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Apple Announces New 13.3-Inch and 11.6-Inch MacBook Air Models with Flash Storage
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Can someone tell me why the iPad gets 10 hours of battery life and the new MBAs get 5-7? Is it just that the iPad has a smaller screen size and a slower processor?
The iPad has a processor that takes a lot less power. Also the whole logic board and all controllers on it take far less. It has no USB either. It's CPU has the graphics capabilities included in the same chip while on the Air it's two separate chips doing splitting that work so they also take more power, etc etc. There are a million of small reasons that sum up to a lot. But the basic answer is that the display is smaller, and the internals take a lot less power since they are a lot less powerful.
In 15 years of using laptops, I have never, ever, locked one to anything, nor seen anyone else do so. People actually use those things on portable devices ?
Thanks for the response, but are you saying the USB is drawing power even when not in use?
Not necessarily, but there is a USB bus that draws power, and it requires a chip, which is mostly integrated with other stuff of course, but there is still some amount of power that is drawn over the entire system just for having USB in it.
Apple also has new and more rigorous usage tests, apparently. The iPad may get less life under those.
Perhaps it is not baffling at all, simply that the iPad has in no way "killed" the netbook market ?
I have an iPad. It's a cool (albeit extremely expensive) toy, but it's not really workable from the perspective of actually doing useful work. For example, when I am on call and have to remotely administer systems because something broke while I'm out at dinner, trying to do it from an iPad will be frustrating at best, impossible at worst, even if I'm also carting around a bluetooth keyboard with it.
EDIT: By "netbook" above I meant the form factor. The price of the MBA puts it well out of the "netbook" marketspace. "Ultraportable" would probably have been a better term.
They've actually been using these new standards since the 13" MBP introduction, he just re-emphasized them in this presentation.
I'm actually glad they do this, apple's battery estimates are way more accurate than most PC makers in my personal experience. I get 6.5 hours out of my "7 hour batter" and thats when I'm streaming videos and doing other normal work.
I am kinda pissed that merely opening itunes drops the battery estimate by a whole hour, even when its just sitting there.
dgree03 said:
I was honestly thinking the first question was sarcasm, but as this thread continues perhaps it wasn't. The last time I installed software from a CD it was to upgrade to Snow Leopard. Before that it was Leopard. Heck, I don't think I've installed software off a CD that wasn't an OS in 4 or 5 years!
And of note: I don't pirate stuff, and I don't play games much. I just generally buy shareware apps or other software available online for a price. Other commonly used software is free, like Chrome and XCode.
Just have ordered mine MBA 13" with 4GB. Is not even for me but wife. I am with apple on pointless of having optical drives and hard drives. Old technology. However latest MBA is a bit overpriced, but well I was kinda forced 
.
Its says delivery before 1st of November. Anyone the same in UK?
.Its says delivery before 1st of November. Anyone the same in UK?
It's a trivially simple exercise to make a bootable USB stick installer from your OS X DVD. Just do that.
I would agree with you, if it were a 4lbs 2 inch thick plastic pos. However...
Ding ding ding! You just found why it cost more! As it turns our, Mechanical/Electrical/Software engineers don't work for free. Apple isn't in the businesses of taking the latest hardware, gluing it together, and finding a plastic shell that it more or less fits in. That isn't what they do, that isn't what they've been doing. They sell hardware that fits a physical need/purpose.
If you want a small computing device, you have:
iPhone > iPad > MBA > MBP
If you need power, start at the top and go down, if you desire small size, start at the bottom and go up. If you need something in the middle that doesn't cost too much, get a MacBook. If you don't think OSX is worth a dime, than wtf are you looking at this site for?
Why do people think that Apple is trying to sell a MBP replacement? Honestly, are people here THAT dense?
actually the CPUs in the MBA costs more than the MBP Cpus (at least the ones in 13"/15")
being a Low Voltage/Ultra Voltage CPUs (in MBA) they are not powerful like standard Voltage CPUs (MB/MB Pro).
eventually when Intel moves to 32nm/22nm these Low Power CPUs will be in the standard notebook(s) like MB/MBP (in 2 to 3 years). When CPU performance improves and battery life increases.
Sorry if this is already asked,
256GB SSD configuration adds $750 to MBP, but 256GB Flash storage already in $1599 MBA configuration.
What gives?
Why 256GB Flash memory is cheap in MBA but NOT in the form of SSD?
any one?
any one?
Because Apple is selling the flash chips cheaper than the whole SSD drive from a 3rd party, and because the prices on the MBPs are ancient, while the MBA are brand new...
thanks for the reply.
i do not think the enclosure cost so much right? may be it is (cost) associated with controller?
we gotta really see the tear down and controllers in the Flash Module.
On the MBA pricing, i think we might see bigger/better sale during one day thanks giving sale from Apple, I think there is enough time to do a 13" Macbook/Macbook Pro refresh (not the 15"/17" MBP).
Unless Apple decides make MBA as hot seller for this holiday.
any one?
You have to consider the standard 128GB as part of the base price. $300 is not an unreasonable jump for going to 256 GB in standard drives.
The difference is, Apple bought the SSD Chips and the controller as single parts and made their own thing out of it, while alternatively they would buy a whole product, the solid state drive itself from a manufacturer, change nothing, and just put it in. A finished product is always a lot more expensive to buy than the single components that it's made of (ssd chips and controller)
just an FYI, 128GB SSD is not default in Macbook Pro, mechanical drive is the standard default drive, you have to pay more to upgrade to either 128/256 SSD in Macbook Pro.
i guess you are confusing 128GB standard in MBA.
ok makes sense, hope it is not slow compared to the Standard SSD drives (with good controller).
then it looks like eventually this storage will make into Macbook Pro as well.
Intel might be furious with this (because they cannot sell their Intel SSD to Apple) OR who knows apple may be get the Flash from Intel ( i believe it is currently getting it from Samsung/Toshiba right?)
Apple starting reporting "battery life" accurately after the introduced the integrated battery technology (more juice) earlier they also claim similar to PC makers.
It is just matter of time before Dell, HP and Lenovo starts offering Integrated Battery technology (i am not sure if it already exists on the PC world yet)
Out of the box, my 4 year old Macbook never got the battery hours what apple stated in the specs.
The iPad is for someone who only wants ONE device to F with, or who wants internet always in a living space.
If you have a laptop or desktop, and especially if you have a smart phone you don't "need" an iPad. The folks who lack all or some of that "need" an iPad.
Further there are consumers and producers of content. Content producers still need a workstation, portable or not.
Rocketman