What would you like to see most in a new MBA

[Fonzijr1964]

Take the poll :D

[cube]

A real computer, not an expensive netbook again.

[aleksandra.]

Bigger SSD. Lower price. Better integrated graphics, maybe. And absolutely nothing from the list above. Well, maybe 2GHz if they're able to deal with the heat, but I like it as it is. I don't care about the headphones, I simply doubt they'll change anything about the ports, at least now.

[iPave]

I would like to see option for built-in HSDPA modem

[glitch44]

Did you consult the Intel roadmap before posting the 2 GHz option?

The next chips will be 45nm and will most likely be the 1.6GHz SL9300 and the 1.86GHz SL9400 processors which use less power (increasing battery life) and create less heat (decreasing core shutdowns). But those aren't 2 GHz chips.

[phoobo]

....would be the logical choice. After all, the thing's already got a toaster.

[andreab35]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F136 Safari/525.20)

I would like to see a speed bump and a lower price. I'm not asking for too much. :)

[iGary]

A real set of I/O ports.

[akm3]

One of the same things I'd like to see on all Mac laptops.... *A docking station*

[mattniles007]

A second USB port would be great.

[Cynicalone]

Firewire ports 400/800.

120 GB SSD, would also be nice but I'm sure it would be expensive.

[Scepticalscribe]

Bigger SSD. Lower price. Better integrated graphics, maybe. And absolutely nothing from the list above. Well, maybe 2GHz if they're able to deal with the heat, but I like it as it is. I don't care about the headphones, I simply doubt they'll change anything about the ports, at least now.

Agree to a large extent.

A second USB port would be great.

Absolutely agree.

Firewire ports 400/800.

120 GB SSD, would also be nice but I'm sure it would be expensive.

Yes, agreed, this would make it a really stunning machine.
Cheers

[SFStateStudent]

Definitely 2.0GHz, at least...:cool:

[Abstract]

- 1.8 GHz standard, although even the 1.6 GHz is far better than the 1 or 1.2 GHz versions you find in most ultra-thins.

- 3 GB of RAM. That would take the load off the harddrive when you're working hard. The HDD is slow and would create a lot of heat.

- 2 extra ports: USB 2, and an ethernet port.

- Built-in HSDPA.

- A slightly larger battery.

[iToaster]

For the next MBA I wish for two things: 1) slim down the bezel around the screen (but don't make the screen smaller), and 2) make the power port a flip down door too and put a FW400 port next to it (or the USB next to it and the FW400 on the other side).

[awvan]

less heat. faster would be nice, but it's not necessary.

[That70sGAdawg]

Why is a capacity larger HDD not on the list?? 80GB is too small.:mad:

[Fonzijr1964]

Why is a capacity larger HDD not on the list?? 80GB is too small.:mad:

cuz 128GB SSD are coming for sure

[aleksandra.]

cuz 124GB SSD are coming for sure

I wasn't aware there're any 124GB SSDs...

[Fonzijr1964]

I wasn't aware there're any 124GB SSDs...

128 sorry

[hayduke]

Thinner bezel.
Replaceable battery that is swap-able in sleep mode.
Firewire.
4GB RAM.

If that, then SOLD.

[workerbee]

Firewire.
4GB RAM.

If that, then SOLD.

I'd be happy with just these 2. Actually, even FW isn't that important, but RAM is.

[arogge]

How about a MacBook Air with dust- and water-resistance? :o

[phoobo]

...no pipe dreams - would love to see an Air that actually runs smoothly and without emitting toxic vapors at high temperatures. A higher-resolution screen (without the "grid effect") would also be a big plus.

If they would round the edges a bit too, you could then put your hands on the edges of the machine while working, without discomfort. I have used a sandpaper block on a couple of them, but this is obviously not the ideal solution.

[Fonzijr1964]

"grid effect"

???

[Cynicalone]

128 GB SSD was what I was trying to say earlier, sorry. :o

After thinking about it for a few day's while using my MBA I would also add that it needs another USB port and the headphone jack should be moved away from the current spot. When I have my USB 881 laptop connect card plugged in it's hard to plug in my headphones. Actually it's damn near impossible you have to plug them in first and then connect the laptop card. So if you want to unplug the headphones you have to remove the laptop card.

[wordmunger]

None of the above. Larger hard drive. Faster-charging battery. Improve Flash performance (YouTube problem). Built-in ethernet. Make the screen bigger by filling the space in the bezel. Or shrink the footprint of the computer and keep the existing screen size.

[EspressoLove]

Intel SLs being granted :)
1) 1440x900 screen
2) second RAM slot / or 4 Gb in top spec (pray it's not outrageously priced)
3) SATA connection, that way I'll decide what to put inside :D
4) some innovation in ports department :
it can be a third port ..... but I'd rather have DVI converted into DisplayPort and tricked to act as a second USB/FW.
Anyway Apple has it's own unique (read: incompatible) DVI connector, so it can become really innovative and double as useful.

Also a port on a power cord could make sense, as we tend to have different configurations/needs while out there, or home & plugged.
So it can be native ethernet probably? Or can it sport additional USB also?
That way (@home/work) we could shut flip door up, and have all USB connections done with a single power cord (and a stationary USB hub - Speakers, iPods, HDDs, etc)

P.S. putting ethernet on a power brick itself is not brilliant, as that brick is usually few yards from you, probably sitting on a wall.
So a dongle hanging from power cord within 5 inches from Magsafe would be better.

[aleksandra.]

3) SATA connection, that way I'll decide what to put inside :D


You mean what SSD you'll put inside? Because as far as I know there're no 1.8" SATA HDDs that fit in Air - it needs to be 5mm thin. If I'm wrong tell me that, I'd really like if they used SATA, making it easier to upgrade (Intel X18-M comes to my mind...).

[dwsolberg]

I want an option for 4 GB of RAM, a faster/larger SSD drive, and a matte screen. I also want them to fix the misc. problems that seem to be cropping up.

Nothing in the poll is high on my list. I have an iPhone for music, the processor is plenty fast (except fix the overheating problem), it's already plenty thin, and I use CDs less often than I cut my toenails. I wouldn't argue with more connectivity, but I don't really care enough to make it an issue.

[O. Frabjous-Dey]

I only want two things:
1) Fix the problems users are having today. They're inexcusable in a product at this price point.
2) A higher-res screen.

Everything else is gravy.

[phoobo]

I only want two things:
1) Fix the problems users are having today. They're inexcusable in a product at this price point.
2) A higher-res screen.

Everything else is gravy.


My point exactly. The screen won't cut it - seeing the checkerboard of lines between the pixels is very tiring on the eyes.

- Frumious bandersnatch

[gotzero]

1. Increased battery life or field removable battery.
2. Higher screen resolution.

I am completely happy with everything but the battery life for now. More RAM would be great, I was a little bummed to find out it was not a single module that I could bump to 4GB when available.

[abthegreat]

4Gb ram
120-160Gb HDD
2+USB ports

will they release a new revision of the air whenever the new rumoured macbooks or pros come out

[deltaiscain]

Probably the most necessary is a bigger ssd, hopefully 128gb, and maybe 2Ghz, but that isn't very necessary.

[iPave]

None of the above. Larger hard drive. Faster-charging battery. Improve Flash performance (YouTube problem). Built-in ethernet. Make the screen bigger by filling the space in the bezel. Or shrink the footprint of the computer and keep the existing screen size.

Isn't that Adobe's job???

[wordmunger]

Isn't that Adobe's job???

It might be Adobe's job, but it's Apple's problem. People don't think "YouTube sucks on the Mac version of Flash," they think "YouTube sucks on a Mac." And it sucks the most on the MBA.

Apple could be working harder with Adobe -- even paying them -- to solve this problem. There's no reason on earth that a computer with a total of 3.2 ghz of computing power should choke on a 5-minute video clip.

[arogge]

I have also noticed this stalling problem with Shockwave Flash video clips. They are much slower than the QuickTime format, and I don't like the difficulty in downloading and playing the video in a standalone application.

I have been trying to get videos from MySpace to play, and they refuse to even download. Why can't these companies use a format that can be downloaded and saved as a regular file, instead of using some streaming format won't play on my Mac's browser?

[Digital Skunk]

None on the poll.

What I'd like to see is:
- More RAM (4GB)
- More SSD/HDD options (give them ALL to us)
- NO retracting port hatch!
- An external Super Drive that works will all USB ports
- Much longer battery life.
- Same price tags, just a few more refined features.

[Techguy172]

I would like it to have more and faster ram. Firewire, bigger hard drive/ SSD
I think they should allow for a user replaceable battery. They life of the battery doesn't really need to be better. Much more powerful processor that produces less heat.

[Digital Skunk]

I would like it to have more and faster ram. Firewire, bigger hard drive/ SSD
I think they should allow for a user replaceable battery. They life of the battery doesn't really need to be better. Much more powerful processor that produces less heat.

A MacBook?

[Techguy172]

A MacBook?

I already have one. I want the air to have this. I think what i want is more reasonable then you.

[Digital Skunk]

I already have one. I want the air to have this. I think what i want is more reasonable then you.

Yeah of course, but to be honest what you want is what the Mac Book has. Where would the Air part come in?

[Techguy172]

Yeah of course, but to be honest what you want is what the Mac Book has. Where would the Air part come in?

In some ways but i could say the same for you! What I really like is the Thinness of the computer as well as the weight and overall tapered design.

[kabunaru]

None of these.
A FireWire 400 port.

Maybe a 11"-12" screen but widescreen
and 4GB of RAM standard.

[Digital Skunk]

In some ways but i could say the same for you! What I really like is the Thinness of the computer as well as the weight and overall tapered design.

I like those as well, the thinness and weight. I just think having the same single USB port and more innards would benefit the market the machine is made for.

FW400 may not since most users of the book won't be carrying anything else but the machine.

OR

We could have a Sony TZ like machine with the Sony TZ $2700 price tag.

[kabunaru]

FW400 may not since most users of the book won't be carrying anything else but the machine.


A little editing in iMovie HD on the go would be nice for some users. :)
MacBook Air is capable of it.

[Digital Skunk]

A little editing in iMovie HD on the go would be nice for some users. :)
MacBook Air is capable of it.

It is surprisingly. I have heard many photogs saying that it handles Aperture pretty well too.

[kabunaru]

Also, a stereo speaker and matte screen would be nice but those are dreams right now. :D

[BWhaler]

I own the current generation MBA, and I'm really looking forward to a serious upgrade to take a very good Mac and make it great. Below is my wish list:

Must Have's:

1. 128gb SSD
2. 4gb Memory
3. Fast GPU
4. Fix the heat/core shut down issue
5. Keep the quality. (The MBA is the last of the high quality portables Apple makes right now.)

As long as that is the upgrade list, I'll buy the upgrade. But again, I love my MBA.

Wish List/Nice-to-Have's:

1. Another USB Port
2. Longer battery life
3. Another speaker
4. 2.0 Ghz CPU

[queshy]

None on the poll.

What I'd like to see is:
- More RAM (4GB)
- More SSD/HDD options (give them ALL to us)
- NO retracting port hatch!
- An external Super Drive that works will all USB ports
- Much longer battery life.
- Same price tags, just a few more refined features.

Yeah, those are all good. I'd be happy if they left 2 GB standard and had a port on the back to add more.
SSD/HDD options - the more the better.
Retracting port hatch doesn't really bother me.
+1 on the Super drive.
+10000 on longer battery life.

It's totally all possible, too.
At the same time I don't think those features you listed above would be enough to entice current mBA owners to upgrade, but we'll see what Apple does with it.

[Digital Skunk]

yeah for me its all about portability and ease of use while on tbe move. i want a machine that can actually make it the end of the day with a lot of use doing simple thing.

and is able to do them easily.

[mill2000]

Perhaps Wireless USB (UWB)
WiMax (this includes 3G broadband of course)
longer battery life! (at least 8 hours)

[queshy]

yeah for me its all about portability and ease of use while on tbe move. i want a machine that can actually make it the end of the day with a lot of use doing simple thing.

and is able to do them easily.

So, are you planning on buying the next MBP AND a MacBook Air possibly? Get your wallet out...haha.

The MacBook Air upgrade would have to be extremely compelling for me to warrant selling my current model. I have no complaints about my current MacBook Air so I doubt that will happen. What I'm really waiting for is a crazy iMac upgrade + Snow Leopard :)

[yorkshire]

To be honest all I want to see is the MBs specs in the MBA. And maybe a 12 inch screen instead of a 13 inch one.

[FightTheFuture]

a lower price point & an express card slot.

i think that that's it. there is speculation that the next iteration of the MacBook & MacBook Pro may be a little slimmer and the MacBook would get a lower price point. i'm hoping the air drops to around 1100-1300 so that it would no longer be perceived as over priced.

[Techguy172]

a lower price point & an express card slot.

i think that that's it. there is speculation that the next iteration of the MacBook & MacBook Pro may be a little slimmer and the MacBook would get a lower price point. i'm hoping the air drops to around 1100-1300 so that it would no longer be perceived as over priced.

It's unlikely for apple to lower it by that much, that's a lot. It may go down a 100 or 200 but no that much.

[kabunaru]

To be honest all I want to see is the MBs specs in the MBA. And maybe a 12 inch screen instead of a 13 inch one.

An MacBook Air that looks like a very slim 12" PowerBook G4 would be very nice.

[Digital Skunk]

So, are you planning on buying the next MBP AND a MacBook Air possibly? Get your wallet out...haha.

The MacBook Air upgrade would have to be extremely compelling for me to warrant selling my current model. I have no complaints about my current MacBook Air so I doubt that will happen. What I'm really waiting for is a crazy iMac upgrade + Snow Leopard :)

I don't have any complaints about the current model either, maybe just the BTO options for the CPU and HDD.

But give me a dual 2.0GHz Atom based Air with a slightly cheaper 64GB SSD and I'd be happy. I would really love built in EVDO and a smaller chassis but that's pushing it.

[queshy]

I don't have any complaints about the current model either, maybe just the BTO options for the CPU and HDD.

But give me a dual 2.0GHz Atom based Air with a slightly cheaper 64GB SSD and I'd be happy. I would really love built in EVDO and a smaller chassis but that's pushing it.

Would the benefits of the Atom processor only be battery life? Sorry, don't know much about these things except that they've been popping up like crazy in netbooks...I don't know if Apple wants to refer to the MBA as a "netbook". It's awfully more expensive than the average NB, too.

Apple probably held off on EVDO because it wasn't in the MBP (their top of the line model) to begin with. Maybe we will see it in a future generation.

[AC Rempt]

My biggest problem is the heat/performance issue where it stutters playing video. I have mine in for repair right now, and hopefully, they'll resolve the issue with a new motherboard and some decent thermal paste.

I voted for an additionally USB port, too, because it's a pain to try and use the SuperDrive and another device at the same time.

[riz78612]

13" widescreen LCD display,
Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology
4GB RAM,
512GB SSD (250GBx2) with Raid technology,
NVIDIA® graphics,
Blu-ray Disc™ optical drive, HD
DMI output,
Bluetooth®,
TV Tuner


CPU Section
Microprocessor Full Name Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T9600 with Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology
Microprocessor Manufacturer Intel®
Microprocessor Speed (GHz) 2.8
L2 Cache (KB) 6144 Advanced Smart Cache
Frontside Bus (MHz) 1066
Number of Cores 2

Memory
Memory Speed (MHz) 800
Memory Type DDR2 SDRAM (2x2048MB)
Max. Memory (MB) 4096
Max Memory Comment In the case of 4GB, a portion of the system memory over 3GB might not be available to the operating system
Memory Size (MB) 4096


Drives
Hard Drive Type Serial ATA / SSD Flash drive Ultra ATA/66
Hard Drive Capacity (GB) 628 (500GB HDD + 2x64GB SSD Raid 0 support)
Hard Drive Speed (rpm) 4200
Optical Drive Type Blu-ray Disc™ Drive: BD-R/-RE/-ROM/ DVD+-RW/+-R DL/RAM Drive (reader/writer)
Optical Drive Fitting Built-in

Multimedia
TV Tuner Board YES
Intel® High Definition Audio compatible YES
3D Surround Dolby Home Theatre®
Built-in Stereo Speakers YES
Built-in Subwoofer YES
Windows® Sound System Compatible YES
Sound Reality YES
DVB-T YES


Battery life- 24 hours

[Fonzijr1964]

13" widescreen LCD display,
Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology
4GB RAM,
512GB SSD (250GBx2) with Raid technology,
NVIDIA® graphics,
Blu-ray Disc™ optical drive, HD
DMI output,
Bluetooth®,
TV Tuner


CPU Section
Microprocessor Full Name Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T9600 with Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology
Microprocessor Manufacturer Intel®
Microprocessor Speed (GHz) 2.8
L2 Cache (KB) 6144 Advanced Smart Cache
Frontside Bus (MHz) 1066
Number of Cores 2

Memory
Memory Speed (MHz) 800
Memory Type DDR2 SDRAM (2x2048MB)
Max. Memory (MB) 4096
Max Memory Comment In the case of 4GB, a portion of the system memory over 3GB might not be available to the operating system
Memory Size (MB) 4096


Drives
Hard Drive Type Serial ATA / SSD Flash drive Ultra ATA/66
Hard Drive Capacity (GB) 628 (500GB HDD + 2x64GB SSD Raid 0 support)
Hard Drive Speed (rpm) 4200
Optical Drive Type Blu-ray Disc™ Drive: BD-R/-RE/-ROM/ DVD+-RW/+-R DL/RAM Drive (reader/writer)
Optical Drive Fitting Built-in

Multimedia
TV Tuner Board YES
Intel® High Definition Audio compatible YES
3D Surround Dolby Home Theatre®
Built-in Stereo Speakers YES
Built-in Subwoofer YES
Windows® Sound System Compatible YES
Sound Reality YES
DVB-T YES


Battery life- 24 hours

this reminds me of a song "In the year 2525"

[AppliedMicro]

- lower TDP / less heat dissipation / no core shutdowns / longer battery life
- Lower price point
- 4 GB RAM
- 2nd USB
- wireless connectivity (WiMax, UMTS, EVDO... whatever it's called)

In that order... at least the top two of these (price, better CPU). I think it's pretty silly to assume Apple would change the MacBook's form factor to incorporate optical drives, FW ports, smaller displays, etc. Really... the MBA is going to stay pretty much the way it is now. We shouldn't expect more than a little speedbump / price dump...

[Dmac77]

...no pipe dreams - would love to see an Air that actually runs smoothly and without emitting toxic vapors at high temperatures. A higher-resolution screen (without the "grid effect") would also be a big plus.

If they would round the edges a bit too, you could then put your hands on the edges of the machine while working, without discomfort. I have used a sandpaper block on a couple of them, but this is obviously not the ideal solution.

One they do not emit toxic vapors (it's been claimed that the MP does so, but their toxicity is questionable). Two WTF do you mean by "grid affect"? and finally three, you have issues if your rubbing sand paper on a $1700-$3000 laptop.

It would be nice if Apple made the Air capable of something besides BASIC web browsing, eMail, and word processing.

Don

[Mammoth]

I'd like a Lenovo X300 with OS X. Done. :D

[cyberwolf777]

While many demands in these thread are a bit unrealistic :P I believe that Apple is under considerable pressure to update the MBA!

Since its release, the competition has come up with various offerings that clearly are better than the MBA from a specs point of view (lenovo X300, vaio Z)

For the MBA to stay competitive, the following things must be included in the next update:

- better processor to combat heat issues! penryn 1.83ghz LV is a suitable option i think

- more harddisk space! 128GB SSDs are now affordable and the MBA could use the 120GB HDD of the ipod classic

to stay competitive, the MBA should over the next year also have the following:

- better display! the sony TZ is offering a 1600x900 display on a 13.1" screen. the MBA, being a professional offering, shouldn't have the same low-res display as the regular macbook that will likely sell for half the price of the current MBA soon. apple should at least make this an option like on the 17" MBP!

- more RAM! memory prices are rather low, 4GB are affordable!

- if apple introduces blu-ray: a blu-ray external superdrive that is powered through the USB port alone!

- a FW800/3200 port (unfortunately very unlikely)

[AppliedMicro]

While many demands in these thread are a bit unrealistic
- a FW800/3200 port (unfortunately very unlikely)
Well... I'd guess your FireWire port is a bit unrealistic too, isn't it?
And I can hardly see why they'd one to stay competitive.
It's not like Lenovo or Sony had one on their models, right?

Also, there are 2 or even 3 problems with Blu-ray

- Processing power. The Air is really going to have a hard time coping with Blu-ray. In fact, just from reading reports about core shutdowns / underclocks I think it might not be possible at all.
- Blu-ray drives consume more power. Can that be provided via USB?
- Blu-ray drives are much more expensive. Apple would really ave a niche product there. And I don't think they would be making a 2nd drive option for just a few users. Providing an inexpensive drive is much for important for the Air than providing a state of the art optical.


With regard to the display, Apple's notebook have never been about maximum resolution. Even the MacBook Pro has a pretty low resolution (for good reasons), so it seems out of the question for the MBA, unless the MBP gets higher resolutions. Yet I think Apple is playing safe on resolutions and wants default resolution to be easily readable by as many as possible. 1600 x somewhat on a 13" poses problems for quite some people. Personally, I'd appreciate a higher resolution, though.

I do think we are going to see the CPU speed bump and bigger hard drive/SSD.

[Scottsdale]

I love the MBA when I am using it away from the desk. It could be a little faster. It could have one more USB. It SHOULD have 4GB RAM.

That is it. They really have it right with that one. Used one rarely for six months. LOVED it. I just continued to use my Pro all of the time. Even when I went on vacation and all I took the Pro instead of the Air like I thought I would.

But the Air is really a great mobile NON-INTENSIVE computer. Cannot run CS3 on it, which is probably why I took my Pro with me on vacation. But I really love every minute I am on the Air. Great for surfing MacRumors.com. Great for email. AND EXCELLENT for writing.

Just a few speed tune-ups would be great.

Oh, and I sold mine last week. I will be buying a new Air or MB tomorrow. It all depends on the specs.