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

[Cavepainter]

".....and pass the savings on to the consumer."

Does do that sort of thing?

I agree with Headfuzz... when you look at how much money Apple has been making recently, I have a hard time believing they're doing anything to pass the savings on to consumers. I'm still smarting from the prices of the entry-level Mac Pros. (I ended up buying an i7 for $500 less because of it.)

I know someone who is just about to buy a new laptop, and she likes the integrated storage concept in this thin format here, but if its not a very appealing price as well, she says shes going with a Macbook Pro instead as it will probably remain a much cheaper option (with a bigger screen as well.)

 

[abhimat.gautam]

Proprietary ≠ cheap for the consumer.

Even if manufacturing costs are lowered for Apple, I very much doubt this will represent real value to the consumer. Particularly when one wants to upgrade the internal storage.

I'm also wary of the word "embedded". Smacks of hard soldered NAND chips imho, which if that's the case, means a whole new logic board to increase capacity.

I guess we'll see next Wednesday.

Most computer users don’t upgrade their storage. They usually get a new computer around the time their storage runs out, if they even run into that problem.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

The day the Air came out, my only desire was that it was smaller. I calculated that in order to fit the full-size keyboard with no border on the side (like the 12" PowerBook G4,) the screen would have to be 11.6". I *REALLY* hope this rumor is true.

(Of course, now, the additional item I want is Wireless USB. That way, the only thing I would ever have to plug in is power.)

 

[HLdan]

Unless it's possible to squeeze a full sized keyboard into a case with an 11" screen I can't see why Jobs would put a smaller keyboard onto the Air. He complained that other manufactures like Sony have a cramped keyboard so that's why touted the Air being unique because the keyboard wasn't compromised.

 

[Brinkman]

PLEASE give it a decent GPU, if they throw the 330m they have in the mbp's now I'll gladly get it.

I've switched completely to bluetooth so there's really no need for any connectors.. I'd just need to get that lame burner drive.

 

[Shanpdx]

Right on! They could even shrink the width of the tab, caps lock, shift, return and delete keys. Lots of room for a Macbook keyboard on a MBA with 11.6" diagonal screen. Love it. No optical disk, no hard drive, 4GB RAM & 128GB SSD on motherboard. Nothing updatable or replaceable. This could be super thin. Extra wide glass trackpad with more gestures. Comes with 10.6.5. Under $999. Bring it on!

yeah probably $999.

components (prices are apple prices not retail prices)
CPU/Mobo/GPU - $200 to $300
SSD 80/120GB - $100 to $150
RAM 4 GB 2x2 - $80
Screen - $80
OS X and other components

atleast it will be priced $999 - CPU/Mobo being the biggest prices

Cleverly apple might drop the Macbook from the line

 

[Lesser Evets]

This is probably true, and if it is true, it's a typical yawn worthy update.

Another Air notebook... on the doorstep of touchscreen tablet's era. It's just a little less-than-interesting. Of all the Apple laptops that could take an interesting step toward full OS tablet, this is it. However, Apple is a little slow but faster than almost all of the industry.

 

[Steve Ballmer]

".....and pass the savings on to the consumer."

Does do that sort of thing?

I agree with Headfuzz... when you look at how much money Apple has been making recently, I have a hard time believing they're doing anything to pass the savings on to consumers. I'm still smarting from the prices of the entry-level Mac Pros. (I ended up buying an i7 for $500 less because of it.)

I know someone who is just about to buy a new laptop, and she likes the integrated storage concept in this thin format here, but if its not a very appealing price as well, she says shes going with a Macbook Pro instead as it will probably remain a much cheaper option (with a bigger screen as well.)

There's little reason to ever consider the Air over a Pro if you have the cash for the latter. The Air is a niche, a second notebook for most people.

The day the Air came out, my only desire was that it was smaller. I calculated that in order to fit the full-size keyboard with no border on the side (like the 12" PowerBook G4,) the screen would have to be 11.6". I *REALLY* hope this rumor is true.

(Of course, now, the additional item I want is Wireless USB. That way, the only thing I would ever have to plug in is power.)

Is Wireless USB even commonplace yet? And even then, doesn't it require some kind of adapter? Does Apple even support Wireless USB?

 

[jafd]

“According to numerous reviews, the new MacBook Air was deemed the only thing better since sliced bread. It is so thin you can actually slice bread with it. However, several more in-depth reviews reveal all other uses of it to be so inferior, thus summing it up as a rather astonishingly expensive bread slicer to buy.

Oh, and on the bright side: BlendTec reports that the new MacBook Air blends very well. Stay tuned for videos.”

 

[newdeal]

..

exactly what i was thinking! haha

hopefully it gets lighter / thinner.
i want a laptop as thin as possible.
thinner than the dell!

If this is priced at 800 Canadian and has a 10 hour battery my iPad will be sold instantly

 

[miniConvert]

Ack, I just can't imagine having a MBA with a smaller screen. There's plenty of excess bezel that they could lose from the current one before making the screen even tinier.

I hope they keep the 13.3" model along side this rumoured new one, I really do.

A few years ago I'd have loved an 11.6" MBA, but times have changed. Once iOS 4.2 comes out and we can see the iPad's true potential I'm pretty sure that it'll be the only thing I take on the road with me.

Ack, my little head is struggling to decide exactly what I'd want, despite the fact that I have no immediate need for anything else Apple!

 

[Robbrag]

Maybe 2 form factors?

Why does everyone assume this possible smaller Air will replace the existing one? Maybe there'll be multiple sizes to choose from, just as with the MacBook Pro. And, if the rumors are true, with the ipad sometime soon.

 

[Hellhammer]

You'll pass then. You might not get any of the 6 things you mentioned, depending on what you consider to be a fast CPU, lots of RAM and a big SSD for a notebook like this.

I predict:

$999
glossy screen
CPU a bit more capable than the current one
4 GB RAM
60-80 GB SSD (maybe with an option for 100-160)
1 USB port... if you're lucky

I think there's a half a chance, though, that Apple will be agressive on the price and you can have the base model for $799.

More capable CPU would have to be iX since MBA is already using the fastest C2D. Then we face the endless issue, Intel IGP.

For that price, I would be fine with C2D or Intel IGP though! Just roll it out Apple!

 

[jafd]

Another Air notebook... on the doorstep of touchscreen tablet's era.

Please note that a lot of us use Emacs on the daily basis. Emacs is a useful piece of software, but using it without keyboard is a pain in the butt. I would happily shell out a couple hundred bucks on the thing which would let me work with my daily tools, have a long battery life, and most important thing, stay quiet and cool in the temperature sense.

 

[Shanpdx]

John Gruber where are you???

 

[headfuzz]

Most computer users don’t upgrade their storage. They usually get a new computer around the time their storage runs out, if they even run into that problem.

I LOL'd.

"Most computer users" use a PC. "Most computer users" spend a hell of a lot less than any Apple user on their computer. "Most computer users" would only have to pay a couple of hundred pounds or so on a new laptop.

Apple users are not part of the "most computer users" demographic. Hell, Macbook Air users aren't even part of the "Most Apple users" demographic.

Given the choice of spending < £450 on a 1.8" 256Gb SSD upgrade or £1,378 on an entirely new Macbook Air with 128Gb SSD, I think it's pretty obvious which route most previous generation Macbook Air owners would take. Not everyone has 4 figures to drop on a new laptop every year, particularly when they cost as much as a Macbook Air.

 

[Glen Quagmire]

Sign me up! My first generation MBA (hard drive variant) is rather slow nowadays.

 

[Justinf79]

If this could be had for $600 or less, I'd perhaps take a look at it.

 

[cleric]

Memory and CPU are still the deal maker.

 

[Ingot]

drool!!!!!

I just soiled myself.

 

[weespeed]

Here is what the new Air will be:

Form Factor:
Two iPads joined together with a hinge. One screen is the keyboard, one is the monitor (or it can be held book-style, like a Nintendo DS)

Specs:
It will be powered by four A4 processors so Apple can call it the world's smallest/lightest quad-core computer
2Gb RAM because any more would be too reasonable
128Gb in a 2-SSD RAID 0 array for amazing storage speed
The cheapest, nastiest graphics that will fit (or just the graphics parts of the A4 -- for 'quad GPU power'

Expansion:
None, or maybe an SD slot, but probably not. Maybe one USB port.
No DVD drive - the OS restore disk is a USB thumb drive. All applications must be downloaded!

OS:
10.6 on the hard disk and a copy of iOS4 on a ROM chip so you can flip between the two, like those netbooks that let you go into Linux for web or Windows for more

Price: $1,200

I want one!

PS this is all verified by me, quoting people 'familiar with the matter' (i.e. other blogs and fanwank speculation.

You just basically described the new libretto from toshiba

 

[TheWatchfulOne]

but wait, I thought apple isnt going to make netbooks!

Did somebody say they are going to make a netbook?

Think of the current MacBook Air. Now make it thinner. Shrink the screen and footprint so it's closer to the size of the 12" PowerBook (which has a full size keyboard.) That's the (rumored) new MacBook Air.

 

[baryon]

Sounds amazing. My problem with the MacBook Air (and many other people's I think) was that it was expensive and underpowered. I don't mind it being underpowered, but then it shouldn't be so damn expensive.

For the same price, you could get a great MacBook that is a bit thicker but of much higher performance. I think the MacBook Air should really be cheaper and focus on being a stripped-down computer, with no fancy features that make it expensive. I don't know how that would be possible though, maybe it isn't...

However, now with the iPad, I feel that a computer no longer needs to be super slim and super portable, as an iPad can fulfill that requirement, while a computer can stay at a desk most of the time... So we'll see what Apple comes up with!

 

[Shanpdx]

Memory and CPU are still the deal maker.

+1

You meant CPU and GPU right? and also CPU is most expensive part in the slim notebooks (unless you go pentium/Celeron low voltage CPUs) .

http://files.shareholder.com/downlo...-4F94-8507-96F77528ADDB/Sept_26_1ku_Price.pdf

 

[Ingot]

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!!

I agree. I have a 27" iBeast fully loaded and an iphone. An ipad would make it redundant for me (maybe not other people). I think an 11.6" MBA would be a great machine for my use. Oh hell I would take the 13" one because I love it!!!