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Nautilus007

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 13, 2007
2,667
1,416
U.S
The macbook air is a luxury pc. It was built with the exclusive premise that it was one of a kind and catered to a certain crowd. The vaio TX TZ AND TT series of laptops were the 11.6 model and I owned several of them. To be frank, those laptops were overpriced pieces of plastic which is what an 11.6 macbook air could potentially be. Apple's 13 inch market is sagging in my opinion. You can get 13 inch laptops from Dell or even HP that pack more power than even the most high end macbook. Apple needs to keep the air its same size and beef it, even if price stays at a premium. I say 4-8 Gigs of ram and options for a 256 and 512 SDD. Processor wise it should start at 2.16 and Feature an even crisper display.
 

Airforcekid

macrumors 68000
Sep 29, 2008
1,708
680
United States of America
If they stick with c2d they can lower the price upgrade the graphics and ram improve the display and maybe hit a price point of around $800 for HDD and $1100 for an SSD version. I can't see people paying more than that for such a
Small display it should cost more than an iPad less than a MacBook pro.
 

CaoCao

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2010
783
2
If they stick with c2d they can lower the price upgrade the graphics and ram improve the display and maybe hit a price point of around $800 for HDD and $1100 for an SSD version. I can't see people paying more than that for such a
Small display it should cost more than an iPad less than a MacBook pro.
C2D EOL Q4 2010. THEY CAN NOT KEEP C2D.
IMO the MBA is going to be temporarily defunct until Sandy Bridge
 

Scottsdale

Suspended
Sep 19, 2008
4,473
283
U.S.A.
I think the MBA presents several opportunities. One thing I don't personally see is a "lite" version as someone else presented in another thread. I see Apple moving the price points back higher and repositioning it yet again. In June 2009, Apple didn't have a single netbook like computer, and lowering the price of the MBA served the role until it could prepare the iPad. I feel the iPad serves that role quite well, and Apple should reposition the MBA as a luxury computer yet again.

I want all high-end specs, and I don't care what happens to the price tag. I just want the "OPTIONS" to include a really high-end MBA. I mean 4 GB RAM can be standard in the high-end with 2 GB in the low-end. But, Apple can offer a $350 upgrade to 8 GB RAM. I don't care if it keeps the 128 GB Toshiba SSD in the high-end MBA, but I want an option for a 256 GB SSD at $400. I don't care if the standard resolution is 1200 x 800, but I want the option to upgrade to an IPS high-definition display for $400.

I don't care if there is a 2 lb. battery in it, but I want the "option" to put a half pound battery in it that doesn't weigh down my bag. These people wanting 10-hour batteries in the MBA don't realize how much performance they need to give up or weight they need to add on to get a 10-hour MBA.

I would like a case option for liquid metal or carbon fiber. I want to focus on lightweight and luxury at the same time. I want the options to make it as expensive and relevant and competitive to the Vaios. I don't care if it has an ultra low voltage CPU in it, but I want the option to put an Intel Core i7-660LM in it. I don't care if it has Intel IGP standard, but I want the option to put an AMD 5430 GPU (7w TDP) in it.

The point is I feel like the iPad is serving the netbook audience, and I don't see a reason to go lower price points or lower capabilities. BUT, if Apple wanted to do that, we would all be fine if it gave us several alternatives. Why not have an 11.6" MBA and allow it to have a standard configuration on the low-end but give execs who want a loaded 11.6" MBA the option to spend as much money as they want! Why not have a 15" MBA also? I would probably buy one just to carry around the house and for client offices. Probably have an 11.6" for airplane travel... and a 13" for writing and normal activity. Let me spend my money, Apple. I want the options to buy computers that competitors have had for a year. If Apple wants to hold its OS hostage, at least let us pay outrageous money for the Macs we want!

There doesn't need to be only one MBA and two configurations! Apple needs to learn that with products like this, we want options to spend our money just as MBP and Mac Pro buyers are permitted to do so. We can have an 11.6" MBA that is low-end, and an 11.6" MBA that is high-end... now I don't know why Apple would want a low-end MBA to compete with the iPad, but if they want to more power to them. If we are stuck with one MBA, it had better be a 13" or even 15" display in the current size case with an eliminated bezel. We don't need to waste so much space with the bezel, Apple. Let's start there and reduce sizes from the bezel rather than give us a smaller display and even MORE bezel.
 

Perdification

macrumors regular
Sep 22, 2010
202
0
If they're gonna give an update now or soon, it means C2D. And that means the MBA is stuck with C2D until the next update, which I don't know how long later that will be? By then Apple wouldn't have any stock of C2D chips. And they would have to discontinue MBA. Or if they didn't update now, but waited till sandy bridge comes out, then they could use sandy bridge.
 

macbook123

macrumors 68000
Feb 11, 2006
1,869
85
If they're gonna give an update now or soon, it means C2D. And that means the MBA is stuck with C2D until the next update, which I don't know how long later that will be? By then Apple wouldn't have any stock of C2D chips. And they would have to discontinue MBA. Or if they didn't update now, but waited till sandy bridge comes out, then they could use sandy bridge.

Are you forgetting about Core i3,i5,i7?
 

Scottsdale

Suspended
Sep 19, 2008
4,473
283
U.S.A.
If they're gonna give an update now or soon, it means C2D. And that means the MBA is stuck with C2D until the next update, which I don't know how long later that will be? By then Apple wouldn't have any stock of C2D chips. And they would have to discontinue MBA. Or if they didn't update now, but waited till sandy bridge comes out, then they could use sandy bridge.

I disagree completely. While it could technically happen, the 21.5" iMac was the last of the "Mac Five" to get an update. It got an Arrandale CPU and an ATI GPU. With Apple's strategy in the past, I have to believe the MBA will follow suit... and soon the MB, MBP, and Mm will get updates with the same basic setup/components.

If the MBA gets an AMD CPU/GPU/chipset, then I would expect the MB, 13" MBP, and Mm will get the exact same setup.

Apple will use the economies of scale not just for reducing costs of parts/components but also for writing drivers and supporting down the road.

I don't think Apple will stick us with Intel's IGP and Arrandale. I see Arrandale Low Voltage CPUs... the Core i7-6x0LM which is Intel's stated replacement for the current C2D SL9x00 CPUs used in the MBA. I see a 5430 ATI GPU in the MBA, 5450 in the MB, and 5470 in the 13" MBP and Mm. To me this makes the most sense given Apple's recent strategy.

However, I would be really happy to get an AMD CPU/GPU/chipset setup too. Probably be a better all around computer for us, but probably not going to happen. As long as we just don't get stuck with the Arrandale IGP, I will be happy.

I really don't think Apple has done anything recently to show us that it wants to ruin the whole Mac experience and eliminate OS X features like OpenCL with an Intel IGP. Apple would definitely need to wait for Sandy Bridge if it were going to stick us with an Intel IGP.
 

sparkie1984

macrumors 68030
Dec 20, 2009
2,909
2,227
a small village near London
Well I don't want an 11.6 if their going to do away with the 13"!

Don't mind if it's alongside it but 11.6" is too small a screen for me to work off.

But as scottsdale points out it would be nice to have some options!
 

robeddie

Suspended
Jul 21, 2003
1,777
1,731
Atlanta
Well I don't want an 11.6 if their going to do away with the 13"!

Don't mind if it's alongside it but 11.6" is too small a screen for me to work off.

But as scottsdale points out it would be nice to have some options!


It's a nice wish, but Apple has never been big on 'options' in the Steve Jobs era. His whole approach when he first came on board was to dramatically 'simplify' the product line ... and that approach has served the company well.

Now, if we're all weighing in on our opinions, I personally would LOVE a MBA with and 11.6 screen, even if that meant the 13" was gone. Assuming of course, as Scottsdale hopes, that the 11.6 MBA is not 'dumbed down' - that it is a premium machine with as good as specs as they can possbly pack in.

A widescreen 11.6 air would be very similar in screen size to the old powerbook 12", and somehow we thought that was fine, and I think while it might feel 'small' at first in comparison to the laptop you're using now, like all things, you'll quickly adjust and it won't feel as cramped as you thought it would.
 

Helmigurt

macrumors member
Jul 15, 2009
96
15
Austria
Maybe they go the "iPad with a keyboard" route and make a 11.6" Air, ARM based, maybe dual-core with iOS slightly refitted for use with trackpad and keyboard. they could maintain a low pricepoint, high battery life and gather to the crowd who thinks the iPad isn't enough productivity device.

Potential specs:
11.6" ips display 1280x800 maybe higher res
Dual core A4
1 GB RAM
32-128 Gb Ssd
10 hour battery life
700-1000$

Remember: You heard it here first!
 

CaoCao

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2010
783
2
It's a nice wish, but Apple has never been big on 'options' in the Steve Jobs era. His whole approach when he first came on board was to dramatically 'simplify' the product line ... and that approach has served the company well.

Now, if we're all weighing in on our opinions, I personally would LOVE a MBA with and 11.6 screen, even if that meant the 13" was gone. Assuming of course, as Scottsdale hopes, that the 11.6 MBA is not 'dumbed down' - that it is a premium machine with as good as specs as they can possbly pack in.

A widescreen 11.6 air would be very similar in screen size to the old powerbook 12", and somehow we thought that was fine, and I think while it might feel 'small' at first in comparison to the laptop you're using now, like all things, you'll quickly adjust and it won't feel as cramped as you thought it would.

Maybe they go the "iPad with a keyboard" route and make a 11.6" Air, ARM based, maybe dual-core with iOS slightly refitted for use with trackpad and keyboard. they could maintain a low pricepoint, high battery life and gather to the crowd who thinks the iPad isn't enough productivity device.

Potential specs:
11.6" ips display 1280x800 maybe higher res
Dual core A4
1 GB RAM
32-128 Gb Ssd
10 hour battery life
700-1000$

Remember: You heard it here first!

MBA niche is not overlapping with iOS niche


People whined like hell when they took away the 12" FF complaining about how the 13" was too big, they shut up didn't they?
 

silverfrancis

macrumors newbie
Oct 3, 2010
23
0
I really hope not!!

I personally don't think the 11.6 inch screen is a good idea. After using a 27inch iMac i realised that anything smaller was not as productive. The idea of a really small laptop such as the 11.6 inch screen would be good (provided it had "pro" features) however for programming or writing music in sebelius it would be too small.

Well what ever steve jobs releases i will consider as i want to get a really light laptop for taking to school and programming on (just getting into it). Also while i am posting about the Macbook Air, i would just like everyone to know that the thickness is just as important as the weight. The sony vaio z is light which is good, however it is really thick and "ugly" (well i think anyway). If i am carrying a laptop to school i want it to not only be light but also as thin as possible so that i can place my books in my bag. I personally think this is one of the really benefits of the macbook air and i hope they keep it this way!;)
 

Nautilus007

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jul 13, 2007
2,667
1,416
U.S
reinvent

the macbook air was the talk of the town at release, they need to do it all over agian. Possibly built in 3g, aHD webcam removable battery in my mind is also key. People who travel need to have a backup power source and a removeablke battery would be amazing.
 

CaoCao

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2010
783
2
the macbook air was the talk of the town at release, they need to do it all over agian. Possibly built in 3g, aHD webcam removable battery in my mind is also key. People who travel need to have a backup power source and a removeablke battery would be amazing.

Maybe a modified ExpressCard /34 that Apple allows batteries for?

These /34 batteries would pump power into the main battery faster than max use so you could have a dozen of these you could charge and plug while away from power sources
 

Adidas Addict

macrumors 65816
Sep 9, 2008
1,455
0
England
Maybe they go the "iPad with a keyboard" route and make a 11.6" Air, ARM based, maybe dual-core with iOS slightly refitted for use with trackpad and keyboard. they could maintain a low pricepoint, high battery life and gather to the crowd who thinks the iPad isn't enough productivity device.

Potential specs:
11.6" ips display 1280x800 maybe higher res
Dual core A4
1 GB RAM
32-128 Gb Ssd
10 hour battery life
700-1000$

Remember: You heard it here first!

First? You're only about the 90th person to spout this rubbish on this site, and that's only in the last 24hrs. iOS is for selling media, we are talking about a computer here.
 

cleric

macrumors 6502a
Jun 7, 2008
533
0
It will never be ultra-cheap because apple makes a healthy margin on all their machines and the only way to do this is use oudated specs or charge too much. If you got a cheaper macbook air $1000 or something it would be cause it uses an Atom processor and most computers with that cpu are $300.
 

Scottsdale

Suspended
Sep 19, 2008
4,473
283
U.S.A.
It's a nice wish, but Apple has never been big on 'options' in the Steve Jobs era. His whole approach when he first came on board was to dramatically 'simplify' the product line ... and that approach has served the company well.

Now, if we're all weighing in on our opinions, I personally would LOVE a MBA with and 11.6 screen, even if that meant the 13" was gone. Assuming of course, as Scottsdale hopes, that the 11.6 MBA is not 'dumbed down' - that it is a premium machine with as good as specs as they can possbly pack in.

A widescreen 11.6 air would be very similar in screen size to the old powerbook 12", and somehow we thought that was fine, and I think while it might feel 'small' at first in comparison to the laptop you're using now, like all things, you'll quickly adjust and it won't feel as cramped as you thought it would.

Actually, the MBA is more of a niche product sorta like the Mac Pro. If Apple wants to price it higher, I do believe options at least in areas of RAM, SSD, and CPU would be a huge selling point and allow Apple even greater margins. The higher margins would allow Apple to sell more and make it worth the lower sales of the MBA.

Of course, you're correct, if Apple wants to take the price lower, it needs to keep the no BTO options. If Apple lowers the price, it will need to leave BTO options off the table. With the iPad taking the netbook market on, I don't see a need for a budget ultraportable Mac. In June 2009, I believe it was a good move for Apple to lower the price points. Now, I believe it would be better for Apple to reposition it as a luxury product. If a luxury product, the options would lead to far greater success, higher sales, better more niche specific products, happier high-end users, and amazing margins.

Maybe a modified ExpressCard /34 that Apple allows batteries for?

These /34 batteries would pump power into the main battery faster than max use so you could have a dozen of these you could charge and plug while away from power sources

This is a really good idea. I always think Apple needs to come up with a "standard" bay port of some type. One that allows an optical drive, extra battery, express card, USB ports, firewire port, ethernet port, extra hdd, and etc. I really like the express card slots, and I found it terribly disappointing when Apple eliminated them from the MBPs (however it didn't affect me as I don't own an MBP). Dell's V13 even has an Express Card slot and it's an aluminum bodied ultraportable. Such a slot would allow everything from batteries, to extra USB ports, to FireWire, to eSata, to etc.

I wish Apple would allow a standard method of expandability across its Mac notebooks. I do believe many users would buy extras too. For example, if it had a proprietary bay, it could sell all sorts of devices to fit in the bay. With 13" Macs wasting space for an optical drive that most people find completely useless 99% of the time, eliminating the optical drive and allowing the users to buy several bay expansion devices makes happier users and happier shareholders with huge margins on these devices.

Anyways, great idea with just a simple express card slot...
 

fyrefly

macrumors 6502a
Jun 27, 2004
624
67
I really hope not!!

I personally don't think the 11.6 inch screen is a good idea. After using a 27inch iMac i realised that anything smaller was not as productive. The idea of a really small laptop such as the 11.6 inch screen would be good (provided it had "pro" features) however for programming or writing music in sebelius it would be too small.

The MBA has never been a machine meant for Writing Music or FCP editing and the like. It's been a premium computer with decent (not top-line) specs, for those that care mostly about portability/lightweight.

I use my MBA every day for Writing, and its PERFECT. It's getting a bit bogged down with it's 2GB of RAM, so I think the 11.6" model will be fine, as long as it has 4GB of RAM +.

And I say this as a huge fan of the 12" PBG4. That was my favourite computer ever until I got the MBA. Now my MBA is my fav computer ever.

the macbook air was the talk of the town at release, they need to do it all over agian. Possibly built in 3g, aHD webcam removable battery in my mind is also key. People who travel need to have a backup power source and a removeablke battery would be amazing.

Removable Battery is not gonna happen. They pioneered the NON-removable battery in the MBA - due to size constraints. They're gonna keep a non-removable battery in the MBA - I just hope they can keep the battery-life/weight ratio in check. Other than RAM (#1 complaint) my #2 complaint with my MBA is Battery life. I get around 3 Hours with my 2-year-old MBA these days (wi-fi on, BT off, screen at 3/4 brightness). My 15" MBP gets 5-7 hours with the same settings. Yes, it has a bigger (and heavier) battery, but if the Air uses an i7-LM processor, it should be able to keep the same TDP and achieve at least a 5 hour battery life? Hopefully?
 

Scottsdale

Suspended
Sep 19, 2008
4,473
283
U.S.A.
The MBA has never been a machine meant for Writing Music or FCP editing and the like. It's been a premium computer with decent (not top-line) specs, for those that care mostly about portability/lightweight.

I use my MBA every day for Writing, and its PERFECT. It's getting a bit bogged down with it's 2GB of RAM, so I think the 11.6" model will be fine, as long as it has 4GB of RAM +.

And I say this as a huge fan of the 12" PBG4. That was my favourite computer ever until I got the MBA. Now my MBA is my fav computer ever.



Removable Battery is not gonna happen. They pioneered the NON-removable battery in the MBA - due to size constraints. They're gonna keep a non-removable battery in the MBA - I just hope they can keep the battery-life/weight ratio in check. Other than RAM (#1 complaint) my #2 complaint with my MBA is Battery life. I get around 3 Hours with my 2-year-old MBA these days (wi-fi on, BT off, screen at 3/4 brightness). My 15" MBP gets 5-7 hours with the same settings. Yes, it has a bigger (and heavier) battery, but if the Air uses an i7-LM processor, it should be able to keep the same TDP and achieve at least a 5 hour battery life? Hopefully?

I think the battery is perfectly fine. There is no way to add battery time without adding more weight or reducing the power used which would require reducing the performance. I don't want Apple to focus on battery life.

My analysis of the problems and avoidance of the MBA has shown the following concerns.
1. RAM is always number one.
2. SSD drive size. People want more drive space.
3. Battery life. While people might want more battery life it isn't going to happen unless we compromise either on weight or performance.

To me the weight is the absolute top priority. Weight is far more important than thinness to me. Some might disagree, but I think it's the weight of the MBA that sets it apart. I could be really happy with a one inch thick MBA that weighs three pounds. I would not be happy with a super thin MBA that weighs four pounds.

I believe this is why the Sony Vaio Z is so well respected and capable. It is slightly thicker than the MBPs, but it weighs the same as the MBA. At the same time, it's more powerful than the MBP and has incredible resolution not found on either the MBA or MBP even in 15" versions.

A lot of people are complaining about the battery, but it's a recent phenomenon to get a 10-hour battery in Macs. In addition, those numbers are greatly exaggerated according to most users. People need to understand that the 13" MBPs battery would add almost 3/4 of a pound of weight to the MBA (that is versus the MBA's current battery). So it's not reasonable to expect such performance and yet lightweight MBA with a 10-hour battery.

The truth is, before the 10-hour MBP battery, nobody had problems with the MBA's battery. I don't like where Apple has taken the battery approach either. I would prefer Apple focus on a simple actual 4-hour battery in every Mac. The vast majority of people don't NEED a 10-hour battery. They want it just because it's "MORE."

I believe Apple would do better eliminating the optical drives and long lasting batteries from its 13" MBP and MB notebooks. Then, make a standard "bay" of some sort that allows people to add weight and add an optical drive if they want one or an added battery and etc. I wouldn't buy a current MBP because I don't want to waste the weight or space of the battery nor the optical drive. In addition, I believe Apple could actually focus on performance and give the 13" MBP a discrete GPU instead of worthless optical drives and unnecessary batteries.

I suppose it comes down to personal opinions and needs... but I hope no matter what else changes that the MBA doesn't have a 10-hour battery because it will come at a heavy price to performance and/or weight.
 

Hisdem

macrumors 6502a
Jul 3, 2010
772
49
South Florida
Maybe they go the "iPad with a keyboard" route and make a 11.6" Air, ARM based, maybe dual-core with iOS slightly refitted for use with trackpad and keyboard. they could maintain a low pricepoint, high battery life and gather to the crowd who thinks the iPad isn't enough productivity device.

Potential specs:
11.6" ips display 1280x800 maybe higher res
Dual core A4
1 GB RAM
32-128 Gb Ssd
10 hour battery life
700-1000$

Remember: You heard it here first!

Macs are supposed, or at least were supposed, to be computers, not toys. ;)

And I seriously hope that we are talking about a computer here, not just a big iToy with a keyboard.
 

Austinjpr

macrumors newbie
May 23, 2010
2
0
If they stick with c2d they can lower the price upgrade the graphics and ram improve the display and maybe hit a price point of around $800 for HDD and $1100 for an SSD version. I can't see people paying more than that for such a
Small display it should cost more than an iPad less than a MacBook pro.

Dude, I want some of what you are smoking. Must be some great stuff!!

$800. $1100. Seriously?? Tell me when you get back to planet earth!!
 

Scottsdale

Suspended
Sep 19, 2008
4,473
283
U.S.A.
Dude, I want some of what you are smoking. Must be some great stuff!!

$800. $1100. Seriously?? Tell me when you get back to planet earth!!

That is pretty "far out there dude."

This is exactly what Apple will not do. They don't need to compete in netbook market or against their own iPad in low cost alternative to notebooks.
 
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