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12" Retina MacBook Air and Low-Price iMac Likely in 2014

MyopicPaideia said:
Just a couple of observations...

The "buttonless" trackpad refered to most likely refers to a new design that omits the physical button actuator assembly, allowing the trackpad unit itself to become considerably thinner (relative to current thickness of course). It is highly unlikely that the end user experience will change at all. Everyone will still have the option for click to click, as well as tap to click. The click will be triggered by a pressure sensor instead of a spring loaded physical actuator - that's all, so nobody needs to get their panties in a bunch over it.

The fanless design will include air movement structures within the base that naturally move air efficiently according to temperature chsnges within the enclosure. The machine will most likely use a y-series Broadwell chip that is already designed to be fanless, and is the follow-up to the y-series Haswell chip that is already available. It will provide gains in battery life with only very modest performance improvements over the current MBA line, but most likely with the top end Broadwell integrated graphics so this will improve.

My only major concern is the connectivity the machine will have. This may be the first laptop without standard USB. We may find ourselves in a situation where the new 3.1 micro USB connector is used, or even several lightning connector ports requiring an adapter, as well as possibly a new MagSafe standard (though now that I think about it, MagSafe 2 is pretty thin)...and what about Thunderbolt?? The base of this machine is going to most likely be as thin as an iPad Air, with the screen flip up being considerably thinner than that.

It is going to be a work of industrial and technological art, and I have no worries about the performance of the machine, but I hope the connectivity is not further sacrificed than on the already slightly limited 11" Air...
Click to expand...

Thanks you for your l observations That was excellent!
 
Larger SSDs

I just want Larger SSDs to be standard and cheaper. In this day and age charging $1,800 for laptops that only have a 256 GB HD is CRIMINAL. Especially when all of these companies are pushing digital media. 512 Should be standard with reasonably priced TB upgrade options. I have my iTunes library backed up on external and I really hate it.

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heimo said:
There is no longer need to drag files or anything else. It's all about swiping and magic. "Dragging" is so 1990's. Do you drag your behind? No, you swipe it gently using four finger gesture. It's magical.
Click to expand...

I hate swiping, it hurts after a few minutes and rarely works well.
 
malexandria said:
I just want Larger SSDs to be standard and cheaper. In this day and age charging $1,800 for laptops that only have a 256 GB HD is CRIMINAL. Especially when all of these companies are pushing digital media. 512 Should be standard with reasonably priced TB upgrade options. I have my iTunes library backed up on external and I really hate it.

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I hate swiping, it hurts after a few minutes and rarely works well.
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I'll gladly pay for ir and so will others. Therefore it is not criminal. It's called supply and demand.
 
MyopicPaideia said:
My only major concern is the connectivity the machine will have. This may be the first laptop without standard USB. We may find ourselves in a situation where the new 3.1 micro USB connector is used, or even several lightning connector ports requiring an adapter, as well as possibly a new MagSafe standard (though now that I think about it, MagSafe 2 is pretty thin)...and what about Thunderbolt?? The base of this machine is going to most likely be as thin as an iPad Air, with the screen flip up being considerably thinner than that.
Click to expand...

I can't see it shipping with no USB or Thunderbolt 2.0 ports! It would break the consistency with the rest of the range. I can certainly see it shipping with limited ports though, perhaps just 1 USB and 1 TB 2.0 port.

Apple are not as stupid as Microsoft. Microsoft think they can tell people how they are going to use their computers and force functionality on people with the whole Metro UI debacle. Apple couldn't get away with shipping a MacBook with non-standard USB ports, not yet.
 
Prof. said:
If we throw around enough rumors, one of them is bound to stick. :rolleyes:
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I'm an analyst and have been checking the supply chains. I hear Apple is going to release updates to their products sometime this year. These will include updates to their iPads, Macbooks, iPhone and Macs.
 
devinci99 said:
Sorry to interrupt, but every day I come here looking for news about the new Mac Mini and every day I see every other single update... iphone, ipad... andriod... imac... macbook air...

Darn it! Where's the Mac Mini updates? I'm in the market for one!
Click to expand...

Same here man! I want to buy a maxed out Mac mini to replace my aging MacBook Pro. Hurry up apple!
 
I don't think the absence of the Mac Mini in this report necessarily indicates that it won't receive an update soon. I'm really hoping for a spec bump at WWDC (or sooner) as an aside to these bigger announcements about new products. I've wanted a base mini for awhile but at this point have decided to wait.
 
June @ WWDC

We'll all see what's coming down the pipe. Looking for a totally new redesign of all Macbook Laptops be it pro or not.

Maybe Ive's can come up with something more than what he did in the past.

Button less track pad "Great" bring it on. Fan less, hmm this will be interesting but is doable. Retina, = Battery life, if it still equals 12 hours on the 13" or in a 12" GREAT, 16GB's of ram as a choice and TB Flash drive .
 
michaelsviews said:
We'll all see what's coming down the pipe. Looking for a totally new redesign of all Macbook Laptops be it pro or not.

Maybe Ive's can come up with something more than what he did in the past.

Button less track pad "Great" bring it on. Fan less, hmm this will be interesting but is doable. Retina, = Battery life, if it still equals 12 hours on the 13" or in a 12" GREAT, 16GB's of ram as a choice and TB Flash drive .
Click to expand...

16GB of RAM? I doubt it will happen in an ultraportable.
 
needfx said:
I'm definitely nay-saying the buttonless trackpad

tapping is horrid and prone to accidental clicks
Click to expand...

I guess you haven't been paying attention.

https://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/21/buttonless-trackpad-patent/

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rekhyt said:
How on earth do you drag files if you don't have a button?
Click to expand...

Easy... three fingers, but this "buttonless" trackpad will still have a "button", as per the link above.

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panther quest said:
I think the 5C didn't do as well as expected because it wasn't really that affordable and there was an expectation that it would be. The name didn't help that expectation.
Click to expand...

The 5c didn't do as well as expected because the 5s did better than expected. Apple lost sales to itself, big deal.
 
I know that three fingers works to drag windows in OSX.

But how do you drag within programs? For example in excel the only way i know of to expand the formula of one cell to multiple cells is dragging (or at least it is the most obvious way) many many programs written for os x use dragging as an input. Does the three finger drag work within programs (like the excel example)?

That's the only part of the buttonless trackpad rumor that i can't understand.
 
Saturn1217 said:
But how do you drag within programs? For example in excel the only way i know of to expand the formula of one cell to multiple cells is dragging (or at least it is the most obvious way) many many programs written for os x use dragging as an input. Does the three finger drag work within programs (like the excel example)?
Click to expand...
On Numbers, three-finger drag will fill cells the same way that clicking and dragging does.
 
Shaun said:
I'd be happy if they brought back some colour to the iMac. Absolutely loved my original colour iMac and still love the design today. 20" plastic coloured iMac would be very popular IMO. Save aluminium design for the more pro focused bigger screen versions.
Click to expand...

Same here. I would love to see a reinterpretation of the original iMac design with a flat panel.
 
needfx said:
just because the filed it, doesn't mean they will implement it
Click to expand...

The 12" Macbook Air is a rumor. Just because it's rumored, doesn't mean Apple will build it. The same goes for the trackpad you were "definitely nay-saying". Suggesting that Apple might not implement the patent I linked, as a form of rebuttal to me, is applying a double standard in an attempt to hide a poor assumption made in your OP.

You assumed that the buttonless trackpad mentioned in the article meant that tapping would be your only option. I simply pointed out that Apple has already devised a system that replicates the function of the mechanical button, while also allowing laptops to get thinner. If implemented, your assumptions on how the trackpad would work would be incorrect.

Tell me honestly, what do think is more likely? Removal of a feature many people use, or utilizing an alternate means of delivering that feature many people use? I'd go as far to say that if Apple doesn't implement the system described in the patent (or something similar), they simply won't remove the physical button in the trackpad. They wouldn't consciously make their design worse.

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Saturn1217 said:
I know that three fingers works to drag windows in OSX.

But how do you drag within programs? For example in excel the only way i know of to expand the formula of one cell to multiple cells is dragging (or at least it is the most obvious way) many many programs written for os x use dragging as an input. Does the three finger drag work within programs (like the excel example)?

That's the only part of the buttonless trackpad rumor that i can't understand.
Click to expand...

Three finger drag works in the same manner as clicking and dragging in any program. OS X sees the two as identical actions.
 
paradox00 said:
The 12" Macbook Air is a rumor. Just because it's rumored, doesn't mean Apple will build it. The same goes for the trackpad you were "definitely nay-saying". Suggesting that Apple might not implement the patent I linked, as a form of rebuttal to me, is applying a double standard in an attempt to hide a poor assumption made in your OP.

You assumed that the buttonless trackpad mentioned in the article meant that tapping would be your only option. I simply pointed out that Apple has already devised a system that replicates the function of the mechanical button, while also allowing laptops to get thinner. If implemented, your assumptions on how the trackpad would work would be incorrect.

Tell me honestly, what do think is more likely? Removal of a feature many people use, or utilizing an alternate means of delivering that feature many people use? I'd go as far to say that if Apple doesn't implement the system described in the patent (or something similar), they simply won't remove the physical button in the trackpad. They wouldn't consciously make their design worse.

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Three finger drag works in the same manner as clicking and dragging in any program. OS X sees the two as identical actions.
Click to expand...

firstly, you got lots of time to spend to negate points on a forum
secondly, I agree with the fact that 12 inch is still a rumour, hence, my nay saying was that I would not wish this implementation to take place
thirdly, you seem to be very well aware of how it will work, apparently you're employed at a n assembly line...how else could you know that apple would devise a different way to have a click thing without having a click thing.. wow, just wow
 
So if there really is no Mac Mini update, and apple is releasing a lower cost iMac probably around $999. Then Maybe Apple is switching back to the quadrant model. 2 portables x 2 desktops, for consumer and professional.

Portable: MacbookAir/MacBook(Consumer) and MacBookPro(Professional)

Dekstop: iMac(Concumer) and MacPro(Professional)

-Matt
 
Mattsasa said:
Maybe Apple is switching back to the quadrant model.
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It sounds like madness, but one does keep reading that Minis sell in very low volumes.

I guess the choice then (assuming one can't stump up for a Mac Pro) is either use a base MB/MBA as a Mini, or go to the Hackintosh dark side.

Anything but iMac!
 
heimo said:
There is no longer need to drag files or anything else. It's all about swiping and magic. "Dragging" is so 1990's. Do you drag your behind? No, you swipe it gently using four finger gesture. It's magical.
Click to expand...

What, do a four finger swipe in... what, swiping my file from my desktop to Evernote?

Let's do a little flick here and my file will just pop on in to Evernote.

This guy's a genius!
 
iRun26.2 said:
16GB of RAM? I doubt it will happen in an ultraportable.
Click to expand...

I seriously doubt it too, just like I do NOT see a retina coming in the MBA.

Maybe a 12" just as thin and lite as the MBA and with a retina, but not considered a MBA

Time will tell , just sit back and read the rumors
 
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