Waiting for a MBA update? what will you do if it's discontinued?

[colinthejanitor]

Just curious. I, like a lot of people, am waiting for an update to the MacBook Air (specifically 4gb ram mainly). But I worry that it's going to be discontinued.

If it happens and apple pull the plug, what will all of you who are waiting for an update like me do?

I for one will be quickly buying an end of line one with 3 year app. I really need the portability so another heavier mac isn't an option.

So what will you do? Buy another mac? Buy an equivalent lightweight pc? Cry yourself to sleep?

 

[Scottsdale]

It will not be discontinued. Seriously, the MBA has a determined following. Us MBA lovers LOVE our MBAs dearly. I don't believe there is any reason to "kill it." However, I do believe Apple needs to decide what it wants to do with the MBA.

I hope Apple reintroduces BTO options. I hope Apple gives us several BTO options with the next revision. I also hope the price jumps back up to pre-June 2009 levels. I want a fancy super powerful MBA that dominates the ultraportable market. Apple needs to bump the price and give us all the performance and components that we would expect from a $2500 MBA.

The alternative option is to lower the specs and reduce the price down to $1000. I believe Apple could actually discontinue the MB and replace it with the MBA. There is no reason Apple couldn't do that if it could get a larger capacity drive in the MBA. However, this strategy makes little sense to me. I don't see the need for an 11.6" display, low-end CPU, Intel IGP, and a competitor to the iPad. Jobs has said a 13" MBA doesn't take away from the user's experience, so I hope that means Apple will not reduce the price and capabilities further.

A revamped MBA that knocks out the competition, gives us a BTO 256 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM, IPS display, discrete AMD 5430 GPU, and a Core i7, all at a higher price tag gives the MBA a flagship niche market and keeps it in a higher price range where I want it to be. In addition, I don't want it to be owned by everyone... I want the exclusivity of the MBA. I want the super ultra portable features and high quality. I sure hope Apple finds a way to get out of the $1799 price tag and gives us something WE CAN BE PROUD OF!

No, the last thing I would think is the MBA is dead. Either it becomes a higher priced, again, system that shows us what Mac notebook should aspire to be, or it gets lower pricing and takes over the MB roles... no need to discontinue it. The majority of Mac notebook users would be better off with an MBA, they just don't know it. If the price tag was $999, they would learn pretty fast. Or it continues to be a flagship premium product at $2499 with BTO options up to $3200 or so. No reason to kill the MBA. I think it's foolish to think Apple cannot make something truly special with this concept.

 

[thinkdesign]

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The context of what else Apple does, affects my answer. If they EOL the Air but Air-ify the 13" MBp I'd strongly consider that. (Or consider any Air-ified 15" if the weight/battery life works out well. I'd rather they favor light weight there, and then on certain occasions I could lug a small 1 lb. aux. battery pack.)

If the Air with or without the name becomes available in only 11.6", I'll see if I can work with it.

If there's no Air or Air-ified anything, I'll have to go for the Lenovo model that Scotts just got, or maybe the next lightest one if there is one. And pay for hourly advice every time I run afoul of the 75 simple rules for using Windows. And dedicate my life to understanding it's quirks, snags and vulnerabilities.

 

[Scottsdale]

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The context of what else Apple does, affects my answer. If they EOL the Air but Air-ify the 13" MBp I'd strongly consider that. (Or consider any Air-ified 15" if the weight/battery life works out well. I'd rather they favor light weight there, and then on certain occasions I could lug a small 1 lb. aux. battery pack.)

If the Air with or without the name becomes available in only 11.6", I'll see if I can work with it.

If there's no Air or Air-ified anything, I'll have to go for the Lenovo model that Scotts just got, or maybe the next lightest one if there is one. And pay for hourly advice every time I run afoul of the 75 simple rules for using Windows. And dedicate my life to understanding it's quirks, snags and vulnerabilities.

I have not had one single Windows problem, and I believe Windows 7 is just as stable as OS X if not more so.

The real "problem" with Windows was always drivers of sub-par components, add-ons hardware drivers, or poorly written software. Interestingly, the only software "crash" I have experienced is Safari on Windows. When I run Mozilla, no problems. However, I am willing to give Apple a "pass" as it's not their OS I am running it on. People blame Windows and Microsoft for problems, but the truth is Microsoft does a much better job than Apple. Microsoft is supporting ALL hardware while Apple gets to choose a few components to support. Having the advantage of choices with Windows outweighs the Apple advantages in my opinion. However, the design of the Macs wins me over.

As far as the Lenovo goes, it's a hell of a laptop. Same principle as the MBA. Same type of market. Amazingly, even though it would seem underpowered, it's incredibly quick and any video outperforms the MBAs video. That all comes down to the inherent problems of OS X with regards to graphics, video playback, and OpenGL. On Windows 7, an Intel IGP is acceptable, but on OS X, an Nvidia GPU or discrete GPU would be necessary for the same performance as Windows 7 with Intel's IGP. Honestly, Apple needs to keep improving OpenGL, and the deficiencies with OpenGL on OS X.

I would say the best part of the ThinkPad is the keyboard. Beyond that is the overall performance, solid manufacturing, and nice design. Now it's no industrial looking MacBook Air, but it makes just about every other PC look and feel like junk.

I would still LOVE to have one MacBook Air that can do every bit of computing I need. I would love to run Windows 7 in a VM on OS X. All it really "needs" is 4 GB RAM minimum to make it happen, so I am sure it will finally be an option with the MBA update within a few months... hopefully October.

One thing I don't want Apple to focus on is the battery in the MBA. I am happy with the current MBA capabilities. With a 10-hour battery comes weight... that is what users fail to consider when they want a 10-hour battery in the MBA. I want a 3 lb. MBA. Whatever they can do within 3 lb. is all I care about.

I do believe that perhaps Apple would be better off EOL'ing the MBA NAME ONLY. The MBA brand was terribly damaged with the complete failure of the original MBA. However, the ultraportable market segment will continue to grow. iPad users want to replace their PCs with ultraportable Macs, and iPhone users feel the same.

Whether the MBA just gets an MB name or branding, or if it even becomes an ultraportable MBP, the ultraportable Mac notebook/product will live on for sure. I don't know why anyone would think Apple should EOL the MBA? I just don't get that.

 

[animatedude]

trust me it's not going to be discontinued.the only way it's going to be "discontinued" is if they get rid of the CD-rom on the current Macbook Pros,instead of the Air you will get 3 different macbook pros which are as slim as the current air,the end.

 

[macgrl]

cry

 

[HLdan]

I have not had one single Windows problem, and I believe Windows 7 is just as stable as OS X if not more so.

People blame Windows and Microsoft for problems, but the truth is Microsoft does a much better job than Apple.
As far as the Lenovo goes, it's a hell of a laptop. Same principle as the MBA. Same type of market. Amazingly, even though it would seem underpowered, it's incredibly quick and any video outperforms the MBAs video. That all comes down to the inherent problems of OS X with regards to graphics, video playback, and OpenGL. On Windows 7, an Intel IGP is acceptable, but on OS X, an Nvidia GPU or discrete GPU would be necessary for the same performance as Windows 7 with Intel's IGP. Honestly, Apple needs to keep improving OpenGL, and the deficiencies with OpenGL on OS X.

I would say the best part of the ThinkPad is the keyboard. Beyond that is the overall performance, solid manufacturing, and nice design. Now it's no industrial looking MacBook Air, but it makes just about every other PC look and feel like junk.

And you constantly try to prove on this forum that you are not a an Apple hater. Its get tiring after a while of you hiding your true identity on this forum. We're not allowed to use the "T" word here as it's considered a personal attack, but I can assure you I as well as others are thinking it when we see your posts. Rather than waiting for an Air that you're just gonna trash upside down, left, right and sideways along with spewing your Apple hatred, why not get a Dell Adamo or an HP Envy and allow the people on this forum that actually LIKE Apple and it's products to have a fair discussion without someone constantly deterring them just because you have a beef with Apple. I'm done.

 

[rotorblade69]

Just curious. I, like a lot of people, am waiting for an update to the MacBook Air (specifically 4gb ram mainly). But I worry that it's going to be discontinued.

If it happens and apple pull the plug, what will all of you who are waiting for an update like me do?

I for one will be quickly buying an end of line one with 3 year app. I really need the portability so another heavier mac isn't an option.

So what will you do? Buy another mac? Buy an equivalent lightweight pc? Cry yourself to sleep?

HOOKERS AND BLOW

 

[fyrefly]

The alternative option is to lower the specs and reduce the price down to $1000. I believe Apple could actually discontinue the MB and replace it with the MBA. There is no reason Apple couldn't do that if it could get a larger capacity drive in the MBA. However, this strategy makes little sense to me. I don't see the need for an 11.6" display, low-end CPU, Intel IGP, and a competitor to the iPad. Jobs has said a 13" MBA doesn't take away from the user's experience, so I hope that means Apple will not reduce the price and capabilities further.

While I too would love to see a Mega-MBA with a $2000 price-tag and specs to match, I honestly think your "alternative option" is the most likely. What have we seen with Apple in the notebook sector lately? A price-trend downwards.

The 15" MBP used to be a $2300-3000 machine. Now the 17" is only $2300. Where does a MBA fit in that matrix? In the world of $500 iPads, the $2000-2500 MBA doesn't make sense, IMHO.

The 11.6" $1200 MBA with a full-sized keyboard, and decent battery make the most sense to me in that regard. Heck, maybe they could even redesign the case to hide the fact that it's still Core2Duo and Nvidia 320M - 'cause then it might get 5-6 Hours Battery.

HOOKERS AND BLOW

Hah. Amazing.

 

[cbronfman]

Runcore 128SSD drive

I currently have the REV A MBA with the original SSD drive, 1.8 MHz. It is still under Apple Care through sometime in February 2011. If there is no update to the MBA (and no 11.6" MBA), I will probably install the Runcore 128SSD drive in my Air. Should things go wrong over the years, I'll decide if it's cost-effective to repair it or think about something else (in the Mac world). The MacBook and MacBook Pro's are too heavy for me. I'll have to see if there is increased functionality in the iPad and how cloud computing develops with Microsoft and with Apple. If I can do many of the things I do on the Air or my Mini in the cloud from an iPad, I'll get one of those. Right now - I'm on the fence. I need to see what develops.

 

[halledise]

And you constantly try to prove on this forum that you are not a an Apple hater. Its get tiring after a while of you hiding your true identity on this forum. We're not allowed to use the "T" word here as it's considered a personal attack, but I can assure you I as well as others are thinking it when we see your posts. Rather than waiting for an Air that you're just gonna trash upside down, left, right and sideways along with spewing your Apple hatred, why not get a Dell Adamo or an HP Envy and allow the people on this forum that actually LIKE Apple and it's products to have a fair discussion without someone constantly deterring them just because you have a beef with Apple. I'm done.

Oooooooo aaaaah - harsh or what!

 

[Hisdem]

Oooooooo aaaaah - harsh or what!

But he's right. My father recently purchased a new HP laptop with Win7, FIRST startup, everything set right, the common "xxx.exe" is not responding stuff came up. I agree Windows 7 is stable, but it's NOWHERE near OS X.

 

[Jayomat]

But he's right. My father recently purchased a new HP laptop with Win7, FIRST startup, everything set right, the common "xxx.exe" is not responding stuff came up. I agree Windows 7 is stable, but it's NOWHERE near OS X.

get rid of the bloatware before you use any windows computer, then you will be ok

 

[darrellishere]

Maybe the new air will be made of Liquid metal. Have a great display and extended battery, ram and a new design. We will all be happy!

Or they could DOL it like the 12" Powerbook

 

[thinkdesign]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 8.12; MSIEMobile6.0) Sprint T7380)

"Get rid of the bloatware...."

That's like saying "It'll be a great car for you, as soon as you take the 500 lbs. of dead fish out of the trunk."

Why should a consumer need to become an expert on removing crapware? That's as bad as "You're holding it wrong." Is the purpose of the computer to serve me, or is it my job to serve it? Big difference.

 

[PeopleTheseDays]

And you constantly try to prove on this forum that you are not a an Apple hater. Its get tiring after a while of you hiding your true identity on this forum. We're not allowed to use the "T" word here as it's considered a personal attack, but I can assure you I as well as others are thinking it when we see your posts. Rather than waiting for an Air that you're just gonna trash upside down, left, right and sideways along with spewing your Apple hatred, why not get a Dell Adamo or an HP Envy and allow the people on this forum that actually LIKE Apple and it's products to have a fair discussion without someone constantly deterring them just because you have a beef with Apple. I'm done.

How can you possibly call him an Apple hater? He's seems to be practically on the brink of orgasm sometimes when he posts about the Macbook Air. Everything I've read from Scottsdale is pretty informative and unbiased, if not repetitive in the MacAir forums.

You need to learn to be a little open minded about the technological world instead of having some stupid ass brand loyalty and automatically discounting anything non-apple, or feeling personally insulted when something other than Apple is praised . You are the one not allowing "fair discussion"

 

[Zband]

ahem- getting back to the topic- I ended up buying one. I needed something now and I have always wanted one. I would have probably picked one up in the near future anyway because I really think if apple decides to go the route of discontinuation (unlikely), I think its an instant classic and will be a sought after model.

 

[entatlrg]

Maybe the new air will be made of Liquid metal. Have a great display and extended battery, ram and a new design. We will all be happy!

Or they could DOL it like the 12" Powerbook

Why did they EOL the power book? That's before my Apple days but sure seems like it had a huge following.

Alternatives are Lenovo x201/301, Sony Z, Dell e4310, adamo, ASUS UL series. For half decent quality at near 3 lbs I can't think of any other contenders.

I've tried a bunch, favorite so far would have to be the Sony Z. It is so light, decent keyboard, HDMi, 3 USB, DVD or Blueray, well spaced out ports, SD and Expresscard slot, and powerful to boot! That is a wild machine.

The ASUs I don't like sending it back today. If no Air update by mid October I'm going to take anther look at the Sony Z, will just have to deal the few things I didnt like about it.

If you look over at the notebook review forum there seems to be a lot of new Z users that were former Mac owners. Apple doesn't care about us, we're a small market, they're all going crazy with the iPad, iPhone App Store revenue.....

 

[Moodikar]

MBA = Cube = AppleTV

I'm a big promoter of the MBA however here's my thoughts on what Apple will do and why:

1. Did Apple make enough money off the MBA to recoup the R&D? Is there still a demand that makes it worth new R&D?

If they made enough to cover the cost, they may try one more round.

If it was tough to get rid of stock, they'll probably discontinue like the cube (a wonderful product that is high priced and in the end for a small audience).

2. Does Apple view the MBA like the AppleTV... a hobby or a prototype?

Maybe if Apple viewed the MBA as the ultimate prototype, we'll see more.
Think, they'll try things here and not damage the reputation of the MB and MBP. Things like touchscreens, USB3, wireless, 3G, etc. might be the new features and testing ground just like the uni-body and no disc drive was to this version. Maybe it's a way to test how the audience reacts without putting them into the popular models and hurting sales.

My Opinion:
I would love to see another model but I really think that Apple's opinion between the 2 points above is the deciding factor if we'll see a new model (not just a speed bump).

So what will I do if it's Discontinued:
I'd use my current MBA (as my main computer) till it really feels obsolete.

I'd get a separate Mac for Video Editing, 3D animation, and heavy activities but unless something new and better comes (like a faster wireless or touchscreen or OS11 that cannot recognize my MBA) I don't think it'll affect my day to day web surfing, writing, excel spreadsheets, itunes or the stuff I currently can do on my MBA.

There will be something that'll break the current need and that I can't live without but until then, the MBA form factor is hard to let go...and I'm used to changing computers yearly!

Unlike others, I do like Windows 7 and I also like 11.6 inch screens. I think however that for most, OSX is great but can stand to be even simpler. Like iOS, I think that OS11 will hopefully continue the trend to be simpler, intuitive and even clean things up... like how many "Library" folders do the common folk need to have or even see. Preference folders all over the place and still no way to uninstall a program (without guessing and searching). OS11 needs to continue the trend of Snow Leopard and become thinner and easier. To me, this is a big part of what the MBA would evolve into (when it's time).

 

[Jayomat]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 8.12; MSIEMobile6.0) Sprint T7380)

"Get rid of the bloatware...."

That's like saying "It'll be a great car for you, as soon as you take the 500 lbs. of dead fish out of the trunk."

Why should a consumer need to become an expert on removing crapware? That's as bad as "You're holding it wrong." Is the purpose of the computer to serve me, or is it my job to serve it? Big difference.

You're completely right about that, but that has nothing to do with windows quality. A fresh windows install won't freeze, just like a mac osx install. There is nothing wrong with windows itself, it's just the high licensing costs, small margins etc. that make manufacturers put all this bloatware on your laptop.

 

[ozreth]

If it is for some reason discontinued I will be buying the next update of the 13". Hell, I might just do that instead anyways.

 

[iPhysicist]

There is no reason for being, MBA! Discontinue it to the next level. MBP13/Air.

And yes. Scottsdale is everything but a trustworthy member. He is a salesperson so I wont blame him

... one more thing: There is no being proud on anything by just owning it... poor soul.

 

[drjsway]

The alternative option is to lower the specs and reduce the price down to $1000. I believe Apple could actually discontinue the MB and replace it with the MBA. There is no reason Apple couldn't do that if it could get a larger capacity drive in the MBA.

The MBA could never replace the MB. The MBA uses ULV CPUs that are much more expensive and could never be sold at the $999 price point.

Even at its current price, it has a smaller profit margin than both the MB and MBP.

 

[Psychmike]

I also hope the price jumps back up to pre-June 2009 levels. I want a fancy super powerful MBA that dominates the ultraportable market...

In addition, I don't want it to be owned by everyone... I want the exclusivity of the MBA. I want the super ultra portable features and high quality. I sure hope Apple finds a way to get out of the $1799 price tag and gives us something WE CAN BE PROUD OF!

It sounds like status and exclusivity are important to you. To me, a computer is a tool, not jewelery that increases my self-esteem. It definitely seems like Apple is moving towards becoming a producer of luxury consumer items.

The Air does seem like it's being squeezed on both sides. For those leaning towards owning a traditional computer, the 13" MacBook Pro has the same footprint, is considerably cheaper, and has a better feature set. For those leaning towards ultraportability and bling, the iPad is an attractive option.

My guess is that they will move towards a convergence product; perhaps an iPad Pro or a MacBook Touch that will be very light, portable, and integrate their flagship feature, touch.

 

[iPhysicist]

Why do you people want to believe they will merge iPad and Air? Ridiculous!