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Do you expect a redesigned MacBook Air to be released during WWDC?

Will Apple redesign the MacBook Air during WWDC?

  • Yes

    Votes: 26 33.8%

  • No

    Votes: 51 66.2%
  • Total voters
    77
  • Poll closed .
skaertus

skaertus

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 23, 2009
4,232
1,380
Brazil
Intel is just releasing Haswell at Computex Taipei. Everybody seems to be expecting Apple to update its lines of laptops during WWDC which will kick off next week. The MacBook Air is supposed to be updated to feature the new processor, without a major redesign. The MacBook Air has been considered not only the predecessor of the ultrabooks, but also the "ultrabook killer", the one above all the others, and a redesign would be unnecessary.

However, ultrabooks are catching up, with some great new models such as the Samsung Series 9 and the Dell XPS 13, both with a Full HD screen. And right now Computex Taipei is happening, with major manufacturers unveiling some very interesting machines that may put the MacBook Air to shame.

First, Acer announced an updated Aspire S7, with a Haswell processor, an optional 2560x1440 IPS display, and a battery capable of running up to 7 hours under Windows 8. Then Asus showcased the jaw-dropping Zenbook Infinity, with Gorilla Glass 3, and 14% thinner than the previous Zenbook, and also featuring a screen resolution of 2560x1440. Finally, Dell announced the XPS 11, a convertible ultrabook made of carbon fiber with only 2.5 lbs, and an 11" screen capable of a 2560x1440 resolution. These three laptops were unveiled at Taipei this night, while we were sleeping at the Western hemisphere. They are not available now for sale, but they are already in the minds of tech enthusiasts. With these incredible laptops being showcased at Computex right now, perhaps Apple has a last chance to wow everybody, especially the media, during WWDC next week. If a brand-new MacBook Air is released only next year, it may come too late to take everyone aback.

Given this stiff competition, will Apple keep the current MacBook Air line, without redesigning it, for another 200+ days? Or will it take advantage of the Haswell processors and make a MacBook Air with a thinner design and a retina display so it keeps up with competition? What do you think?
 
P

Pohaku

macrumors newbie
Aug 2, 2012
5
0
15" mba

15" MBA with retina and Haswell.... ultra thin and ultra light. drool... pipe dreams I know!
 
Z

zedsdead

macrumors 68040
Jun 20, 2007
3,402
1,147
I originally did expect a slight redesign because we have had the same model for three iterations (and Apple lately has been changing cases on that cycle).

I thought they might go for a look for in line with the recent iOS devices, and possibly have a black hardware version.

I doubt that is happening at this point. All signs point to just Haswell + the recent rumor of dual mics.

I am upgrading my laptop this summer from my 2010 Macbook Air, and without a better screen (IPS, plus maybe a slight resolution bump), I will def. be going to the rMBP.
 
derohan

derohan

macrumors member
Jul 28, 2012
70
13
Nice, France
zedsdead said:
I originally did expect a slight redesign because we have had the same model for three iterations (and Apple lately has been changing cases on that cycle).

I thought they might go for a look for in line with the recent iOS devices, and possibly have a black hardware version.

I doubt that is happening at this point. All signs point to just Haswell + the recent rumor of dual mics.

I am upgrading my laptop this summer from my 2010 Macbook Air, and without a better screen (IPS, plus maybe a slight resolution bump), I will def. be going to the rMBP.
Click to expand...

Could apple be purposefully trying to shift consumers away from the air line over to the rMBP's?

I just really hope the battery capacity is increased, my 2012 air is no longer bumping out the 7 hours it used to.
 
thejadedmonkey

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
May 28, 2005
9,180
3,325
Pennsylvania
derohan said:
Could apple be purposefully trying to shift consumers away from the air line over to the rMBP's?

I just really hope the battery capacity is increased, my 2012 air is no longer bumping out the 7 hours it used to.
Click to expand...

What do you mean? Given the price points, the 13" rMBP is overpriced, even for Apple.
 
F

flynz4

macrumors 68040
Aug 9, 2009
3,242
126
Portland, OR
derohan said:
If they weren't so overpriced, I'd swap in my air any day of the week.
Click to expand...

Not me. I think the MBA line is the "premium" spot of the entire Mac lineup. It is an amazing machine. I've had two 15" MBPs, and there is no way that I would ever go back to big clunky machines.

I am on my 4th MBA now... and buy a new one every cycle... handing my 1 year machine down to other family members. I use mine in conjunction with a 27" iMac with dual 27" displays and full SSD. What a perfect combination.

/Jim
 
R

robE89

macrumors regular
Oct 9, 2011
167
59
Why not? :D they introduced a new redesigned macbook pro last year, maybe this year is air`s year ;p i just hope they won`t put an 1440p screen as standard, don`t get me wrong, it`s nice but better put it as upgrade to have more price possibilities.
 
GoCubsGo

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
Nope. And why not just join the discussion that started with the front page news?
 
gnasher729

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
thejadedmonkey said:
What do you mean? Given the price points, the 13" rMBP is overpriced, even for Apple.
Click to expand...

Not at all. With both 13" and 15" retina MBP compared to the classic version, you could the retina display, you get much reduced weight, you lose the optical drive, for the same or lower price as the classic. What makes the retina versions look expensive is the fact that they don't ship with the cheap storage options but only with the expensive SSD option.

----------
skaertus said:
First, Acer announced an updated Aspire S7, with a Haswell processor, an optional 2560x1440 IPS display, and a battery capable of running up to 7 hours under Windows 8. Then Asus showcased the jaw-dropping Zenbook Infinity, with Gorilla Glass 3, and 14% thinner than the previous Zenbook, and also featuring a screen resolution of 2560x1440. Finally, Dell announced the XPS 11, a convertible ultrabook made of carbon fiber with only 2.5 lbs, and an 11" screen capable of a 2560x1440 resolution.
Click to expand...

What's interesting is that most people consider the retina MBPs to have 1280x800 and 1440x900 resolution at super-high quality (and not 2560x1600 and 2800x1800 at normal quality), so these laptops would all have a rather pathetic 1280x720 resolution (at high quality). And we'll have to see if they follow the usual scheme in the Windows world: 1. Announcement. 2. Long delay until it is shipping. 3. Greatly reduced price because it doesn't sell. 4. Gone.
 
oneMadRssn

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
5,977
13,990
I personally don't think Apple will redesign the MBA significantly this year, probably only (fairly major) spec bump.

However, if they do, it will be interesting what angle they take with the Intel Haswell battery efficiency. They could:
(1) Make the battery smaller, yeilding the same 5-7 hours of battery life, but the MBA would become even thinner and lighter.
(2) Keep battery the same size, yeilding 7-10 hours of battery life.
(3) Increase the screen pixel density and possibly materials, keeping the battery the same, yielding most likely the same 5-7 hours of battery life. What the new CPU saves in battery, the new screen will eat up.
(4) Something totally unexpected.
 
thejadedmonkey

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
May 28, 2005
9,180
3,325
Pennsylvania
gnasher729 said:
Not at all. With both 13" and 15" retina MBP compared to the classic version, you could the retina display, you get much reduced weight, you lose the optical drive, for the same or lower price as the classic. What makes the retina versions look expensive is the fact that they don't ship with the cheap storage options but only with the expensive SSD option.
Click to expand...

The Macbook Air is $1200, with a 128gb SSD and 2-core CPU. The 13" rMBP is $1500 with a 128gb SSD and 2-core CPU. The only differences are screen resolution, RAM, and CPU speed (and weight).

Lets look at those 3 components:
There's 8gb of RAM. Besides being useless for the average consumer, probably costs Apple $25, give or take.

There's the CPU. In an age where software hardly uses 100% CPU, you get a useless bump.

There's the screen. At its default, it's a sharper 1280x800 screen. And it's still glossy.

Perhaps the cost of the components is $300, so it's pricing is on par, but that's looking at it from a component point of view. Look at it from a customer's point of view. The Macbook Air does everything that a 13" rMBP does, and it's both lighter and cheaper.

I don't see a place for the 13" rMBP in Apple's lineup, as it exists simply to exist. It's either inexpensive and woefully underpowered compared to other "Pro" models Apple sells (eg 15" MBP), or it's way overpriced compared to other non-pro models with similar components (eg. MBA).
 
U

unknownfps

macrumors member
Jun 3, 2013
46
0
Although it will most likely not happen, but I wish for a Retina MacBook Air...
Retina MacBook Pro 13" consists excessive amount of my needs.
 
D

DisplacedMic

macrumors 65816
May 1, 2009
1,411
1
thejadedmonkey said:
What do you mean? Given the price points, the 13" rMBP is overpriced, even for Apple.
Click to expand...

not really. how do you figure?

----------
thejadedmonkey said:
The Macbook Air is $1200, with a 128gb SSD and 2-core CPU. The 13" rMBP is $1500 with a 128gb SSD and 2-core CPU. The only differences are screen resolution, RAM, and CPU speed (and weight).

Lets look at those 3 components:
There's 8gb of RAM. Besides being useless for the average consumer, probably costs Apple $25, give or take.

There's the CPU. In an age where software hardly uses 100% CPU, you get a useless bump.

There's the screen. At its default, it's a sharper 1280x800 screen. And it's still glossy.

Perhaps the cost of the components is $300, so it's pricing is on par, but that's looking at it from a component point of view. Look at it from a customer's point of view. The Macbook Air does everything that a 13" rMBP does, and it's both lighter and cheaper.

I don't see a place for the 13" rMBP in Apple's lineup, as it exists simply to exist. It's either inexpensive and woefully underpowered compared to other "Pro" models Apple sells (eg 15" MBP), or it's way overpriced compared to other non-pro models with similar components (eg. MBA).
Click to expand...

you are confusing "overpriced" with "not the one i want"
you posted this complaint in another thread and i responded to it there as well.

"The 13" rMBP is so ridiculous. It's priced ~ $500 more than the 13" Air, and has the same (usable) specs."

it's more like $300 more and comes standard with a faster chip and twice the ram than the base 13" mba, in addition to the retina display.

if you personally A - don't think you need those performance boosts and B - don't care about retina, then obviously you don't value the rMBP at $300 more than the MBA.
Value is highly variable and your needs and wants are different from someone else's needs and wants.

I don't think it's wise to head down the "you don't really need that" road when it comes to computer tech.

i am a structural biologist, i do 3d renderings of protein crystal structures on my 2009ish MBP with 4 gigs of RAM and a 2.4 ghz chip.
i don't "need" anything more than that. Nobody does really as we've all worked through older tech as that's the nature of development- but it's available and will make my work easier and faster, so i'm going to get it.
 
F

farkingdom

macrumors member
Mar 20, 2012
90
169
I do hope Retina or a better screen resolution comes to the Mac Air, an added touchscreen is even a better option (here's hoping for OSX to integrate such feature?).
The current Mac Pro with Retina 13" is ridiculously priced, and I would rather have the 15" Retina with an integrated graphic card.
 
thejadedmonkey

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
May 28, 2005
9,180
3,325
Pennsylvania
DisplacedMic said:
I don't think it's wise to head down the "you don't really need that" road when it comes to computer tech.

i am a structural biologist, i do 3d renderings of protein crystal structures on my 2009ish MBP with 4 gigs of RAM and a 2.4 ghz chip.
i don't "need" anything more than that. Nobody does really as we've all worked through older tech as that's the nature of development- but it's available and will make my work easier and faster, so i'm going to get it.
Click to expand...

I'd argue that if you're doing 3d renderings, than a laptop with a dedicated GPU is going to serve you better than a laptop without a dGPU, and in that instance anything besides the 15" (r)MBP is underpowered for your needs, or, if you can get away with something from 2009, you don't really need the power and a MBA is powerful enough. However, maybe you are in the minority, as most video editors and otherwise "Pro" users seem to be these days, when it comes to Apple at least.

Point being, there are very very few practical reasons for a fast CPU and no GPU, making the 13" rMBP a strange addition to the lineup with no specific purpose.
 
skaertus

skaertus

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 23, 2009
4,232
1,380
Brazil
farkingdom said:
I do hope Retina or a better screen resolution comes to the Mac Air, an added touchscreen is even a better option (here's hoping for OSX to integrate such feature?).
The current Mac Pro with Retina 13" is ridiculously priced, and I would rather have the 15" Retina with an integrated graphic card.
Click to expand...

Touch screen will not happen. Not after all Steve Jobs has said in the past about vertical touch screens.

A retina MBA will definitely happen, although it probably won't be this time.
 
iRun26.2

iRun26.2

macrumors 68020
Aug 15, 2010
2,123
345
skaertus said:
Touch screen will not happen. Not after all Steve Jobs has said in the past about vertical touch screens.

A retina MBA will definitely happen, although it probably won't be this time.
Click to expand...

I was a Windows PC purchaser before I bought my 11" MBA to run Bootcamp. If the MBA doesn't go retina (like the upcoming W8 ultra books) there will be almost no reason for a Windows user to even consider purchasing a MBA.
 
skaertus

skaertus

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 23, 2009
4,232
1,380
Brazil
iRun26.2 said:
I was a Windows PC purchaser before I bought my 11" MBA to run Bootcamp. If the MBA doesn't go retina (like the upcoming W8 ultra books) there will be almost no reason for a Windows user to even consider purchasing a MBA.
Click to expand...

The only reason would be ergonomics. Apple's laptops are fine and well built, and very usable. Not all PCs are as well made as Macs. In fact, most PCs are crap. But I see there are some Windows laptops that look very nice this time, and they may have the ergonomics to replace a MBA for those willing to run BootCamp.
 
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