Apple to Introduce 11.6-Inch MacBook Air With 'SSD Card' Integrated Storage Next Week?

[Small White Car]

Makes sense.

A - The current Macbook Air compares unfavorably when set next to an iPad. It needs to look like the iPad's big brother in both size and price (slightly more than the iPad for each, but not a lot more). Right now it's much too expensive to fill that role.

B - Also, I'm betting the next Macbook revision will make it thinner, at which point the 13" Macbook Air will seem much more pointless since they'll seem much more similar than they do now. They do need to downsize the screen if they want it to be the lightweight alternative to the regular Macbook of the future.

 

[AtHomeBoy_2000]

So, is this going to be, dare I say it... a Mac Netbook kind of device?

 

[alphaod]

If it's $800 or less with a matte display and fast CPU, lots of RAM, big SSD, and more than one USB port, I'll buy it immmediately.

Otherwise I'll pass.

 

[Jeffois]

I'm going to slit my wrists with it

One of the funniest posts I've ever read.

 

[MrMoore]

An iPad with a built-in keyboard?


J/K

I would like to see it, but with having an iPad and MacBook Pro, I don't have a need. Still nice that they (hopefully) are updating it.

 

[ThE.MeSsEnGeR]

and what will happen to the keyboard? Steve Jobs always hated those "crappy" keyboards from netbooks... will it go touch? because if it doesn't, the keyboards will have to sacrifice a bit of their normal size to fit in an 11" notebook

 

[jav6454]

I think its much more likely you will see 16GB/32GB/64GB for this new budget model.

Not if you are buying Intel/Micron NAND flash. That should give Apple 120, 160 and 300 GB options. Gotta love that 25nm goodness.

 

[Small White Car]

Any speculation that this thing will run Snow Leopard with the keyboard but iOS when you fold the keyboard all the way behind the screen?

A wild guess, but it could be interesting. An iPad/Mac hybrid.

 

[50548]

This could be great. Just give us 4GB of RAM and at least 100GB of SSD even if it is not user replaceable.

And what's the use of it when Apple already offers the MBs and the iPad? In my view the MBA is a cool machine, but doesn't justify itself in today's market segments. Its only chance of success is if it's priced low enough to finish netbooks once and for all...otherwise it's gonna be just another Cube.

 

[DraziGuy]

I'm cool with the non-standard storage. And the smaller form factor. But please give me more than one USB port...

 

[Small White Car]

Steve Jobs always hated those "crappy" keyboards from netbooks...

He also said people don't read anymore.

 

[AriX]

Hmm not sure about this. You are losing quite a bit of screen estate and still no word on what processor would power it all. The thing i liked about the Air was the screen was the same size as the macbooks.

They could make it the same resolution and just increase the pixel density - I think that'd be cool.

 

[Blu101]

I'm starting to see a trend here:

3.5" screen (iPhone), 9.7" screen (iPad), 11.6" screen (*new* MBA), 13.3" screen (MB/MBP), 15.4" screen (MBP) and 17" screen (MBP).


Yup, a 7" iPad will fit nicely in that lineup IMO

Maybe even a 5" screen iPad to continue the ~2" rule...?

One size does not fit all. Pick yours

 

[alexk82]

finally something new

gotta love new products

 

[iMacDave]

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I want it, NOW!

I wonder , if there will be 4gb of ram and 500gb ssd..

Hope that 4 GB of RAM will appear. 500GB drive? No chance...

 

[tintincub]

iPad/Mac Hybrid

Any speculation that this thing will run Snow Leopard with the keyboard but iOS when you fold the keyboard all the way behind the screen?

A wild guess, but it could be interesting. An iPad/Mac hybrid.

This is exactly what I was thinking. What if you fold the screen and the OS switches to iOS and with the screen in it's regular position switches to OSX? That would be awesome and I would ditch my iPad in a minute.

 

[mac jones]

just sounds like an upscale netbook.

WAY upscale, which is a good idea, because every netbook i've tried was dog slow and el-cheapo-ish.

I like the 13" Air as I own one, but might want to give one of these a test drive.

Keep em comin

 

[wordmunger]

B - Also, I'm betting the next Macbook revision will make it thinner

Hmm... that makes a lot of sense. It would also probably mean that my next "MacBook Air" will be a MacBook.

 

[Roofy.]

and what will happen to the keyboard? Steve Jobs always hated those "crappy" keyboards from netbooks... will it go touch? because if it doesn't, the keyboards will have to sacrifice a bit of their normal size to fit in an 11" notebook

http://www.apple.com/macbookair/specs.html

the one right now is a 13.3' screen. If you look at the pics of the keyboard, you can see about one inch on each side of the keyboard for room, so thats 2 inches all together that they can cut down. (13-2=11)

I bet the 11.6' screen was the smallest they could go without sacrificing the keyboard.

 

[AriX]

He also said people don't read anymore.

Also, Apple isn't thinking about a video iPod.

This is exactly what I was thinking. What if you fold the screen and the OS switches to iOS and with the screen in it's regular position switches to OSX? That would be awesome and I would ditch my iPad in a minute.

As cool as that would be, how practical is it that they would put two OSs on one device? Way too confusing for an Apple product. Maybe a touch-enabled Mac OS X layer though.

 

[Jonny Skyves]

If all is true, I shall be getting one of these to replace my iPad. (Will be throwing it out of the window - 4th floor).

I never really thought I would miss flash, and a few of other things that don't want to work on the iPad.
One example of other things is that full transcript of John Sculley... the links to further info on certain things to a pop up Wikipedia window just don't want to work. Even with 'block pop ups' off in settings.

I have been doing without it fine for the last 3 years with iPhone and iPod touches, but on a device the size of an iPad, it just ain't right... and extremely frustrating at times... all comfortable in bed or on the couch, and then to finish what I've started, I've gotta get up and fetch the Macbook!!

 

[iMacDave]

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Apple should apply idea to other notebooks as well. Flash for system drive and standard drive for data. Faster boot and system software access across the board.

 

[iWonderwhy]

A scaled-down version of the former model? Seems to me like this will basically be a netbook with a bigger screen, oh, and of course thinner.

 

[Žalgiris]

And what's the use of it when Apple already offers the MBs and the iPad? In my view the MBA is a cool machine, but doesn't justify itself in today's market segments. Its only chance of success is if it's priced low enough to finish netbooks once and for all...otherwise it's gonna be just another Cube.

Well i don't know. If it's small enough and light enough and battery is better i would be buying one to replace my old MacBook.

 

[Hellhammer]

Could be a Mini PCIe SSD, those are fairly small but very fast.