And what would be the point of running iOS anyway? OS X provides all the functionality, and more. iOS is for things like Apple TV, iPods and iPhone. OS X is for computers.
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Waiting for a MBA update? what will you do if it's discontinued?
- Thread starter colinthejanitor
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And what would be the point of running iOS anyway? OS X provides all the functionality, and more. iOS is for things like Apple TV, iPods and iPhone. OS X is for computers.
By saying that your assuming the Macbook Air is going to remain at a similar place in Apple's range. If they are changing its positioning then there are plenty of options for hardware for a cheaper 11.6" MBA. The core i3-330UM and i5-430UM are perfect examples if they are indeed changing the whole aspect of the macbook air.
On the other hand if they are keeping it what it once was (a cutting edge ultra portable) then we will be waiting until 2011 unless intel give apple an early release.
New 11.6" rumor
... Despite how MR wrote it up is. Either about the Air, or it's about an extremely improbable notebook with a disc drive in it!
... Despite how MR wrote it up is. Either about the Air, or it's about an extremely improbable notebook with a disc drive in it!
Is the wait over?
I just went ahead and bought a new air from the military base where I work. One I do not want a smaller screen....if one is coming and two I got it priced matched to apple student price and no tax so I paid 1699 and not tax for a brand new 2.13 ssd........I think it is a good deal.
I just went ahead and bought a new air from the military base where I work. One I do not want a smaller screen....if one is coming and two I got it priced matched to apple student price and no tax so I paid 1699 and not tax for a brand new 2.13 ssd........I think it is a good deal.
right...
Long time lurker, wanted to post that I just ordered an Air 2.13ghz 128ssd from apple refurb! I was really happy with it! Reason being after all that I've read, buy if you need it / it "might" be discontinued / how much everyone who owned it LOVES it / those who sold it missed it, I've finally decided to pull the trigger.
And now on the front page, another rumor that seems more credible than the previous ones surfaced, saying there "might" be a refresh soon. I know there's no point waiting for the next best thing, its just that its kinda frustrating!
I feel like a donkey
Anyone knows the return policy on refurb items? Thanks for any help in advance
EDIT - though honestly, deep down I know I'll stick with the Air, you guys are right its a fantastic device, light, snappy (rev b and c especially) with the right screen size
Long time lurker, wanted to post that I just ordered an Air 2.13ghz 128ssd from apple refurb! I was really happy with it! Reason being after all that I've read, buy if you need it / it "might" be discontinued / how much everyone who owned it LOVES it / those who sold it missed it, I've finally decided to pull the trigger.
And now on the front page, another rumor that seems more credible than the previous ones surfaced, saying there "might" be a refresh soon. I know there's no point waiting for the next best thing, its just that its kinda frustrating!
I feel like a donkey
Anyone knows the return policy on refurb items? Thanks for any help in advance
EDIT - though honestly, deep down I know I'll stick with the Air, you guys are right its a fantastic device, light, snappy (rev b and c especially) with the right screen size
I'd take very good of my MBA
I absolutely love my MBA. Mine just past its one year birthday and considering the rumors about the possible discontinuation of the MBA - I treated myself to Apple Care.
I had a Fujitsu which was discontinued. I kept that thing going for years. I can see myself doing the same thing with the MBA.
Which is not to say I wouldn't like a little more processor power and a larger SSD please.
So, I hope the MBA will at least be retained like the Classic iPod. (Another favorite of mine.)
I absolutely love my MBA. Mine just past its one year birthday and considering the rumors about the possible discontinuation of the MBA - I treated myself to Apple Care.
I had a Fujitsu which was discontinued. I kept that thing going for years. I can see myself doing the same thing with the MBA.
Which is not to say I wouldn't like a little more processor power and a larger SSD please.
So, I hope the MBA will at least be retained like the Classic iPod. (Another favorite of mine.)
If, by early next year, there's no new MBA, I'll do my best to make a hackintosh out of whatever high-end, ultraportable product comes from Lenovo or Sony. In early 2011, I couldn't buy an MBA that was last updated in 2009.
My current Mac Pro hackintosh has been amazing, and an amazing value. There's no reason I can't have that in a laptop, too. Sure, I'd love a nifty metal case, but I'd rather have an ultraportable laptop with contemporary technology.
My current Mac Pro hackintosh has been amazing, and an amazing value. There's no reason I can't have that in a laptop, too. Sure, I'd love a nifty metal case, but I'd rather have an ultraportable laptop with contemporary technology.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 8.12; MSIEMobile6.0) Sprint T7380)
In discussion of today's 11.6" rumor on Apple Insider, a comment near the top says "aAPPLE'S PATENT CAME TO LIGHT AT THE world Intellectual Property Organisation Jan. 14, 2010..... # 006210 A1"
A convertable (he said, dodging the thrown tomatos)... that is ?ac O/S with the keyboard, and when twisted into a tablet it's controlled at least by iOS. (If it can't be linked to a big monitor and an ergonomic aftermarket keyboard, I doubt I'd be interested.)
Not an Air as we know it, but if these rumore continue..... where else to discuss it? ... it may continue to pop up in an Air forum, unless/until it arrives and gets given it's own forum.
None of which answers the question of -- When do they pep up the 13.3" Air.
In discussion of today's 11.6" rumor on Apple Insider, a comment near the top says "aAPPLE'S PATENT CAME TO LIGHT AT THE world Intellectual Property Organisation Jan. 14, 2010..... # 006210 A1"
A convertable (he said, dodging the thrown tomatos)... that is ?ac O/S with the keyboard, and when twisted into a tablet it's controlled at least by iOS. (If it can't be linked to a big monitor and an ergonomic aftermarket keyboard, I doubt I'd be interested.)
Not an Air as we know it, but if these rumore continue..... where else to discuss it? ... it may continue to pop up in an Air forum, unless/until it arrives and gets given it's own forum.
None of which answers the question of -- When do they pep up the 13.3" Air.
I am willing to put my money where my mouth is on a NEW MBA design along with new MBs and MBPs in 13" 15" and 17" versions before Christmas. Apple will finally eliminate C2D from the three 13" Mac notebooks.
Not only is the MBA not being EOL'd it will get a new design.
I am not willing to say no 11.6" MBA, but I am willing to say 13.3" MBAs will also be offered. I am also intrigued about a new 15" MBA. Three versions of Apple Mac notebooks without optical drives.
Any takers? For some wagers?
Send me your odds and wager ideas? Or an office pool?
Not only is the MBA not being EOL'd it will get a new design.
I am not willing to say no 11.6" MBA, but I am willing to say 13.3" MBAs will also be offered. I am also intrigued about a new 15" MBA. Three versions of Apple Mac notebooks without optical drives.
Any takers? For some wagers?
Send me your odds and wager ideas? Or an office pool?
http://www.overclockers.com/intel-sandy-bridge-roadmap-leaked/
Sandy Bridge isn't coming until next year so I'm not so sure about before Christmas, I can't quite tell if the ULV are coming in Q1 or Q2 2011
IIRC Intel is forbidding sales until January 9th and Apple isn't likely to break that so
My bet is no Sandy Bridge based Macs shipping to consumers until after January 1st 2011; $20
http://www.overclockers.com/intel-sandy-bridge-roadmap-leaked/
Sandy Bridge isn't coming until next year so I'm not so sure about before Christmas, I can't quite tell if the ULV are coming in Q1 or Q2 2011
IIRC Intel is forbidding sales until January 9th and Apple isn't likely to break that so
My bet is no Sandy Bridge based Macs shipping to consumers until after January 1st 2011; $20
Who said anything about Sandy Bridge??? Not me.
I expect two alternatives as the most likely. One, an Arrandale LV CPU in the 13" along with a ULV in the possible 11.6". Also, I expect that to be paired with ATI 54x0 series discrete GPUs in ALL 13" Mac notebooks. I believe the 5430 works in the MBA, 5450 in the MB, and 5470 in the 13" MBPs. I expect the Intel IGP to be disabled.
Second and possibly more likely, AMD CPU, GPU, Chipset... I actually believe it would make far more sense giving us all AMD, which allows Apple to axe Intel and punish it severely for pushing Nvidia out of the chipset/GPU market. I would MUCH prefer an AMD solution. I know people say that AMD cannot do it or it's not on their roadmap, but I believe Apple would introduce such a model chipset/GPU/CPU pairing with its 13" mac notebooks. It is time to get rid of Intel's C2D. It has been a great chip, but if Intel is going to stop producing them and push Nvidia out, maybe Apple is much better off pairing up with AMD in a solution that honestly gives the 13" Mac notebooks a much better well-rounded performing system.
It is possible that I have jumped the gun. However, I don't believe there is any reason to wait for Sandy Bridge. It offers GPU advancements over Arrandale, but Apple has made it pretty clear that Intel's IGP is completely worthless. Until it can provide sufficiently, Intel should go piss off with its IGP. I would personally love for Apple to show Intel the door and transition EVERYTHING to AMD. Intel makes wonderful CPUs, but they do NOTHING for advancements of the entire computing environment. In addition, they have acted completely inappropriately by forcing Nvidia out of Apple Macs.
I would take wagers that Sandy Bridge doesn't make its way into any 13" Mac notebook in the first half of 2011... and when it does, it won't be to use its IGP... Apple can do much better elsewhere. Apple should further educate its customers that the way to a better computing environment is not always getting faster Intel CPUs and listening to all of the Intel hype... better computers come from everything else first... the CPU is far ahead of the rest of the entire computer system.
You're so far off man...Apple NEVER updates right before Christmas. The most they will do is add the 2.8 GHz Arrandale as a silent update BTO option, that's it, and it would happen next month. The next real refresh won't be until Q1; Apple should've updated in February and October this year, but the Arrandale chips didn't appear until April, which pushes this year's October refresh into Q1 next year, since Apple obviously doesn't really care about updating frequently given pathetic MBAs that are OVER a year old are still sitting on the shelf. They won't update the machines right before Christmas, they will do what they always do--milk everything they can for Christmas sales since they know the machines will sell anyway, then after the holidays when business slows, they will update the machines.
No 15" MBA, what would be the point? It's a complete oxymoron. Furthermore there is no way in hell Apple is going to take its hands-down worst selling Mac, and start offering it in three sizes. Remember, Apple is not about offering a lot of choices, never has been. There is no way they are going to offer 3 MBPs, 3 MBAs, and possibly an 11.6" machine, especially given how little they truthfully care about real computers anymore.
If Apple comes out with an 11.6" machine, whatever it's labeled as, be it Macbook, MBA, whatever, goodbye 13" Macbook Air.
They WILL have to figure something out about using C2D though, it's scheduled to stop production in Q4 I believe...but right now they are between a rock and a hard place because it's all NVIDIA/Intel childish politics.
EDIT: IPS screens? Good luck with that, I think first you should hope for a TN panel that isn't junk filled with horrible lines. Apple still shipping each and every Air with those lines? LOL. The MBA is a joke, and I say that as a former Rev. B owner.
There is physically not enough space in the 13" machines to fit an extra chip to bring us to Intel, however Sandy Bridge's GPU is powerful enough to ditch the discrete card.
I too would be interested in an AMD switch especially with Fusion
IMOI'd be fine with the CPU staying same power for next two updates if GPU power quadruples, but battery life stays the same (would overcome the crappy drivers with brute force)
MBA CPU EOL Q4 2010
MB CPU EOL Q3 2010
MBP CPU EOL Q4 2010 (upgrade)
Powerful enough for what? And with Windows PC drivers, sure. Hell, my ThinkPad x301 with Intel's IGP is amazing in Windows 7, but OS X would suck with it big time. The problem everyone seems to have is using "Windows" comparatively assuming that OS X would be just as well on the graphics front. Historically, OS X is a BIG FAT DOG when it comes to graphics. Look at any OpenGL research and you will see what I mean... it just gets worse from there too.
Windows and Intel have a special bond, and it's "magical" when it comes to graphics. Apple makes a complete failure by writing their own drivers and focusing so much on ultra stable that it's deathly slow and incapable in comparison. Sorry guys, but I have to say that Microsoft DOMINATES when it comes to OpenGL and graphics performance. It dominates so much so, that it takes Apple 3x the graphics capable GPU to equate to the same results with OS X as Windows sees... it's sad but TRUE!
who you callin' 'you people' ???
What do you mean, you people.
http://img.skitch.com/20090726-tyjxkmjt1eympmdw3b9eac6s78.jpg
Its merely different use cases. In general, a briefcase isn't necessarily all too heavy with just "A" laptop, but when you add the work files and the like, it can quickly get to 20lbs. Add to that another 20lb for your suit & clothes in a carry-on bag ... and realize also that going through mass transit systems (Paris, NYC, London, etc) with lots of stairs makes wheels a distinct disadvantage, so you now have 40+ lbs on your back ... the net result is that every pound shaved makes a difference.
I made the mistake 2-3 years ago of upgunning to a widescreen laptop and 6.5lbs from 5.0lbs. Big mistake. The new laptop has been on backorder since June.
There's probably a segment at 4.0lbs; might want to compare it to the Lenovo X series products.
Christmas 2010 ... or 2011? The MR Buyer's guide reveals that MB's do get October revision often enough, but the MBP's are less so, and the other telling factor is that neither is quite due yet (whereas the MBA is overdue).
I'd say some in the fall and the rest in the Jan-Spring cycle is a more likely scenario, particularly when we temper which buyer's segment with the economy.
And here I thought that the Mac Pro was the worst selling Mac
I agree with your point though: its one thing to put the existing products on a diet, but to split into a new product is too extreme for Apple: it violates their non-proliferation rules. Probably so. Unfortunately, this may also mean that some of us Baby Boomers are going to have to look for alternatives, due to our eyesight going to hell and less able to read tiny font on small screens.
Its easy enough for them to buy a stockpile to tide them through for awhile, particularly if sales volume isn't that great. The i5 is on the (above) roadmap, although SandyBridge's GPU integration is of course tempting since it represents a redesign to try to bridge production over to to minimize Fixed Costs (NRE and Tooling expenses).
-hh
Great post!
I've got the first generation that I've had since they were released. Its been fantastic. A good companion machine to my 15" MacBook Pro. Fantastic for all the air travel I do, and far more capable than many people realize.
Now that it appears they're reducing it to just over 11" display, I'm giving serious consideration to one of the current models since I prefer the larger display. Also that protects me in the event its discontinued.
In my mind there are three types of laptop buyers:
- People who play
- People who dabble
- People who work
The difficulty I am having is that the 13" MacBook Pro fits all three of those. You have a few extra pounds, so what? The 13" is just not noticeable in a bag or whatnot unless you're serio out of shape. I'm sorry, my opinion and I stick to it.
The Air, on the other hand, can deal with 1 and 2. It fails at 3 unless your "work" involves web browsing and research. You can work documents and stuff, sure...but it's just not an ideal experience due to the limitations of its internals compared to the less expensive 13" MacBook Pro.
I've realized over the years that for me, cost justification has become extremely important in my decisions. It's hard to justify the MBA when it peaked at $1800 yet was a fraction of the horsepower of the lowest end MacBook Pro. It feels like you're paying for form over function, and if that's how people are comfortable using their money, so be it. I just don't agree with it.
You're underestimating the "few extra pounds" which would justify calling the MBA "weighing yet a fraction of the MBP" and overestimating the horsepower (2.4 resp 2.66 vs. 2.13 with the same self Core2Duo). By far.
In numbers: MBA weighs 2/3 (that's 67%) of the 13" MBP at 80% of the processor speed comparing top models each.
So, lets talk about money, or value for it. Standard configuration makes the MBA 17% more expensive than the MBP. But you don't get an SSD for the MBP. Which makes a lot in costs (and performance). Taking the SSD option for the MBP makes them exactly equally expensive.
Hm, we may be on to something here. Just think of what glorious features could packed into a mobile phone if it were a mere 1.5 pounds heavier!
Agree that your perception is your reality. From my perspective, its not quite a "cost justification" in as much as it is an assessment of value, since cost and value aren't interchangeable terms AFAIC.
I'm not asking you (or anyone else) to agree with where I choose to place my limits - just that a limit exists for everyone. If you want to go break your back hauling more, that's your business...you too will eventually hit your tolerance limit.
And FYI, please note that I find your 'seriously out of shape' insinuation to be offensive: I made it quite clear that it wasn't just a laptop by itself that was the metric of interest, but was one component contributing to a larger system.
Besides, its not necessarily only about personal "strength" limits - when one gets off the beaten path, flight weight limits invariably go down: in Tanzania, the bush plane's limit are 15kg (33lbs) total per person (all bags, including any form of a carry-on) and traditional overweight fees don't exist: you fork over the cash to literaly buy a second seat.
Interesting insight on the value equasion; thanks.
Here's another one: this is a real-world problem, so I'm leaving it very much open to the group to suggest equally capable yet lighter alternatives.
The task is simple: provide redundant data backups for my Underwater dSLR camera system. I'm figuring an upper limit of around 7K images before I'll be back home, which works out to a data storage requirement of nearly 300GB. Yes, three hundred gigabytes.
Granted, it would be a nice-to-have a laptop along with me, but my carry-on bag is already "full of camera" (and just camera) and it already weighs 28lbs. Yes, twenty-eight pounds.
The benchmark to beat is a combination of 160GB worth of CF cards and two (redundancy) 128GB Hyperdrive HD80's, which comes to 2lbs. I already owned most of this, but to buy it all new today would be around $1600. If this sounds crazy expensive, do realize that this is roughly only 20% of the cost of the overall UW camera system. Yes, only twenty percent.
-hh