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Apple Updates MacBook Airs with Faster Haswell Processors and $100 Price Drop [Updated]
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If Apple is doing a retina MBA it wouldn't be with a silent update, it would be announced at WWDC or some other event.
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How does this mean no retina in 2014? This was a silent update, Apple isn't even highlighting these as 'new' on their website. If they're going retina no way, IMO, that would happen via silent update. Didn't happen that way for the Pros wouldn't for the Airs either.
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The rumors we've heard about this 12" model have ranged from fanless to retina display. Do you really think if Apple has a 12" laptop with retina display and no fan ready it's introduction would be via silent update on the apple store on a random Tuesday? No way. I see this as clearing the decks for new stuff. And the update is minor enough that it doesn't warrant time at WWDC or any other event.
No price drop for us Aussies. Why Apple? Why you no like Australia
Apple is probably too annoyed with Australia
But really, AUS$ is about 10 percent lower than US$ compared to the rate of a year before. It seems that whenever the exchange rate is good for Apple Australians convert prices to US$ and complain, but when it swings the other way, they suddenly discover that it's the $AUS price that matters.
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Add 10% tax and you're close to $3600AU. Then add the cost of more consumer protection. Then consider that the exchange rate changes all the time.
So following on from my previous example and adding UK and EU pricing
Mac Pro UK 2500 pounds (3000 Euro)
Mac Pro EU 3000 Euro
Mac Pro AU 4000 AU (2700 Euro)
Mac Pro US 3000 US (2200 Euro)
A whopping 11% difference between AU and EU
A 36% difference between US and EU
Sorry, but you are comparing EU pricing that included tax against AU price which is tax free. And you would be silly to fly to Australia, its much much cheaper to fly to US, and if you choose the right state, you get the tax off as well.
At the end of the story, OZ is NOT cheap. I'm from OZ, living in EU, some things here are a bargain compared to OZ, especially brand clothes. OZ will always be expansive as they have to import everything, and there is less competition. On My AU passport, I can get the Tax back on Apple stuff I buy here in EU..... dunno what you talking about it being expansive here
Apple is probably too annoyed with Australia
But really, AUS$ is about 10 percent lower than US$ compared to the rate of a year before. It seems that whenever the exchange rate is good for Apple Australians convert prices to US$ and complain, but when it swings the other way, they suddenly discover that it's the $AUS price that matters.
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Add 10% tax and you're close to $3600AU. Then add the cost of more consumer protection. Then consider that the exchange rate changes all the time.
As a foreigner, can you not get your tax back in some states?
You are paying
AU$4000 = US$3,705.36 - XE
And then the US have to add the sales tax - which is different per state... 0 to 15.5% with most being around 9%
Before Tax Price: US$3,000.00
US Sale Tax: Approx. 9.00% or US$270.00
= US$3,270.00
= AU$3533.24
+ 176.662 CVAL Customs charge ay 5% (payable)
+ 10% of ($80 shipping (guess) + the $186.662 CVAL + $3533.24) = AU$537.662
So the final AU price imported is
AU$3533.24 + 537.662 = $AU4070... so if you brought it in you would save $88( Shipping+ it's tax)
Whoop you have saved saved 12 bucks... oh and I forgot about the cost of the flight.
So basically it's the Australian government that are screwing your prices. Not apple at all.
Very aware of that, the AU prices are due to taxes and excise. Just in General Australia is not a cheap place due to the fact that everything needs to be imported and the Government gets their cut!
Yes it is. For 95% of people using an air. Office apps/surfing/pictures etc I have 4 on my current one and it's nearly uses it and I do a lot of Photoshop and even some cinema 4d on it.
More than 4GB Ram on a dual core is only useful when you are doing multitasking stuff for the most part. Or VMWare etc.
It's not like going from 512 to 1gb days... at the moment. The OS is Streamlined enough to not need much more.
A pro machine needs a lot of rams as you kinda have to multiply fro each core.
After effects for example really needs 3gb+ per core to run optimally so a 6 core nMP for example needs 18gb at least.
Pointless on an Air. At the very most you need 8gb.... Even if you have say an enormous 3D file you wanted to open, the CPU and GPU are not powerful enough.... that's when you need to move to a rPro
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It already exists... it's called the mac pro.
You realise the 13" are not that differnt
Air = 1.7cm - 1.35 kg - 12 hour battery
Pro = 1.8cm - 1.5kg - 9 hour battery - much faster GPU and CPU
The battery to run the retina ( GPU and pixels ) is most of the (slightly) added weight and thickness and why it does not taper.
If/when they release a retina air using the current battery it would have much less battery life - probably 6-7 hours.
Of course it will happen at some point but apple won't drop the battery life that much so it will be a new tech battery and screen.
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Same in the UK. We just have to suck it up. Or start the revolution....
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So following on from my previous example and adding UK and EU pricing
Mac Pro UK 2500 pounds (3000 Euro)
Mac Pro EU 3000 Euro
Mac Pro AU 4000 AU (2700 Euro)
Mac Pro US 3000 US (2200 Euro)
A whopping 11% difference between AU and EU
A 36% difference between US and EU
Sorry, but you are comparing EU pricing that included tax against AU price which is tax free. And you would be silly to fly to Australia, its much much cheaper to fly to US, and if you choose the right state, you get the tax off as well.
At the end of the story, OZ is NOT cheap. I'm from OZ, living in EU, some things here are a bargain compared to OZ, especially brand clothes. OZ will always be expansive as they have to import everything, and there is less competition. On My AU passport, I can get the Tax back on Apple stuff I buy here in EU..... dunno what you talking about it being expansive here
And you are forgetting US sales tax which is not included in the US Apple.com prices as it varies by state. The price you see on the website is not the final price you will pay in-store or even online (when I was last up-to-date on this at least).
By the way if you take a trip back to Aus then back to EU you can also get a 10% tax rebate on stuff you buy in Aus at the airport on your way back out. As you are living in EU you can tell them that and they will give it to you so long you are not bringing the equipment back into Aus - at least that is my understanding.
That $599 refurb MacBook Air is the really impressive deal. I already gave my daughter my hand-me-down 2011 13" Air when I upgraded to a 13" rMBP, and I gave my wife a 2012 13" Air previous to that. So my family is already all set.
I just hope that WWDC doesn't introduce us to a new, flat, borderless-button OSX upgrade.
I just hope that WWDC doesn't introduce us to a new, flat, borderless-button OSX upgrade.
Part of the price drop I bet was due to Intel's dropping their price on the 1.4 (new for Apple, been around for a while) and 1.7 (no known Intel upgrade). As others have said I think the price drop, extra battery and slight speed bump on base is a sure sign this will be the last update the MacBook Air gets.
My feeling is they will launch the 12" rMBP that will follow the small form factor of the 11" Air. They will keep the Airs around at those prices for a year or so and then discontinue like they did with the 15" and soon to be 13". By the end of 2014 the Notebook lineup will be:
12.0" rMBP 1366x768 (2732x1536 total pixels) with HD5000
13.3" rMBP 1280x800 (2560x1600 total pixels) with Iris 5100
15.4" rMBP 1440x900 (2880x18000 total pixels) with Iris Pro 5200 / 750m
I have a feeling the 12" will share the same form factor as the 11.6" today but won't have the huge bezel, will share the same screen tech of the Retina's. The 12" specs could really go Intel or ARM (I wouldn't be shocked if they did). Now once Broadwell launches I have a feeling the 13.3" will be slightly better than the Iris Pro 5200. The 15" will probably go solely Integrated and truly be 10-15% better performance than the 750m.
At some point wouldn't surprise me if ARM makes its way into the 13 and 15. Remember they had OS X running on Intel for years, I bet OS X running on ARM has been around since Steve was around. If they do go ARM imagine the battery life unless they make the form factor so thin it stays around 12 hours (standard for 13 Air now).
My feeling is they will launch the 12" rMBP that will follow the small form factor of the 11" Air. They will keep the Airs around at those prices for a year or so and then discontinue like they did with the 15" and soon to be 13". By the end of 2014 the Notebook lineup will be:
12.0" rMBP 1366x768 (2732x1536 total pixels) with HD5000
13.3" rMBP 1280x800 (2560x1600 total pixels) with Iris 5100
15.4" rMBP 1440x900 (2880x18000 total pixels) with Iris Pro 5200 / 750m
I have a feeling the 12" will share the same form factor as the 11.6" today but won't have the huge bezel, will share the same screen tech of the Retina's. The 12" specs could really go Intel or ARM (I wouldn't be shocked if they did). Now once Broadwell launches I have a feeling the 13.3" will be slightly better than the Iris Pro 5200. The 15" will probably go solely Integrated and truly be 10-15% better performance than the 750m.
At some point wouldn't surprise me if ARM makes its way into the 13 and 15. Remember they had OS X running on Intel for years, I bet OS X running on ARM has been around since Steve was around. If they do go ARM imagine the battery life unless they make the form factor so thin it stays around 12 hours (standard for 13 Air now).
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So which Apple employee told you they were 100% wrong?
Remember the iPad 4th gen? No one expected that to come when it did. Anything is possible.
Yeah, they would never update a current line then release a new retina version of it! Oh wait...the retina MBP...
I fully expect to hear about the new retina Air at WWDC - why? Because they will announce it as the first laptop to have a non-intel processor since the PowerPC days. And since the transition will take time they need to keep the current lineup around.
Your saying this based on what ? Do you work for Apple or one of the gossip, or informational web sites with inside information?
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More than likely when the deplete there current stock, or sell back there stock to apple at a reduced price
