Apple Rumored to Update Non-Retina MacBook Air Line in Late February

[Woochoo]

Apple, let me make this simple for you. (You don't even have to pay me)

I (and thousands of others) want:

* slimmer bezel (whether it's 13 inch in currently 11 inch form factor) or (15 inch in currently 11 inch form factor)
* Same or similar MBA dimension. (I don't need it smaller, save that space for bigger battery
* PORTS... I will not bring dongles with me
* retina display (or better)
* fanless


That's not very hard, Dell can do it, I'm sure Apple with it's 700 billion market share can pull it together, right?

Well, it's sad but Apple will do what they want (just look at Mac Mini), because they have a great marketing that will convince people it is the best product they can buy (despit not being it in some cases), and they will sell it counting by millions.

Slimmer bezel? Agree, but if it doesn't mean reducing the nº of ports (it shouldn't mean that, but hey, it's Apple!). About the PORTS, I agree, I've read somewhere people defending a 1 USB MBA wich would use the same port to charge it. Are you mad guys? If you always claim you like portability and some less g of weigh, why the hell would you prefer to carry a dongle over having 1 more port?

About the fanless design, why is people so obsessed with it? Macbooks are not famous for being cool laptops under heavy loads, so I don't see a fanless MBP unless you want to use it as a pan to make your breakfast, and a MBA is so quiet you can barely notice any noise, so in both situations is pointless the fan-less design. The only reason Apple would go for a fanless design is to avoid the last mechanical part (alongside with trackpad click), not because of the noise.

 

[christarp]

I'm curious as what apple is doing, I think there's way too much overlap in their product line if they do come out with a 12" MBA as people expect them too.

11" MBA
12" MBA
13" MBA
13" rMBP
13" cMBP.

Something's gotta give

the cMBP will be gone by next refresh is my guess.

 

[Mattsasa]

I think it will more so be along the lines of

11" MBA either nuked sooner or put into comatose (no upgrade) state of $799 as a temporary stop gap.
13" MBA $899 ( move down into the 11" price point.)
12" rMBA $999 [ later perhaps after 11" and 13" moves. Tiggers removal of 11" MBA ]
13" rMBP $1199 [ price drop kills off old cMBP 13" ]
15" rMBP $1899 [ price drop to close gap of 13" models moving down]

Given 13" MBA and 11" MBA at the same price I suspect most folks would buy the 13" model ( the ~0.58 pounds doesn't make that much of a difference. ). The "princess and the pea" folks who are adversely impacted by mere fractions of a pound can move up to the even lighter rMBA model. If weight makes a big difference then it does.

Apple still needs a model at the $899 price point to drive volume. Most people want larger laptops. In the more general Windows PC space , mediocre 15" screens dominate at even lower price points.

In 1-2 years the 12-13" hiDPI panels will sink to same (or lower ) prices of the MBA's current panels. At that point Apple nukes the non hiDPI screens. The hiDPI panels have already sunk enough to wipe out the cMBP 13".

I think 11" disappears. It was far more a move to lower costs than a highly desired screen size. Once the hiDPI screens are affordable there is no good reason to drop that low.

12" stripped of weight and all but one port. lightest.
13" lighter than MBP still has a role if not gutted of ports.

both above sub $1000 and probably in that order price wise long term.

13" MBP without the CPU and port compromises.

Sounds pretty reasonable to me. Pretty similar to one of the lineups, I was suggesting. you were a little more generous on prices though.
I am curious though the 13" old form factor macbook air you suggest for $899... do you think that model will ever get updated to a retina display

 

[Gym Hellwig]

Not exactly. They crippled the Mac Mini in comparison to the previous model and stopped sales of the previous model. They didn't come out with a new, high end Mac Mini that is less powerful than the regular Mac Mini that they still sell along side of it.

Airs were always less powerful than pros.

And there's no sense in crippling your entire notebook lineup just so your Core M product can be the fastest. Doesn't make any sense at all.

 

[Nee412]

Last year Apple was rumored to be releasing a Retina MacBook Air, and yet updated the older models with a very minor processor bump instead.

If they update the current models to Broadwell now, without releasing the new model alongside them, the chances are we won't see the mystical 12" MacBook till 2016.

However, for those still waiting for a rMBA there is good news. This year we've seen a leaked part in the form of that screen, which is obviously for a laptop of around 12". With a part like that actually existing the chances are that a 12" rMBA running Broadwell does at least exist. Apple may yet bring us updates to the MBA and a new rMBA at the same time. Similar to how they introduced updates to the MBP when they first announced the rMBP.

In fact if you connect the dots the current set of rumors still points to a February/March Watch and MacBook Air event.

 

[Vanilla Face]

Airs were always less powerful than pros.

That's what I was saying. The release of the MBA in relation to the MBP is not comparable to the release of the rMBA to the MBA. If anything, you could compare it to the release of the rMBP to the MBP where they stopped updating the MBP and by no means did the MBP outperform the rMBP.

 

[Cole Slaw]

I owned a 2013 11" MBA and it was a good little computer all-around.
However, I would not buy another if it had the same screen.
That was my only real complaint about it. Doesn't have to be retina, but in 2015 I think it does need to be better.
Oh, and don't remove what meager number of ports the MBA currently have because of Ives' "thinner above all else" obsession.

 

[kis]

Another year with this screen resolution would be highly disappointing. Most PC manufacturers have moved on to 4K displays by now. Then again, Dell somehow managed to secure exclusivity for the (near) borderless Sharp screens they use in the XPS 13 (2015 model)

 

[Gym Hellwig]

That's what I was saying. The release of the MBA in relation to the MBP is not comparable to the release of the rMBA to the MBA. If anything, you could compare it to the release of the rMBP to the MBP where they stopped updating the MBP and by no means did the MBP outperform the rMBP.

So what do you want Apple to do? Gimp its entire Air lineup just so the rAir can be the "fastest"?

Unless the rAir will sell more than all of the other Air models combined, that plan doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[Mainsail]

For a while now, I have been reading complaints on this forum about the MBA's display. Is this largely an issue with pixel density?

MBP: 1280 X 800
MBA: 1440 X 900
rMBP: 2560 X 1600

Or, is there some other issue with the display that is causing concern? Honestly, just wondering why folks think the display is so poor.

I think most consumers don't even know the difference exists and would have a difficult time identifying the difference between displays unless you pointed it out and made a big deal out of it.

I have 3 students in the house (Middle School, High School and College) and they use MBAs and the original MBP. They have never complained about the displays on their computers.

I have an MBA at work and have one for personal use. The only time I even think about the quality of the display is when I come to MacRumors and read about how terrible it is.

I am not criticizing those that want a retina MBA. But, it is probably going to cost you something......battery life, weight, thickness, cost.....something.

BTW - I would like to see a smaller bezel on the MBA, since this does impact the footprint and portability of the device. So, I guess everybody has their pet issue.

 

[Vanilla Face]

So what do you want Apple to do? Gimp its entire Air lineup just so the rAir can be the "fastest"?

Unless the rAir will sell more than all of the other Air models combined, that plan doesn't make any sense to me.

Once the rMBA is release I do expect it to outsell the rest of the line, just like the rMBP outsells the MBP. It's not about what I want them to do, but what I expect them to do. Just like with the MBP I expect that they will stop updating the non-retina MBAs once the retina model is released.

 

[kis]

For a while now, I have been reading complaints on this forum about the MBA's display. Is this largely an issue with pixel density?

for me it is - I have Retina everything, all the way from the iMac 5K down to the Retina Macbook Pro, the iPad Air 2, the iPhone 6 plus. I'd like to replace the rMBP because it's too heavy - been waiting for a rMBA forever now, but I guess it won't be materializing this year, either.

Not sure how Dell can do it (and do it well) but Apple can't.

 

[malexandria]

Wish there was a 23 or 24in iMac

This is off topic, but I really wish Apple would get rid of the 21 Inch iMac and/or offer a 23/24 inch model. 21 Inches is just too small and for me, 27 inches is too big.

 

[Mainsail]

for me it is - I have Retina everything, all the way from the iMac 5K down to the Retina Macbook Pro, the iPad Air 2, the iPhone 6 plus. I'd like to replace the rMBP because it's too heavy - been waiting for a rMBA forever now, but I guess it won't be materializing this year, either.

Not sure how Dell can do it (and do it well) but Apple can't.

Yes, PC mag gave the Dell XPS 13 a pretty good review. But, they did point out a significantly shorter battery life compared to the MBA. So, there is a trade-off. Like I said, it's going to cost you something.

 

[69650]

Feb 24 would have been Steve Jobs 60th birthday. I think the great man deserves a more fitting tribute than a minor spec bump to the MBA.

 

[Gym Hellwig]

This is off topic, but I really wish Apple would get rid of the 21 Inch iMac and/or offer a 23/24 inch model. 21 Inches is just too small and for me, 27 inches is too big.

There is basically no discernible difference between 24" and 27" displays.

 

[viorelgn]

MacBook Airs with Retina Display and Skylake chips would truly be an object of desire. Same goes for MacBook Pros later this year.

 

[AppleGeek1127]

I just got my Early 2014 MBA back in April to replace my Late 2008 Aluminum MB. Time fliessss.

 

[mafaky]

The Air's already have great battery life.. so what kind of numbers could we see with more power efficient Broadwell chips in them?

Assuming nothing else will be changed (for the good or for the bad), and that the Haswell processors will simply refreshed with Broadwell (Broadwell-U) ones,

one may expect around 10 hrs. battery time (life) for the 11", and 13-13.5 hrs. for the 13" MBA.

 

[mafaky]

Apple's no fool!...

Admit that on some cases Apple decides to downgrade their existing product(s); latest example is what has happened to the Mac Mini 2014 revision.

But Apple can't be that much foolish or insensitive or blind to fiddle around with one of the top important specs of a mobile computer (=laptop) which is the battery life.

Current (Haswell breed) 13" MBA has a battery life of 12 hrs. (as claimed or somehow "promised" by Apple). Just refresh this only with Broadwell (and nothing else changes...), you should end up with 13-13.5 hrs. But if you transform this Broadwell MBA into a retina & Broadwell MBA, you will probably go below 12 hrs (maybe 11-11.5 hrs, at the best...). Nope, they can't dare to degrade a reasonably well selling model (just bcz. of the phenomenal battery life of 12 hrs, with possible upgrading to 13-13.5 hrs.) just for the pros of retina screen. If one wants or needs the retina screen, they can go and buy the Pro line.

And suppose they do so. What's going to happen with 13" rMBP??? The current Haswell ones count for 9 hrs., the forthcoming Broadwell version will likely have 10-10.5 hrs.

Which one would you buy: a sleek and sexier 13" rMBA with 11-11.5 hrs or a more bulkier 13" rMBP with 10-10.5 hrs.? (Yes, I'm aware the processors and clock frequencies will be different; but for the daily/average user, how much does the virtues of rMBP will really matter? Similar issue for the soldered RAMs) I bet my bottom dollar that 50% of 13" rMBP prospective buyers will decide to buy the cheaper 13" rMBA!!!

No Apple cannot afford to make this kind of a mistake in a mobile computer!...

 

[kis]

Yes, PC mag gave the Dell XPS 13 a pretty good review. But, they did point out a significantly shorter battery life compared to the MBA. So, there is a trade-off. Like I said, it's going to cost you something.

Sure, that gorgeous screen will suck more power. But the same goes for the 13" rMBP. 12 hours of battery life are great and some people actually need that. Most people will be more than happy with 8h if it means that you get the same awesome screen as the rMBP in a package that's dramatically smaller and quite a bit lighter.

Also, some reviews say the XPS 13 will give you up to 15 hours of battery life. I doubt that, but in real life, the numbers probably aren't as far away from the MBA's as PC mag says. Anyway - I'm in the market for an ultrabook. I have to lug the laptop around all day my 13" rMBP is simply too heavy and slightly too bulky. Every gram counts for me. So if Apple releases an updated version with a better screen (I'd even be willing to compromise on 1080p), I'll go with Apple again without thinking twice. But if they believe people will buy that same lousy (and it really is, just checked it out again at the Apple Store yesterday - crappy resolution, even crappier viewing angles) screen for another year, I believe they're wrong. I for myself will go for the XPS 13. It's my work laptop and I'd have to run Parallels on it anyway, so I don't really care about the OS on this one.

 

[Nik]

So, where is the update?
"Letem svetem Applem" cannot be trusted after all.

 

[AndyK]

So, where is the update?
"Letem svetem Applem" cannot be trusted after all.

At time of your post it's 0530 in the morning in California. Even the coolest products don't get released at that time.

 

[mafaky]

So, where is the update?
"Letem svetem Applem" cannot be trusted after all.

What's the hurry? Give 'em some time (a few more hours to sleep...)

 

[Nik]

You really think they add the products while the store is down? Actually they do not: Products are added to the System in advance and are just put online automatically at the pre-defined time. Look at the releases in the past: They were put online in the middle of the night (Cupertino time). Do not expect a new MacBook Air today. It would have happened already.