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A new MBA? At this point in time? That's rich.

Nope, not going to happen. Certainly is froth-worthy, though.
 
Statements like this are so misinformed and lacking in common sense. I tried exactly this very thing via an iPad Pro with keyboard cover. No can do as there are still so many times a full computer is completely necessary. Ever try webdesign on an iPad? Serious photo editing? Audio and video conversion on the fly? Nope didn’t think so because it can’t be done yet or anytime in the foreseeable future via iPad. Just bought a new MacBook Air to do these very things and it fills these needs perfectly, especially connected to my 27” external monitor. Love my iPad pro but in the end it’s still an over priced/glorified media consumption device imho.

If it’s such common sense then why did you try it. Maybe the OP hasn’t tried it yet.
 
I still don't get it – why is it so hard for Apple to just create a great laptop? MBA is timeless, just upgrade the specs, the screen and tweak the design a little bit. What we need is a reliable machine. Nothing less, nothing more. Same as with Mac Pro. Just use the old silver case, upgrade the specs, create new amazing display a you are done. Professionals will buy it as soon as it hits the stores.

I have wondered about that very thing. They have hoards of engineers but it will take them over three years to develop an upgradeable MacPro????? What the hell are all those people doing? I am funding a high tech startup and just deployed my MacPro 4,1 to be the development server - IT JUST WORKS. The form factor of the cheese grater is excellent.
 
How so? I just tried comparing the Ryzen 5 2500U with the Core i5 8550U, which as far as I can tell would be suitable models for the next MacBook Pro non-Touch Bar, and… they don't even seem to be in the same ballpark? What am I missing?

got a wrong link there. the 2500u you've got linked, actually has the benchmarks for the 2200u. the 2700u which is closer to the 8550u from intel shows closer to what I was saying.

Although with the 8550u now providing 4 cores, it's multi-core is far better than I originally gave credit for

I also not the biggest fan of Geekbench as it's a synthetic benchmark and doesn't really reflect real world perfectly.

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-8550U-vs-AMD-Ryzen-7-2700U/m320742vsm432558

theres far closer parity now, although, the Intel still is faster. AMD is cheaper.

Dell currently has a couple XPS and Inspiron AMD devices that are a couple hundred dollars cheaper than their intel counterparts.
 
I still don't get it – why is it so hard for Apple to just create a great laptop? MBA is timeless, just upgrade the specs, the screen and tweak the design a little bit. What we need is a reliable machine. Nothing less, nothing more. Same as with Mac Pro. Just use the old silver case, upgrade the specs, create new amazing display a you are done. Professionals will buy it as soon as it hits the stores.

Exactly. The MBA is a beloved entry level everyday workhorse laptop. All Apple has to do is make some necessary spec improvements and update the display. This update shouldn’t sit on Jonny’s workbench for years while he admires different color schemes and try’s to shave a millimeter of thickness from the frame......only to booger-up the keyboard.
 
got a wrong link there. the 2500u you've got linked, actually has the benchmarks for the 2200u. the 2700u which is closer to the 8550u from intel shows closer to what I was saying.

Sorry about that. Not on my Mac right now so can’t correct it.

I also not the biggest fan of Geekbench as it's a synthetic benchmark and doesn't really reflect real world perfectly.

Hard to provide a real-world benchmark when macOS doesn’t officially run on it. At best, you can approximate it by looking at how it runs Linux or Windows, but that says little about how Apple’s drivers would fare.

Dell currently has a couple XPS and Inspiron AMD devices that are a couple hundred dollars cheaper than their intel counterparts.

Right, but Dell still defaults to Intel. It’ll be interesting to see a vendor go all-in on AMD.
 
Well this puts me in a difficult position, I was either going to wait and get the 13” MacBook or a 12” MacBook after WWDC, but if neither are updated should i just get a current 12” Macbook?
Wait for WWDC regardless, and wait a bit longer if you can. OTOH, for the 12" MacBook, it is even possible it won't get updated until 2019.

Makes perfect sense since cannon lake got delayed the other day. The new MacBook is certainly to use dual-core CannonLake CPUs
That's not certain at all. Some of the experts are claiming Cannon Lake is dead in the water. Furthermore, any high volume 10 nm release won't be until 2019 anyway, with some believing the next Y series CPU might be Ice Lake. Personally I'm not sure either way. Will Intel release Cannon Lake Y in 2019 H1 and then Ice Lake Y in 2019 H2, or will they just scrap Cannon Lake Y altogether?

And then there's that wildcard of an Apple A11X Bionic Mac.

when was the last time apple released a product on time?
The Core m3-7Y32 came out in 2017 Q2. My MacBook Core m3-7Y32 also came out in 2017 Q2.
 
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Sorry about that. Not on my Mac right now so can’t correct it.



Hard to provide a real-world benchmark when macOS doesn’t officially run on it. At best, you can approximate it by looking at how it runs Linux or Windows, but that says little about how Apple’s drivers would fare.



Right, but Dell still defaults to Intel. It’ll be interesting to see a vendor go all-in on AMD.

I doubt well ever see a vendor go all-in for AMD. even during the days where AMD were outperforming Intel in just about every metric, they never had that sway. Intel is the King, and will be the king for a very long time. Partly marketing, party business acumen, and mostly historically just being the best for longer.

The only places I know that are 100% AMD are the consoles right now. PS4 and XBOX
 
I'm more interested in the 5K iMac update. Is that coming this summer? I'm curious how they'll handle updating that with the iMac Pro around. The next update should have Coffee Lake 6-core chips, right? And I read something recently about Radeon 600 series GPUs launching later this year, based on Vega, so they should be pretty fast. But would Apple let the 5K iMac push up against the base model Mac Pro in terms of performance before it is able to be updated?
 
I think many of you are missing the point.

This looks to me as a secondary sized macbook product not a macbook air, this macbook and the 12" will most likely be reduced in price and replace the air entirely.

A larger macbook makes a lot of sense, the form factor is excellent and if they made it bigger your essentially looking at a 15" size at a 13" macbook pro weight.

Why should someone who wants a 15" sized screen have to buy a £2600 laptop. Not everyone needs the power but wants the screen for media consumption. The current generation technology is impressive. Many seem to think they arent powerful but the 1.4 i7 is within 10% of synthetic benchmarks of the much more power hungry i5 3.1ghz in the 13" macbook pro making it a powerful machine in a thin and light package.

A product this thin with a 15" retina at a £1500 price point would be a compelling product indeed.

Macbook 12" £1049
Macbook 14-15"? £1499
 
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Part of the problem is that Apple laptops from 5 years ago are still perfectly fine for 99% of tasks. I read people on here clamoring for the newest cpus. Why? Setting aside professional video editing, where shaving off 15 seconds of render time, multiplied by a dozen videos per day, can actually add up to something significant over many years; how is the latest and greatest 15W/28W Core i7 better than the 15W/28W Core i7 from 2013?

If someone has a functioning undamaged 2013 Macbook Air or 2012 Macbook Pro with Core i7, 8GB ram, PCIe SSD, and USB 3.0, why would they spend $1-3k to get a new computer today? Other than screen quality and being able to natively decode HEVC 4k, I don't see enough worthwhile improvements. This includes Windows PCs.

Back in 2013, if I was asked that about a top of the line computer from 2008, I would have given a dozen solid reasons to upgrade. Back then, 5 years old meant pretty out of date. Today, 5 years old doesn't mean that anymore.
 
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Part of the problem is that Apple laptops from 5 years ago are still perfectly fine for 99% of tasks. I read people on here clamoring for the newest cpus. Why? Setting aside professional video editing, where shaving off 15 seconds of render time, multiplied by a dozen videos per day, can actually add up to something significant over many years; how is the latest and greatest 15W/28W Core i7 better than the 15W/28W Core i7 from 2013?

If someone has a functioning undamaged 2013 Macbook Air or 2012 Macbook Pro with Core i7, 8GB ram, PCIe SSD, and USB 3.0, why would they spend $1-3k to get a new computer today? Other than screen quality and being able to natively decode HEVC 4k, I don't see enough worthwhile improvements. This includes Windows PCs.

Back in 2013, if I was asked that about a top of the line computer from 2008, I would have given a dozen solid reasons to upgrade. Back then, 5 years old meant pretty out of date. Today, 5 years old doesn't mean that anymore.

Its more the fact after 5 years the machines battery is probably ruined its been well used and people are ready for a new product.

I completely agree but there is a point to where a new machine makes sense, no warranty and something new and the cost to replace the battery to get it working again is probably as much as the machine is worth. Probably better off putting it toward a newer machine.
 
Old saying...Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. Apple exceeds this saying in All aspects of their business today. Get lean get mean another saying worth noting. Look around, so many bloated companies are dying in this booming economy. The first sign of this happening, CEO spends a great deal of time defending and explaining their products. All Apple needs to do is look back in their own history. Hopefully they will sooner then later.
 
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Part of the problem is that Apple laptops from 5 years ago are still perfectly fine for 99% of tasks. I read people on here clamoring for the newest cpus. Why? Setting aside professional video editing, where shaving off 15 seconds of render time, multiplied by a dozen videos per day, can actually add up to something significant over many years; how is the latest and greatest 15W/28W Core i7 better than the 15W/28W Core i7 from 2013?
If you're talking about Pros, we're actually talking about going from dual-core to quad core (13"). That's pretty friggin' huge deal actually.

As for the Airs, I think they should just be discontinued soon.

I'm more interested in the 5K iMac update. Is that coming this summer? I'm curious how they'll handle updating that with the iMac Pro around. The next update should have Coffee Lake 6-core chips, right? And I read something recently about Radeon 600 series GPUs launching later this year, based on Vega, so they should be pretty fast. But would Apple let the 5K iMac push up against the base model Mac Pro in terms of performance before it is able to be updated?
Yes 6-core Coffee Lake for the 27" models, but most likely with 500X series Polaris GPUs, not Vega. Should be announced this quarter methinks. June 4th to be exact.
 
Part of the problem is that Apple laptops from 5 years ago are still perfectly fine for 99% of tasks. I read people on here clamoring for the newest cpus. Why? Setting aside professional video editing, where shaving off 15 seconds of render time, multiplied by a dozen videos per day, can actually add up to something significant over many years; how is the latest and greatest 15W/28W Core i7 better than the 15W/28W Core i7 from 2013?

If someone has a functioning undamaged 2013 Macbook Air or 2012 Macbook Pro with Core i7, 8GB ram, PCIe SSD, and USB 3.0, why would they spend $1-3k to get a new computer today? Other than screen quality and being able to natively decode HEVC 4k, I don't see enough worthwhile improvements. This includes Windows PCs.

Back in 2013, if I was asked that about a top of the line computer from 2008, I would have given a dozen solid reasons to upgrade. Back then, 5 years old meant pretty out of date. Today, 5 years old doesn't mean that anymore.


The problem isn't that their bad or anything. It's just that Apple is still charging premium price on these devices with old hardware. When they're still selling a MacBookAir at the same price 3 years after it's still using a 3 year old components, there's something wrong there
 
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Processor? Like the custom Apple A chip that replaces intel? I really hope it is just the security processor Apple are using on all the other new designs.
 
I still don't get it – why is it so hard for Apple to just create a great laptop? MBA is timeless, just upgrade the specs, the screen and tweak the design a little bit. What we need is a reliable machine. Nothing less, nothing more. Same as with Mac Pro. Just use the old silver case, upgrade the specs, create new amazing display a you are done. Professionals will buy it as soon as it hits the stores.

Take the iMac Pro, remove the computer components and boom 5k Pro display.
 
Its more the fact after 5 years the machines battery is probably ruined its been well used and people are ready for a new product.

I completely agree but there is a point to where a new machine makes sense, no warranty and something new and the cost to replace the battery to get it working again is probably as much as the machine is worth. Probably better off putting it toward a newer machine.

Yea, but a new OEM or OEM-quality battery costs about $100. I've changed the battery in an Air - it's quite easy actually. But even if most people don't want to do it themselves, any of those repair shops at any mall will do it for $20 plus cost of battery.

I get that after 800 cycles, people want something new. But when there is nothing new that is worthwhile, why get something new? $100-$150 for a new battery and a cleaning vs $1000-$3000 for a new laptop that is barely better. That should be a no-brainer.

The problem isn't that their bad or anything. It's just that Apple is still charging premium price on these devices with old hardware. When they're still selling a MacBookAir at the same price 3 years after it's still using a 3 year old components, there's something wrong there

If you bought that computer 3 years ago, and it's still basically the same computer for sale today, why would you buy it again?

I agree that in theory these things should get cheaper over time. But then again, if the Air was worth $1000 in 2015, and it's still just as capable and just as good today, why should they charge less for it? And if you have a 2015 Air, what does it matter since you have zero incentive to upgrade anyway?
 
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How about tell us when Apple is actually not delaying something?
It has been happening too often lately and it is not news anymore.
Case in point, where is AirPower?
 
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Exactly. The MBA is a beloved entry level everyday workhorse laptop. All Apple has to do is make some necessary spec improvements and update the display. This update shouldn’t sit on Jonny’s workbench for years while he admires different color schemes and try’s to shave a millimeter of thickness from the frame......only to booger-up the keyboard.

Bingo - I wonder to what extent Ives has become a bottleneck to new products?
 
Wait for WWDC regardless, and wait a bit longer if you can. OTOH, for the 12" MacBook, it is even possible it won't get updated until 2019.

Yea that’s the plan now, if nothing until WWDC I’m going to wait and see what happens. If they don’t update the 12” MacBook and they later announce the 13” version in October i’ll get that I think (depending on if it’s the MacBook) after fridays visit to the Apple store and having some hands on time I’ve been convinced to get a MacBook either the 12” or a 13” version IF it makes an appearance and isn’t simply a cheaper Air.

I think my perfect set up will be upgrading my current 2012 iMac to a 5K iMac (not sure when iMac updates will happen or a redesign) and a 12” or 13” MacBook as my portable.
 
Yea, but a new OEM or OEM-quality battery costs about $100. I've changed the battery in an Air - it's quite easy actually. But even if most people don't want to do it themselves, any of those repair shops at any mall will do it for $20 plus cost of battery.

I get that after 800 cycles, people want something new. But when there is nothing new that is worthwhile, why get something new? $100-$150 for a new battery and a cleaning vs $1000-$3000 for a new laptop that is barely better. That should be a no-brainer.



If you bought that computer 3 years ago, and it's still basically the same computer for sale today, why would you buy it again?

I agree that in theory these things should get cheaper over time. But then again, if the Air was worth $1000 in 2015, and it's still just as capable and just as good today, why should they charge less for it? And if you have a 2015 Air, what does it matter since you have zero incentive to upgrade anyway?

This is a non-sensical argument.

that 3 year old computer at $1,000 SHOULDN'T cost $1000 today just because it's stilL "Good Enough". especially when technology constantly moves forward. So while Apple's MacBook air is still selling a 3 generation old CPU, with a 6 year old display technology might be "Good enough" for many users, it's price to performance and quality to what you get elsewhere is quite honestly, Pathetic.

Considering that as these things age, the products should be cheaper. not stay the same. As the MacBook Air is still using 3 year old generation of CPU's, the cost to manufacture (due to improvements of manufacturing)

Simply put, continuing to use 3 year old hardware, and keeping the prices high is really only a profit driven thing and has nothing to do with the actual quality of the devices. if you were to go buy a high end Windows laptop with the same components age in it, you'll find them for deep discount at this point.

So not only is Apple not discounting their old hardware to move it. They're not even updating it to more modern hardware.
 
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