Apple Updates MacBook Air and Drops Price to $1499

[Sehnsucht]

LOL, no 4GB RAM option.

 

[dubhe]

I wonder if the price drop is the "last chance" for the MBA to live on its own and get the power updates we want to RAM, battery, and larger SSD? If it starts to sell better, maybe Apple will progress and improve it. If not, maybe the form factor will be used for future designs of the MBPs! Apple again turned down Blu Ray, so it's showing its willingness to possibly rid future Mac notebooks of optical drives... which would open the door for MBPs to look more like current MBAs!

Either way, I will take a 2.13 GHz MBA for $1799 with SSD! It's incredibly fast and fun with the SSD, and now everyone can afford it. I highly recommend the extra $300 for anyone considering the MBA, as the SSD is worth every penny... and you get a 2.13 GHz CPU which overcomes the 2 GHz barrier required for HD video playback like some apps such as iTunes demand.

I am happy about the price, but I was hopeful for a RAM upgrade too... at a minimum. But this price drop of $700, and the added CPU power is extremely welcomed in these economic times... ESPECIALLY after my rev B MBA was stolen a little over a month ago.

I knew you would be happy with a refreshed MBA, even if it didn't have the 4GB of RAM you were wishing for

 

[akbc]

Still with 2gbs of RAM means I'll be happy with my current SSD Rev B.
If they update SSD to 256 and offer 4gb of ram, that's when I'll upgrade

 

[aussie.damo]

it's still $1500 for essentially a 13" netbook. Sure, I don't expect Apple to release a $449 Netbook like all the PC vendors, but $1500 is a whopper for this unit.

Sell it for $799 and then I would think about it.

It will be a shame and ironic that (IMO) Apple started the Netbook market by introducing the MBA in January 2008 (1.5 years ago) and has been getting crushed by the Netbook (PC vendors obviously) market for at least the past 6-8 months.

How is the Air a netbook? It has a 13" screen, it doesn't use an Atom processor, it has a full sized keyboard, it runs a full version OS, has an outstanding screen, is finished to a very high standard and, most importantly, is very capable. People look at the specs of the machine and assume it's useless. I have a Rev A Air, entry level with HDD, and I can still run all the standard built-in apps plus Office 2008, VMware Fusion (XP) and Adium. I have all of these running all day and it works just fine. I imagine the updates announced today would make it even better.

Damo

 

[macbook123]

Yeah, although generally I applaud all the updated notebooks today and, especially, the lower prices for the Air, I do think it is very, very disappointing that the RAM limit is still 2Gb.

Firstly, I am, this week, going to buy a new Apple laptop, and it is in all liklihood going to be my primary Mac, and I really do want, need, more than 2Gb. It's a must quite simply, and even though the Air is a very capable machine, I, and I suspect many others, really need for peace of mind if nothing else, 4Gb in order to feel comfortable with using it over the next few years. I am going to be using Photoshop & other graphics packages and it's a shame because the Air is the form factor I want more than any, out of all the MacBooks.

I also feel very strongly now that sometime soon(perhaps when Steve returns)we will see a new model Air, probably with OLED screen, designed to fit in looks-wise with the rest of the notebooks, and specced up with 256SSD, buttonless trackpad, long-life battery, different colours, 3G built-in, and more besides. The OLED screen will be the killer feature, enabling an even thinner Air, yet still as powerful, and crucially, 4-8Gb RAM options.

edit: Also, the screen. Is it still the same as used before? In other words, will it still come with the lines?

edit 2: With each passing minute I am more sure that something is planned for the Air. There's no mention of the improved battery, no mention of the 60% greater-gamut screen, nothing: just the speed bump. Okay the price decrease is fabulous but the Air needs a revamp like no other notebook, and I feel it's gonna get one soon. Right now over here in the UK, if you want the 256SSD option in the MacBook, it's a whopping £520; that will come down and I reckon Apple will, before the Summer is out, launch an Air that will blow people away.

I just had to quote this to reiterate how good these points are...

 

[akbc]

it's still $1500 for essentially a 13" netbook. Sure, I don't expect Apple to release a $449 Netbook like all the PC vendors, but $1500 is a whopper for this unit.

Sell it for $799 and then I would think about it.

It will be a shame and ironic that (IMO) Apple started the Netbook market by introducing the MBA in January 2008 (1.5 years ago) and has been getting crushed by the Netbook (PC vendors obviously) market for at least the past 6-8 months.

.............. Yes, the Air is a netbook.
So are the Dell Adamo, Lenovo X301 and such.
Who cares about the "ultraportable" category that they're classified as, right?

Are you serious?

 

[smeagol]

I've been lusting for a Macbook Air SSD from Rev B, now that rev C is out, cheaper and faster , I am most definitely getting one sooner, rather then later... best news from the keynote!!!

 

[Marx55]

MacBook Air must have:

- Firewire port for repairs.
- Video-out port for presentations.
- Ethernet port for networking.
- Two USB ports for remote control.

Even better: make it half the weight (or less) and half the size (or less). If possible, make it even pocketable. The issue is not the price. The issue is the weight, the size and the ports. Or at least make it as an option.

Otherwise, no purchase!

 

[ericinboston]

How is the Air a netbook? It has a 13" screen, it doesn't use an Atom processor, it has a full sized keyboard, it runs a full version OS, has an outstanding screen, is finished to a very high standard and, most importantly, is very capable. People look at the specs of the machine and assume it's useless. I have a Rev A Air, entry level with HDD, and I can still run all the standard built-in apps plus Office 2008, VMware Fusion (XP) and Adium. I have all of these running all day and it works just fine. I imagine the updates announced today would make it even better.

Damo

How? I'll tell you:

1)The size, width, and weight obviously help to classify it
2)Many netbooks ship with a 12" screen. So the air has an extra inch? Big deal. As someone said, maybe it's time to by a real Macbook.
3)Not all Netbooks use Atom processors...some come with Intel Duos
4)Netbooks run on XP, Vista, and Linux. Other than you bashing Vista, are you stating the other 2 aren't full fledged OSes or just unhappy that Apple's OS isn't on Netbooks?
5)All Netbooks come with either SSD drives or traditional. Take your pick at either a 16gig SSD (like I have) or a 160gig drive.
6)Believe it or not, many Netbooks have full size keyboards.


Face it, the Air was really targeted to be, in many ways, a Netbook. Sure, it's more powerful than most $449 PC netbooks, but there's more to the Netbook "definition" than pure processing power or a decent hard drive. To me, and most others, the physical characteristics of a Netbook are what the big deal is...super light (like the Air), super cool (temperature), good battery life, full size keyboard or 92% size...lastly, Netbooks are super cheap...anywhere from $299-$499 in the PC world.

To me, I think the Air is quickly dying...probably due to price.

Take a look at http://www.netbookreviews.com and/or the new Lenovo S12 that comes out in a week or 2...

-Eric

 

[Scottsdale]

This is great. Now I'm pretty certain that I'm getting another MBA. Possibly with SSD this time.

Definitely spend a little more as it will make your MBA feel like a Mac Pro! Seriously, it is about six times faster than a 7200rpm HDD. Faster than that when comparing a 4200rpm drive of the base model!

 

[Scottsdale]

Still with 2gbs of RAM means I'll be happy with my current SSD Rev B.
If they update SSD to 256 and offer 4gb of ram, that's when I'll upgrade

That is 100% the right move. If I had a rev B, I wouldn't upgrade it just for the CPU bump.

But once again the average MBA buyer gets totally screwed over by Apple. First it was the worthless unreliable and overheated original that dropped from $3099 to $1299 in eight months... And it was $1799 to $999 for HDD.

Now, it's the MBA buyer again, who even last week possibly bought a rev B MBA for $2499!!! $700 less today with a 2.13 GHz CPU.

I think maybe Arrandale CPUs will really give us an upgraded MBA or EOL it! We should know Q1 2010 where the MBA is headed.

I am ecstatic about today's update. It was six minutes into the keynote and they were announcing all of the rumored info about the MB and MBPs. Then we heard a little something about the MBA all in the first 15 minutes. It was a crazy great start to the keynote.

The big problem is my iPhone 3GS upgrade is going to cost $499 going from 3G to 3GS. I didn't realize that during the keynote. I would prefer to add two full years from the end of my current contract to make the $299 pricing work???

 

[Scottsdale]

MacBook Air must have:

- Firewire port.
- Ethernet port.
- Two USB ports.

Otherwise, no purchase!

Write you off the MBA line forever. It will never have those ports, as it defeats the whole purpose of the MBA. God, please EOL the MBA before you let them destroy the point of the amazing uncluttered design!

 

[DELLsFan]

As tempting as the Air is, you just get so much more with the 13" macbook pro for much less with the only drawback being an extra 1.5 lbs.

No brainer for me.

For me too. I applaud the price drop, it looks as sexy as ever, but the MBA is still hopelessly trapped into a niche laptop market - designed not for mainstream users, but for others willing to compromise function for form at a significant premium cost. It won't escape this market or stigma until price has come down significantly more.

The new 13" MBP is difficult to beat in form, function, and price.

 

[wizard]

I think you got it.

I wonder if the price drop is the "last chance" for the MBA to live on its own and get the power updates we want to RAM, battery, and larger SSD?

I think "last chance" is exactly what we have here. Frankly I don't think the price drop is enough to save AIR, it still comes down to being port starved.

If it starts to sell better, maybe Apple will progress and improve it. If not, maybe the form factor will be used for future designs of the MBPs! Apple again turned down Blu Ray, so it's showing its willingness to possibly rid future Mac notebooks of optical drives... which would open the door for MBPs to look more like current MBAs!

Getting rid of the optical drive won't by default result in a thinner computer, you still need room for the battery. Further the space given up by the optical drive could be used for an array of SSD. Hopefully PCI-Express based like we see in Netbooks.

Either way, I will take a 2.13 GHz MBA for $1799 with SSD! It's incredibly fast and fun with the SSD, and now everyone can afford it. I highly recommend the extra $300 for anyone considering the MBA, as the SSD is worth every penny... and you get a 2.13 GHz CPU which overcomes the 2 GHz barrier required for HD video playback like some apps such as iTunes demand.

I wouldn't recommend AIR yet to anybody that asks, unless they have a specific need. Its a poor value especially considering the revs we have had at this show to the Mac Books. It is now the 13" Mac Book Pro, but whatever you call it, it is now something I can recommend. In any event I see Apple here responding to consumer pressure which is a good thing in my mind.

I am happy about the price, but I was hopeful for a RAM upgrade too... at a minimum. But this price drop of $700, and the added CPU power is extremely welcomed in these economic times... ESPECIALLY after my rev B MBA was stolen a little over a month ago.

Sorry to hear about the theft!!! That is something nobody should have to deal with.

I'm still of the opinion that AIR isn't flexible enough for me, hopefully your new machine works out well for you. I'd suggest though that if you are really worried about "these economic times" then you would seek more value for your money. Honestly though I don't think these economic times are as bad as everyone would like to believe. On the other hand if it motivates Apple to lower prices this is one nasty depression

Dave


Dave

 

[akbc]

How? I'll tell you:

1)The size, width, and weight obviously help to classify it
2)Many netbooks ship with a 12" screen. So the air has an extra inch? Big deal. As someone said, maybe it's time to by a real Macbook.
3)Not all Netbooks use Atom processors...some come with Intel Duos
4)Netbooks run on XP, Vista, and Linux. Other than you bashing Vista, are you stating the other 2 aren't full fledged OSes or just unhappy that Apple's OS isn't on Netbooks?
5)All Netbooks come with either SSD drives or traditional. Take your pick at either a 16gig SSD (like I have) or a 160gig drive.
6)Believe it or not, many Netbooks have full size keyboards.


Face it, the Air was really targeted to be, in many ways, a Netbook. Sure, it's more powerful than most $449 PC netbooks, but there's more to the Netbook "definition" than pure processing power or a decent hard drive. To me, and most others, the physical characteristics of a Netbook are what the big deal is...super light (like the Air), super cool (temperature), good battery life, full size keyboard or 92% size...lastly, Netbooks are super cheap...anywhere from $299-$499 in the PC world.

To me, I think the Air is quickly dying...probably due to price.

Take a look at http://www.netbookreviews.com and/or the new Lenovo S12 that comes out in a week or 2...

-Eric

Well, there's a clear difference between "ultraportable LAPTOPs" and "NETbooks"

Something like Lenovo X301, X200, or even the U110 classify for "Ultraportable laptop" These are PROPER laptop with PROPER CPU and such, at its thinnest and/or lightest point.

Lenovo S10/S12 are classified as netbooks. These are for light word processing, internet experience and movies on-the-go. It's not meant to do anything really more than that.

The difference between an Atom processor and C2D processors are tremendous.

Now, I do agree that the Air has many shortcomings. But for people like me, who do not need all those optical drive, extra ports, but in need of a decent processor, and a NICE screen (those netbook screens are horrible) it's got the right target.

But it just seemed like you are confused between netbooks and ultraportables...

 

[Sounds Good]

it's still $1500 for essentially a 13" netbook.

Exactly!

 

[tallguy]

does this machine actually do anything beside turn on and light up?

LOL. I still think the price is way to high for what it offers though.

 

[retroneo]

Hopefully they'll drop the price even more next upgrade by offering an air without the backlit keyboard and get rid of the white Macbook altogether.

 

[caonimadebi]

Exactly!

word up!
but i'm happy with a $1500, but pretty, netbook!

 

[okwhatev]

The $700 price drop is unimaginable for Apple. Just unreal.

I am so so so so so so so so surprised. Amazed.

Not to mention that brand new 2.13 Core 2 Duo 'low power' chip is another exclusive which is in no way cheap to buy.

They could've easily raised the price of the Air because of offering this chip, but they didn't. They lowered the price to what the Air should've really cost on launch, and are giving a far better deal for the best ultraportable laptop out there.

Good job Apple. You've made a lot of new fans.

 

[gri]

Come on

Come on Apple - all the other MBP come with 4G RAM minimum, the MB supports it - and you keep the MBA with 2G??? And with the same old 128/120 HD, while 500 G can be achieved in the other ones. I know size bla, bla. I am in the market for a new laptop from my MBP very first gneration (not urgently though, thank good) and hoped for the speed bump (check), 4 G RAM (no check) and 256 SSD (no check either). This is still a no deal. And after shlepping my MBP I want the lightest possible, so no 13' MBP - yet
But at least an iPhone 3Gs is in the basket soon!

 

[aussie.damo]

How? I'll tell you:

1)The size, width, and weight obviously help to classify it
2)Many netbooks ship with a 12" screen. So the air has an extra inch? Big deal. As someone said, maybe it's time to by a real Macbook.
3)Not all Netbooks use Atom processors...some come with Intel Duos
4)Netbooks run on XP, Vista, and Linux. Other than you bashing Vista, are you stating the other 2 aren't full fledged OSes or just unhappy that Apple's OS isn't on Netbooks?
5)All Netbooks come with either SSD drives or traditional. Take your pick at either a 16gig SSD (like I have) or a 160gig drive.
6)Believe it or not, many Netbooks have full size keyboards.


Face it, the Air was really targeted to be, in many ways, a Netbook. Sure, it's more powerful than most $449 PC netbooks, but there's more to the Netbook "definition" than pure processing power or a decent hard drive. To me, and most others, the physical characteristics of a Netbook are what the big deal is...super light (like the Air), super cool (temperature), good battery life, full size keyboard or 92% size...lastly, Netbooks are super cheap...anywhere from $299-$499 in the PC world.

To me, I think the Air is quickly dying...probably due to price.

Take a look at http://www.netbookreviews.com and/or the new Lenovo S12 that comes out in a week or 2...

-Eric

Wow - so many compelling arguments that helped defeat your own point of view.

1) Size, width and weight - you lose on this argument. No netbook has a 13" screen. Plenty of ultra-portables do though.
2) Yes the air has an extra inch. That's one of the things the defines the segment, size. By your logic, a 4 door sedan is still a 2 door coupe, after all it only has a couple of extra doors. Big deal!?
3) Well I haven't seen any that don't use Atoms. In any case, there sure as heck aren't any that use the same processor as the Air.
4) Vista bashing? Exactly where did I bash Vista? Check into the capabilities of Netbooks and you'll see the memory and program limitations. Bing it if you like. With regards XP - how old is it now? Who wants to buy a computer with a 6 year old OS? Not exactly the latest and greatest. Remember, the Air comfortably runs Apple's most current OS, with no limitations, artificial or otherwise. Linux is a waste of time until it can run business applications, and no, Star Office doesn't count.
5) What point are you trying to make, apart from mine? 16GB SSD? What exactly should I do with that?
6) I don't believe it.

So - the Air is not a Netbook. It is not super cheap, it is not super small, it does not have super long battery life, it is not super cool (temperature). The Air is an ultra portable.

Damo

 

[gretafour]

MacBook Air must have:

- Firewire port.
- Ethernet port.
- Two USB ports.

Otherwise, no purchase!

Who in the modern world still uses the ethernet port on a laptop? It seems practically as antiquated as the modem jack. Nearly every school, office, hotel, cafe, and home has wireless. Wireless that's already much faster than any affordable internet connection today!

If there's a port that Apple should eliminate from laptops to save space, my vote is to delete ethernet. And that is what they did on the Air.

 

[rotorblade69]

Poor little air. Po thang

Some say its dead next refresh, some say its alive and will be forever, others think its gone in a year depending on sales.

My opinion is its a "science experiment" into the ultra portable market and to see how some ideas they have had will play out to the consumer. The Pro Books are somewhat AIRized now. The unibody came first in the air no one saw it for what it was when rumors were saying "Brick" of aluminum. Nor could they believe that the Pro's were going to be machined out of aluminum, including ME. Built in non user replaceable LIPO battery of the air is now standard across the board in the Pro's. If you take out the Optical Drive and shape it right and you have an Air form factor. I know of several people who wanted the 17" pro to be like the air form factor wise, no dvd non replaceable battery, thin and as light as you can get a 17" but still have the guts of the current 17" Pro.

What is untried and tested is put out in the field to get tested with the best beta testers in the world, US. The average joe is the best tester in the world and will test to the point of what is good to go and what is Bovine Scatology will float to the top. Companies do this all the time. Remember the Cube? I do I have one. What became of it? Mac Mini!!! Whether Apple intended the cube to be a science experiment or not thats what it became for apple. The Mini is an improved form factor Cube. Some here still want a headless mac that has more power than an iMac and Mini but smaller than a Mac Pro tower. Maybe one day well see that but i'm not holding out. Maybe one day well see at netbook that I personally think will be a tablet slate style (Big Iphone) Type device. The air will stay just where it is as an Ultra portable.

Come on guys. Think of it this way.
The notebooks are refreshed, if you wanted and air but were on the fence, BUY AT WILL.
If you wanted a 13" Pro BUY AT WILL.
IF you wanted a slate tablet or something else. Well wait and in the morning enjoy the Corn Flakes.


Now to plan for a 15" power book for me and Maybe and air for the wifey.

PS Ive said it before If you want to know the future of Apple designs Look at the AIR and open your mind think outside of the box.

 

[automan98]

What is the market share on this thing? I've yet to see someone with one.