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Who is waiting for a Retina Macbook Air
- Thread starter waloshin
- Start date
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I suppose most of us are waiting for it, but right now I'm not really that fussed. For £500 less, I can get a decent machine with a resolution that is still way better than most/all 13" laptops, and I honestly can't be bothered with the teething problems the Retina Pro will undoubtedly have. I know there are plenty of apps that are moving towards retina pretty quickly, but I'd rather wait a year or two so that when I do spend a shedload of money on a machine it won't run into problems.
Well I have the 2011 Macbook Air now, so I am definitely not upgrading for minor speed bumps and such. I don't really use USB stuff at all nor do I own any USB 3.0 devices, so that's unimportant. And the space/power I have is enough for what I use it for (mostly office work, internet browsing, etc.).
I would definitely upgrade for a retina display though. I saw the new Macbook Pro Retina at the Apple Store today and it was hot! But its too big, so I won't be getting it.
I learned from being an early adopter of technology that when you buy this early, you pay all the premium and you don't realize all the benefit. Just like with the retina display, it will take 6 months to a year for apps to really take full advantage of it so by the time they do you'll be able to have it cheaper and in the device you want.
So when it comes to the Air, at the same price point as the current air ($1199 for a 13" Retina), I will buy it.
I would note though that if I *NEEDED* a laptop right now, I'd buy one of the Airs thats out there and not suffer waiting for a retina one since we have no ETA on it. I would also bet it will be at least a year before it hits the Airs, as they need to improve battery tech. The small chassis on the air leaves little room for more battery power and I would not buy a Retina MBA with 3 hours of battery life. It Must be the same or better.
I would definitely upgrade for a retina display though. I saw the new Macbook Pro Retina at the Apple Store today and it was hot! But its too big, so I won't be getting it.
I learned from being an early adopter of technology that when you buy this early, you pay all the premium and you don't realize all the benefit. Just like with the retina display, it will take 6 months to a year for apps to really take full advantage of it so by the time they do you'll be able to have it cheaper and in the device you want.
So when it comes to the Air, at the same price point as the current air ($1199 for a 13" Retina), I will buy it.
I would note though that if I *NEEDED* a laptop right now, I'd buy one of the Airs thats out there and not suffer waiting for a retina one since we have no ETA on it. I would also bet it will be at least a year before it hits the Airs, as they need to improve battery tech. The small chassis on the air leaves little room for more battery power and I would not buy a Retina MBA with 3 hours of battery life. It Must be the same or better.
To me the main point to upgrade isn't only USB3, but also the battery life thanx to ivybridge and 8gb of ram...
Battery life for a computer you carry a lot is a priority, apparently with the 2012 13" air you get a proper 7 hours of use, that's 2 hours extra compare to the 2011.
Also the screen resolution is improved, as many people were complaining about that with the 2011's, it wasn't as good as a the 13" macbook pro for exemple..
I think the next in the lineup is a 13" MacBook Pro with a retina display, probably for release within the next year. I don't think that we will see a MacBook Air with a retina display for another 2 years or so, it's just too thin and small to be able to power a display like that with today's technology. Once we see improved battery technology, and more powerful intel processors and graphics it probably will happen.
I am definitely holding my breath for a retina MBA.
It might be coming next year. Apple seems to have found a hit with the new MacBook Pro. The other upgraded MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models were typical Mac releases (plenty of stock in store, not much buzz but nice evolutionary updates), but the Retina MacBook Pro is selling out. My guess is that the only reason they even presented the updated MacBook Pros and Airs was to set the stage for the Retina MacBook Pro. Otherwise, they'd have just issued a press release like they did last year.
Why no Retina Air in 2012, then? I think there are several reasons:
- Lack of capacity - They can secure enough panels now for 15" Retina MacBook Pro demand, but not for the MacBook Air.
- They don't need to yet. Ultrabooks are a nascent category, and only ASUS right now is serious about higher resolutions.
- They need a reason to "upsell" in 2013.
- Battery life - People complain about the 11" as it is. Haswell will help, as will more refinements to screen technology.
I think that Retina Displays is more a "want" than a "need" for most people....but that wont stop me from buying one if it comes out next year. Hopefully it will also come with an Air redesign because as amazing as the Air is, its design is getting outdated so Id like to see less bezel, a smaller footprint and maybe even move away from silver aluminum to some black lightweight metal.
Just as the power requirements of the retina display required a substantially larger battery in the new iPad, I would expect the same to be true of a retina display in the MBA. I would think a retina-equipped MBA will be larger and heavier than the current model unless something else changes (refinement of the retina display design to reduce power requirements, new battery technology, something else along those lines). edit: either that or battery life is reduced.
MBA 13" retina is not going to happen any time soon.
In order to handle retina resolutions comfortably, the MBA would need a dedicated GPU (as per today's standards). There's no chance Apple will try to squeeze a dedicated GPU into a MBA, so we will have to wait until integrated GPUs can handle 2580x1800 resolutions. And that's not going to happen any time soon.
In order to handle retina resolutions comfortably, the MBA would need a dedicated GPU (as per today's standards). There's no chance Apple will try to squeeze a dedicated GPU into a MBA, so we will have to wait until integrated GPUs can handle 2580x1800 resolutions. And that's not going to happen any time soon.
While I will likely buy a retina Air the day it is released, I am not waiting. There is no reason to wait with Apple hardware. If you need/want an upgrade, buy new hardware on day one, then resell it when you upgrade in the future. It holds so much resale value that you are essentially renting the hardware for those couple years at a decent rate.
I just purchased a 2012 Macbook Air. I am not waiting at all for a retina MBA. I am in anticipation of one though. If Apple decides to make a MBAr in the next year or two, I will more than likely buy one. I'm sure it will be cheaper than the current MBPr, and probably more developed as well. In the mean time I'm going to get down right wicked with my MBA 2012 and not worry about it.
I would wait for the detailed review of the Retina MBP at Anandtech (and/or testing by barefeats) before making that sort of statement. I am fairly confident the integrated graphics is unsuitable for gaming at high resolutions, but it may be just fine for normal business or graphic applications. The RMBP has the same integrated graphics controller and I have not seen any mentions that it is disabled on that machine.
I'm waiting for a 13" retina mac- which could either be the Air or a Pro. Hopefully the Air because I love the form factor.
A couple things need to happen first:
1) improved GPU - so it might not happen until Haswell
2) improved retina displays that allow more light through, so as not to require as much battery power.
The battery is the biggest limitation IMO.
A couple things need to happen first:
1) improved GPU - so it might not happen until Haswell
2) improved retina displays that allow more light through, so as not to require as much battery power.
The battery is the biggest limitation IMO.
