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Apple to Debut Low-Cost MacBook Air With Retina Display, Revamped Pro-Focused Mac Mini in 2018

PowerGala said:
...but will it be Cubed Shaped?

Power_mac_g4_cube.png
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A retro classic. Modern Apple are incapable of producing such an iconic design.
 
Mainsail said:
I am not sure I understand why a retina MBA makes a rMB pointless. The rMB is a niche product for people that put a premium on portability. Customers for the rMB will pay extra (apparently) for a lower powered laptop with one port, so they can enjoy an ultraportable MacOS user experience. I am not knocking it. There are certainly people that value these attributes.

The MBA is for a different Target customer. It’s an everyday computer at an entry level price. It is 50% heavier than the rMB and has a much larger foot print. But, it has the ports and features that many consumers want in an affordable package. Imagine the current MBA with a Retina display, routine spec updates, and maybe an update to the thunderbolt port (from 2 to 3). If Apple’s display suppliers have sufficient bulk of HD screens, it might be less expensive than using legacy TN displays.....who knows. In any event, Apple needs to have an entry level ($1000) laptop in their lineup that meets the needs of average consumers. The rMB is not that product....too much of a niche.

There are tons of people that would prefer an upadated MBA to the rMB, and there would be lots of people that prefer the rMB to the MBA.
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Think a Retina MacBook that is low performance but has a fan, so people can do actual sustained work/ Watch Netflix on it.

Then think it will have basic graphics and performance so Apple can still charge you $1299 for the nTB MBP.

Positive note - I think that this is the notebook that will make USB-C go mainstream.
 
Mainsail said:
I am not sure I understand why a retina MBA makes a rMB pointless. The rMB is a niche product for people that put a premium on portability. Customers for the rMB will pay extra (apparently) for a lower powered laptop with one port, so they can enjoy an ultraportable MacOS user experience. I am not knocking it. There are certainly people that value these attributes.

The MBA is for a different Target customer. It’s an everyday computer at an entry level price. It is 50% heavier than the rMB and has a much larger foot print. But, it has the ports and features that many consumers want in an affordable package. Imagine the current MBA with a Retina display, routine spec updates, and maybe an update to the thunderbolt port (from 2 to 3). If Apple’s display suppliers have sufficient bulk of HD screens, it might be less expensive than using legacy TN displays.....who knows. In any event, Apple needs to have an entry level ($1000) laptop in their lineup that meets the needs of average consumers. The rMB is not that product....too much of a niche.

There are tons of people that would prefer an upadated MBA to the rMB, and there would be lots of people that prefer the rMB to the MBA.
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Sorry not seeing it. But if you’re right why didn’t Apple do this to begin with? They gave the impression that the rMB was the future of Mac computing. Releasing a MBA in the same old form factor but with retina screen would be confusing as heck. Especially now that Apple has removed the Air moniker from the iPad line. I’m not sure what ports have to do with affordable. Maybe schools require USB-A ports but how many average consumers who just want a cheap(er) laptop need a lot of ports?
 
But what is the point of a Retina MacBook Air? The MacBook Pro 13" non touchbar is the same weight as the 13" MBA? I don't get it.
 
MacsRuleOthersDrool said:
Intel has already given up on TB licensing fees and product approval (thank Deity!). As for integrated TB controllers "on-die", I think they slated that for 2019, IIRC.
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I better check my sources. I thought Apple and Intel still had control over qualifying Thunderbolt 3 devices before sale to make sure they met compatibility.

Intel announced last year that they were going to release the Thunderbolt protocol under a nonexclusive, royalty-free license - https://newsroom.intel.com/editorials/envision-world-thunderbolt-3-everywhere/ - but I have yet to see a press release announcing that it has been published and where developers can go to sign up. I do not trust Intel to follow through on this one at all. Not with AMD breathing down their neck, CPU-wise. They have 3 more months, so they aren't liars yet.

Intel was supposed to be at 10nm two years ago, now we're looking at Q3 or Q4 of 2019, so I will stick with 2020 at the absolute earliest for this to happen, if ever. Once I see it in the ARK - https://ark.intel.com - I'll believe it happened.
 
SSD-GUY said:
But what is the point of a Retina MacBook Air? The MacBook Pro 13" non touchbar is the same weight as the 13" MBA? I don't get it.
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Think a sub-2 GHz machine with worse speakers, graphics and performance all around.
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Rogifan said:
Sorry not seeing it. But if you’re right why didn’t Apple do this to begin with? They gave the impression that the rMB was the future of Mac computing. Releasing a MBA in the same old form factor but with retina screen would be confusing as heck. Especially now that Apple has removed the Air moniker from the iPad line. I’m not sure what ports have to do with affordable. Maybe schools require USB-A ports but how many average consumers who just want a cheap(er) laptop need a lot of ports?
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In 2015, I think Apple believed that, some day, fanless computers would catch on, Intel would actually evelop these processors and they would become a thing. They didn't.
 
pharris123 said:
Anyone who thinks Apple will release a 'MacBook Air' ought to have their heads examined.

Apple already makes the thinnest notebook they've ever made - the 12" MacBook.

For the name 'MacBook Air' to make any goddamned sense, it would need to be substantially thinner than the 12" MacBook.

They will NOT be releasing a MacBook Air. They will most likely drop the price of the current 12" MacBook to the $999 zone and introduce a larger MacBook - I think a 14" would be appropriate.
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Marco Arment thinks Apple can’t retire the MBA moniker because it’s too popular. I agree with everything you’ve said though. A cheaper Air with retina screen would be confusing as heck.
 
Rogifan said:
Marco Arment thinks Apple can’t retire the MBA moniker because it’s too popular. I agree with everything you’ve said though. A cheaper Air with retina screen would be confusing as heck.
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They killed the MacBook Plastic Fantastic and that was very popular, too.
 
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redheeler said:
You're thinking of how Apple was a decade ago. Today's Apple is releasing new products in such a way that the product lines just become more and more confusing, or to put it in other words, slowly heading back to the 90's.

Just look at what an iPhone buyer has to decide: iPhone SE - smallest and cheapest, but older tech and no 3D Touch; iPhone 8 - larger and more expensive, newer tech; iPhone 8 Plus - larger than the 8 and X but screen is worse than the X; iPhone X - smaller but better screen than the 8 Plus, Face ID/no home button, higher price. And to confuse you even further, maybe you'd like a cheaper but older iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, or iPhone 7 Plus instead.

Ten years ago there was only one iPhone model. Today there really shouldn't be any more than three, all with feature and design parity (aside from a few features exclusive to the high-end models), and primarily different screen sizes to differentiate: SE, non-Plus, Plus.
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Except most of those iPhone models are just leaving a previous years model in the lineup to meet various price points. I think the 8 and 8 Plus exist because Apple couldn’t make enough OLED/Face ID models. My guess is this year there is no new iPhone with Touch ID.
 
Glockworkorange said:
A low cost, retina MB Air with better internals? That's the end of the line for the 2port MacBook Pro.

This new Air will certainly become the best selling Mac in Apple's line up.
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I'm willing to bet money it will have worse performance than the nTB MBP - probably will come with the UHD 620.
 
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Guy Clark said:
Firewire 800 is great as it can be daisy chained to allow for massive amounts of storage capacity. It is one of the reasons I continue to use my mid 2011 iMac as it has Firewire 800 as well as Thunderbolt 2.

Older Macs are Better.
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The 2011 iMac has Thunderbolt 1, not Thunderbolt 2. Same connector but half the max transfer rate.
 
Glockworkorange said:
A low cost, retina MB Air with better internals? That's the end of the line for the 2port MacBook Pro.

This new Air will certainly become the best selling Mac in Apple's line up.
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And you actually think this is happening? IF they update the MBA there will be some compromise to get it below $1000. The only real possible place is the display. Retina is a made up Apple term. They can call anything they want retina.
 
AppleHaterLover said:
I'm willing to bet money it will have worse performance than the nTB MBP - probably will come with the UHD 620.
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Maybe. Do Humanities students and people who run Office care?
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Rogifan said:
And you actually think this is happening? IF they update the MBA there will be some compromise to get it below $1000. The only real possible place is the display. Retina is a made up Apple term. They can call anything they want retina.
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Yes, I think this is happening.
 
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Mark Gurman has good inside sources and is pretty reliable. So i'd say a Mac Mini Pro is a lock for later this year. I don't need a beefy Mini as i'm still using a 2012 Mini but i'll definitely pick one up.
 
Glockworkorange said:
Yes, I think this is happening.
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I have my doubts. I think it’s more wishcasting than anything else. Gurman isn’t always right and doesn’t always interpret rumors he gets right. I have all the same questions John Gruber does.

https://daringfireball.net/linked/2018/08/20/gurman-new-macs

I don’t understand this. How can it look similar to the current MacBook Air if the display “will remain about 13 inches” and the bezels are smaller? If the bezels are smaller and the display is “about 13 inches” then the machine will be significantly smaller. If the machine is about the same size and the bezels are smaller, then the display will be larger.

The fundamental question is whether the no-adjective one-port MacBook is going to be the base model, or is Apple coming out with a new product to replace the MacBook Air. This report doesn’t answer that question.
 
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Let me predict this outcome like how every rumor ends up being the truth...

* retina screen gimped (lower resolution likely but with crappy viewing angles, TN panel again, 90%sRGB)
* 480p facetime camera in 2018
* butterfly keys using the tech as gen 1 MB's
* 1 port (dongle life forever)
* 1/2 the screen gaps all around but still not borderless
* 8GB limit soldered
* no nvme/pci-e, sata SSD option only
* $999 pricing tier to start at 4GB ram option, $1299 for 8GB.

Awaiting folks here to beg apple to "take my money!"...
 
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