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Apple Reportedly Beginning Production of Next-Generation MacBook Air Models

Thomas2006 said:
Kill the MacBook, yes, but do not change the name of the MacBook Air, and lower the price of the MacBook Pro models by 100USD across the board.
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The basic question is... is the MacBook a profitable item for Apple currently? Is the demand sufficient to justify its existence?

Without concrete answers to these questions, how can we call for the demise of a product line...?

"Hey, Apple, why don't you cancel a product line that's wildly successful and profitable because I don't imagine I'll be buying one."

That's kind of short sighted in my view... There are lots of ways the MacBook could evolve, while remaining relevant, sleek and an amazing entry-level Mac that will may very well lure people into upgrading eventually to the MacBook Pro...

My advice to Apple: do what the data tells you to do.
 
scottsjack said:
Hopefully there are a lot of people like you and me. My MP has five internal 2TB drives plus a few more by FW. My MBP has the highest capacity 7200 RPM drive available, a WD Black.

I have no interest in the cloud other than Internet, software downloads and an occasional song or movie from iTunes. I think that's what we used to refer to as "on line" before everybody tried to become all cool and hip by using the word "cloud". I really like having my private data confined to the privacy of my own equipment.
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Confined to your own equipment is great right up to the point a fire, flood or other disaster destroys everything... Then what?

Business is moving to online tools, software and storage. Why waste money on servers and PCs that cost thousands of dollars and basically stuck in a cycle of maintenance, upgrades and keeping a full time IT staff when companies like Google has a staff of 100+ PHD's that do nothing but ensure that data is safe and secure. Not to mention having physical hardware still requires paying for off site back ups. Going online is/will be the cheaper, smarter and safer move as bandwidth to homes increases.

I have all my pictures back up online, I have no need to deal with failed HDD's and wasting money on redundant hardware when it it more secure, disaster proof and always available online. Physical media is needed to run some things but backup solutions that only rely on in house media IMO is only half the solution or it's a crap shoot as to when that hardware fails.

Then again, I'm sure some people enjoy attracting the ladies bragging they have 8,10,20 etc... TB of storage. :cool:
 
Marx55 said:
THE MAIN reason to buy the MacBook Air 11.6-inch is NOT because it is cheaper, but because it is lighter and smaller. Apple should make an even lighter (400 to 600 g) and smaller (7-inch) MacBook Air.
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I saw one today in a sports bar in Tampa Bay. Brushed aluminum, about the size of a Blackberry Playbook, maybe a bit thicker. I knew right away that it wasn't an iPad. I didn't bother the guy across the bar who was using it; but I should have! The guy looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s - definitely looked like a "top-brass" type.

It looked like it had a iPhone charger jack on the center of one of the short sides, and there was a headphone jack on that side as well.

What thre me off was that there were no hinges. I didn't see him open it; but when I turned and saw that he opened it, I was blown away. It had an internal hinge mechanizm that seemed to support the weight of the screen so it wouldn't topple over in when opened. The keyboard was black, entirely, and had walled sides around the keys that the screen would snuggly fit into like a puzzle piece. The thing was about 2/3 the width of a macbook. The apple logo looked to be chrome, but it may have been black; it was hard to tell with the light in the bar. The odd thing was that the logo was sideways when in the open position. :confused:

Has anyone heard of anything like this???

Here is a quick sketch I made of the thing (I know, I'm not an artist):
255044_10150273647548824_503443823_9080825_3056396_n.jpg

The thickness is probably not to scale...I would say it's 3/4 of an inch thick if I had to guess.
 
They need to start putting better displays in their notebooks. I had a 13 inch MBP and the display sucked, I have a new 17 inch MBP and the display sucks. If you don't believe me put yours up next to a notebook with a RGB LED display and you'll cry too. Come on Apple! :D
 
darklich said:
They need to start putting better displays in their notebooks. I had a 13 inch MBP and the display sucked, I have a new 17 inch MBP and the display sucks. If you don't believe me put yours up next to a notebook with a RGB LED display and you'll cry too. Come on Apple! :D
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I guess you're right, considering the prices of Macs they should have top of the line displays, although I don't think that they are poor quality now.
 
AppleScruff1 said:
I guess you're right, considering the prices of Macs they should have top of the line displays, although I don't think that they are poor quality now.
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You're right, I'm being a bit harsh, but they should be the best displays not good displays. Does anyone at Apple ever care to see a picture in full color on their MBP? I guess I'm the only one and I don't matter to them.
 
bradl said:
Then you take your eyesight for granted.

Try going without it for a while, or all or most of your life, like those legally blind. Then you'll see how handy a backlit keyboard really comes to be.
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Then you take your eyesight for granted, if you're working in the dark most of the time.
 
knowledg333 said:
I saw one today in a sports bar in Tampa Bay. Brushed aluminum, about the size of a Blackberry Playbook, maybe a bit thicker. I knew right away that it wasn't an iPad. I didn't bother the guy across the bar who was using it; but I should have! The guy looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s - definitely looked like a "top-brass" type.

It looked like it had a iPhone charger jack on the center of one of the short sides, and there was a headphone jack on that side as well.

What thre me off was that there were no hinges. I didn't see him open it; but when I turned and saw that he opened it, I was blown away. It had an internal hinge mechanizm that seemed to support the weight of the screen so it wouldn't topple over in when opened. The keyboard was black, entirely, and had walled sides around the keys that the screen would snuggly fit into like a puzzle piece. The thing was about 2/3 the width of a macbook. The apple logo looked to be chrome, but it may have been black; it was hard to tell with the light in the bar. The odd thing was that the logo was sideways when in the open position. :confused:

Has anyone heard of anything like this???

Here is a quick sketch I made of the thing (I know, I'm not an artist):
Image
The thickness is probably not to scale...I would say it's 3/4 of an inch thick if I had to guess.
Click to expand...

It sounds like it's just one of the many different iPad bluetooth keyboard/case combo's. Zagg and a few others make cases that fit that description and the keyboards have a lip around to snap the iPad into, making it a case.

This one by Logitech has a brushed aluminum body:

http://www.zagg.com/accessories/logitech-ipad-2-keyboard-case
 
shadowjeff said:
Then you take your eyesight for granted, if you're working in the dark most of the time.
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You assume I am blind. You assume wrong.

Go back and read my post again. I said that my SO is legally blind. you also assume that she works in the dark. Tell me.. How would you feel if you had silver nitrate spilled into your eyes shortly after you were born, destroying your cornea and optic nerve? Or how about the glaucoma onset by it? Or how about 7 different cornea transplants to barely get the little vision you'd get back after none of them took? Would you be able to live with little to no vision?

I eagerly await your response. Until then, my point still stands, and you don't have room to talk.

BL.
 
dawnrazor said:
I predict that the new MBAs will be released to coincide with the release of Lion, it would make a hell of a lot of sense - especially seeing as the new MBAs aren't going to be a massive leap forward are they, at least in terms of hardware. I reckon all we can hope for is sandy bridge, and maybe a TB port, anything after that will be a bonus, but I don't see it happening this time round.
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Spot on. Maybe a FaceTime HD camera too? Any other physical change (incl backlit keyboard) unlikely, IMHO.

I wonder how they keep it secret, while making 380,000 of them?
 
Apple's Priorities?

MBA = Thin, quiet, light weight

Next MBP = Powerful, Long Battery Life, Lighted keyboard
 
The fact that the 11.6-inch MacBook Air has outsold the 13.3-inch model is revealing. If Apple made an even lighter and smaller MacBook Air, it would outsell the other models as well. Because many people want a full Mac but as mobile as possible. And here the iPad cannot deliver, because it is not a Mac.
 
bradl said:
You assume I am blind. You assume wrong.

Go back and read my post again. I said that my SO is legally blind. you also assume that she works in the dark. Tell me.. How would you feel if you had silver nitrate spilled into your eyes shortly after you were born, destroying your cornea and optic nerve? Or how about the glaucoma onset by it? Or how about 7 different cornea transplants to barely get the little vision you'd get back after none of them took? Would you be able to live with little to no vision?

I eagerly await your response. Until then, my point still stands, and you don't have room to talk.

BL.
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Sorry for your friends personal problems but that has no relevance to this thread. You should not need a light on the keyboard to type as most can type without looking at the keyboard. Please take the attitude elsewhere.


Sent from my AT&T iPhone 4 using Tapatalk
 
orfeas0 said:
3g AND improved battery = current battery life. unless you disable the 3g and have even more battery left.
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Which would be a blood headache when it came to supporting international customers so I doubt they would do it. If you really want 3G support then go purchase a USB dongle from your local carrier - Sierra Wireless make a really nice one (Aircard 308) which has 64bit drivers for Mac OS X already which means it'll work out of the box and integrated with the latest iMac and MacBook Pro's which load into 64bit kernel by default.
 
I am pretty sure they will put some newer CPUs, but not better than a medium spec Macbook Pro, as everyone will quit buying MBPs.:D
 
Radoo said:
I am pretty sure they will put some newer CPUs, but not better than a medium spec Macbook Pro, as everyone will quit buying MBPs.:D
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Meh, I'd say they'll put one of those low voltage models with the embedded GPU's - it'll work alright but it'll be only good for things like office work, the odd bit of development here and there but nothing majorly heavy lifting. What I think is the greater threat isn't MacBook Air cannibalising MacBook Pro but more likely MacBook Air challenging the MacBook given the low entry level of the MacBook Air these days. My old man, who would have been a perfect candidate for a MacBook has been looking at the MacBook Air instead - I doubt he is the only one thinking along those lines.
 
MrNomNoms said:
Meh, I'd say they'll put one of those low voltage models with the embedded GPU's - it'll work alright but it'll be only good for things like office work, the odd bit of development here and there but nothing majorly heavy lifting. What I think is the greater threat isn't MacBook Air cannibalising MacBook Pro but more likely MacBook Air challenging the MacBook given the low entry level of the MacBook Air these days. My old man, who would have been a perfect candidate for a MacBook has been looking at the MacBook Air instead - I doubt he is the only one thinking along those lines.
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Dude, learn to read... I said the same thing for the first part. :rolleyes:
 
trims said:
Spot on. Maybe a FaceTime HD camera too? Any other physical change (incl backlit keyboard) unlikely, IMHO.

I wonder how they keep it secret, while making 380,000 of them?
Click to expand...

Yeah the camera on my 11.6" really sucks even compared to my 08 macbook
 
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