15' Macbook Air

[njkeys4]

Hey guys just wondering what you guys would think if apple released a 15' macbook air. I know it is not likely but I personally would buy one the second they came out to replace my 13' ultimate. Some people may say it defeats the purpose of the air but to me cutting the weight of a computer and bulk in more then half I would gladly buy it even if it is a little less powerful without a quad core processor. Me being a programmer, the extra screen size would be fantastic.

[Scepticalscribe]

I have a feeling I read a thread, probably in this section, on this very topic in the past few days.

Having said that, my sense is that Apple will not go the route of the 15" MBA, they already have the Pro range for that. If anything, their recent success with the 11" might indicate the opposite - that the future for the MBA line lies in ever more elegant and refined reductions in size with the 11" perhaps taking precedence over the 13".

Cheers

[hotcocoa]

Look to the next MBP. It could look like a 15" MPA.

Apple could drop the built-in optical drive and use the space to make the machine thinner and lighter.

[Squicken]

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A 15 foot MBA?! :0

[Kyllle]

Won't happen. The air is all about super-portability. What you're looking for is the evolution of the 15" mbp. Eventually it will lose it's optical drive and get an ssd instead of hdd. It will become thinner and lighter too, along with all the other standard upgrades that happen over time like a faster cpu, gpu, and more ram. No idea when this will all happen, but it will.

A 15" air just goes against what the air is all about.

[theturtle]

Originally Posted by Kyllle

Won't happen. The air is all about super-portability. What you're looking for is the evolution of the 15" mbp. Eventually it will lose it's optical drive and get an ssd instead of hdd. It will become thinner and lighter too, along with all the other standard upgrades that happen over time like a faster cpu, gpu, and more ram. No idea when this will all happen, but it will.

A 15" air just goes against what the air is all about.

+1

best bet is the macbook pros getting slimmer.

[njkeys4]

my bad lol 15" and I was hoping for the current gen of pros to be thinned but sadly that didn't happen. I guess I will stick with my 13 ultimate till next year

[Young Spade]

No. What would be the point? I think that it wouldn't actually "look" right either; the MBA's body fits with it's smaller 11/13 inch size. If you go any larger the machine will start to look awkward to use and hold.

The MBPs are still very thin; it's amazing how much better it is when comparing with my BlackBook. My friend has the 10 pro and it will fit inside my BlackBook. That, while taking into account it has double the battery life, faster RAM, higher clock speed 2.4 vs 2.2, a better screen, and a back lit keyboard is really something to look at. Oh, and it's lighter.

Of course, there are more powerful laptops out there that are even thinner, but that's not the point

[Zoiks]

I would love a 15' Macbook Air as well. Put that with a decent cpu and gpu, good amount of RAM, < 256 Gig SSD and you have one serious machine.

PLEASE Apple!

[darngooddesign]

Originally Posted by Kyllle

Won't happen. The air is all about super-portability. What you're looking for is the evolution of the 15" mbp. Eventually it will lose it's optical drive and get an ssd instead of hdd. It will become thinner and lighter too, along with all the other standard upgrades that happen over time like a faster cpu, gpu, and more ram. No idea when this will all happen, but it will.

A 15" air just goes against what the air is all about.

If it is a 15" version of the Air, then it is a 15" MacBook Air. Just because its larger doesn't change that in the same way that the super-portable 11" Air didn't all of a sudden make the 13" not an Air.

[sporadicMotion]

Originally Posted by darngooddesign

If it is a 15" version of the Air, then it is a 15" MacBook Air. Just because its larger doesn't change that in the same way that the super-portable 11" Air didn't all of a sudden make the 13" not an Air.

Nothing about a 15" laptop is ultraportable.

[OneMike]

Originally Posted by sporadicMotion

Nothing about a 15" laptop is ultraportable.

I dunno. I consider my 17-inch MBP ultraportable. Depends on your definition of portable.

[sporadicMotion]

Originally Posted by OneMike

I dunno. I consider my 17-inch MBP ultraportable. Depends on your definition of portable.

I don't think it depends on the definition of portable, I think it depends on the size of the user

It also depends on the type of traveling. I always hated carrying a 15" through the airport with my other carry on. It would always get in the way (due to the larger bag). The 2" difference always made the difference for me... it was the difference between me noticing the laptop and not noticing it. Mind you... after a bit of time, either starts to feel heavy.

[darngooddesign]

Originally Posted by sporadicMotion

Nothing about a 15" laptop is ultraportable.

Considering I used to lug 30 pounds of SE30 in a shoulder bag I'd say it is. My point was that a 15" version can still be called an Air because its a more portable version of the 15" MBP in the same way that the 13" Air is a more portable version of the 13" MBP. Only the 11" is the ultraportable laptop.

[sporadicMotion]

Originally Posted by darngooddesign

Considering I used to lug 30 pounds of SE30 in a shoulder bag I'd say it is. My point was that a 15" version can still be called an Air because its a more portable version of the 15" MBP in the same way that the 13" Air is a more portable version of the 13" MBP. Only the 11" is the ultraportable laptop.

I used to pack up my LC II and drag it to my fathers every weekend... but then I got a PowerBook 140.

I still just don't see it... and I'll put money on Apple not seeing it either...

We'll get a thinner pro in the end. That'll be it... IMHO

[PaulWog]

Originally Posted by njkeys4

Hey guys just wondering what you guys would think if apple released a 15' macbook air. I know it is not likely but I personally would buy one the second they came out to replace my 13' ultimate. Some people may say it defeats the purpose of the air but to me cutting the weight of a computer and bulk in more then half I would gladly buy it even if it is a little less powerful without a quad core processor. Me being a programmer, the extra screen size would be fantastic.

I don't get it... who carries around a 15-inch ultrathin notebook?

The 13-inch Macbook Air makes sense to me, and even that's a tad on the large side (due to the added borders around the screen the size of the unit is just too large for my liking).

So my bias is on portability. I prefer the 11-inch. I just don't see a 15-inch making sense. If I needed a 15-inch screen, I'd go out and purchase a Macbook Pro. I don't see why thinness would be an issue when you're getting into such large screen sizes.

They shouldn't even call it an Air at that point. They should call it a Pro Pancake.

[hcho3]

Apple won't make one ever because there isn't a market for it. Maybe you can buy a million of those 15 inch air laptops, then apple might make some for you.

[iSayuSay]

And how much a 15" MBA would cost? Ultimate 13" MBA today already cost around $1600, which perform half good if you configure your own MBP with the same price (you can add RAM, SSD, processor) etc. And you paid the price for being a bit thinner and lighter.

Now if 15" MBA going to be rolled out, not only it beats the purpose of Air being ultra portable, but also cost could be insane, maybe the top end would reach $2000 .. for a DVD-less netbook, non upgradeable RAM and only 2 usb ports.

Being that expensive, pick up base iMac for $1100-ish and basic MBA for $900-ish should be a much better option. You can get faster processor on your office/home, while maintain excellent portability with 11" base model MBA. And with the new model, you can connect them both via Thunderbolt cable. Done

I even wonder why Apple would create 13" MBA, because 11" fits the bag really well. And that's the point of having Air, having a full featured Mac computer that fits on your bag without making you remember you brought it

[kappaknight]

I think the model numbers have already been leaked none of which suggests a 15" model.

[alphaod]

That's like asking if car companies will start making full size hatchbacks and whatnot... that's what estate cars are for. With a computer at 15", it wouldn't be sensible to make it big yet weak and expensive.

[Young Spade]

Originally Posted by OneMike

I dunno. I consider my 17-inch MBP ultraportable. Depends on your definition of portable.

If you start playing this game none of it makes sense. 15 inch MacBook Air =/= portable. Ultimately weight and size (footprint) have very different meanings and worths when comparing these machines.

The footprint of one might be larger(when on a desk) but it doesn't really matter when it's in your bag because it's lighter.

On the other hand one might be smaller on a desk, allowing room for papers and other things, however it might be heavier.

Both can be called portable. I think people should specify by which means they want it to be that.

"Portable" 15 inch MBP
Portable 13 inch MBP, 11/13 MBA
UltraPortable 11 inch MBA

That's how I classify it. It's all one's opinion though.

[Supermoto99]

Like everyone else I would go buy a 15" in a second, but I just don't see it happening. If it was we would have seen rumor already. I'll just wait and see what the new pro's look like whenever they come out.

[dawnrazor]

Well I see the cross over between the 13" MBA and 13" MBP as being a bit odd at the moment, the price difference isn't enough, one way or another. Surely the air will steal sales from the 13 pro now with the new gen 3 airs.

I think the next update of MBPs will see the 13" disappear and the 15 and 17 will become thiner and more Air like in design, the DVD drive my go away, and the form factor will mimic the Airs - but they will still have to accommodate HDDs 'cus the cost of a 1TB of SSD is not going to fly for example. They will also have to accommodate fans for the higher performance chip sets and graphics cards, this will be the limiting form factors. All that said, I reckon they will look very much like the Airs, except they will be as heavy as they are now give or take, so you can't call that an air.

In fact, now that the Macbook is gone, how long will it be before the Air just becomes the Macbook....

[Young Spade]

Originally Posted by dawnrazor

Well I see the cross over between the 13" MBA and 13" MBP as being a bit odd at the moment, the price difference isn't enough, one way or another. Surely the air will steal sales from the 13 pro now with the new gen 3 airs.

I think the next update of MBPs will see the 13" disappear and the 15 and 17 will become thiner and more Air like in design, the DVD drive my go away, and the form factor will mimic the Airs - but they will still have to accommodate HDDs 'cus the cost of a 1TB of SSD is not going to fly for example. They will also have to accommodate fans for the higher performance chip sets and graphics cards, this will be the limiting form factors. All that said, I reckon they will look very much like the Airs, except they will be as heavy as they are now give or take, so you can't call that an air.

In fact, now that the Macbook is gone, how long will it be before the Air just becomes the Macbook....

1) Obviously it will steal sales, there are only two models to buy from now. It isn't about stealing numbers though, it's about selling units.

2) The 13 inch won't go away. it's a very nice size and if it wasn't, there would be no 13 inch MBA. The 13 is the "best" mix of screen estate and portability. If they can't improve technology and shorten the bezels, the 13 inch or some variant will be here. You expect a college student to lug around a 15 inch laptop? It's just too big for the 2 feet of space you get in packed lecture halls. It's heavier, and it takes up a larger footprint on a desk.

I'm not saying it's bad, as I would love to have one, however it isn't for everyone, nor is the MBA.

3) DVD drive won't go for the Pro. It was an interesting move getting rid of the MB but as I see it, nobody really uses a CD on the road do they? Producing a laptop sans CD drive and pushing 70 dollar dvd drives makes a lot of sense on a monetary side.

4) As chips become more powerful they will also become more energy efficient. The HD3000 and ALL of the internals of the current MBP are miles ahead of the internals in the MB from 07; I would know, I had one and the fans ran all of the time.

[WardC]

It is the "next big thing":