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You know the old saying...

You can never be too thin!

Or have too many Chinese peasants building your hardware, apparently.
 

I see you deleted your post, was it because saying a 17% reduction in weight was statistically meaningless? I was hoping you would explain that to us. I was hoping you would enlighten us novices and explain what percentage of weight reduction would be statistically meaningful.
 
I see you deleted your post, was it because saying a 17% reduction in weight was statistically meaningless? I was hoping you would explain that to us. I was hoping you would enlighten us novices and explain what percentage of weight reduction would be statistically meaningful.

I knew you wouldn't understand, so I deleted it.
 
As I said, if that's the case for you I suggest more time exercising and less on the web. Sorry, but 8 ounces is utterly immaterial. If someone is so weak that you can't handle that difference, they should work on improving themselves.

You might also reconsider trying to use such wide-ranging and ill-informed comparisons, such as your 1992 'example.' You have zero idea of my 'kind of thinking;' it is sheer hubris that makes you imagine your extrapolation has any value.

8oz is half a pound. That's a noticeable difference (2/3 the weight of an iPad mini). A 3lb device is noticeably lighter than a 3.5lb device, and a 2.5lb device is even more noticeably lighter than a 3lb device. I'm quite fit physically, but appreciate a light device as much as anyone.

You are the one with hubris suggesting that anyone who wants a lighter notebook needs to spend more time at the gym.
 
Not if it is using a Broadwell chip instead of a Haswell. The "delay" in the introduction of the 12" model likely is a direct result of Broadwell's delays. Since the move to the 14nm process should reduce power consumption and improve thermals it may well not need a fan.

A die shrink to 14nm will help, but it's not going to suddenly make a 15W TDP chip into a 5W one which can run fanless unless you want a system that regresses in performance while also needing to push more pixels.

As far as the iPad goes, people seem to forget that the iPad 3 and 4 doubled in thickness from the battery, and the iPad 3 got very warm from the CPU having the same performance as the iPad 2 needing to load and deal with 2x screen resolution. That's the reason it was only on the market for 7 months and quickly replaced.
 
A die shrink to 14nm will help, but it's not going to suddenly make a 15W TDP chip into a 5W one which can run fanless unless you want a system that regresses in performance while also needing to push more pixels.

As far as the iPad goes, people seem to forget that the iPad 3 and 4 doubled in thickness from the battery, and the iPad 3 got very warm from the CPU having the same performance as the iPad 2 needing to load and deal with 2x screen resolution. That's the reason it was only on the market for 7 months and quickly replaced.

Still, Microsoft just released a Surface Pro III that is nearly as thin as an iPad using Haswell, though it does need a fan. Broadwell will support fanless designs. The question will be whether it does so with chips that put out decent performance. The CPU can be a lateral move from the current design or even a slight regression as long as the GPU is up to snuff. Iris in my 13" rMBP works just fine, so if a 12" rMBA can match that I'd be fine with it. The weight difference alone would make up for a slight loss of performance. The i5 in my rMBP is only about as fast as the i7 in the current MBA anyway.
 
I really don't get the point of this. Who says "a 13 inch is too big, and an 11 inch too small, but a 12 inch.... well that'd be perfect"

With that said, I still want my 14" MBA :apple:
 
I really don't get the point of this. Who says "a 13 inch is too big, and an 11 inch too small, but a 12 inch.... well that'd be perfect"

With that said, I still want my 14" MBA :apple:

I wonder if your thoughts will change once the MBA series goes retina. For example, the 15" retina rMBP killed the 17" MBP (please, no 17" whining in this thread).
 
^
This is one of the silliest groups of statements I've ever seen on this forum.

One - it isn't a question of muscles. If you are carrying something around for an extended period (between classes, sightseeing, as a traveling salesman), it's about endurance and fatigue, not strength and "handling 8 ounces." If someone made you wear an 8oz hat on your head, you'd be able to tell the difference between that and no hat. And yes - you could condition yourself to not be bothered by the 8oz hat over time, but you'd most likely never NOT notice it.

Two - consider that an 8oz reduction in laptop weight may be part of an overall concern for the total mass of one's bag/luggage/whatever, where minimalization of each item counts (possibly because of long-term toting via item one, above). I am guessing by your line of thinking that you are not an engineer. Car and motorcycle manufacturers, space agencies, industrial designers, etc all sweat these kinds of fractions of pounds (or ounces!) in the interest of the overall goal. This is why they do things like save ounces in components to reduce the weight of something that may end up weighing tons overall.

Finally - you are using the classic uneducated critique of relative reduction. Eight ounces is not an insignificant portion of an MBP's mass. Every time a new iDevice comes out, people snark at the reduction of 0.7mm thickness etc. When a device is only 8mm thick, 0.7mm is huge. It doesn't matter that you think 0.7mm (or 8oz) is very small. Compared to the overall dimension (and considering a law of diminishing returns) these small numbers mean a lot.

Again, just silly.

Agreed. Just saying 'go to the gym' or 'lift some weights' is rather unhelpful and ignorant of the entire situation.

I definitely can feel the difference between a 11", 13" MBA and a 13" rMBP. There's the added heft. You can easily grab the 11" MBA with one hand in one swift motion, while the 13" rMBP has more drag to it.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperCachetes
^
This is one of the silliest groups of statements I've ever seen on this forum.

One - it isn't a question of muscles. If you are carrying something around for an extended period (between classes, sightseeing, as a traveling salesman), it's about endurance and fatigue, not strength and "handling 8 ounces." If someone made you wear an 8oz hat on your head, you'd be able to tell the difference between that and no hat. And yes - you could condition yourself to not be bothered by the 8oz hat over time, but you'd most likely never NOT notice it.

Two - consider that an 8oz reduction in laptop weight may be part of an overall concern for the total mass of one's bag/luggage/whatever, where minimalization of each item counts (possibly because of long-term toting via item one, above). I am guessing by your line of thinking that you are not an engineer. Car and motorcycle manufacturers, space agencies, industrial designers, etc all sweat these kinds of fractions of pounds (or ounces!) in the interest of the overall goal. This is why they do things like save ounces in components to reduce the weight of something that may end up weighing tons overall.

Finally - you are using the classic uneducated critique of relative reduction. Eight ounces is not an insignificant portion of an MBP's mass. Every time a new iDevice comes out, people snark at the reduction of 0.7mm thickness etc. When a device is only 8mm thick, 0.7mm is huge. It doesn't matter that you think 0.7mm (or 8oz) is very small. Compared to the overall dimension (and considering a law of diminishing returns) these small numbers mean a lot.

Again, just silly.

Agreed. Just saying 'go to the gym' or 'lift some weights' is rather unhelpful and ignorant of the entire situation.

I definitely can feel the difference between a 11", 13" MBA and a 13" rMBP. There's the added heft. You can easily grab the 11" MBA with one hand in one swift motion, while the 13" rMBP has more drag to it.

Seriously guys "this is to much". There's not that big of a difference between a 16 oz coke & a 8 oz coke? I can walk all over manhattan with my 2007 MacBook & a 20 oz coke, so if it's that big of a deal for you go buy an iPad mini.
 
Seriously guys "this is to much". There's not that big of a difference between a 16 oz coke & a 8 oz coke? I can walk all over manhattan with my 2007 MacBook & a 20 oz coke, so if it's that big of a deal for you go buy an iPad mini.

Wow bro u work out???

No, seriously. If you think an iPad mini replaces a fully-functional MacBook, you are missing the concept. If you're so unconcerned with weight, why don't you replace your 2007 MacBook with a new iMac you can tote around and plug in wherever you go? I mean, that's fair, right? Same thing? :confused:

I've forgotten what the other arrogant fellow was even arguing (other than for better physical fitness, which I support anyway). Frankly, less mass and smaller dimensions in devices are almost always welcome. And if they aren't - well, Apple's going to go down that road regardless. I seriously doubt their ulterior motive is to keep us soft and weak.
 
I'm on the fence. Waiting because of indecision to get into buying my first computer in this ecosystem.
I'm thinking this 12 inch wonder will be my entry purchase.
What about the battery life on this retina model? Will it be as good as the other MBA's? Sorry for the newbie question....
 
You're expecting an answer to a question about a product that at this point is still really a rumor?

Hoping for an educated guess.
From what I've read the air is all about battery life, weight - among other things. How much impact of the retina screen have on that - there is a lot of knowledgeable people at MR.
 
I am quite interested in a 12" MBA with Retina Display, I wouldn't wanna be an early adopter for an ARM solution though - there are just too many variables.
I'm not really sure about a fanless Design either since I wanna have the option to "work" with it rather than just browse the web and listen to music. If they feature an all new revolutionary Invention in terms of cooling I would probably wait a weak or two for the internet to put those new machines through their paces before pulling the trigger.
 
What about the battery life on this retina model? Will it be as good as the other MBA's? Sorry for the newbie question....

The new MBA is rumoured to be using an IGZO screen which uses a fraction of the power that the current displays use. This means the battery life of a 12" MBA with a Retina display should offer at least the same as the current MBA. I naturally take it for granted that Broadwell CPU's will draw less power than Haswell CPU's so if all these rumours are true then battery life should be excellent.

I just hope Apple don't do something stupid and make it too thin to accommodate a large battery.

I will also be disappointed if it still has a large bezel.
 
Even if the 12" MBA does not get a _true_ retina I hope it at least gets a higher resolution screen with better viewing in the sun. Does anybody know if the IGZO technology I keep seeing mentioned affords better sunlight viewing? That seems an important feature in the ultra-portable market and would allow further differentiation from the rMBP's...along with doing away with the 11.8" and 13.3" variants all together of course.
 
Still, Microsoft just released a Surface Pro III that is nearly as thin as an iPad using Haswell, though it does need a fan. Broadwell will support fanless designs. The question will be whether it does so with chips that put out decent performance. The CPU can be a lateral move from the current design or even a slight regression as long as the GPU is up to snuff. Iris in my 13" rMBP works just fine, so if a 12" rMBA can match that I'd be fine with it. The weight difference alone would make up for a slight loss of performance. The i5 in my rMBP is only about as fast as the i7 in the current MBA anyway.

What I am trying to say is while Broadwell will support fanless designs (heck, Haswell does too), the CPU and GPU selection Apple will pick will require a fan if they don't want to regress in performance.
 
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