Anand's review is out

[PeterJP]

Hi,

In the usual place: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7085/the-2013-macbook-air-review-13inch

He reviews only the 13 inch version. His conclusion is that it's a major update in many ways: Wi-Fi, SSD, biggest 15W TDP CPU with an HD5000. The only compromise is that the CPU offers no performance upgrade: it's almost identical to the previous version. But in return, you get 12 hours of battery, measured at 75% display brightness (previous Apple battery times were at 50%, too). And Mavericks should improve a few things, too.

I cannot state it better than Anand when he says:

Can I also add that I'm beyond excited for the new 13-inch rMBP? If Apple indeed is using Intel's 28W Haswell ULT part (with on-package PCH), we might really get the best of both worlds with that notebook - incredible battery life and a Retina Display.

I've been doubting to get an 11" Air or 13" rMBP for some time now. If the latter gets 12h battery time in a slimmer package, it'll be hard to resist.

 

[methinks...]

An excellent review from Anandtech, as usual.

When you have a section called "Absolutely Insane Battery Life" all by itself...

 

[curtoise]

Finally we can se that the i7 is indeed draining the battery life more faster than the i5 on all situations.

Sustained operation at higher frequencies will likely draw more power, and negatively impact battery life. Light to medium workloads will enjoy a mix of race to sleep benefits as well as higher power consumption under load. Idle power should be roughly similar between the parts however. For most workloads I'd expect a modest impact to battery life,

 

[r6mile]

Finally we can se that the i7 is indeed draining the battery life more faster than the i5 on all situations.

Sustained operation at higher frequencies will likely draw more power, and negatively impact battery life. Light to medium workloads will enjoy a mix of race to sleep benefits as well as higher power consumption under load. Idle power should be roughly similar between the parts however. For most workloads I'd expect a modest impact to battery life,

He hasn't actually tested it, but he's generally assuming that it will because of general rules about higher frequencies.

 

[magbarn]

The iGPU improvement over 2012 is slightly diappointing though. Guess these aren't really gamer machines. The base CPU also is hardly an improvement in real app performance over 2012 either. For the majority of users though of MBA's which want the best battery life, the 2013 is a big upgrade. For power users like me who like to work with 80+ MB RAW files from my 36MP DSLR, the only real upgrade is the faster SSD speeds. (yes, I have my rMBP, but for many trips, I prefer the lightness of the MBA over the power of the rMBP.)

 

[curtoise]

He hasn't actually tested it, but he's generally assuming that it will because of general rules about higher frequencies.

Correct but it is common sense that more power = more battery too.

 

[designs216]

An excellent review from Anandtech, as usual.

When you have a section called "Absolutely Insane Battery Life" all by itself...

Yeah, Anand always does a great job. He makes a pretty decent case in my mind to buy the cheaper '12 model.

"All of this comes at a cost: the 2013 MacBook Air ranges from just as quick as the 2012 model, to a bit slower, in CPU bound tasks. I wouldn't consider the degree of performance regression obviously noticeable, but it's there."

 

[kaellar]

Boy, am I dissapointed with both gpu and cpu performance and lack of IPS panel.. Hoping to see a better results for i7 as Anand promised to add that to an article. If not, say hello to Haswell rMBP. Higher TDP is what that ULT silicone begs for to show all of its potential.

 

[kodeman53]

Guess these aren't really gamer machines.

This isn't news.

 

[magbarn]

Boy, am I dissapointed with both gpu and cpu performance and lack of IPS panel.. Hoping to see a better results for i7 as Anand promised to add that to an article. If not, say hello to Haswell rMBP. Higher TDP is what that ULT silicone begs for to show all of its potential.

MBA isn't going to get a significant CPU/GPU upgrade until Intel goes to 14nm as we're still being limited by the same 22nm power constraints Ivy Bridge.

 

[ApplNat]

Despite the fact that all kinds of users are insisting the MBA meet their specific needs, the MBA is designed for the mobile user who needs a balance of features. Not super high-end features. Not a gamer's lair. The general consumer and business user who is on the move and needs a lightweight robust netbook that can do most everything decently enough. Not everything...most everything. Not to the 'nth degree. But a laptop that will get the job done for most people, most of the time.

Compromises? Yeppers.

Gamers will be disappointed because this netbook is not designed for their specific use.

Video editors extraordinaire and photogs who are processing thousands of frames and need speed and the most high def they can get will also be disappointed because again the MBA is not designed for their specific use.

The MBA can be used by the above, but not without compromises.

I'm sorry that angers so many people but it is what it is. This netbook is very nice and it suits my needs to a 'T.' If I were a pro-level videographer/photog or a big gamer or someone running 3D animation or vast computations I would opt for different specs and a different machine--specs that would be best for the intended usage.

 

[wermy]

Despite the fact that all kinds of users are insisting the MBA meet their specific needs, the MBA is designed for the mobile user who needs a balance of features. Not super high-end features. Not a gamer's lair. The general consumer and business user who is on the move and needs a lightweight robust netbook that can do most everything decently enough. Not everything...most everything. Not to the 'nth degree. But a laptop that will get the job done for most people, most of the time.

Compromises? Yeppers.

Gamers will be disappointed because this netbook is not designed for their specific use.

Video editors extraordinaire and photogs who are processing thousands of frames and need speed and the most high def they can get will also be disappointed because again the MBA is not designed for their specific use.

The MBA can be used by the above, but not without compromises.

I'm sorry that angers so many people but it is what it is. This netbook is very nice and it suits my needs to a 'T.' If I were a pro-level videographer/photog or a big gamer or someone running 3D animation or vast computations I would opt for different specs and a different machine--specs that would be best for the intended usage.

I'm not sure I'd classify the MBA as a "netbook."

Scratch that, I'm definitely sure I wouldn't.

 

[magbarn]

I'm not sure I'd classify the MBA as a "netbook."

Scratch that, I'm definitely sure I wouldn't.

Especially with the upgraded CPU, a MBA is much more powerful than a netbook. I guess some of us are just bellyaching as 2010-2011-2012 transitions came with significant increases in CPU/GPU performance that just isn't seen with the 2012-2013 transition. Even the desktop Haswell users are pretty disappointed in the meager performance increase between IB-Haswell. Many of us were expecting more out of an Intel 'tock'.

 

[lshirase]

Finally we can se that the i7 is indeed draining the battery life more faster than the i5 on all situations.

Not by much in real world use.

 

[kaellar]

MBA isn't going to get a significant CPU/GPU upgrade until Intel goes to 14nm as we're still being limited by the same 22nm power constraints Ivy Bridge.

Strange enough, there was a significant performance increase when 1st gen Core iX processors switched to Sandy Bridge, though it was the same 32nm silicon. Magic, indeed. Or it's Intel's marketing team took over the engineers that could've done more significant architecture improvements to Haswell. I'd pick up the magic.

 

[Dookieman]

Boy, am I dissapointed with both gpu and cpu performance and lack of IPS panel.. Hoping to see a better results for i7 as Anand promised to add that to an article. If not, say hello to Haswell rMBP. Higher TDP is what that ULT silicone begs for to show all of its potential.

Eh.. It's a big enough improvement to make previously struggling games run well on high settings.

 

[curtoise]

Not by much in real world use.

It did for me, I've had both models and using them side by side for 5 days and for my own type of workload i5 win by a mile, I get about one extra hour on the i5

 

[scaredpoet]

Despite the fact that all kinds of users are insisting the MBA meet their specific needs, the MBA is designed for the mobile user who needs a balance of features. Not super high-end features. Not a gamer's lair. The general consumer and business user who is on the move and needs a lightweight robust netbook that can do most everything decently enough. Not everything...most everything. Not to the 'nth degree. But a laptop that will get the job done for most people, most of the time.

I'm not exactly sure why this is a bad thing. Or why "all kinds of users" saying it meets their needs is contradictory to the above statements. All kinds of users are in fact finding that the lightweight robustness of the macBook Air is not only sufficient, but a step up from even the MacBook Pros of a couple generations ago that they were using to do the same jobs prior.

Gamers will be disappointed because this netbook is not designed for their specific use.

I would think a gamer should know better than to rely on an 11 or 13 inch ultrathin laptop for serious gaming.

Video editors extraordinaire and photogs who are processing thousands of frames and need speed and the most high def they can get will also be disappointed because again the MBA is not designed for their specific use.

Some may demand more power, others might only require a MacBook Air as a secondary or on-site system that supplements a more capable system back in the studio. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable speaking for EVERY professional in this field, as their workflows and techniques may differ. How it is that you feel capable of speaking for all of them baffles me, frankly.

I'm sorry that angers so many people but it is what it is.

The facts don't anger people, and honestly, neither really does your presentation of an opinion as universal fact. The MacBook Air is not for everyone, though neither is a top of the line MacBook Pro. Apple recognizes this, most certainly. If they didn't, and had the same pretense as yourself, then they would only ever make a single model, single configuration Mac and say that was all anyone ever needed.

This netbook

Yeah... see, either you have no earthly idea what a real netbook is (and how spectacularly it fails at just about everything), or you're calling the MBA a "netbook" to deliberately get a rise out of people.

 

[DavidC1]

Strange enough, there was a significant performance increase when 1st gen Core iX processors switched to Sandy Bridge, though it was the same 32nm silicon. Magic, indeed. Or it's Intel's marketing team took over the engineers that could've done more significant architecture improvements to Haswell. I'd pick up the magic.

It isn't that straightforward. The 1st Gen Core mobile had CPU and Graphics/Memory Controller on different die. The former was at 32nm, but the latter was at 45nm. With Sandy Bridge, CPU stayed at 32nm, but GPU and Memory Controller moved to being on the same die, so it went to 32nm. Also being on the same die vs. on package means lower power due to needing less power for communication.

 

[scyap]

Of all of the platform power optimizations, this is the only one that isn’t currently taken advantage of in OS X. You’ll have to wait for OS X Mavericks to realize these gains.

Battery life page of the review

This implies that the reviewer is running Mountain Lion right?
If so, should we expect improvements in battery life in Mavericks?

 

[PeterJP]

The iGPU improvement over 2012 is slightly diappointing though.

Yeah, Anand always does a great job. He makes a pretty decent case in my mind to buy the cheaper '12 model.

Boy, am I dissapointed with both gpu and cpu performance and lack of IPS panel.

Boy, you're a tough crowd to please.

Here's a good quote:

The facts don't anger people

Indeed. What angers people is their own expectations and that the bad angry world (being Apple in this case) hasn't conformed. Even if the expectations are unrealistic.

Here's the deal. Apple had a choice of a wide range of processors. They decided to go for a lower TDP one this time. The TDP is in fact lower than the CPU only TDP of the previous generation, but this package also includes the PCH and a much bigger GPU. I'm impressed that the CPU still manages to get about the same performance. In Apple's eyes, if you want to do serious processing on the road, you can use QuickSync, OpenCL or a MBP. That's about fair.

If the general conclusion is that everything feels snappier, if everything is faster except for a few benchmarks on CPU, then it's a great deal.

The point about the IPS screen is interesting. I don't know if these can be produced as thin as the MBA requires.


Peter.

 

[kahkityoong]

Finally we can se that the i7 is indeed draining the battery life more faster than the i5 on all situations.

Sustained operation at higher frequencies will likely draw more power, and negatively impact battery life. Light to medium workloads will enjoy a mix of race to sleep benefits as well as higher power consumption under load. Idle power should be roughly similar between the parts however. For most workloads I'd expect a modest impact to battery life,

You need a report to tell you something where common sense would have sufficed?

 

[curtoise]

You need a report to tell you something where common sense would have sufficed?

Are you mad at me? What is the problem?

I do not need a report I've purchased both models on June 10th and tested myself for a week (read my posts) everybody was waiting for the almighty review for a final verdict and there it is.

 

[paulrbeers]

It did for me, I've had both models and using them side by side for 5 days and for my own type of workload i5 win by a mile, I get about one extra hour on the i5

Since when is 11 hours vs 12 hours winning by a mile? Doing some basic math, that's a battery loss of about 8%. Either of those numbers is insane.

So it really wins by about 150 yards...

 

[luffytubby]

I am interested in seeing how Macbook Air, will shape up compared to it's two main competitors, Asus Zenbook Infinity and Samsung ATIV 9 Plus.

Anndtech;
I managed to come across a fully functional system, equipped with 13.3-inch 2560 x 1440 capacitive touch IPS panel.

The Zenbook Infinity maintains ASUS' radial brushed finish, but thanks to the piece of Gorilla Glass 3 the feel is substantially improved. The combination of the metal and the glass cover results in an almost jewelry-like finish, which looks amazing in person. Photos really don't do this thing justice at all. I sincerely hope this marriage of Zenbook design and a glass finish is part of a new design direction for ASUS. If we had a best of show award, I'd totally give it to ASUS for the Zenbook Infinity.

Although it looked black at the press event, in person the Infinity actually has a blue finish to it. The keyboard and trackpad both felt great, as did the build quality of the prototype machine. The ASUS logo on the back uses the display's backlight for illumination.



The ultra high resolution panel would normally be a mixed blessing on a Windows notebook thanks to horrible DPI scaling in Windows 8 desktop mode, but I'm actually wondering if that's a problem Microsoft will address with Windows 8.1 later this year. Given the way the PC ecosystem works, I can't imagine notebook vendors and Intel putting this much effort into driving high DPI displays without proper support from Microsoft. We'll find out for certain shortly here, but I'm getting a good feeling that the solution to this problem may be close.

Internally, the Zenbook Infinity is also pretty cool. Unlike all other Haswell Ultrabooks we've seen, the ZBI is home to a 28W Haswell ULT: the Core i7-4558U. The dual-core part features Intel's Iris 5100 graphics (GT3 without Crystalwell) as well as a higher base CPU clock frequency. The result should be a very interesting combination of power efficiency and GPU performance on tap. ASUS seems to always pick the right parts to integrate into its mobile devices, and the i7-4558U is definitely an interesting one.

and;

Like many of the Ultrabooks announced in Taipei, the ATIV Book 9 Plus is a marriage of MacBook Air and rMBP. You get a form factor that's very similar to the 13-inch MBA, but with a display that's clearly aimed at the more expensive rMBP. Where the ATIV Book 9 Plus falls in pricing will be very interesting to see.

Internally, there's a familiar refrain: Core i5-4200U (Haswell ULT), DDR3L and an SSD. Like the ATIV Q, the SSD in this case is one of Samsung's own - the MZNTD128HAGM, a 6Gbps SATA M.2 drive. The machine ships with an integrated 55Wh battery and weighs 1.39 kg. Samsung claims up to 12 hours of battery life.

Both are very interesting products. With the Samsung, can they really claim 12 hours of battery on a 55Wh battery with such a display? I think it sounds doubtful.

Meanwhile the Asus packs a significantly more powerful CPU at a higher TDP(28 vs 15) - how will the battery and thermals be, and how much will it have overclocked freuqency?


These two products, Samsung Series 9 and Asus Zenbook Prime series, are the notebooks that packs the best trackpads, that actually come close to Apples own, as well as the best in house island style keyboards along with Sony.
Price, thermals, battery, noise, sound quality, viewing angles will all be a part in the comparisons as well. It's going to be interesting.