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Apple Executives Discuss MacBook Air Redesign and Reflect on 12-Inch MacBook

apparatchik said:
No body here mentions the 11” MBA. That model had both, the wedge shape and the maximum portability of the 12” MB.

I agree there’s space in the lineup for an ultraportable. I would give the 11” MBA the new models treatment. That would be a dream machine that you could hook up to a large monitor when home and still have an M2-powered workhorse.
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The main issue with the 11" Air was the screen. An 11 inch widescreen with a 1366x768 resolution was just too limited.

I think if you're going for a sub-notebook, the 4:3 12 inch screen size seems to have the best balance of portability and usable space, the 12 inch PowerBook and MacBook confirmed this. The MacBook just let itself down in almost every other area.
 
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Apple Knowledge Navigator said:
In that case it should have been cheaper than the Air, not more expensive!
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MacBook Air was and still is Apple's biggest seller. It has the economies-of-scale to bring cost-per-product down, supporting a decrease in price. Launching a new product line is expensive, and the 12-inch MacBook did not sell well comparatively. I'm sure from Apple's perspective, a 12-inch MacBook was more expensive to produce than a MacBook Air.

Speaking of lowered price: in year 2012 the MacBook Air cost $1,199, which in today's dollars is $1,548.20. And yet the M1 starts at $999 and the M2 starts at $1,199. Apple has actually been lowering the price, considering inflation, and we're getting much more performance-per-dollar than 10-years ago; the Air is no longer just a web browsing machine—it's faster than a 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro that was priced at $2,399—it's faster than a base 2019 Mac Pro that starts at $5,999.
 
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CoolSpot said:
There is zero point to a 12” laptop when you have the 13” air that’s nearly the same size/weight.
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The M2 MacBook Air is 33% heavier than the MacBook was.

12" Retina Macbook
  • Height: 0.14–0.52 inch (0.35–1.31 cm)
  • Width: 11.04 inches (28.05 cm)
  • Depth: 7.74 inches (19.65 cm)
  • Weight: 2.03 pounds (0.92 kg)

13" M2 MacBook Air
  • Height: 0.44 inch (1.13 cm)
  • Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
  • Depth: 8.46 inches (21.5 cm)
  • Weight: 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg)
 
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ian87w said:
Apple had to redesign to differentiate the new and the old. But the fact that it shares the design with the MacBook Pros, meaning tooling and manufacturing are shared in cost, that's probably a huge cost saving for Apple.
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That's not how CNC machining works. They're not stamping these parts.

It does not save costs to have the design look similar.
 
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Realityck said:
So now that we have come further technology wise, particularly what the M1 offers compared to substantially slower dual core Intel processors, what’s stopping you from producing a significant better 12” MacBook?
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Nothing. That's why he mentioned it. Every word from Apple is specifically scripted. You'll definitely see a new 12" next year.
 
The rMB will probably remain one of the worse product designs from Apple - it's a technical marvel that outlines everything that is wrong with building something as light and thin as technology will allow it, with no concern for users whatsoever.

Weak processing power because it has to be fanless, terrible butterfly keyboard to make it thin and "easy" to use (which created frustration), so light you had to use both hands to open it, and the list goes on.
 
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I think people hate on the MacBook too much. Yes, the Butterfly Keyboard was a disaster (though it was effective at what it was designed to do - making the keyboard thin enough to fit in the MacBook’s frame), but the MacBook also introduced the Force Touch Trackpad, which never gets talked about but is the sole reason I use a trackpad instead of a mouse today!
 
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The only thing I don't understand is: why didn't the 13" Pro also get a redesign? Why does it still use a chassis from 2016 with the touch bar, when M2 clearly consumes more heat under load and possibly could use another fan and thicker heat pipes for cooling? Maybe Apple didn't have more time before release to update the chassis?
 
The beauty of the 11" MBAir was illustrated when flying on the airlines in "Coach". You could drop down the "table" from the seat in front of you and open the screen to a good viewing angle and still some space left for your palms even if the seat in front reclined.

My current preferred airline travel device is my 11" iPad with "Bridge" keyboard with large trackpad, now with a M1 and 2TB SSD.

The large (15" and bigger) laptops really only work in Business or First Class due to the "Sardine" seating arrangements of today.
 
falkon-engine said:
The only thing I don't understand is: why didn't the 13" Pro also get a redesign? Why does it still use a chassis from 2016 with the touch bar, when M2 clearly consumes more heat under load and possibly could use another fan and thicker heat pipes for cooling? Maybe Apple didn't have more time before release to update the chassis?
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I suspect they are trying to wean people off the 13" Pro (and 13" Air) but have kept the 13" Pro around for the diehards and for institutional purchases for now. Eventually though, it will be discontinued completely.

switz said:
The beauty of the 11" MBAir was illustrated when flying on the airlines in "Coach". You could drop down the "table" from the seat in front of you and open the screen to a good viewing angle and still some space left for your palms even if the seat in front reclined.
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You could do that with the 12" MacBook too.

My current preferred airline travel device is my 11" iPad with "Bridge" keyboard with large trackpad, now with a M1 and 2TB SSD.
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I also have a 10.5" iPad Pro with Apple Smart Keyboard. I'll replace when it goes OLED.
 
crsh1976 said:
The rMB will probably remain one of the worse product designs from Apple - it's a technical marvel that outlines everything that is wrong with building something as light and thin as technology will allow it, with no concern for users whatsoever.

Weak processing power because it has to be fanless, terrible butterfly keyboard to make it thin and "easy" to use (which created frustration), so light you had to use both hands to open it, and the list goes on.
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It's the best laptop I have ever used!
 
As of a month ago, my 2017 12" MB's trackpad is non-functional. Until then, it was a perfect travel computer - despite the underpowered Intel chip and the keyboard. I've ordered the new MBA, hoping it can provide some of the same ease of use. (Would absolutely go for even an M1 12" MB, though.)
 
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Realityck said:
So now that we have come further technology wise, particularly what the M1 offers compared to substantially slower dual core Intel processors, what’s stopping you from producing a significant better 12” MacBook?
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My answer is the keyboard. I loved everything about the 12inch. It was my dream size and for a writer it had more than enough power. But the keyboard was horrible, though Apple did repeatedly replace it at no cost to me, but as easy as AppleCare makes it to replace, that was still a hassle.
 
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