on as much...

Anyone notice this or is it just my hoping....

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Give us some context, bro. What will you use the machine for?

Personally I like the form factor of the Air, but I'm waiting until the base model has a TB SSD and at least 8GB of RAM with a octo-core processor running at at least 2.5GHz (at least equivalent to i7 processing too).

What will that be? Rev. S?

 

[kp98077]

**i dont mean to be mean by OMG haven't you been reading any of these post? clearly the MBA is one of the best if not THE best product apple has ever produced. I'd say it's safe and a good idea to get the current rev.

Easy question: Should I wait for Rev.E sometime next year to buy the MacBook Air or is the latest rev. a solid one? I would like to purchase the 2.13mhz with 4 gigs 13 in. sometime since I have a Rev. A (which I still like, compared to some).

Also, I noticed something with my Rev. A after the resent update....the fan does not come on as much...

Anyone notice this or is it just my hoping....

 

[DesmoPilot]

Sure the current MBA is a great machine. With that said, personally, I have a problem paying top dollar for CPUs from early '08.

 

[KPOM]

I had the Rev B with the SSD, and the 2.13GHz Rev D with 4GB is significantly faster. Don't let the processor specs fool you. The SSD is much faster than the previous revisions, and if you are using a HD-equipped Rev A, you are in for a real treat (even the Rev B SSD was a significant bump up from the Rev A HD model - I had one of them, too). Also consider that the Rev D has much better integrated graphics than your Rev A, which provides a boost to OpenCL programs, including iPhoto '11.

My Rev B would struggle if I had too many tabs open in Safari, or had Entourage/Outlook, Safari, and iTunes open at the same time. The Rev D works great even with Windows 7 running in a virtual machine in the background.

 

[KPOM]

Sure the current MBA is a great machine. With that said, personally, I have a problem paying top dollar for CPUs from early '08.

But it's mated to a decent GPU. If Apple used Intel's latest and greatest processor, they'd be stuck with the equivalent of a GPU from 2007. Even the vaunted Sandy Bridge has a GPU about the same as the nVidia 9400m that Apple started using in early 2008. Considering how much Snow Leopard (and I'm sure Lion) and iLife '11 rely on the GPU, I think it's a worthy tradeoff until Intel gets its act together or allows others to build integrated graphics for the Core i3/i5/i7.

It's all how you look at things. Sure, we'd all like it if Apple could cram a Core i5 with a fast GPU into the envelope of the Air, but that isn't possible right now.

 

[efirmage]

But it's mated to a decent GPU. If Apple used Intel's latest and greatest processor, they'd be stuck with the equivalent of a GPU from 2007. Even the vaunted Sandy Bridge has a GPU about the same as the nVidia 9400m that Apple started using in early 2008.

It's all how you look at things. Sure, we'd all like it if Apple could cram a Core i5 with a fast GPU into the envelope of the Air, but that isn't possible right now.

And you pay quite a bit more to get a MBP w/ i5.

I don't like the C2D either, but for my purposes I'd rather have the 320m than an i3.

 

[fyrefly]

If your current RevA MBA does what you need it to do... why are you thinking about upgrading?

There's two schools of thought to keeping happy in the tech world, IMHO:

a) "Latest and Greatest" -- this is a super-techie who needs to have the newest tech available all the time, and probably only goes 6-8 months with the same computer before getting a new one.

This person will never be disappointed 'cause they're always upgrade to new stuff, and they're either rich, or they can get a decent amount of $$ for their "old" gear to offset their constant upgrade cycle.

b) "Upgrade when you need to" -- this person keeps a computer for 2, 3, 4 years or until it no longer functions for what it needs to do for them.

This person will never be disappointed 'cause they wait till they *need* a new computer and buy it then, never looking over their shoulder at whether they should wait for the next "latest and greatest" 'cause they bought when the absolutely needed to, vs. on a whim.

If you're not in group a or group b, I'd say there's always a chance you're gonna be disappointed with your purchase - either waiting for the "latest and greatest" forever... or buying a new one but then constantly agonizing over it till the next new one comes out and then wondering why you didn't wait.

Bottom line: If you want it, and you can afford it, and the 2010-MBA does what you like and need - get it.

The RevE will be out sometime on 2011 and it'll be better, but no-one has a crystal ball as to when that'll be (though some, like me, have hedged bets on Summer 2011).

 

[loby]

ok,ok...I have a Rev A 1.8mhz with a 64 gig SSD. My hinges are loose (as most Rev. A's) and will take it into Mac to hopefully get it tighten. Also, to my surprise, my 64 gigs does not cut it because I am forced to use Windows programs due to OneNote and other programs not on the Mac. Tried Notebook and other programs, but have not liked them.

I purchased the Air a few years ago for $1299 (compared to the $2,700 when they first came out) and loved it and got a good price at the time.

I also have a Mac Mini that I purchased four months before the next rev. came out (ouch)...because I read too many forums entries that suggested that the Mac Mini was disappearing (needed a small desktop). I can wait until Mid-Summer, but wanted to see what the more knowledgeable users thought about the current Rev., especially reading about complaints concerning no back-lit keys and other minor issues.

Also...I thought someone would have said to wait until the Pros come out and compare it to the Air first before deciding, since the Pros "may" migrate to a more Air platform...

 

[loby]

"b) "Upgrade when you need to" -- this person keeps a computer for 2, 3, 4 years or until it no longer functions for what it needs to do for them. "


I think that I fall under this category. Thanks of the advice.

 

[KPOM]

Also...I thought someone would have said to wait until the Pros come out and compare it to the Air first before deciding, since the Pros "may" migrate to a more Air platform...

The 13" MacBook and 13" Pro are likely to be upgraded soon after the holidays (along with the 15" and 17" Pro). I suspect that the 13" Pro will lose the optical drive (at least in one configuration) and gain a Core i5 and discrete GPU in the process.

That said, since your question was about the Rev E MacBook Air, that's probably why the responses were directed toward it. The Rev D has not yet been out a month, so it's premature to talk about the Rev E. It's at least several months away, and we have no idea about its specs other than that it's unlikely to have a Core 2 Duo since the chips are being discontinued soon. Meanwhile, the current model is a significant upgrade. My Rev B was similar to yours except that I had a 128GB SSD and the nVidia 9400m. The Rev D with the 2.13 GHz chip, Toshiba SSD, and GeForce 320m is significantly faster (as are the 1.86GHz and I suspect even the 1.6GHz models).

 

[stockscalper]

Why not hold out and wait for revision Z, that way you'd have the perfect Air

 

[KPOM]

Why not hold out and wait for revision Z, that way you'd have the perfect Air

Nah, just a few months after that Core i49-equipped Rev Z comes out, Apple will release the Rev AA model with Intel's new Core i51 chip with 80 cores, integrated 4D graphics, and a holographic display.

 

[yegon]

I'm firmly in the "b" category, although I always ensure I buy stuff soon after it's been refreshed. That way, when it is refreshed again, I care not one jot

 

[gwsat]

Easy question: Should I wait for Rev.E sometime next year to buy the MacBook Air or is the latest rev. a solid one? I would like to purchase the 2.13mhz with 4 gigs 13 in. sometime since I have a Rev. A (which I still like, compared to some).

Also, I noticed something with my Rev. A after the resent update....the fan does not come on as much...

Anyone notice this or is it just my hoping....

The hardy perennial excuse for not buying a new computer now is that a faster more capable upgrade is just over the horizon. The problem with this way of thinking is that a faster more capable upgrade is always just over the horizon. Thus, my recommendation to you is that you look at your needs and your budget. Do a cost benefit analysis, that is, decide whether a new MBA would be useful enough to you right now to justify its cost and fit your budget. If your answer is yes then by all means buy it and avoid belaboring the obvious, which is that, eventually, a faster more capable upgrade will arrive.

 

[dmelgar]

Apple has done an amazing job coming up with a new feature set which isn't good enough, meaning there will be years of upgrade cycles each providing significant updates. Mainstream PCs and laptops are already faster than anyone needs. No need to update.

Next years MBA will be a major upgrade. What I'd expect is...
- Double the SSD capacity for the same price.
- Faster CPU
- Lightpeak. Killer feature. Super fast access to external hard drives, displays etc,. 'The' one connector. Able to shave the machine even smaller potentially.

 

[hcho3]

So this thread is about why my MBA doesn't have core i5 or i7.....
Retards....

 

[a2applegirl]

The hardy perennial excuse for not buying a new computer now is that a faster more capable upgrade is just over the horizon. The problem with this way of thinking is that a faster more capable upgrade is always just over the horizon. Thus, my recommendation to you is that you look at your needs and your budget. Do a cost benefit analysis, that is, decide whether a new MBA would be useful enough to you right now to justify its cost and fit your budget. If your answer is yes then by all means buy it and avoid belaboring the obvious, which is that, eventually, a faster more capable upgrade will arrive.

I totally agree. I would also add that as computers get faster and more capable, they are taxed more by larger content, bloated apps, network overloads, etc. The specs listed by the OP will not be good enough to handle the average app and media need by the time an air has that capability in my opinion.