Air - whats the point?

[geejay9876]

Hi,

I am wrestling with the idea of upgrading from my 2013 MBA. Waited for the 2018 Air and I am disappointed. I did not expect a slimmer MBP clone with worse screen, slower processor and worse Webcam.

I wanted the same size as the old MBA but with a larger screen.

The only good thing I can find about the MBA 2018 vs the MBP is that they went back to the smaller trackpad. The trackpad on the MBP is too big IMO and leaves too little resting space for the hands. One could actually buy an old 2015 MBP to get that advantage. The other advantage is that the hands resting area is closer to the desk, causing less strain. And then there is a marginal longer battery life and lower weight.

Is there major some advantage of the MBA 2018 vs. the MBP I have been missing?

 

[dagored]

It sounds like you’ve made your decision but don’t realize it.

 

[torana355]

Nope you are not missing anything, I want to upgrade my 2011 MBA and the 2018 MBA has way to many issues to consider it. The unreliable keyboard and underwhelming screen being the biggest ones.

 

[lpolarityl]

Screen real estate due to the higher resolution, higher resolution, faster processor, faster storage, Touch ID is neat, Gen 3 butterfly keyboard (I like it), thunderbolt 3, really good speakers. Still maintains a really good battery life thanks to the processor it uses. Theres a lot to like about it.

There's also a lot to think about: Only has a dual core processor, screen could be a tad brighter (although the nit rate is the same as the MBA, 300 nits), wish it had more thunderbolt 3 ports on the right side. Thats my only real complaints, I wish there was a quad core option and I wish it had one more thunderbolt 3 port on the right side.

 

[ZipZap]

Hi,

I am wrestling with the idea of upgrading from my 2013 MBA. Waited for the 2018 Air and I am disappointed. I did not expect a slimmer MBP clone with worse screen, slower processor and worse Webcam.

I wanted the same size as the old MBA but with a larger screen.

The only good thing I can find about the MBA 2018 vs the MBP is that they went back to the smaller trackpad. The trackpad on the MBP is too big IMO and leaves too little resting space for the hands. One could actually buy an old 2015 MBP to get that advantage. The other advantage is that the hands resting area is closer to the desk, causing less strain. And then there is a marginal longer battery life and lower weight.

Is there major some advantage of the MBA 2018 vs. the MBP I have been missing?

The MBA is not intended to be the MBP so you will never see an MBA with MPB level hardware. You bought the Air because it was a cheaper alternative. Hence its value.

Unfortunately, its now more expensive and Apple is going to continue to push the envelope of pricing because people keep paying.

The value for me is the bigger screen. The only MBA 2018 complaint I feel is reasonable is the brightness of the screen. Yes its less than a Pro, but with the correct color driver selected I feel its fine. Others do not agree.

 

[geejay9876]

The MBA is not intended to be the MBP so you will never see an MBA with MPB level hardware. You bought the Air because it was a cheaper alternative. Hence its value.

Unfortunately, its now more expensive and Apple is going to continue to push the envelope of pricing because people keep paying.

The value for me is the bigger screen. The only MBA 2018 complaint I feel is reasonable is the brightness of the screen. Yes its less than a Pro, but with the correct color driver selected I feel its fine. Others do not agree.

No, I didnt buy the old MBA because its cheaper. I bought it because it is thinner than the MBP. The main reason I want to upgrade is because its too slow, due to 4GB memory and slow processor.

 

[AlliFlowers]

What's the point of air???? Seriously? Well you can't breathe without it. And you can't live without breathing.




Never mind.

 

[revmacian]

No, I didnt buy the old MBA because its cheaper. I bought it because it is thinner than the MBP. The main reason I want to upgrade is because its too slow, due to 4GB memory and slow processor.

Well, you're in luck. The 2018 MacBook Air comes with 8GB memory and, if you actually go into a store and play with the new machine for a while, you'll find that it is much faster. The 1.6GHz dual-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor may not look much faster on paper but it is faster due to the T2 chip off-loading some of the work from the CPU. I believe being an 8th gen processor also has something to do with it.

I went into different stores on several occasions and played with the 2018 MBA - I don't buy Apple products without doing extensive testing myself. I ran tests and compared the same actions to the 2017 MacBook Pro and found that I was getting almost identical speeds between the two machine - and that surprised me because I was comparing an Air class machine with a Pro class machine. And, these were store demo models.. who knows how much abuse they've had before I tested them.

I have played with the 2018 MacBook Air in several different stores and found that the screen isn't bad at all. People look at the number of nits and complain. The nits issue was the main reason for one of my store visits but I could barely see the difference between the new MBA and MBP screens at any of the stores I visited. I say "barely", this difference in screen brightness wasn't an issue with me, but I could see how it could be blown out of proportion by someone who just wanted to complain that the new machine wasn't what they wanted.

The MacBook Air is targeted at a specific demographic, and that demographic is different than that of the MacBook Pro. Go into a store and play with the MacBook Air 2018 for an hour - I'm sure the store won't mind. I was able to launch every app in the dock, while browsing 10 tabs in Safari, and the machine was able to do it all without any apparent lag. And, that is far more work than I will ever be doing on any laptop at any given time.

If you want a faster processor, better screen, more ports and larger display, then you're probably in the demographic that is more suited to the MacBook Pro.

There is often a difference between seeing a device on paper and actually using the device in real life.

 

[ZipZap]

No, I didnt buy the old MBA because its cheaper. I bought it because it is thinner than the MBP. The main reason I want to upgrade is because its too slow, due to 4GB memory and slow processor.

Its not thinner than the new air. You bought it cause it was 999.

 

[nickosbad]

The way Apple has been going with pricing lately mean only one thing in my view.....

The next refresh of Macbook Pro will drop the NTB version and mean that the only entry point for MBP will be the TB version (at the high price)

the Air will then become the "entry point" to a 13" device

13" Macbook Air $1199
13" Macbook Pro (TB) $1799
15" Macbook Pro (TB) $2399

Right now there's a serious question for people to consider....13" Air vs NTB MBP....Apple will want to remove this choice and drive those who want a MBP to the expensive version as right now the NTB MBP is eating into Air sales

 

[EEzycade]

I believe the point of air is to breathe

 

[CLS727]

The Air I get just fine..... what I don't get is the base MacBook.

They should just have the Air and the Pro....

 

[revmacian]

The way Apple has been going with pricing lately mean only one thing in my view.....

The next refresh of Macbook Pro will drop the NTB version and mean that the only entry point for MBP will be the TB version (at the high price)

I thought they already did that. I haven't been able to find any nTB MacBook Pro models that were built in 2018.. and of the ones I've seen thus far are 2017 models.
[doublepost=1545669955][/doublepost]

The Air I get just fine..... what I don't get is the base MacBook.

They should just have the Air and the Pro....

They're not going to throw away existing stock this soon, it would be throwing money in the trash.

 

[Nbd1790]

IMO the Macbook Air is sort of a pointless computer with the current Apple Macbook lineup. If you're looking to replace your previous gen Air, go with the nTB MBP. It's a bit more expensive yes, but the option for an i7 and having a generally more powerful computer (and higher res screen) is worth the small price difference.

 

[Mainsail]

I have a 2014 MBA, so in a year or so, I'll probably update to the new MBA. My current MBA is working flawlessly, so no immediate need to update.

The 2018 MBA will be fine for me. I primarily run the usual apps: Mail, Safari, iWork/Office, Notes, Calendar, Photos, simple iMovies etc.., so I am a a pretty typical consumer. I am not concerned about the screen brightness. I have played with the new MBA at very brightly lite Apple showroom, and it was fine. I remain concerned about the butterfly keyboard, but I have some time to see how reliable it is on the new MBA.

PS - A good reliable laptop is a pleasure to own. I am willing to pay a little bit more for one that runs MacOS. I understand that some folks feel the new MBA is overpriced at $1200, but I suspect this is an introductory price that will drift downward just as the older MBA did. But, even at this introductory price, I am ok with it because I will probably keep the laptop for 5-6 years, so the marginal price premium is spread over a long period.

 

[geejay9876]

Thanks for all the input!

The decision now boils down to:

- old-style MBA with I7 processor and 8GB - open question: can I live with an inferior screen and old looks?, probably not
- 2016 MBP - open question: can I live with the thick sharp corner where the wrists meet the notebook? Maybe
- 2018 MBA - open question: How bad is the Webcam really?

 

[ZipZap]

Thanks for all the input!

The decision now boils down to:

- old-style MBA with I7 processor and 8GB - open question: can I live with an inferior screen and old looks?, probably not
- 2016 MBP - open question: can I live with the thick sharp corner where the wrists meet the notebook? Maybe
- 2018 MBA - open question: How bad is the Webcam really?

Apple refurb should also be a choice

 

[lpolarityl]

Thanks for all the input!

The decision now boils down to:

- old-style MBA with I7 processor and 8GB - open question: can I live with an inferior screen and old looks?, probably not
- 2016 MBP - open question: can I live with the thick sharp corner where the wrists meet the notebook? Maybe
- 2018 MBA - open question: How bad is the Webcam really?

Just go to an Apple store and decide.

 

[revmacian]

Just go to an Apple store and decide.

Agreed, being able to play with the device in real life will divulge a wealth of information.

 

[Falhófnir]

They took away the brighter P3 screen, took away the full 15W U processor with iris plus graphics but only shaved £50 off the price (and added TID) - personally even for a non video editor I’d say a brighter more colour accurate screen alone is worth the £50 premium. Indeed look even briefly and you will find the pro for £1,199 at retailers like John Lewis. Additionally, if you plan on doing even the slightest bit of more intensive stuff (playing Civ V for example) the iris plus will be a big boon over HD 617. To get the Air you’d have to really value the wedge design, or really want Touch ID.

 

[turbineseaplane]

A good reliable laptop is a pleasure to own.

Totally agree.
That’s why it’s so frustrating that they put in an unreliable keyboard in these new MacBook Airs

 

[revmacian]

They took away the brighter P3 screen, took away the full 15W U processor with iris plus graphics but only shaved £50 off the price (and added TID) - personally even for a non video editor I’d say a brighter more colour accurate screen alone is worth the £50 premium. Indeed look even briefly and you will find the pro for £1,199 at retailers like John Lewis. Additionally, if you plan on doing even the slightest bit of more intensive stuff (playing Civ V for example) the iris plus will be a big boon over HD 617. To get the Air you’d have to really value the wedge design, or really want Touch ID.

You mean the MacBook Pro 2017, with the problematic keyboard? How much in time and money will you end up spending having to take the laptop in to replace the keyboard a year or two from now? Will they repair the keyboard the same day, or will you have to leave the laptop with them for a week?

Second-generation butterfly keyboard devices aren't even an option, IMHO.

 

[Falhófnir]

You mean the MacBook Pro 2017, with the problematic keyboard? How much in time and money will you end up spending having to take the laptop in to replace the keyboard a year or two from now?

And indeed the Air with the self same keyboard plus a membrane to delay the onset of the problem and (as yet) not included in the replacement programme...

 

[turbineseaplane]

And indeed the Air with the self same keyboard plus a membrane to delay the onset of the problem and (as yet) not included in the replacement programme...

Apple CFO: "Perfect!"

 

[revmacian]

And indeed the Air with the self same keyboard plus a membrane to delay the onset of the problem and (as yet) not included in the replacement programme...

Well, by that logic, the entire Apple laptop line is removed from consideration. Some are too old, the rest have a bad keyboard.

I'll settle for a device with the 3rd gen keyboard as they haven't seen the widespread kb problem yet. That's not to say they won't, but it's better than choosing a device with a known problem that is already affecting users. And, I'm not convinced that the membrane was the only improvement made.. unless you watched the 3rd gen keyboards being manufactured and can certify otherwise.