It's a deal breaker for most of the people I know who would be in the market for MBA's. Although I don't really understand it. I've got backlit keys on my 17 inch, but when they're off I can still read the keys if my display is on. Can I read the keys on my iMac keyboard when the lights are off? No, not under any circumstance. Especially if you keep your keyboard in a keyboard drawer. IMO backlit keys make more sense on a desktop.
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Apple to Launch New MacBook Air in June-July
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It's a deal breaker for most of the people I know who would be in the market for MBA's. Although I don't really understand it. I've got backlit keys on my 17 inch, but when they're off I can still read the keys if my display is on. Can I read the keys on my iMac keyboard when the lights are off? No, not under any circumstance. Especially if you keep your keyboard in a keyboard drawer. IMO backlit keys make more sense on a desktop.
Not an issue for me as I have NEVER EVER(nor will I ever) touch another computer OS other than OSX.
Huh? Whut?
Intel was one of the biggest shots in the arm for Apple EVER. Intel processors made other OSes available and kept the performance basically on par with PCs. It also reduced prices and gave us more options at about every level.
Intel a mistake? I bet you're still waiting for a G5 PowerBook. Ha!
Nope G7 Powerbook. I hacked a G5 to fit in a 17in powerbook but the mobo fried after a month and wasn't portable but the best laptop i ever had. Why cause it was Intel free.
HellHammer is right on, the new iX variant will not make much a difference over the current C2D/320M setup, but it will be a cost saving move for Apple, as the new single-chip config is likely cheaper than the current two-chip combo. The temp profile of the new iX version though will likely be more spikey, as I've noticed with my work computer, a Dell i5, when turbo-boost kicks in. Apple needs to be careful with this, as the single chip will be a hot spot, and the Air has "limited Airflow" with no bottom vents. I have the 13"-UMBA and won't upgrade again until the Air has an ARM processor, probably in 2012/13. Intel cut their throat when they wouldn't license the iX with 3rd-party GPUs, and I won't buy another one with an Intel chip like the poster like coldmack says above.
OMG. Intel processors are one of the reasons I switched to Mac. Compatibility with the outside world is essential. I think of the fact that Macs can run Windows as great insurance against Apple iToyism and the wrong directions they could take the company down.
Also an Apple laptop must have a lighted keyboard.
I Don't Get It
Why are there those who hate Intel so much? Their architectures were better suited to Apple's needs, hands down. More efficient architecture, lower TDP, cheaper to license, improved lateral compatibility. Why arbitrarily refuse to use a superior product?
Preferring the Power PC architecture in general is one thing. Refusing to upgrade when the numbers clearly show it to be in your favor... It's like refusing to get a Mustang because you liked what they did with the Model T. I mean, if Intel killed your family, then by all means.
Why are there those who hate Intel so much? Their architectures were better suited to Apple's needs, hands down. More efficient architecture, lower TDP, cheaper to license, improved lateral compatibility. Why arbitrarily refuse to use a superior product?
Preferring the Power PC architecture in general is one thing. Refusing to upgrade when the numbers clearly show it to be in your favor... It's like refusing to get a Mustang because you liked what they did with the Model T. I mean, if Intel killed your family, then by all means.
Nope Intel did nothing to my family. I just don't support architecture that should have been dead years ago. I also don't believe it is a superior product, nor better for Apple. Plus, your analogy is a bit off. Its like refusing to the get the Hummer H1 because you like what GM did with the original Corvette.
I live in Osaka and go to Yodobashi often. They have always had a Mac corner downstairs in the basement on train station level and on the 1st floor where SoftBank and AU are. The newly designed Mac corner on the 1st floor with the big black Apple-store-like monoliths etc have only been there for a few months. So if your definition of 'a while is a few months' then yes they've been there for a a while. I didn't say the new corner popped up yesterday.
Yeah, x86 should have been gone a long time ago. Agreed.
But even if the PPC architecture appeals to you more in theory, hadn't the advances made by Intel surpassed what had been accomplished by PPC in 2005? Even the primary supporters of PPC at the time were backing away, and I seem to recall the TDP of the PPC chips were too high.
So if I'm following this topic correctly, the new upgraded processor will come with a cost in downgraded graphics performance and possible even more heat-spikes and/or lower battery life?
Currently my macbook air runs games such as Counter-strike source and World of Warcraft pretty smoothly.
Would I then be better off keeping my current macbook air if Thunderbolt is no deal-breaker for me?
Wouldn't an upgraded CPU only be of any significance when rendering?
Currently my macbook air runs games such as Counter-strike source and World of Warcraft pretty smoothly.
Would I then be better off keeping my current macbook air if Thunderbolt is no deal-breaker for me?
Wouldn't an upgraded CPU only be of any significance when rendering?
The Intel IGP that is included on-die with the Sandy Bridge line of processors is generally considered to have lower performance spec-for-spec than the current Nvidia GeForce 320M currently found in the MacBook Air. You will find some debate in this regard, but the consensus for years has been that Intel solutions are inferior to Nvidia and AMD/ATI chips.
If Apple adopts Sandy Bridge processors and does NOT update/include the graphics chip (which is likely), then you probably will be better off with your current MBA for gaming.
However, Apple has been known to play with stock settings for their chips. There is a debate as to whether the current 320M has been underclocked, for instance. It is possible, however unlikely, that the Sandy Bridge graphics core will be specc'd such that it is par-with or better-than the current 320M.
In all likelihood, the current MBA line will be better for gamers than the Sandy Bridge refresh. What you really need to do is wait and compare benchmarks for the new MBA models to the old in the relevant software categories. This is one of the most burning issues surrounding the imminent MBA refresh, so you should have no problem finding these number in the forums in the weeks following the release.
I've checked Apple's support pages and I also can't find out if you can install disc-based programs like Office using Remote Disc. Anyone have an answer??
The TDP was the same as intel of the same power and performance. Intel has never surpassed it because all they care about is taking your money and give the hurt to you hard. If Intel really gave a diddly they'd be using graphene tech, but nope Intel like the old dog they are sitting on their rump eating a cookie. On the other side the the IBM Power 7 cpu(I know not really PPC we would have had), dominates the Intel cpu and their POD x86 architecture. Fickey!