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macbook air 13 retina > MacBook Air 12" retina

why can't apple built the 13" macbook air with retina instead of the 12" ?? doesn't make sense when they already have the 13 retina macbook pro
 
I can't see apple having a 11", 12" and 13" MBA and a 13" and 15" MBPs. Seems like the 13" is the odd man out. There's less and less reasons to by the 13" MBA.

As for the 12" MBA, the price point may be a bit tricky since it has to be cheaper then the 13 but more then the 11.
 
Of course it can.

yea only if you dont have some work to do or not playing games or video ed etc...just mails, internet, movies...for basic stuff yea can be primary and the only computer..but i dont think there are so many out there
 
Macbook Air can be the primary computer. It is true that for serious editing and development work, one would need to add an external display (easy with Displayport tech and they don't cost so much today) and 2-3TB storage (easy with USB3, now when it is finally there). Its raw power is comparable to two or three year old laptops or four to five year old desktops, excluding GPU, which is not too shabby. And its SSD is a star. The needs of today are not so different than they were back then, or are they? For rendering, it is not a flyer but it is not hopeless, just like those five year old desktops. 4K video editing is one of rare things that comes to my mind as a new "need", and is even that completely out of question?

If they would lessen the Macbook Air from what it is today in 13" form, then it is a different case. With two displayport/thunderbolt ports, two USB3s, min. 8gb mem, a state of the art ISP panel, Isis 5200 GPU, a new Air would even be a decent basic tool in its current price category. The good thing is, there is really not much they can take away anymore. The bad thing is, it is Apple we are talking about after all. Who needs SD card readers, since there will be Internet on cameras? Or so many USBs, when we have the "awesome" Thunderbolt? And who needs so much CPU power in a "light" computer? Who needs Intel at all and his current apps, when there are so many "awesome" apps in iOS?
 
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Kill the wedge design. Unify the Macbook lines. Make 12", 14", and 16". kthnxbye
 
Of course can an MBA be a primary and only computer for someone!

not everyone stores films, music, or any large files. some people have enough to check mails, facebook, youtube and internet.

I know some folks who get by with an ipad.

give me one essential non-professional use of a computer where an ipad or mba do not suffice.
 
For some time I thought that the rumored 12 inch laptop would rather be the also rumored 12 inch ipad. I mean: No fan? Retina display? New form of "trackpad"?

Also, I don't see the benefit of a 12" formfactor. How much percentage took the 11" air? Not so much I guess. So why should there be a demand for a product that is just slightly bigger than a low-demanded product? I even found the 13" kinda small, especially for multi tasking.

Personally, I'd love a 14" or 15" inch screen in the body of a 13" laptop.
 
for me a primary or if i had just one computer i would love screen estate for anything. And i think for that 15" is basic, or 17" would be much better but that screen was removed by Apple. If you don't travel enough why to trouble with 13" or worse 11" and buy an extra large monitor when you can go 15" laptop

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Yea for those who are on the road all the time the Macbook Air is the best than all the rest
 
A macbook Air can't be a primary computer, its only for someone who travels a lot. But a 15" macbook pro can be. For some costumers with limited space or for those who make a few travels the 15" replace the imac


There a number of threads that suggest that many people use their MBA as their primary computer and their set up can do significant work tasks. Including this one.

forums.macrumors.com/threads/1661437/
 
There a number of threads that suggest that many people use their MBA as their primary computer and their set up can do significant work tasks. Including this one.

forums.macrumors.com/threads/1661437/

why you buy a macbook air instead of an iMac for home and hurt your eyes with a 11" instead of an 21.5" or 27" ? i don't get it
 
Fan-less MBA Retina ?

With a Retina you need a good GPU....that's the first hurdle.

And the second is, i'd like to try encoding on this one, or play some 3d games, adjust resolution as required to ry and make this thing over-heat, with acceptable Frame rates.

It just doesn't seem possible.

i believe in fan-less Mac's but there is a side effect... Yes, you can have a low enough GPU or CPU maybe so you don't need a fan, because they can't get hot enough, but i will argue this..... Encoding always takes heat, so does gaming...

While not it's primary purpose, that's not to say it can't be done.

12-inch seems a bit small for Retina... 13 is probably ok, and don't even think about 11'inch..

If Apple did this on an 11' MBA, then they *would* be nuts
 
Don't like

Hm, I'm not so happy about a 12" Air. I use a 13" Air as development machine and love it. Well, except for the mediocre screen. 12" would be too small for development.
 
Fan-less MBA Retina ?

With a Retina you need a good GPU....that's the first hurdle.

And the second is, i'd like to try encoding on this one, or play some 3d games, adjust resolution as required to ry and make this thing over-heat, with acceptable Frame rates.

It just doesn't seem possible.

i believe in fan-less Mac's but there is a side effect... Yes, you can have a low enough GPU or CPU maybe so you don't need a fan, because they can't get hot enough, but i will argue this..... Encoding always takes heat, so does gaming...

While not it's primary purpose, that's not to say it can't be done.

12-inch seems a bit small for Retina... 13 is probably ok, and don't even think about 11'inch..

If Apple did this on an 11' MBA, then they *would* be nuts

I agree so even with HD5000 who can sustain the retina display can make a lot of heat under long or heavy usage
 
Of course it can.

I must take issue - I use my 2011 MacBook air on stage, I am a performing musician. It has plenty of horsepower, and I trust it as it's built solidly. In fact I'd rather use it than a MBP as there's less to go wrong - the lack of a spinning HD improves the app responsiveness too.
 
No, and there's is no need for the MBA to have it either, as I also mention.

Yes but if macbook air will not have Intel, desktop applications will not be supported. So bye bye aperture/final cut pro/games/Yosemite/Logic pro x etc and so many
 
why you buy a macbook air instead of an iMac for home and hurt your eyes with a 11" instead of an 21.5" or 27" ? i don't get it

Yes, an 11" is too small for my eyes.


I can usually afford only one computer at a time. My 13" MBA allows me to hook up to a larger screen when at home, and gives ultra portability when on the road, meeting clients, etc.
The 13" is enough for me to do work on.

I am not saying this set up is for everyone. But more and more people it seems are considering this path.
 
yea only if you dont have some work to do or not playing games or video ed etc...just mails, internet, movies...for basic stuff yea can be primary and the only computer..but i dont think there are so many out there

I must take issue - I use my 2011 MacBook air on stage, I am a performing musician. It has plenty of horsepower, and I trust it as it's built solidly. In fact I'd rather use it than a MBP as there's less to go wrong - the lack of a spinning HD improves the app responsiveness too.
 
Like i said...im referring here to people who don't take the mac on the road so often. Ok i guess i need to put a number...so lets say for those who takes their mac once every 2-3 months
 
Any word on whether or not this is the "black" MacBook air? Or just another silver one?

Now that would be nice. Maybe even a range of colours. That would be really popular. I can just see all the college kids with coloured MBAs. Please Apple be a little bold once again.
 
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yea only if you dont have some work to do or not playing games or video ed etc...just mails, internet, movies...for basic stuff yea can be primary and the only computer..but i dont think there are so many out there

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. The current MacBook air runs at 640 GFLOPS. That is faster (twice in fact) than the most powerful supercomputer in the world in 1996/7 - the Hitachi CP-PACS/2048.

It can handle 1080p video editing without missing a beat. It can play a lot go games. It may not be a gaming machine but it's capable of lots at medium settings.

As a comparison the air is only half as fast as my 2008 8 core mac pro... 6184 on geekbench vs 11287. The 680gtx in my pro is 4x as fast as intel 5000

The mac pro by the way is faster than the most powerful super computer in 2003.

As for:
"for basic stuff yea can be primary and the only computer..but i don't think
there are so many out there"

- You mean the 85% plus people that don't play state of the art games? Most people don't even need or use the power of an air.
 
yea only if you dont have some work to do or not playing games or video ed etc...just mails, internet, movies...for basic stuff yea can be primary and the only computer..but i dont think there are so many out there

I love these pronouncements that a certain device can't possibly be used to do work or be a primary computer. I have used a 2011 Macbook Air (4GB RAM) as my only work computer for a few years. No problem. It runs all of our enterprise software and Office applications without a hitch. When I need more screen real-estate, it is connected to the Apple display. Last week, I used the Air to build a Monte Carlo simulation in Excel.

What exactly am I suppose to be doing with this thing that makes it impossible to use for work or impossible to use as a primary computer? What do people on this forum imagine the typical working professional does with their computer anyway? The Macbook Air is a perfectly usable everyday primary computer for many folks.
 
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