Apple's Confusing Mac Lineup: MacBook Air vs. MacBook

[ionutc]

Confusing? Has anybody tried to buy a Windows based laptop these days? You have to look for the series, the model and only then the specs. Some of them are foldable, some are not, some are detachable and of course, some are not. Some transform into a lamp and maybe there are some which grow wheels when you need to use them as a skateboard. Apple basically has 3 laptops: the 12”, the Air and the Pro, each of them with some variations. You are so blinded by the specs that you forgot people buy laptops with a goal in mind.

A guy walks into an Apple Store. If it's the portability he wants, yeah, there's the 12”. Portable but better all around? well, there's the new Air. No? he needs the power? Than he just looks at the Pro iterations.

The 12” was a concept, it was the ultimate portability and design. You remember the Chromebook Pixel? the first and second gen? well nobody needed that but we apreciated the concept. So I was saying something about the goal. If you want the portability you'll deal with the compromises that it brings. You're not going to take into consideration the freaking webcam or +0.2 GHz in processing power, you'll just get on with your thin machine even if it takes longer to render, generate or whatever. Maybe they'll put those ARMs in the ney MacBooks again, as a concept, but until then, why would they spend money updating producs people don't really buy?

 

[PickUrPoison]

But the Macbook and Air and nearly identical. The Air seems like this year's update for the Macbook. Really no need for both in their current states. It's a mess.

No, the MacBook Air and 13” dual-core MacBook Pro are nearly identical. MBP is only $100 more, and it’s faster and has a better display. Air has better battery life, and TouchID.

The MacBook is completely different from the Air/MBP. It is about as fast as the Air; that’s the only real similarity.

 

[Nmeyrick]

I do agree there seems some confusion between the positioning of the MacBook and Air, but I'm concerned that the article - and several comments seem to see literally no advantage of the 12". I have a bad back and hate lugging a heavy laptop around, and absolutely love my 12". Sure the air isn't heavy by any means, but at 2.75 lb compared to 2 lb that's close to half as heavy again.

For all the trading of spec sheets, the truth is that my 2016 machine does everything I need it to, and I have no interest in paying a penalty (in terms of cost or weight) for extra power that I don't need. If my current machine died tomorrow would I want to replace it with one that is nearly half as heavy again? Hell no, I'd stick with the 12 thank you very much. I do hope that the reason they are keeping it around is to be the first ARM powered mac; if they can stretch to a 4g (or 5g, we can dream right?) always on connection I would be on that in a heartbeat.

 

[Matt Leaf]

The Macbook will become an Air next revision. They'll say "it really does deserve the title Air" and there you go. They did the same thing in 2009 with the 13" Macbook -> Pro.

I think the 'Air' moniker has sentimentality at Apple, because it was Steve who first introduced it pulling it out of the envelope (as Tim mentioned in the recent keynote).

 

[manu chao]

The little MacBook will drop to $999 at WWDC 2019 and will be fitted with an ARM processor.

It won't be an A series---they'll call it something else to differentiate it from the iOS devices.

That was my first thought as well when the 12" MB wasn't updated during last week's event. Going ARM will allow them to drop the price and possibly also reduce size and weight further (and/or increase battery life). The new 13" MBA is is still 36% heavier than the 12" MB. That's a difference you can feel. There absolutely is a place for such a machine that compromises performance for portability. Switching to ARM will likely allow Apple to further improve on the portability edge of it.

 

[iCole]

Omg. There is too much choice. Won't someone think about the children?!

 

[manu chao]

Basically:
- 12" MacBook: The most useless Mac since its reveal
- 13" MacBook Air: The finest laptop for casual users

The new 13" MBA is is still 36% heavier than the 12" MB. That's a difference you can feel. There absolutely is still a place for such a machine that compromises performance for portability. It might not have been a raging success but a lot of people have bought the 12" MB over the last 3.5 years, it has been far from useless for those people. Some of them decidedly love their machine.

 

[Smeaton1724]

The Apple's to Apple's comparison is:
Macbook 8GB RAM 256GB = 1249
Macbook Air 8GB RAM 256GB = 1399

Macbook Air with half the storage = 1199.

The MBA 2018 128GB storage option is to ''keep the cost down''. If Apple released a Macbook with 128GB storage then the price would be 1049. You pay 200 for double the storage for those devices. Apple's approach is massively expensive, however it is quite clear and not confusing at all. Across the board you pay between 150-200 for doubling of RAM or Storage.

 

[Virinprew]

Don't be silly. I would never buy it in its current state. Even a 4+ year old windows tablet I have has more ports.
But if the extra port is the reason you prefer the new Air, why don't you go with the 13MBP? It's far more powerful, better screen, same dimension and just 120g heavier than the new Air.

I have MBP 15” pre touchbar. I have no need for anything Apple sells today. But if I have to buy a new mac laptop, the MacBook won’t even be on my list.

 

[robz72]

Right now, there is absolutely no good reason to purchase a MacBook over a MacBook Air, and anyone considering a new Apple notebook that's aiming for portability and good battery life should choose the MacBook Air.

Then why did I just buy one about 4 hours ago? Seriously your arguments make sense to you, but please don't think you speak for everyone.

This is an illogical comparison:

and it costs $100 less (though you're getting 128GB storage instead of 256GB with the base model)

do you not understand the difference between 128Gb and 256Gb? How about comparing the 256Gb models side by side and you'll see the Air is more than $100 extra.

It also weighs 2.75 pounds instead of the MacBook's 2 pounds

When you have the option of carrying one or the other around all day every day, 0.75 pounds can make a big difference.

the MacBook Air is still going to beat it because it's using eighth-generation processors instead of seventh-generation

Because 8 is greater than 7? Do you actually understand the difference between Intel processor iterations?

it's a mystery why the MacBook is still in Apple's lineup and why Apple has opted to have two machines that are so similar.

Because Apple still have inventory of MacBooks they need to sell before they push everyone up to Airs or down to iPadPros.

Yes, I bought a 2017 MacBook because it's offering almost identical performance and capacity to my almost dead 2013 MBP at a fraction of the weight. I literally can't carry a brick of a laptop around anymore and to get a larger, heavier 256Gb Air was going to cost more than the MacBook.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

The little MacBook will drop to $999 at WWDC 2019 and will be fitted with an ARM processor.

It won't be an A series---they'll call it something else to differentiate it from the iOS devices.

There will be some software emulation magic that will allow x86 processes.

The new Mac Pro will be previewed also, to be released "later this year," both to give Apple more time to finish it and allow customers to buy it at an advantageous time for tax purposes.

MacBook will be the only ARM Mac line for 2019.

These are my predictions, anyway.

Whoa, whoa, whoa there, you're blinding me with science.

 

[lowkey]

Good luck living with one usb-c port.

I’ve done it since 2015. It’s not hard.

 

[tito2020]

Too bad Apple didn't release a new low-cost MacBook (Air).
Lots of educational customers do not prefer iPad, but the new MBA is getting too expensive.

1st one works fine why need a new one ?

 

[lowkey]

As a MacBook owner I can quite safely say my laptop is WAY lighter than my partners 13” MBP. There’s no way I’d swap.

People who buy the MB buy it because it’s small and light. Not because “it’s a bit more powerful and a bit heavier”.

The 12'' Macbook is serving a really tiny niche market.
It is lighter than the retina MBA, but not so much and if one needs the lightest possibile machine iPad is way more powerful, and I'd say is ok for that use case. If you really need macOS and a light machine you can get the rMB, but the rMBA is more powerful, has 2 ports and isn't that heavier. It has a bigger display too.
Either they cut the price of the rMB or they switch to ARM next year and give it an extremely great battery life, otherwise it has little reasons to exist

 

[halluxsinister]

Apple at its October event unveiled a new 2018 MacBook Air that's been entirely overhauled with a Retina display, Thunderbolt 3, a slimmed down design, a faster processor, and other hardware upgrades.

The new $1,199 machine is a great addition to the MacBook Pro, but there's just one problem - Apple already had a notebook with all of these features. The 2018 MacBook Air is very similar to the 12-inch MacBook, which did not receive a 2018 update.

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The 2018 MacBook Air, which Apple is selling for $1,199, is better in almost every way than the 12-inch MacBook, which is still priced at $1,299. It has a larger Retina display, a faster Amber Lake processor, upgraded Intel UHD Graphics 617, two Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, up to 1.5TB of storage, Touch ID and T2 chip, better battery life, and it costs $100 less (though you're getting 128GB storage instead of 256GB with the base model).

At this point in time, with no update, all the MacBook has going for it is a slimmer body and a lighter weight, but even then, the difference is minute given the revamped design of the MacBook Air.

The 2018 MacBook Air measures in at 0.16 to 0.61 inches thick, compared to the MacBook, which comes in at 0.14 to 0.52 inches. It also weighs 2.75 pounds instead of the MacBook's 2 pounds, but those are really the only differentiating factors.

Right now, there is absolutely no good reason to purchase a MacBook over a MacBook Air, and anyone considering a new Apple notebook that's aiming for portability and good battery life should choose the MacBook Air.

You can get close to MacBook Air performance with the upgraded MacBook with a 1.4GHz Core M processor, but the MacBook Air is still going to beat it because it's using eighth-generation processors instead of seventh-generation and it costs $1,549 to upgrade to that higher-powered processor.

If and when Apple upgrades the MacBook with next-generation Intel chips, it's still going to be almost on par with the MacBook Air if there are no other changes to form factor or specifications, so it's a mystery why the MacBook is still in Apple's lineup and why Apple has opted to have two machines that are so similar.

Prior to the October update, Apple hadn't made significant changes to the MacBook Air since 2015, and it was believed that the machine, which was priced at $999, was sticking around as a low-cost option until component prices for the MacBook came down. With the launch of the new version, that's clearly no longer Apple's plan, and the future of the MacBook and MacBook Air is murkier than ever.

As for the MacBook Air vs. the MacBook Pro, things are a bit clearer. The MacBook Air is still the lower-cost lower-performance option that is ideal for lighter workloads that don't require high-powered software.

All MacBook Pro models, including the 2017 non-Touch Bar models, offer better performance than the MacBook Air's 7W Amber Lake processor, but with the base MacBook Air vs. the base non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro priced at $1,299, there's not a huge difference. When deciding between these two machines, it's going to come down to whether you prefer a smaller form factor and Touch ID or slightly better performance.

What do you think Apple is planning for the MacBook in the future? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Apple's Confusing Mac Lineup: MacBook Air vs. MacBook

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again... possibly even in this thread. If so, sorry for redundant post.

Apple didn’t make a new MacBook Air. They KILLED the MacBook Air, made a new version of either the MacBook or MacBook Pro, or something more likely in between, CALLED it the MacBook Air, but it’s not. It has literally nothing in common with the MacBook Air, and hence, as far as I’m concerned, it’s NOT a MacBook Bloody AIR.

It’s just a MacBook. The Air was killed, so they can push more defective-by-design junk on people.

Let’s see... lacks real USB ports, (not a MacBook Air then, the MacBook Air features a pair of USB-3 ports, one on each side,) lacks MagSafe magnetically coupled charging port, (another standard feature of the MacBook Air,) and that’s missing too... SD/MMC card adapter built-in has been ripped out, (uh-YUP, that’s missing too,) etc. Also, they got rid of the good, comfortable, usable keyboard that comes standard with a MacBook Air, and replaced it with a piece of unusable, tactilely WORTHLESS garbage “keyboard,” (of the kind that can be stopped by a speck of DUST,) and more, probably, other changes that I’m not even going to worry about, that make this new THING *NOT* a MacBook Air.

Calling that THING they’ve made a MacBook Air is an insult to our intelligence. I’m assuming the rationale, again, is “courage”. Pshaw. Apple’s flushing itself down the drain, and when the user-base gets good and fed up, Apple will wonder where all its customers went. I for one, will NOT reward this sort of behavior with my continued or future patronage. Apple has, in all probably, seen the last dollar I will spend on anything they’ve made.

Unless you don’t mind rewarding Apple for screwing you, I suggest everyone consider taking their business elsewhere if they can, because Apple has forgotten who made it Apple.

 

[cocky jeremy]

I don't see why the MacBook even exists. Who wants to use a tiny little 12" screen?!

 

[Tiger8]

The MacBook weighs 25% less and is only 65% the volume of the MacBook Air Retina.

Some people pay a premium for an ultraportable.

Finally! Yes! the size and weight is a big part of the specs. Ultra portables are always more expensive, Judy ask road warriors who travel 4 or 5 days a week, that half a pound makes it worth it

 

[MoreRumors?]

I am surprised the new Air was not upgraded to the Bluetooth 5.0 and meanwhile it has already been implemented beginning with the iP8.

IMO, I think Apple kept the Macbook to sell to those who have not done their research when buying a new laptop. If I didn't know anything, I may unwittingly buy an old Macbook instead of buying the new Air.

 

[himanshumodi]

I wonder if anyone's going to buy Macbook by mistake thinking its better because it's more expensive. I hope at stores the sales folks are telling people not to buy the Macbook. It is a tad unethical to keep selling Macbooks without reducing their prices or something.

 

[limo79]

MacBook Air 2018's Cinebench CPU performance on the same level like Intel Broadwell Core i5-3317U in ancient Samsung NP-530U3C ultrabook from 2012 year.

 

[theluggage]

It sounds like you aren't aware this year is not yet over. OTOH, that wouldn't give you something to rag on about.

If Apple update the iMac, the non-TB MBP or the 12" MB in the next 8 weeks I'll happily withdraw the comment - however, people who've already made purchasing decisions based on last week's launches might not be so forgiving. Anyway, the pattern of letting some Mac models wither on the vine until they're laughably out-of-date is well established - last week's Mac Mini update was overdue to the point of being almost too late.

Every major manufacturer still has a 12" model in their lineup. To road warriors, a 12" notebook is significantly smaller than a 13.3" chassis.

Most other manufacturers still offer a 17" laptop, a sub-$1000 nonretina laptop, a PCIe mini-tower and, in fact, take choice to the other extreme and have a ridiculous bloated project range. I think this thread is more about holding Apple to their own standards of having a very logical, minimalist "product matrix".

Anyway, the point is that since the original launch of the 12" MacBook, both the MacBook Pro and now the Air have got significantly smaller and lighter - so the MacBooks portability advantage is less significant than it was.

No matter how powerful, the iPad Pro simply can't replace MacBook. Without a keyboard, mouse, and an actual file system, it's a different device altogether.

True in the general case of tablet vs. laptop. However, for many people a 12" MacBook - with its limited connectivity and power - can't totally replace their regular 13 or 15" laptop, or desktop, either, whereas a new Air or MBP might be all the computer many people need. So a MBP paired with an iPad (or even iPhone) for ultimate portability might be a more flexible combination...

That said, I think Apple need to re-think their dogma on keeping tablets and laptops strictly separate: that made perfect sense in 2010 when the iPad was quite limited in power and capacity, but now they're producing 12" iPad Pros with (we're told) the crunching power of a 15" MBP that are, basically, hobbled by their lack of pointer and filesystem support, its time to start offering then with MacOS or a merged iOS/MacOS. Of course, it doesn't help that Apple probably make more money on App sales and services from an iOS sale than it does a MacOS sale....

 

[recoil80]

As a MacBook owner I can quite safely say my laptop is WAY lighter than my partners 13” MBP. There’s no way I’d swap.

People who buy the MB buy it because it’s small and light. Not because “it’s a bit more powerful and a bit heavier”.

The new MBA is lighter than the 13'' MBP (2.75 pound vs 3.02)
The 12'' made much more sense when there wasn't a MBA with retina display, I'm not saying it is useless but it now serves only a small niche market. If you don't need macOS an iPad is even lighter and more powerful than the MB, and you can have a touchscreen too so is more versatile.

I'd love to see an ARM based MB fast as the new iPad pro but with macOS. I could consider a machine like this, although the display is quite small for me, but not with today's performance.

 

[kingax1]

The new MBA is lighter than the 13'' MBP (2.75 pound vs 3.02)
The 12'' made much more sense when there wasn't a MBA with retina display, I'm not saying it is useless but it now serves only a small niche market. If you don't need macOS an iPad is even lighter and more powerful than the MB, and you can have a touchscreen too so is more versatile.

I'd love to see an ARM based MB fast as the new iPad pro but with macOS. I could consider a machine like this, although the display is quite small for me, but not with today's performance.

Why even settle with the current 12" Macbook in its form factor? Why not push the limits and "innovate" and bring the thing down lighter past its competition? Make it out of magnesium allow and carbon magnesium, bring back a retro white look and distinguish the macbook far, far from the Macbook air? There is no reason they cant drop it sub 1.5 lbs and even shrink it slightly more. Then the 12" Mac would make even more sense now that the Air is here. It’s the most logical next step.

 

[- rob -]

Looks like the embargo is lifted. Notably, gruber’s Lede is on the almost certain transition from Intel to ARM in MacBooks.

https://daringfireball.net/2018/11/the_2018_retina_macbook_air

 

[manu chao]

I don't see why the MacBook even exists. Who wants to use a tiny little 12" screen?!

I guess all those, probably millions of, people that bought one in the last three and a half years.