Macbook Air update at Macworld (or in Q1 2009)?

cyberwolf777 · Dec 20, 2008

Although the MBA has just been updated, I was wondering if Apple would surprise us with another update at Macworld or at some point in the first quarter.

A few thoughts:

-The MBA design has not been 100% adapted to the way Apple is going now with the new MB and MBP. It is likely that the MBA will get a glass screen and the new touchpad as well.

-Many people ask themselves why to spend 3-4 times as much money on a MBA as on a netbook (EEEpc, MSI wind etc.). Although I do not think they are comparable, many people do so. I know that this point is heavily debated but I still think that the MBA therefore has to either become a bit cheaper or a bit better in terms of specifications if Apple does not want to see sales deteriorate.

-Considering that the RAM cannot be upgraded and that 2GB is now standard even in much cheaper computers, an upgrade to 4GB is imminent.

-The RAM would probably be the only technical upgrade since there is no new version of the MBA CPU, HDD/SSD, chipset is available.

-Unlikely, but on my wishlist would be a higher screen resolution (see Lenovo X300/X301!!!)

-Rumors indicate that the bottom of the MBA will be replaced by a carbon part

-Short update cycles are not unknown - Apple updated the Powerbook three months before releasing the Macbook Pro and updated the Macbook to feature Penryn processors just three months after switching to the Santa Rosa platform.

Summary: I expect a modest MBA upgrade to 4GB RAM, glass screen and new trackpad within the first quarter of 2009.

Thoughts?

macbook123 · Dec 20, 2008

I thought the glass just adds a lot of unnecessary weight and gloss and would make the bezel width even more enormous than is the case with the current Air (to hold that chunk of glass in place, as in my new MBP)?

Perhaps they could just paint the bezel black to make it look more like the rest of the line?

Unlikely that there will be a major update at Macworld though, given the last one was just two months ago.

glitch44 · Dec 20, 2008

There will not be an update at Macworld 2009. This fall was the laptops. January will most likely be new nvidia chipsets for the Imac and the mac mini.

cyberwolf777 · Dec 20, 2008

glitch44 said:
There will not be an update at Macworld 2009. This fall was the laptops. January will most likely be new nvidia chipsets for the Imac and the mac mini.

That is why I mentioned Macworld OR Q1 2009!

Also, btw, at least one new laptop will be released for sure: The new 17" MBP.

bobbleheadbob · Dec 20, 2008

I'm not expecting a MBA update next month at MWSF. I think the focus is going to be on software, not hardware: Snow Leopard and iLife, most likely.

SummerBoy · Dec 20, 2008

..

Hopefully, they should fix crap screens before updating anything..

GoCubsGo · Dec 20, 2008

If history is any indication, January will bring Snow Leopard, the nvidia chips will be spread out across all Macs (iMac & mini), and you'll probably see something happen with the Mac Pro.

Updating the MacBook Airs when Apple only just updated them 10/2008 and royally ****ed their base model up so much that the things didn't come out until the 2nd week of December is not only stupid, but costly. Apple will find themselves having to deal with customers on the same level that they dealt with them with the early adopters of the iPhone.

6SSD4 · Dec 21, 2008

Hopfully there will be no update for the MBA that event. A glass screen will be way too heavy and to make that happen they have to take off atleast 0.1inch which is kindoff impossible. Maybe the touchpad, but I don't see a reason for only updating the touchpad and presentating it at macworld. I hope the Macbook Air will keep it's look.

BornAgainMac · Dec 21, 2008

Probably June with hopefully those new specs. Then 2010 it will have 500 GB SSD drives. I wish it had a door a the bottom or even a slot to eject the hard drive and put it another.

pstoehr · Dec 21, 2008

Hi,

cyberwolf777 said:
-The MBA design has not been 100% adapted to the way Apple is going now with the new MB and MBP. It is likely that the MBA will get a glass screen and the new touchpad as well.

Oh no, that would be a glossy nightmare

cyberwolf777 said:
-Considering that the RAM cannot be upgraded and that 2GB is now standard even in much cheaper computers, an upgrade to 4GB is imminent.

Sounds great

cyberwolf777 said:
-Rumors indicate that the bottom of the MBA will be replaced by a carbon part

Thats a tricky thing based on the fact that carbon can not be used to reduce the internal temperature of the MBA.

Peter

justit · Dec 21, 2008

BornAgainMac said:
I wish it had a door a the bottom or even a slot to eject the hard drive and put it another.

There is a door at the bottom, it has 10 screws ... AKA baseplate. How often do you replace a hard drive in a laptop's life? Maybe once?

Airforcekid · Dec 21, 2008

Only true shot!

:apple:

At the most they would drop 1.6 and make 1.8 and 2.0 the new processor choices. Very unlikely though! :apple:

justit · Dec 21, 2008

Airforcekid said:
At the most they would drop 1.6 and make 1.8 and 2.0 the new processor choices. Very unlikely though!

Many have hinted at 2.0, but I think in this form factor 1.86 will be the max we see. Why else would they only bump from 1.8 to 1.86, it's almost laughable.

Anything higher and we start to see uncontrollable temps. It would have to be an entirely new chip design to allow for better thermal efficiency.

Ironic · Dec 21, 2008

Nope I don't see it for MacWorld

SFStateStudent · Dec 21, 2008

Not expecting anything MBA...

iMacmatician · Dec 21, 2008

cyberwolf777 said:
-Considering that the RAM cannot be upgraded and that 2GB is now standard even in much cheaper computers, an upgrade to 4GB is imminent.

-Unlikely, but on my wishlist would be a higher screen resolution (see Lenovo X300/X301!!!)

-Rumors indicate that the bottom of the MBA will be replaced by a carbon part

Intel is updating their SFF CPUs in Q2 2009. So I expect a MacBook Air update then. I also expect one model with 2 GB RAM and one model with 4 GB RAM.

The resolutions all of Apple's notebooks besides the 17" MacBook Pro are behind on resolution. I have a gut feeling that they will get a bump in the next update, which would be around Q2 2009.

cyberwolf777 said:
Also, btw, at least one new laptop will be released for sure: The new 17" MBP.

We don't know for sure. Quite likely though.

justit said:
Many have hinted at 2.0, but I think in this form factor 1.86 will be the max we see. Why else would they only bump from 1.8 to 1.86, it's almost laughable.

Anything higher and we start to see uncontrollable temps. It would have to be an entirely new chip design to allow for better thermal efficiency.

A simple chip revision would do, just like most of the past speed bumps. I can easily see 2.0 GHz in Q2 2009 and 2.13 GHz in Q1 2010.

cyberwolf777 · Dec 21, 2008

iMacmatician said:
Intel is updating their SFF CPUs in Q2 2009. So I expect a MacBook Air update then.
...
A simple chip revision would do, just like most of the past speed bumps. I can easily see 2.0 GHz in Q2 2009 and 2.13 GHz in Q1 2010.

That looks likely...as far as I know, Apple is currently using a version of the Core 2 Duo SL9300/SL9400 for the MBA. The 2 Ghz SL9600 will be released around April and will likely be used in the top model whereas the 1.86Ghz SL9400 will then be used for the base model. Or...

iMacmatician said:
I also expect one model with 2 GB RAM and one model with 4 GB RAM.

Another possible scenario is that apple will drastically lower the price of the base model, leaving it at 2GB RAM and with the 1.6Ghz SL9300. Looking at the fact that Dell is planning to release a competing model, we might see the MBA being sold at a $1499 and $2099 price point...that will largely depend on the market though...

iMacmatician · Dec 22, 2008

cyberwolf777 said:
The 2 Ghz SL9600 will be released around April and will likely be used in the top model

Thanks for the specifics. I knew there would be a chip like that soon.

cyberwolf777 said:
Another possible scenario is that apple will drastically lower the price of the base model, leaving it at 2GB RAM and with the 1.6Ghz SL9300. Looking at the fact that Dell is planning to release a competing model, we might see the MBA being sold at a $1499 and $2099 price point...that will largely depend on the market though...

That gap would be even bigger if the high-end model has a SSD instead of a HDD. So Apple might want to have 3 MacBook Air models, the highest-end ($2499) model with 2.0 GHz CPU and an SSD, the midrange with 4 GB RAM and 1.87 GHz CPU, and the low-end with 2 GB RAM and 1.6 GHz CPU. Three models instead of two would also promote the MacBook Air more (for lack of a better word) and that would help against the Dell.

justit · Dec 22, 2008

Not sure how all of a sudden apple is concerned over Dell laptops and prices. When the MBA was introduced it was compared to the Sony ultraportables and stayed competitive with that price range. Lowering its price would cannibalize macbooks.

iMacmatician · Dec 22, 2008

justit said:
Lowering its price would cannibalize macbooks.

No, it won't.

tubbymac · Dec 22, 2008

I don't think there is any chance the MBA will be updated any time soon. They could barely get the 120 gig hard drive out for xmas and are probably gonna be busy with mac mini, imac, and mac pro stuff in Q1 and Q2.

spaceballl · Dec 22, 2008

Your reasons for an update are good, but I don't think your timeline is. I hope for everything you're asking for as well.

Apple's notebook releases now are more closely tied to their hardware manufacturer's releases at this point, whether that be Intel CPUs or nVidia chipsets.

I just really want 256GB SSD offered on the MBA. Storage is one of the big things keeping me from buying it. I know a lot of people use it as a "companion" machine, but it would be my primary, hence my needing all that storage...

SFStateStudent · Dec 22, 2008

spaceballl said:
I just really want 256GB SSD offered on the MBA. Storage is one of the big things keeping me from buying it. I know a lot of people use it as a "companion" machine, but it would be my primary, hence my needing all that storage...

I was in the same boat as you when I bought my first MBA, but my second time around I decided to utilize the remote disk more often while transferring my files between Macs. Storage has not been an issue since. IMHO...

spaceballl · Dec 22, 2008

SFStateStudent said:
I was in the same boat as you when I bought my first MBA, but my second time around I decided to utilize the remote disk more often while transferring my files between Macs. Storage has not been an issue since. IMHO...

Yup - all depends what you need it for, though. For me, it's work. I need to have a whole heck of a lot of large files locally for development at all times. Can't use remote storage. Plus, I travel a lot and work on planes a lot. I need it all local...

cyberwolf777 · Dec 22, 2008

justit said:
Lowering its price would cannibalize macbooks.

Hard to say if it would. It would only cannibalize the most expensive MB, which is an oddity anyway in my opinion: $300 on top of an overpriced base model (again, IMO) for +400Mhz, +90GB HDD and a backlit keyboard is clearly a rip-off (although: apple "charges" its customers $200 for 186 Mhz with the more expensive MBA model since the 1.6Ghz with the SSD option is only 2299).

Macbook Air update at Macworld (or in Q1 2009)?

macrumors member

macrumors 68000

macrumors 65816

macrumors member

macrumors 6502a

macrumors regular

macrumors Nehalem

macrumors member

macrumors 604

macrumors member

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 68000

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 604

macrumors 601

macrumors member

macrumors 601

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 601

macrumors 65816

macrumors 68030

macrumors 604

macrumors 68030

macrumors member

Our Staff