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Anyone else think MacBook Air ...

sevoman

sevoman

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 23, 2016
43
11
Ancient Egypt
Anyone else think that the MacBook air will be replaced by a 13 to 15 inch MacBook (retina) with the same design as the new 12 inch ? Personally I think the 12 inch macbook design with the bar speaker and flat keyboard is amazing. No reason to keep the MBA design around. Probably there will be 2 laptop lineups:

MacBook (retina)
-12 inch
-15 inch

MacBook Pro (retina)
13.3 inch
15 inch
 
The keyboard is rubbish on the Air IMHO. I would buy an Air for the retina display since its lighter then my Macbook pro but no way will I ever want that dumb keyboard. The travel is horrible among the other issues with it and considering this is to use notes with in school the keyboard is the most important thing on the laptop.
 
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Closingracer said:
The keyboard is rubbish on the Air IMHO. I would buy an Air for the retina display since its lighter then my Macbook pro but no way will I ever want that dumb keyboard. The travel is horrible among the other issues with it and considering this is to use notes with in school the keyboard is the most important thing on the laptop.
Click to expand...
Aren't you confused with the Macbook instead of the Air?
 
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Not only the keyboard is horrid, but the thing has no ports! For them to phase out the MB Air it'd need a second USB port (preferably USB-A) and a TB port. Oh and a decent camera would be nice, too..

No expectation that any of this will happen, though. More likely we'll get a minor spec bump on the non-retina Air, as they keep it as the entry-level MB at the 999 price level.
 
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can$rules said:
Not only the keyboard is horrid, but the thing has no ports! For them to phase out the MB Air it'd need a second USB port (preferably USB-A) and a TB port. Oh and a decent camera would be nice, too..

No expectation that any of this will happen, though. More likely we'll get a minor spec bump on the non-retina Air, as they keep it as the entry-level MB at the 999 price level.
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Sadly, I think you are correct. (I'm not sad that you are correct, but that the MBA will most likely get a minor spec bump). :)

I'm embarrassed by how much I enjoy using my 2014 11" MBA 4GB/128GB. I'm still amazed that a device that is virtually the same size as my iPad Air 2 is a full-functioning OSX notebook.
 
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On both the rMBP and MacBook the palm rests on each side of the trackpad are too small to use for extended periods on your lap. There is no comfortable way to place your palms. I will pick up the next version of the Air even without a retina display.
 
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sevoman said:
Anyone else think that the MacBook air will be replaced by a 13 to 15 inch MacBook (retina) with the same design as the new 12 inch ? Personally I think the 12 inch macbook design with the bar speaker and flat keyboard is amazing. No reason to keep the MBA design around. Probably there will be 2 laptop lineups:

MacBook (retina)
-12 inch
-15 inch

MacBook Pro (retina)
13.3 inch
15 inch
Click to expand...

Yes.

Personally, I"m hoping for some big changes in Apple's entire computer range, given Skylake and USB-C. I'd like to see 12 and 14" Macbooks and 14 and 16" Macbook Pros. Keep the Air around for another year for one last hurrah, then EOL.
 
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If I was a betting woman, I'd wager a few $, £, or € that Apple, before the end of 2016, will have announced/released, a 14" rMB with an upgraded processor that makes it viable. The 12" rMB will get a performance bump too. These notebooks won't be for everyone, but they'll be marketed as a perfect fit for content creators and average users. And Apple will be correct.

We won't like it, and in a fit of thumbing our noses at Apple, will continue to use our MBAs until they become obsolete.

Thus has it has always been.
 
Last edited:
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cincygolfgrrl said:
If I were a betting woman, I'd wager a few $, £, or € that Apple, before the end of 2016, will have announced/released, a 14" rMB with an upgraded processor that makes it viable. The 12" rMB will get a performance bump too. These notebooks won't be for everyone, but they'll be marketed as a perfect fit for content creators and average users. And Apple will be correct.

We won't like it, and in a fit of thumbing our noses at Apple, will continue to use our MBAs until they become obsolete.

Thus has it has always been.
Click to expand...

That would also be my guess.... 14" rMB basically with the footprint of a 13" macbook air but lighter. USB c + sd card slot. Just enlarge the 12" rMB to 14" and slap an SD card slot on it. Done. I'd get one.
 
Just now came across this thread if I had to guess or share my opinion about the MacBook Air I personally think and feel that the line is soon to be discontinued given the new MacBook line. I've had quite a few of the later Gen MBA's and they were very unique machines given their thinness and weight. I've had both the 11" and 13" models and loved them all. I wish and hope that Apple plans to expand the new MacBook line to include larger sizes as the new MacBook's is really a thing of beauty.
 
Actually, a new Macbook Air with a price similar to the current Macbook Airs would be nice. Not too much update on the looks, just a bit higher resolution (retina is not necessary) and USB 3 instead of USB2. And new colors!
 
mountain said:
I don't think they will have retina on the air.
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Retina would shorten some of that fantastic battery life that the Air is known for, let alone the weight. It's got to be still doing fantastic in sales I would think, in the refurbished area thats usually the first computer to get sold out or close too.

Side note though is that if you compare prices of the 13" MBA to 13" MBPr very close, could this be Apple saying everything is going retina / Pro ?
 
I'd prefer MBA in 11" , 13" & 15".
rMB is underpowered for serious use, while the MBA can have a i7.
(I've got the 2013 MBA i7 13" 256GB, will keep it, and get the best MBPr late 2016 when it comes out.)

If MBA 15" comes out, it should have a FHD screen like the old 17" MBP did in 2011.
I'm hopeful that a new MBPr will come in 17" 4k or 5k screen size this year, along with a Xeon processor and 64GB upgradable ECC ram.
 
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I was in an Apple store this week to get some warranty work done on a mini, and had the opportunity to play with the new Macbook. As has been suggested above, I found the keyboard a but funky. The size & weigh are pretty cool, but there's no way I could use it as a daily machine the way I use my 13" MBA.
 
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[USER=2326]@kiwipeso[/USER] said:
I'd prefer MBA in 11" , 13" & 15".
rMB is underpowered for serious use, while the MBA can have a i7.
(I've got the 2013 MBA i7 13" 256GB, will keep it, and get the best MBPr late 2016 when it comes out.)

If MBA 15" comes out, it should have a FHD screen like the old 17" MBP did in 2011.
I'm hopeful that a new MBPr will come in 17" 4k or 5k screen size this year, along with a Xeon processor and 64GB upgradable ECC ram.
Click to expand...

Apple killed off their 17" MBP a few years ago. They are unlikely to resurrect it.

Your 2013 MBA should last for years and years.
 
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cincygolfgrrl said:
Apple killed off their 17" MBP a few years ago. They are unlikely to resurrect it.

Your 2013 MBA should last for years and years.
Click to expand...

I for one am completely satisfied with the 11" macbook air. I have a 15" Macbook pro as well as several mac desktops and an iPad but I will normally reach for the Air and always travel with it. The air combined with using my iPhone as a hotspot satisfies all my needs
 
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There is one problem for the new Macbook replacing the Macbook Air: From Apple's perspective, the new Macbook is priced cheap. The reason is that Apple is never compromising on having the customer pay an extra $200 USD for either an upgrade from a 128GB SSD to 256GB or for an upgrade from 4GB RAM to 8GB RAM.

This entirely explains the Macbook's pricing over the Macbook Air's cheapest options, because the Macbook comes standard with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. This machine is of course perfect for students with these extra specs, and its better display, because this allows students to comfortably run Microsoft Windows in a virtual machine.

If Apple does replace the Macbook Air they'll only offer the new Macbooks at the lower price point cutting both RAM and SSD space. And that will be a pretty terrible experience for those who buy it.
 
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