Apple's New MacBook Air Uses MacBook-Class Amber Lake Chip [Updated]

[KPandian1]

Honoring Steve's manilla folder is all I can think of at this point. I too thought we were done with the word "Air".

MacBook Air sounds better than MacBook Basic! The word MacBook is just a precursor for a while now, at least from when Steve held the Air up in the air.

Down the line - a year - we might just have the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro left standing. Thinning the crowd, sounds good.

 

[zuiram]

Tim Cook will be laughing all the way to the bank at people who buy this to power a 5K display.

The 2016 non-TB MBP gets laggy and runs the fans really high all the time when connected to a 5K display doing basic media consumption and the like. That’s with more than 3x the power to drive the display than the Air he claims you can connect to one.

Around where I live, they might actually run afoul of consumer protection laws to do with false claims if they put up on the website that the Air can run a 5K screen, but I’ve never seen them not flaunt the law to offer worse service than legally mandated, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they actually made the claim.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I was ecstatic when they announced the new Air.

With a dying 2010 11" a new (slightly smaller than the 13") Air was all I ever wanted.

First dent in the excitement was the price. I had hoped for a price drop (that $799 rumour was very alluring), kind of expected the price to stay put (at $999) and only in my worst fear thought they hiked it (al though that $1299 rumour was nagging me a bit). When they announced it at $1199 it was a bit of a blow, though not a deal breaker...

That came as I realised that they _didn't_ put a 15W CPU into it, but a boosted Y-chip at 7W, that was the actual deal breaker for me (even if I still coveted that shiny new Air I've wanted for quite some time).

I still need a new MacBook [something], but right now I'm leaning towards the Pro... maybe the 15" (standard CPU, 16 GB RAM and 512GB SSD)?

 

[KPandian1]

macbook 1299
macbook air 1199 (oooh "budget"!!!)
macbook pro 1299

11" ipad pro 799
12.9" ipad pro 999

iphone xr 749
iphone xs 999
iphone xs-max 1099

This. MacBook is a line that needs qualifiers like Air and Pro. Like the rest of the examples you'd lined up.

 

[zuiram]

I think there is "some" possibility of this cannibalization, but I'll reserve judgment until there are some benchmarks.

The two 13" models are VERY closely priced - within $100 for a 16GB/512GB machine - but on paper the processor, graphics, and display are all better on the MBP.

The MBP is better and better value for money, but isn’t getting a reliable keyboard like the Air, so you’ll have to pick your poison, instead of them just rebranding the MBP with a new keyboard and calling it a day without this mess.

 

[KPandian1]

First dent in the excitement was the price. I had hoped for a price drop (that $799 rumour was very alluring), kind of expected the price ti stay put (at $999) and only in my worst fear thought they hiked it (al though that $1299 rumour was nagging me a bit). When they announced it at $1199 it was a bit of a blow, though not a deal breaker...

I still need a new MacBook [something], but right now I'm leaning towards the Pro... maybe the 15" (standard CPU, 16 GB RAM and 512GB SSD)?

Yes, the price just went up - on a device that will last 3-7 years, YMMW. COLA factored in, that is better than what most thing cost now compared to three years ago. Gasoline alone, multiplied over the 24 months, that is more than reasonable.

That Pro specs - not very portable. I am typing on it now, only the 2015 "GOOD" version. I bought it new last year and love it - the spec upgrades since then mean nothing to me over functionality.

PS: (*COLA - Cost of living Allowance)

 

[Rogifan]

MB is toast. They wouldn't be rolling this out if the MB had successfully supplanted the MBA line.

And these are recycled aluminum from the MB line.

I thought they were recycled from the iPad leftovers? I swear that’s what I heard on stage. It’s hard to know if Apple expected the MacBook or the non-touchbar MacBook Pro to replace the Air but my guess is they realized the Air branding has too much cachet in the market to get rid of it.

I think the MacBook will become Apple’s first ARM laptop.

 

[chatin]

I thought they were recycled from the iPad leftovers?

Could be from anything aluminum. Audi has made 250K cars out of all aluminum. Too bad the drive trains are junk.

 

[mrzz]

Your names do not make any sense. iPhone pro is ridiculously wrong and shows you have no idea of the product.

and what is really "pro" on the iPad pro? Only the price is ridiculously "pro", nothing else. It's just an overpriced, though pretty nice, tablet.
[doublepost=1540982828][/doublepost]I can't stand such large bezels in 2018. Am I the only one? Some of competitors were able to make them smaller 1, 2 years ago. As usual, they are just intentionally saving something for later to grab money next year.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Yes, the price just went up - on a device that will last 3-7 years, YMMW. COLA factored in, that is better than what most thing cost now compared to three years ago. Gasoline alone, multiplied over the 24 months, that is more than reasonable.

That Pro specs - not very portable. I am typing on it now, only the 2015 "GOOD" version. I bought it new last year and love it - the spec upgrades since then mean nothing to me over functionality.

PS: (*COLA - Cost of living Allowance)

Sure, I could have lived with the increased price (even if the NOK/USD exchange rate makes it even worse), but Not that MacBook chip...

Also, the 13” pro isn’t really that more expensive (with base cpu, 16gb ram and 512gb sad).

 

[4look4rd]

It does make you wonder how long they’ll sit on the MacBook update given the weird space it now occupies. Perhaps they’ll just stick to the refresh window they’ve established with it. The new Air is an interesting product; it’s just a shame they couldn’t keep it sub-$1k. Still, there’s a market for it, and it’s a tempting product.

Not with a Y series processor, the market is just as big as for a MacBook with a $100 discount, how many of those you see on wild relative to the pro models?

 

[manu chao]

The 2016 non-TB MBP gets laggy and runs the fans really high all the time when connected to a 5K display doing basic media consumption and the like. That’s with more than 3x the power to drive the display than the Air he claims you can connect to one.

Around where I live, they might actually run afoul of consumer protection laws to do with false claims if they put up on the website that the Air can run a 5K screen, but I’ve never seen them not flaunt the law to offer worse service than legally mandated, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they actually made the claim.

Well, it's technically an Intel claim (for the integrated GPU on their processor).
[doublepost=1540986923][/doublepost]

I thought they were recycled from the iPad leftovers? I swear that’s what I heard on stage. It’s hard to know if Apple expected the MacBook or the non-touchbar MacBook Pro to replace the Air but my guess is they realized the Air branding has too much cachet in the market to get rid of it.

The Air name might have something to do with it, as could the wedge shape. But a price of something closer to $1000 would have been an important factor as well.

I think the MacBook will become Apple’s first ARM laptop.

That makes a lot of sense. It could take the weight (and size) advantage to the next level to put some distance between the MacBook and MBA. Though they might create a new name (eg, MacBook Mini).

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Sure, I could have lived with the increased price (even if the NOK/USD exchange rate makes it even worse), but Not that MacBook chip...

Also, the 13” pro isn’t really that more expensive (with base cpu, 16gb ram and 512gb sad).

Apple seems to be putting a pretty heavy price tag on weight and size, regardless of performance. The Macbook 12" was a good example of a ridiculously expensive Macbook with an underwhelming CPU. But, it was thin. Now, the updated MBA suffers the same fate. There really isn't a cheap MB anymore.

 

[Salty Pirate]

Could be from anything aluminum. Audi has made 250K cars out of all aluminum. Too bad the drive trains are junk.

I have owned two, problem free Audi A4's.

Not sure where you pulled that statement out of.....

 

[Infinite Vortex]

Long, long ago, it was making customer loyalty

Yeah, these days rather than creating loyalty all they manage to do is to make me feel like I'm stuck in The Glade like one of those kids in the Maze Runner.

 

[colorfuel]

Spec wise the i5 in the new Air will not be significantly faster than the i7 in the 2015 AIR. Even the HD617 isnt significantly faster than the HD6000, except better HW decoding. But they now have to drive a Retina Screen, which at 2 560 x 1 600 (1280x800) vs. 1440x900, will have less space to work with.


I see no reason to buy this AIR except if you really want that Retina Screen and the smaller footprint, otherwise the smallest MacBook Pro is a much better choice since it has the 640 integrated GPU and the 15W CPU, much better suited to drive that Retina Screen imo.

 

[lowkey]

All a 15w chip would do is drain the battery. Both are 3.6 GHz turbo boost dual cores. Adding a Retina screen to the Air was always going to mean adding bigger battery to compensate [making it heavier] or reducing other component power consumption.

If you need power go the Pro. If you need light and compact go Mackbook. If you want general purpose go Air.

I was ecstatic when they announced the new Air.

With a dying 2010 11" a new (slightly smaller than the 13") Air was all I ever wanted.

First dent in the excitement was the price. I had hoped for a price drop (that $799 rumour was very alluring), kind of expected the price to stay put (at $999) and only in my worst fear thought they hiked it (al though that $1299 rumour was nagging me a bit). When they announced it at $1199 it was a bit of a blow, though not a deal breaker...

That came as I realised that they _didn't_ put a 15W CPU into it, but a boosted Y-chip at 7W, that was the actual deal breaker for me (even if I still coveted that shiny new Air I've wanted for quite some time).

I still need a new MacBook [something], but right now I'm leaning towards the Pro... maybe the 15" (standard CPU, 16 GB RAM and 512GB SSD)?

[doublepost=1540990929][/doublepost]

I have owned two, problem free Audi A4's.

Not sure where you pulled that statement out of.....

His Mechatronic gearbox probably fell apart like mine :/
[doublepost=1540991176][/doublepost]

Apple seems to be putting a pretty heavy price tag on weight and size, regardless of performance. The Macbook 12" was a good example of a ridiculously expensive Macbook with an underwhelming CPU. But, it was thin. Now, the updated MBA suffers the same fate. There really isn't a cheap MB anymore.

My 12" 2015 MacBook has been a great machine. Wasn't the cheapest machine, but i got it refurb and its so light it really is a super portable computer [which a laptop should be imo]. For my use weight and size are more important than performance.

 

[PlayUltimate]

I see no reason to buy this AIR except if you really want that Retina Screen and the smaller footprint, otherwise the smallest MacBook Pro is a much better choice since it has the 640 integrated GPU and the 15W CPU, much better suited to drive that Retina Screen imo.

Not sure that this has recently not been the case. When I was buying college computers for my daughters (6 & 4 years ago) the low end "pro" made much better economic sense than a MacBook or Air. Both of them are still running strong. And just updated the older computer by putting in SSD. (low end had a HD at the time).

However, with this announcement, I am confused where the standard MacBook fits. Seems that the Air, MacBook, and Pro are all squeezing together with specs etc. IMO, it would make sense for them to remove the MacBook and just maintain the MacBook Air and Pro. And then tweak the 13" configurations and prices to fit around $999 - $1499 for the Air and $1299 - $1799 for the Pros. There just not seem to be much differentiation anymore.

 

[MistrSynistr]

It's not an AIR because it didn't keep the LEGACY ports which is what everyone wanted with an updated AIR with RETINA screen.

 

[zla]

I was ecstatic when they announced the new Air.

With a dying 2010 11" a new (slightly smaller than the 13") Air was all I ever wanted.

First dent in the excitement was the price. I had hoped for a price drop (that $799 rumour was very alluring), kind of expected the price to stay put (at $999) and only in my worst fear thought they hiked it (al though that $1299 rumour was nagging me a bit). When they announced it at $1199 it was a bit of a blow, though not a deal breaker...

That came as I realised that they _didn't_ put a 15W CPU into it, but a boosted Y-chip at 7W, that was the actual deal breaker for me (even if I still coveted that shiny new Air I've wanted for quite some time).

I still need a new MacBook [something], but right now I'm leaning towards the Pro... maybe the 15" (standard CPU, 16 GB RAM and 512GB SSD)?

As a business owner I've had a lot of luck buying used 2013-2015 15" MBPs, perhaps you would have similar luck with a smaller laptop, if you need macOS, otherwise, you're free! 1200 will get you a great windows machine! but yeah... 1200... (for their ENTRY LEVEL MBA is ridiculous when the ENTRY LEVEL MBP is 1300... it's like.. if you can configure it that low there isn't a case for the air's existance!) At least you get some horsepower under the hood with the pro, you'd only be picking the air for the fingerprint reader (which is ALL the MPB ever should have done, the touch bar is such a gimmick)
[doublepost=1540994836][/doublepost]

It's not an AIR because it didn't keep the LEGACY ports which is what everyone wanted with an updated AIR with RETINA screen.

It's not an AIR because the 13" MBP and the 12" macbook are both thinner than it... unless air stands for what's inside of it...

 

[technole]

However, with this announcement, I am confused where the standard MacBook fits. Seems that the Air, MacBook, and Pro are all squeezing together with specs etc. IMO, it would make sense for them to remove the MacBook and just maintain the MacBook Air and Pro. And then tweak the 13" configurations and prices to fit around $999 - $1499 for the Air and $1299 - $1799 for the Pros. There just not seem to be much differentiation anymore.

MacBook Air comes in only 7W i5

Macbook comes in m3, i5, and i7.

 

[forbegos34]

Maximising profit opportunities. Is there anything else for a company to be thinking about?

No. Companies are made to make money. It's called capitalism. What else should companies think about?

 

[smulji]

I wonder how long it will take for Apple to go "A processor" on the Macs. After hearing the announcement of the new iPad Pro it seems that the A processor line is not superior to the i5 offering by Intel...

Or maybe Macs server different purposes than iOS devices and there's no reason to switch to A-series processors on Macs

 

[otternonsense]

Maximising profit opportunities. Is there anything else for a company to be thinking about?

Well, optimizing also for user value, which is something Apple historically did pre-Cook.

 

[smulji]

I thought they were recycled from the iPad leftovers? I swear that’s what I heard on stage. It’s hard to know if Apple expected the MacBook or the non-touchbar MacBook Pro to replace the Air but my guess is they realized the Air branding has too much cachet in the market to get rid of it.

I think the MacBook will become Apple’s first ARM laptop.

I don't see a purpose of an ARM Mac when more and more Apple seems to be positioning the iPad Pro as their answer to the "ARM Laptop"

https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1057415618696232966