Is a Retina MBA on the horizon?

Gix1k · Nov 22, 2012, 08:38 AM

I have been looking at this.....

13"
1.7GHz Intel dual i5 processor
OS X Mountain Lion
Microsoft Office 2011
4GB DDR3 Ram
128 GB Solid State Drive

For $800

Advise me.

Abazigal · Nov 22, 2012, 09:09 AM

Possible, but not likely, IMO. The 11" air would have to take a massive hit to battery life unless apple manages to create some super long-life battery, and even then, I would prefer a non-retina version with longer battery life.

The 13" version already exists in the form of the retina MBP, but I feel it is currently very overpriced (although I admit the screen is gorgeous).

The price quoted is pretty standard for a 2011 MBA.

Gix1k · Nov 22, 2012, 09:53 AM

Good to know...thanks. So 800 is a good deal for the 13" I quoted?

yanksrock100 · Nov 22, 2012, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gix1k

Good to know...thanks. So 800 is a good deal for the 13" I quoted?

Pretty good deal. There won't be a retina Macbook Air for a few years, 2014 I think.

nuckinfutz · Nov 22, 2012, 01:22 PM

Spring/Summer 2013

That's about as horizon as it gets.

HarryWarden · Nov 22, 2012, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gix1k

I have been looking at this.....

13"
1.7GHz Intel dual i5 processor
OS X Mountain Lion
Microsoft Office 2011
4GB DDR3 Ram
128 GB Solid State Drive

For $800

Advise me.

Where did you find that deal?

tecknik1 · Nov 22, 2012, 06:23 PM

Actually I just read an article on one of the teck. sites that the retina display is expected in the next update of the Air. I suspect it well be.

Gix1k · 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryWarden

Where did you find that deal?

Local Craigslist

What's the difference between the 2011 and 2012 MBAs?

Abazigal · Nov 22, 2012, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gix1k

Local Craigslist

What's the difference between the 2011 and 2012 MBAs?

faster processors and usb3.0 ports. If you are going to be using it for basic word editing, the 2011 model should serve you just as well.

Rob.G · Nov 22, 2012, 08:51 PM

My refurb 2012 11" will be here on Monday... I picked the refurb since it's a good enough deal that I can sell it if Retina hits the Airs in the next refresh. If not, I'll likely keep this one another year (at least) until it does happen.

Since the 2012 Airs already have USB 3.0, the only real upgrade I can see them getting other than maybe Retina is more CPU power. I don't see them getting 16GB of RAM yet.

Rob

throAU · Nov 22, 2012, 11:20 PM

Very much doubt it. Not enough to differentiate from the MBP line.

Abazigal · Nov 23, 2012, 01:25 AM

I doubt they will be marketed as retina airs. They would actually have to become thicker and heavier to accommodate a larger battery, and this would not make a good selling point.

skaertus · Nov 23, 2012, 10:33 AM

The MacBook Air will get a retina display in 2013 or 2014, IMHO. 2013 is likely depending on some factors such as the actual power consumption of Haswell processors and perhaps the availability of low-powered IGZO displays.

There are some ultrabooks in the market with IPS displays capable of 1920x1080 resolutions. Apple won't be behind for long.

AppleAlfred · Nov 23, 2012, 11:28 AM

Personally I think 2014 at least for a retina. No way they have the battery capacity at this point, and we all know apple doesn't like to release any half-hearted attempts at something like this. Until they have the battery to support it its not going to happen. Obviously it's only a matter of time though.

pedromartins · Nov 23, 2012, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gix1k

Local Craigslist

What's the difference between the 2011 and 2012 MBAs?

better graphics and usb 3, 15% faster processors (you won't notice), better battery life (like 30min).

skaertus · Nov 23, 2012, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleAlfred

Personally I think 2014 at least for a retina. No way they have the battery capacity at this point, and we all know apple doesn't like to release any half-hearted attempts at something like this. Until they have the battery to support it its not going to happen. Obviously it's only a matter of time though.

That will depend on (1) Haswell (which Intel is marketing as a huge leap in terms of power consumption) and (2) IGZO displays (which, according to Sharp, are ready for mass production in Q4 2012, and which will consume far less power than current displays).

Both Haswell and IGZO displays should be ready to ship with the MBA in 2013. However, if the apparently big improvements brought by these two products is not enough to make the MBA support retina displays, nothing else to be released until 2014 will. Broadwell, to be released in 2014, will not bring so much improvements in power efficiency to justify waiting so long.

Acorn · Nov 23, 2012, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gix1k

Local Craigslist

What's the difference between the 2011 and 2012 MBAs?

2012 macbook airs can be configured to use 8 gb of memory. 2011 can only use 4.

ladeer · Nov 23, 2012, 07:09 PM

please never add retina to mba....at least give me the choice of non-retina mba, for i personally HATE retine. it's just impossible to use in my line of work which requires a lot of screen capture. whenever you share that to someone else, it becomes an extreme mess. also, i only run windows 7 on my macbook (never use osx) and everything looks like ants.

Mac32 · Nov 24, 2012, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gix1k

I have been looking at this.....

13"
1.7GHz Intel dual i5 processor
OS X Mountain Lion
Microsoft Office 2011
4GB DDR3 Ram
128 GB Solid State Drive

For $800

Advise me.

"Advise me." What, are you an emperor or something? A little politeness goes a long way...

Gix1k · Nov 24, 2012, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac32

"Advise me." What, are you an emperor or something? A little politeness goes a long way...

Really, dude...Notice only YOU took that the way you did. Don't care who in your family pissed you off today, but don't bring that mess here. In fact, your opinion isn't wanted. Have a good day.

Saturn1217 · Nov 24, 2012, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladeer

please never add retina to mba....at least give me the choice of non-retina mba, for i personally HATE retine. it's just impossible to use in my line of work which requires a lot of screen capture. whenever you share that to someone else, it becomes an extreme mess. also, i only run windows 7 on my macbook (never use osx) and everything looks like ants.

+1

I don't think I will be software ready for retina for a LONG time...
Retina coming out on the next macbook air would make me consider moving to something else. I need app compatibility (especially non standard apps like VMs, imageJ etc.) to work just like I expect it to. Retina is not good enough for me to take this risk. (Not yet anyway)

But hopefully Apple can provide options for everyone

Nov 22, 2012, 08:38 AM	#1
Gix1k macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jun 2008	Is a Retina MBA on the horizon? I have been looking at this..... 13" 1.7GHz Intel dual i5 processor OS X Mountain Lion Microsoft Office 2011 4GB DDR3 Ram 128 GB Solid State Drive For $800 Advise me.
	0

Nov 22, 2012, 08:51 PM	#10
Rob.G macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Oregon	My refurb 2012 11" will be here on Monday... I picked the refurb since it's a good enough deal that I can sell it if Retina hits the Airs in the next refresh. If not, I'll likely keep this one another year (at least) until it does happen. Since the 2012 Airs already have USB 3.0, the only real upgrade I can see them getting other than maybe Retina is more CPU power. I don't see them getting 16GB of RAM yet. Rob __________________ Late 2012 Mac Mini 2.6 i7/16gb/256gb SSD/1tb HD July 2012 MacBook Air 11" 2.0 i7/8gb/256gb iPhone 4S Black 64gb Vz / iPad 3 Black 64gb Vz
	0

Nov 22, 2012, 11:20 PM	#11
throAU macrumors 68020 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Perth, Western Australia	Very much doubt it. Not enough to differentiate from the MBP line. __________________ MBP (early 2011) - Core i7 2720 2.2ghz, Hires Glossy, 16GB, Seagate Momentus XT 750GB Mac Mini (mid 2007) - Core2 Duo 1.8, 2gb, 320gb 7200 rpm iPhone 4S, iPad 4
	0

Nov 23, 2012, 11:28 AM	#14
AppleAlfred macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Winnipeg, MB, Canada	Personally I think 2014 at least for a retina. No way they have the battery capacity at this point, and we all know apple doesn't like to release any half-hearted attempts at something like this. Until they have the battery to support it its not going to happen. Obviously it's only a matter of time though. __________________ MacBook Air (Mid 2012) - 1.8/8/128 iPad w/ Retina (3rd Gen) - Black 16 Galaxy S IV - Black Mist 16 Apple TV, 3rd Gen
	0

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Nov 22, 2012, 09:09 AM	#2
Abazigal macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Singapore	Possible, but not likely, IMO. The 11" air would have to take a massive hit to battery life unless apple manages to create some super long-life battery, and even then, I would prefer a non-retina version with longer battery life. The 13" version already exists in the form of the retina MBP, but I feel it is currently very overpriced (although I admit the screen is gorgeous). The price quoted is pretty standard for a 2011 MBA.
	2

Nov 22, 2012, 09:53 AM	#3
Gix1k Thread Starter macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jun 2008	Good to know...thanks. So 800 is a good deal for the 13" I quoted?
	0

Nov 22, 2012, 01:22 PM	#5
nuckinfutz macrumors 603 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Middle Earth	Spring/Summer 2013 That's about as horizon as it gets.
	0

Nov 22, 2012, 06:23 PM	#7
tecknik1 macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: HCM Vietnam	Actually I just read an article on one of the teck. sites that the retina display is expected in the next update of the Air. I suspect it well be.
	0

Nov 23, 2012, 01:25 AM	#12
Abazigal macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Singapore	I doubt they will be marketed as retina airs. They would actually have to become thicker and heavier to accommodate a larger battery, and this would not make a good selling point.
	0

Nov 23, 2012, 10:33 AM	#13
skaertus macrumors 65816 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brazil	The MacBook Air will get a retina display in 2013 or 2014, IMHO. 2013 is likely depending on some factors such as the actual power consumption of Haswell processors and perhaps the availability of low-powered IGZO displays. There are some ultrabooks in the market with IPS displays capable of 1920x1080 resolutions. Apple won't be behind for long.
	1

Nov 23, 2012, 07:09 PM	#18
ladeer macrumors 6502 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Silicon Valley	please never add retina to mba....at least give me the choice of non-retina mba, for i personally HATE retine. it's just impossible to use in my line of work which requires a lot of screen capture. whenever you share that to someone else, it becomes an extreme mess. also, i only run windows 7 on my macbook (never use osx) and everything looks like ants.
	0