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Apple to Launch New MacBook Air in June-July
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I'd bet you $1300 towards the purchase of a new air that they never have moving parts in their MBA line again.
I can't wait to see what changes are made. I doubt the port configuration will change; the Thunderbolt port should just replace the MDP. My big hopes (which I think fall within the realm of the possible and realistic) are for the backlighting and bigger SSD base/BTO.
Just saw this. The thing to keep in mind regarding the 10W TDP of the C2D in the 11" is that the 320M likely has a TDP of 6-8W (based on testing). So a 17W TDP for a proc w/ IGP fits that space nicely.
How on earth can they manage to accommodate Sandy Bridge in MBA without it being a barbecue grill? 
that would be sweet! I've always been waiting for a new refresh.. I might just go ahead and get a MBA next year if my MBP gets too big to carry to class.
Just called Apple to return the 11" MBA I bought two weeks ago. The FedEx labels expire on June 8th so hopefully Apple releases it in the beginning of June, otherwise I'll be without a computer for A FEW DAYS!!!!
The horror...
I'm amazed for how many people it would be a deal breaker if there is no backlight keyboard ...
I have to agree that the backlight keyboard is great and I love it on my MBP, .... still, won't break the deal for me if the new MBA does not have it. If it has thunderbold, I will get it. Right now Thunderbold is not really needed (lack of devices that support it), but I'm sure support for it will roll out fast and I want to be prepared for the future since I don't plan to upgrade my machine every year.
I have to agree that the backlight keyboard is great and I love it on my MBP, .... still, won't break the deal for me if the new MBA does not have it. If it has thunderbold, I will get it. Right now Thunderbold is not really needed (lack of devices that support it), but I'm sure support for it will roll out fast and I want to be prepared for the future since I don't plan to upgrade my machine every year.
How on earth can they manage to accommodate Sandy Bridge in MBA without it being a barbecue grill?
The TDP of the ULV Sandy Bridge chips is about the same as the combined TDP of the ULV Core 2 Duo + NVIDIA 320m chips that are in the current MacBook Air.
Don't forget that Sandy Bridge still needs a chipset as well, which is not included in the 17W. I forget how much it uses but it was only a few watts. It uses less power than previous chipsets because the memory controller and GPU are no longer in the chipset, but it's still required.
I think you underestimated the 320M's power use a bit, the Airs don't use a special low-power version so it's the same part as in the regular laptop. So I do agree with your conclusion that the power usage will most likely be the same as the current models.
Agreed. There is just no room for a hard drive in the Air. It barely fit in the older models, and that was with a smaller battery. The hybrid drives will be used in future MacBook Pro models to give them "instant on" ability with larger storage capacities.
If this is true, this will be a great deal for anyone that is able to take advantage of the back to school promo.
What likelihood of an increase in SSD size, I've not really followed pricing so don't know if the next step up has reduced enough for it to be viable for Apple to include it as standard/bto.
The size of the SSD is all that puts me off slightly and makes me consider a MBP instead.
The size of the SSD is all that puts me off slightly and makes me consider a MBP instead.
No mini update rumors makes me a sad panda
You would think there would be a mini to be released rumor tagged with this rumor. I'm starting to lose faith that they will ever release a new mini.
No mini update rumors makes me a sad panda
+1 I've only ever heard my group of friends say that haha
Doh.. it figures ...
I *just* bought a 13" Air for my wife for Mothers' Day, and now the new model is on the way....
Really though, I thought the current Air was perfect for her needs when I got it, and don't see why she'd make any use of the improvements in the upcoming model -- so it'll do. The SSD makes these machines so responsive and makes boot time so short already, the upgraded CPU is going to make a FAR less noticeable speed improvement.
I tell you what though.... I was torn on the 11" or 13" question at first, but after about 30 minutes of going back and forth between them, I determined the 13" made more sense, all the way around. You're not paying that much more money to go with it, but you get a screen resolution equivalent to previous generations of the 15" Macbook Pro on it. (1440x900) That's a truly useful number of pixels, and still looks perfectly sharp and readable on their 13" display.
Meanwhile, the 11" feels too much like the cheap "netbooks" to me. You compromised screen real-estate and got a slightly slower CPU, and for what? To shave 2 lousy inches off the dimensions? What's that really going to do for you, besides an initial "Look how small my OS X portable is!" bragging rights thing? Either one is super thin and light-weight and fits pretty much anywhere, and don't forget -- if you need to take the AC power adapter along with you? It's the same size for either model, and means you need a considerably larger carrying bag of some sort so it can be packed away safely with the notebook. So that, alone, can negate any savings you thought you got in size by going with the 11".
I *just* bought a 13" Air for my wife for Mothers' Day, and now the new model is on the way....
Really though, I thought the current Air was perfect for her needs when I got it, and don't see why she'd make any use of the improvements in the upcoming model -- so it'll do. The SSD makes these machines so responsive and makes boot time so short already, the upgraded CPU is going to make a FAR less noticeable speed improvement.
I tell you what though.... I was torn on the 11" or 13" question at first, but after about 30 minutes of going back and forth between them, I determined the 13" made more sense, all the way around. You're not paying that much more money to go with it, but you get a screen resolution equivalent to previous generations of the 15" Macbook Pro on it. (1440x900) That's a truly useful number of pixels, and still looks perfectly sharp and readable on their 13" display.
Meanwhile, the 11" feels too much like the cheap "netbooks" to me. You compromised screen real-estate and got a slightly slower CPU, and for what? To shave 2 lousy inches off the dimensions? What's that really going to do for you, besides an initial "Look how small my OS X portable is!" bragging rights thing? Either one is super thin and light-weight and fits pretty much anywhere, and don't forget -- if you need to take the AC power adapter along with you? It's the same size for either model, and means you need a considerably larger carrying bag of some sort so it can be packed away safely with the notebook. So that, alone, can negate any savings you thought you got in size by going with the 11".
Got me. You're right, of course.
I wouldn't be surprised, though, if they moved to passive cooling as soon as possible. Not that we'll see it in the next revision - or even the next two or three - but as soon as they think it's feasible to eliminate the fan, it's gone.
I wish I could find these benchmarks again. You're probably right that the overall chipset requires more power and that wasn't taken into consideration for these numbers, but the chip itself used only 8W (if I'm recalling the site correctly).
Also, I've heard mixed reviews about the clocking of the 320M. Are you sure it wasn't underclocked?
Either way, I think the math works out such that SB @ 17W is at least 1W lower than C2D + 320M. So better battery life all around!
Lucky wife. Don't worry about the latest and greatest. You would have had to wait quite some time until the next mothers' day afterall.
Next year you can upgrade her SSD to a higher capacity if needed.
The current 13" Air "ultimate" is really nice right now because of, in part, the Nvidia 320M.
It will be losing that and I'm not sure how it will play out. The MBA is becoming a nice, mature product that isn't just for "show" anymore, but I am wondering if it's really better (A Sandy Bridge MBA) than the current Sandy Bridge 13" MBP, which is cheaper and offers more expandability.
It will be losing that and I'm not sure how it will play out. The MBA is becoming a nice, mature product that isn't just for "show" anymore, but I am wondering if it's really better (A Sandy Bridge MBA) than the current Sandy Bridge 13" MBP, which is cheaper and offers more expandability.
Though it will run at lower frequency since MBAs will most likely use LV and ULV CPUs.