What Would You Like to See in Future MBAs?

[TheMacBookPro]

That's pretty cool. Trust Sony to push the envelope like that.

Sony had a lot of innovative products in 2010 but they (for no discernible reason) decided to discontinue all three products (VAIO Z, X, P).

The P fits in my pocket, the X is insanely light and thin (and somehow managing to shoehorn internal Ethernet and VGA to something that's lighter/thinner/smaller than the Air) and the Z was simply astonishing. Non-LV i7 proc, GT330M graphics, 512GB SSD, Blu-ray and a Full HD 13.1" LED screen (covering 96% of Adobe's RGB colors!) in something that was the same weight as the last-gen 13" Air.

Why they discontinued them I'll never know. Glad I bought them while I could

Ignoring current situations and if I could have it any way I want:

Macbook Air 11.6''

- Intel I5 ULV, 6mb FSB

- Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M

- SD Card Slot

- Thunderbolt Port in ADDITION to 2 USB ports.

- Get rid of the bezel around the screen and either make the screen slightly larger or make it black edge similar to MBP.

I would just settle for the i5 and Nvidia chip. As for the collapsable ethernet port... moving parts? ew.

And somehow having to buy/carry around another bulky dongle, and using up another one of the USB ports, is better?

Not to mention that the internal Ethernet port could support up to Gigabit speeds while the extEthernet would only support up to 100Mbps (due to USB's limitation of 480mbps).

Yeah, all of the above limitations/annoyances sounds way better than having a collapsible Ethernet port

...and GTX460M in an Air? Yeah good luck with that. Do you want worse battery life and a melted casing or what?

Is this not a dream thread!

Fine 410m.

@ Retina display. I seriously doubt IGP 3000 is capable of even running OS X at this resolution let alone anything 3D based like a game.

You do realize that the 410M is a dedicated graphics chip? There is no space for a dedicated card on the Air's mobo.
Besides- the 410M performs slightly worse than the HD3000 and is thus worse than the current 320M. And thus, if you doubt the HD3000 can run OS X at a 'retina' resolution, good luck with the 410M. The only thing going for the 410 is the better NVIDIA drivers.

Not if you have this

See above.

I bet it will come in the next 2 years

We'll see. I highly doubt it, but we'll see.

 

[Ommid]

Surely if they do 1680 15inch, then a 1680 13 won't be unfeasible.

 

[Hellhammer]

Not to mention that the internal Ethernet port could support up to Gigabit speeds while the extEthernet would only support up to 100Mbps (due to USB's limitation of 480mbps).

Thunderbolt will solve this. TB to Gigabit Ethernet adapter will definitely deliver 1Gb/s (800Mb/s due to 8/10b encoding).

 

[TheMacBookPro]

Thunderbolt will solve this. TB to Gigabit Ethernet adapter will definitely deliver 1Gb/s (800Mb/s due to 8/10b encoding).

Still, my point stands- you need to purchase another adapter, carry it around, and have it dangle off your computer when a simple internal ethernet port would solve the problem.

They should, at the very least, bundle it with a 1k+ computer (like they used to).

 

[Andras5soul]

• Very simple.

Longer Battery Life.

No Graphics Performance Drop

15 Inch Screen (I'm a dreamer...)

 

[ZipZap]

Sony had a lot of innovative products in 2010 but they (for no discernible reason) decided to discontinue all three products (VAIO Z, X, P).

The P fits in my pocket, the X is insanely light and thin (and somehow managing to shoehorn internal Ethernet and VGA to something that's lighter/thinner/smaller than the Air) and the Z was simply astonishing. Non-LV i7 proc, GT330M graphics, 512GB SSD, Blu-ray and a Full HD 13.1" LED screen (covering 96% of Adobe's RGB colors!) in something that was the same weight as the last-gen 13" Air.

Why they discontinued them I'll never know. Glad I bought them while I could



And somehow having to buy/carry around another bulky dongle, and using up another one of the USB ports, is better?

Not to mention that the internal Ethernet port could support up to Gigabit speeds while the extEthernet would only support up to 100Mbps (due to USB's limitation of 480mbps).

Yeah, all of the above limitations/annoyances sounds way better than having a collapsible Ethernet port

...and GTX460M in an Air? Yeah good luck with that. Do you want worse battery life and a melted casing or what?



You do realize that the 410M is a dedicated graphics chip? There is no space for a dedicated card on the Air's mobo.
Besides- the 410M performs slightly worse than the HD3000 and is thus worse than the current 320M. And thus, if you doubt the HD3000 can run OS X at a 'retina' resolution, good luck with the 410M. The only thing going for the 410 is the better NVIDIA drivers.



See above.



We'll see. I highly doubt it, but we'll see.

Sony has proven that Apple could get more features in the same space. Unfortunately, I dont think Apple cares about features if it interferes with differentiating product lines.

What the MBA gets will depend on what it replaces (if anything).

Apple has confirmed however, that the MBA type of laptop is still highly desired. Now lets hope they put more into it while keeping the cost low. Cost was, in my opinion, what ultimately killed sony's ultra portable lines.

 

[Salty Pirate]

backlit keyboard

8 GB RAM

better thermals/enough horsepower that the damn fans will not come on when watching flash content

 

[Salty Pirate]

A 15" air would be SICK

 

[gnomeisland]

15 inch version.

Price is no problem.

Personally I find 15" just a tad large for real portability.

I know this is me dreaming, but what about a hi-res 14.1" inch version "Pro" version. I think the extra space would allow for a faster CPU/GPU combo. Do that with an IPS screen, TB, and USB 3.0 and I it would hit a sweet spot I think.

But then I have this crazy, unfounded hunch that once Apple finally dumps the optical drive on the Macbooks we'll see hybrid Pro/Air machines that are around .6" thick with an 11", 14", 16"(maybe 18") 16X9 lineup instead of the 13", 15", 17" 16X10 lineup of today. No justification, just a fanboy's hunch.

EDIT: I think the slightly smaller form factor would make it easier to get the "retina" qualified resolutions that Hellhammer mentioned which I could really see Apple pushing in 2011/2012. Look how well the "retina" marketing with the iPhone4 did.

 

[Satori]

I'd like this:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=adf_1245828170
... in an MBA form factor.

 

[JaneEyre]

Its quite simple

-A 15" version
-with larger battery capacity (5 hours heavy usage instead of 3)
-2 USB 3.0 ports
-and a built in 4G internet connection.

Then the MBA would be unbeatable.

 

[Oppressed]

I'd like this:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=adf_1245828170
... in an MBA form factor.

Yes I agree, because having that function in a MBP like in that video raises the question if its worth sacrificing the portability of the air for.

 

[bloodycape]

There have been many intel gpu based machine that had 1600x900 res displays, like the C2D Vaio Z or some of the offerings from Lenovo. I don't see why apple can't give such a res with to the 11.6in MBA with a 350nit display and wide color gamut. Then just add and SD card slot, make the usb ports 3.0 and a maybe even add a thunderbolt port and I'd be the first in line to get one.

 

[ECUpirate44]

I would love a 15" MBA.

 

[rnb2]

Just picking a couple posts here to illustrate that it helps if you are looking for something that is at all plausible.

Its quite simple

-A 15" version
-with larger battery capacity (5 hours heavy usage instead of 3)
-2 USB 3.0 ports
-and a built in 4G internet connection.

Then the MBA would be unbeatable.

Sorry, but a 15" MacBook Air would confuse the market too much - you're going to have to wait for the lines to merge in a year or two on that one. Already the 11.6" MBA is being referred to as the true expression of what a MBA is - sacrifice almost everything to the gods of Small and Light. A 15" would be an anachronism. Your larger battery will also have to wait for the likely MBP/MBA merger.

USB3 won't appear on an Apple product until Intel integrates it into their chipset, and that won't happen until Ivy Bridge. Thunderbolt is a given, however, and adapters will give you access to USB3 devices and bandwidth.

I suspect that Apple will point you towards an iPad if integrated 3G/4G is something you can't live without - they can justify producing extra SKUs for multiple carriers in an iPad-sized market, but not for the much smaller MBA market.

There have been many intel gpu based machine that had 1600x900 res displays, like the C2D Vaio Z or some of the offerings from Lenovo. I don't see why apple can't give such a res with to the 11.6in MBA with a 350nit display and wide color gamut. Then just add and SD card slot, make the usb ports 3.0 and a maybe even add a thunderbolt port and I'd be the first in line to get one.

There are already people complaining about difficulty reading from an 11.6" MBA screen, so higher resolution seems like a non-starter until they can get much higher-res screens in production (think 2x current res) that will allow them to scale screen elements to keep UI controls at the current size while giving higher user data resolution. Also, given the market that the MBA is selling to (mostly general-use, with low weight the overwhelming concern), Apple is unlikely to source a higher-gamut (and higher-priced) screen when most of the market doesn't even know what 'gamut' means.

 

[torbjoern]

1680x1050 pixels in the 13" would be nice. Retina is preferable, but a bit too much to hope for... at least within the next 1.5 - 2 years

 

[Michael383]

What I'd like to see is a 15" MBA.

 

[57004]

Would love to see:

• Sandy Bridge CPU (2537M or 2657M in 11")
• Thunderbolt
• Backlit keyboard
• Built-in 3G

Besides that I don't care, I personally wouldn't be bothered by the GPU downgrade either. I don't expect them all to happen though. I think chances for the last 2 are slim.

 

[BigBeast]

1) 4G
2) USB 3.0
3) Thunderbolt
4) up to 8GB ram option


Mainly 1 and 2 but 3 and 4 would be nice as well. Don't give a hoot about BL keyboards. I always turn it off as it sucks power.

You'd rather USB 3 than Thunderbolt? Why would you want a slower IO rather than a freaking awesome super duper fast IO? Not sure why everyone wants USB 3 rather than Thunderbolt- hype? And don't give me it's gonna be the next FW BS.

 

[57004]

You'd rather USB 3 than Thunderbolt? Why would you want a slower IO rather than a freaking awesome super duper fast IO? Not sure why everyone wants USB 3 rather than Thunderbolt- hype? And don't give me it's gonna be the next FW BS.

Probably because you can actually buy devices with USB 3.0, and at a reasonable price.

I think Thunderbolt is a great idea, and it would be super on the MacBook Air (personally I'd love to see a Thunderbolt Gigabit Ethernet adapter), which is why I named it in the above list, but USB 3.0 is much more widespread and so the peripherals are cheaper.

Compare it to FireWire 800 devices: It would have been great to have an external drive with that connection but I never bought one because in the end it was too much of a price difference. It's a lot easier to put up with USB 2 speeds if it costs 40% less than FW800.

I hope Apple and intel will push Thunderbolt agressively and won't let it become a niche port like the way FW800 ended up. So yes, I do think there is a high risk of it becoming the next firewire.

Personally I'd prefer both but I don't see it happening in the next MBA, not until intel integrates it in their chipset.

 

[BigBeast]

Probably because you can actually buy devices with USB 3.0, and at a reasonable price.

I think Thunderbolt is a great idea, and it would be super on the MacBook Air (personally I'd love to see a Thunderbolt Gigabit Ethernet adapter), which is why I named it in the above list, but USB 3.0 is much more widespread and so the peripherals are cheaper.

Compare it to FireWire 800 devices: It would have been great to have an external drive with that connection but I never bought one because in the end it was too much of a price difference. It's a lot easier to put up with USB 2 speeds if it costs 40% less than FW800.

I hope Apple and intel will push Thunderbolt agressively and won't let it become a niche port like the way FW800 ended up. So yes, I do think there is a high risk of it becoming the next firewire.

Personally I'd prefer both but I don't see it happening in the next MBA, not until intel integrates it in their chipset.

USB 3 is more widespread than Thunderbolt (since nothing is yet on the market for TB) but saying "much more" is a bit of a misnomer. USB 2.0 is WIDESPREAD. USB 3.0 has actually shown a very slow uptake by computer and peripheral manufacturers.

You can't compare FW 800 to TB. Here's why: FW 800 while a better IO, was only slightly better than USB 2. Therefore, with the added cost of FW 800 and the minimal increase in performance over USB 2, FW wasn't going to flourish.

However, comparing USB 3 to TB is like comparing VHS to Blu-ray. TB is REMARKABLY faster than USB 3. Couple that with the fact that TB allows for simutaneous transfer in BOTH DIRECTIONS at consistently close to theoretical speeds of 10 Gb/s. USB however as always, fluctuates in speed and almost NEVER reaches close to theoretical speeds and is only one way transfer. TB can daisy chain up to FOUR 1080p HD streams simultaneously (if I recall correctly) while I don't think USB 3 can do even 1.

Add this to the fact that Intel WANTS this tech to reach mass adoption and will make the tech available at cheap prices, it's a no brainer that TB WILL be adopted. Even IF TB ended up being a $20 or so royalty like FW, it so easily outclasses USB 3 that I would readily pay for it.

So like I said in my first post, why have USB 3 on a list before TB? Why have USB 3 at all? TB is where it's at.

 

[foulmouthedleon]

Backlit keyboard. It wouldn't be so much of a big deal if they didn't have it to begin with, then they removed that option. If they bring it back, I'll get rid of my MBP and go back to an Air.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I predict we'll only see upgrades to four things, two of which could swing either way:

Most likely:
1) Sandy Bridge processors
2) Thunderbolt I/O

Probably/Hopefully:
3) Bump up in standard SSD space. Maybe from 128 GB to 256 GB standard for the 13" and from 64 GB to 128 GB standard for the 11". Hopefully there will also be more BTO options (upgradable to 512 GB, for example)
4) 4 GB RAM standard across all models (at the very least standard for the 13"). And again, hopefully with more BTO options.

Lastly, I'll predict that battery life will either stay the same, or improve slightly.

Anything else, I just don't see Apple upgrading, e.g., higher screen resolution, back-lit keys, dedicated ethernet port, etc. I predict Apple will continue using the same aluminum casing for a couple of reasons. Namely, it was just redesigned Oct 2010, and Apple tends to stick to a certain design for a few years, give or take. And the fact that the Airs have been selling well also indicates Apple has no real need to change it too dramatically.

Of course, this is assuming there is even a refresh this Summer. I hope so.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and there will probably be an upgrade in the graphics card.

EDIT 2: Judging from the history of Airs, I wouldn't be surprised if the RAM remained 2 GB standard.

 

[TheMacBookPro]

There have been many intel gpu based machine that had 1600x900 res displays, like the C2D Vaio Z or some of the offerings from Lenovo. I don't see why apple can't give such a res with to the 11.6in MBA with a 350nit display and wide color gamut. Then just add and SD card slot, make the usb ports 3.0 and a maybe even add a thunderbolt port and I'd be the first in line to get one.

Core 2 Duo based VAIO Z's had an NVIDIA graphics chip for light gaming/HD videos/GPU intensive processes and the Intel graphics were only for basic processes like Word and internet surfing.

In the Air you would be stuck with the Intel gfx doing everything as there is no space for a dedicated chip.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Where do you think the Thunderbolt port might even go in the Air? Will it replace one of the USB ports? Doesn't seem like there's really that much room... thoughts?