Buying now = outdated right away?

[cyb3rdud3]

The current MBA is a great machine. If you haven't got a laptop and need one you won't regret getting it.

I want a replacement so I can give my 13"/i7/8GB/512GB laptop to my daughter. But as it isn't a need I've got until September 2015 to wait and arrange something for her.

 

[DancyMunchkin]

I've been considering buying a MacBook air (my first MacBook), but am hesitant because the push towards retina makes me wonder if I'll end up buying a MacBook and then having it be "outdated" within a few months. Does it make sense to buy a non-retina Air (meaning wait for apple to release one) at this point in the game?

As long as there's been technology, this question gets asked.

Why isn't it common sense that;

1. Any technology bought today will be outdated tomorrow unless the specific technology has dead ended.
2. No one knows if a specific feature will be part of the next model.
3. No one knows when the next model will come out.

The answer to the question is always the same;

• If you need the technology now, buy it now.
• If you don't need the technology now, wait.

OP:

• Do you need a Retina display?
• Do you need a laptop now?

If yes to both, get a MBP.

 

[Meister]

The air now is a fantastic laptop.
Only the future will tell if the rumored 12" retina is going to live put to the original Mba.

I would strongly recommend buying a MBA now, since the current MBAs are well proven to be fantastic machines. If you want the retina then buy a rmbp. I am writing this from a 13" rmbp

 

[sracer]

It does not bother me that I was wrong. In fact, I was not 100% wrong. Apple last updated the MacBook Air in April, and it was a carryover from last year. The differences were minor, just a very small bump in processor speed and reduced prices. The reason for this is that Intel delayed the release of Broadwell.

IMO, it SHOULD bother you that you were 100% wrong. Opinions are one thing, bold claims are something else. Besides, your claims of an updated Air were made AFTER the April refresh (if I recall correctly) even if that claim was made BEFORE the April refresh, it would be intellectually dishonest to now claim that the refresh is in keeping with what you expected the update to be. Wrong is wrong. We are all wrong from time to time... the difference is how do we handle it when we are.

This whole thing that "nobody knows when" Apple will release the retina Air is true, but reveals a flawed logic. Everybody can have an educated guess. The current MacBook Air form factor is four years old. There are lots of ultrabooks out there which are beating the Air in specs. And there are lots of rumors about the imminent release of a brand-new Air. So, even if nobody knows when Apple will release it, it is pretty clear to me that the release will be quite soon.

There will be a new model in a few months, if rumors are to be believed. The screen will be IPS and have a better resolution. The laptop will probably get thinner and lighter. There may be changes in the trackpad. We don't know for sure what Apple will come up with.

Of course, the current form factor is fine, and if you are OK with it, then go ahead and buy it, it's your money after all. Even if Apple releases a new laptop in six months or so, that won't make the current Air a worse computer. But if you want the most up-to-date thing around, then you may get disappointed.

All of this is predicated on the assumption that the next MBA will be viewed as "better" than the current model. Considering what Apple has done with their non-iOS hardware lately, that isn't a good assumption to draw.

The air now is a fantastic laptop.
Only the future will tell if the rumored 12" retina is going to live put to the original Mba.

I would strongly recommend buying a MBA now, since the current MBAs are well proven to be fantastic machines. If you want the retina then buy a rmbp. I am writing this from a 13" rmbp

I've bolded an important point that often takes a back seat to the "bleeding edge".

 

[skaertus]

No, you were 100% wrong. You were predicting a retina, fanless, thinner MBA. None of those things happened. You could not possibly have been more wrong.

These things didn't happen yet. The last update of the Air was in April, and a new version has not been released yet. Apple will update the Air in early 2015, and then we will see if I was wrong or not.

Well, yeah. Apple is going to release a new product sometime. The more time passes, the closer we get to that time. Right now we're closer to the new release than we were 2 years ago. Does that mean the release will be "quite soon"? No, it doesn't.

Well, you have the right to think whatever you want. The MacBook Air could have benefitted from a redesign when Haswell was released, and could benefit now that Broadwell will be released. I don't recommend getting one, unless you want to get in Apple's world for the lowest price point.

Why are you so passionate about it? You don't have to be so aggressive trying to make your point.

I'm sure you're going to keep predicting a new MBA every week between now and when it happens and when it finally does happen, you'll be very pleased with yourself for making the correct prediction. I guess a broken clock is right twice a day.

No. I think the retina MacBook Air will arrive when Broadwell arrives. I don't know when it will be. I don't do predictions, I just try to make educated guesses based on common sense.

Different screen doesn't mean new form factor.

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/form-factor

Actually I think a case can be made that MacBook Pros haven't meaningfully changed their form factor since 2008. So I don't know what you're talking about re: form factor.

Actually, I think it will have a different form factor because the screen will be 12-inch, according to rumors. A 16:10 12-inch screen will probably require a different form factor than those used by the current models.

----------

IMO, it SHOULD bother you that you were 100% wrong. Opinions are one thing, bold claims are something else. Besides, your claims of an updated Air were made AFTER the April refresh (if I recall correctly) even if that claim was made BEFORE the April refresh, it would be intellectually dishonest to now claim that the refresh is in keeping with what you expected the update to be. Wrong is wrong. We are all wrong from time to time... the difference is how do we handle it when we are.

I was surely wrong, but I was also based on assuptions that did not turn out to happen, and that's why I am not bothered. What Apple did was a minor bump, as the Broadwell processor was delayed. If Intel had delivered Broadwell on time, then we might have a different Air these days.

That doesn't change the fact that I was wrong, of course. But I wouldn't have predicted a redesigned MacBook Air if I knew the architecture was to remain the same.

All of this is predicated on the assumption that the next MBA will be viewed as "better" than the current model. Considering what Apple has done with their non-iOS hardware lately, that isn't a good assumption to draw.

Well, I am not sure why you said that. I think the latest updates of Macs were good (except perhaps for the Mac Mini).

Anyway, if the next Air is going to be worse than the current one, and you prefer sticking to the old one, then maybe it's time to think again.

The way I see it, I don't like being stuck in the past when it comes down to computers. I would either embrace the new Air the way it is, or consider migrating to Windows.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

I've been considering buying a MacBook air (my first MacBook), but am hesitant because the push towards retina makes me wonder if I'll end up buying a MacBook and then having it be "outdated" within a few months. Does it make sense to buy a non-retina Air (meaning wait for apple to release one) at this point in the game?

Define outdated. Yes the new one will probably have a Retina display, new fancy colors, new design etc.

But the new model is also rumored to use the Core M processor, which is a big step back from especially the BTO i7 in the current model. The new model will make your older model look outdated, but (at least to me) it's the inside that counts.

The average MBA user will not miss the loss in processing power (I assume most people go with the i5 anyway in which case the difference is not that big) but if you're interested in the MBA as an affordable alternative to the rMBP you may want to consider buying one now.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Define outdated. Yes the new one will probably have a Retina display, new fancy colors, new design etc.

But the new model is also rumored to use the Core M processor, which is a big step back from especially the BTO i7 in the current model. The new model will make your older model look outdated, but (at least to me) it's the inside that counts.

The average MBA user will not miss the loss in processing power (I assume most people go with the i5 anyway in which case the difference is not that big) but if you're interested in the MBA as an affordable alternative to the rMBP you may want to consider buying one now.

Fully agree with that assessment. It is exactly why I went with my MBA and maxed it out. More portable, fast, enough cores and memory for virtual machines etc...An no need for a small good screen when I've got a big one on my desk.

 

[DisplacedMic]

I've been considering buying a MacBook air (my first MacBook), but am hesitant because the push towards retina makes me wonder if I'll end up buying a MacBook and then having it be "outdated" within a few months. Does it make sense to buy a non-retina Air (meaning wait for apple to release one) at this point in the game?

if by "outdated" you mean "not the the absolute newest available" then yes, it will be outdated immediately.

We all secretly expect them to stop advancing as soon as we buy what we want.

it's this phenomenon:

 

[motrek]

These things didn't happen yet. The last update of the Air was in April, and a new version has not been released yet. Apple will update the Air in early 2015, and then we will see if I was wrong or not. ...

OMG, how can you possibly be so dense as to state another guess as fact?

I mean, does it not bother you even a LITTLE that you've been completely 100% wrong with every other prediction you've made? At this point a more reasonable person would stop making predictions and just wait and see what happens but I guess you're just going to power through the failure.

You're right that I'm annoyed at you basically posting fan fiction about Apple but really it's mostly my fault for reading a bunch of posts on a site called "Mac Rumors." I should set my expectations WAY lower.

 

[skaertus]

OMG, how can you possibly be so dense as to state another guess as fact?

I mean, does it not bother you even a LITTLE that you've been completely 100% wrong with every other prediction you've made? At this point a more reasonable person would stop making predictions and just wait and see what happens but I guess you're just going to power through the failure.

You're right that I'm annoyed at you basically posting fan fiction about Apple but really it's mostly my fault for reading a bunch of posts on a site called "Mac Rumors." I should set my expectations WAY lower.

Excuse me, I was not wrong in every other prediction I made. Perhaps I was wrong as to my predictions in respect to the MacBook Air, but not to all other predictions. Anyway, these are educated guesses and not predictions. Nothing is a statement of fact, but just an expectation based on rumors and on common sense.

I have said more than once that these are educated guesses and not facts. I cannot predict the future because I don't have a crystall ball, and I cannot tell what will happen or not. These are everything but facts, which are things from the past.

Apple last updated the MacBook Air 243 days ago, according to the Buyer's Guide of this site, and the last update was a minor spec bump. The average time for releasing another laptop is 337 days. So, it is pretty clear to me that the next MacBook Air will come in the first half of 2015. Intel is about to release the Broadwell processor, so it's also clear to me that Apple is likely to use Broadwell on its next MacBook Air.

Now, will it be a redesign? Apple has last redesigned the Air four years ago. So, it's likely that Apple comes up with a redesigned Air this time, and all rumors point out to that. It's possible that Apple doesn't redesign the Air, but it is likely that Apple does. It's not a fact, but it's a probability, and a high probability.

So, no fiction here. Just educated guesses.

And please be more polite on your future posts. I have never been impolite to you, and the fact that you disagree with me is no reason for being rude.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

No need to dress it up as educated, they are just guesses and yes they were wrong....Make enough and one will be right. Either way no one care, just don't pretend there is any value in them...

No different than the views on many other topics, dare I mention MS Office

 

[motrek]

Excuse me, I was not wrong in every other prediction I made. Perhaps I was wrong as to my predictions in respect to the MacBook Air, but not to all other predictions. Anyway, these are educated guesses and not predictions. Nothing is a statement of fact, but just an expectation based on rumors and on common sense. ...

Eh?

When you say things like "Apple will update the Air in early 2015" that's a statement of FACT.

You didn't qualify your statement in any way with phrases like "I think" or "Apple probably will" or anything like that. You said APPLE WILL UPDATE.

Completely honest question, is English not your mother tongue? If this is all a result of a language barrier then I will feel guilty.

 

[skaertus]

Eh?

When you say things like "Apple will update the Air in early 2015" that's a statement of FACT.

You didn't qualify your statement in any way with phrases like "I think" or "Apple probably will" or anything like that. You said APPLE WILL UPDATE.

I said "Apple will update the Air" but I thought it was implied that it was an educated guess and not a real fact. I thought it was clear by the context and I apologize if it wasn't.

Completely honest question, is English not your mother tongue? If this is all a result of a language barrier then I will feel guilty.

My mother tongue is Portuguese. I am Brazilian.

 

[motrek]

I said "Apple will update the Air" but I thought it was implied that it was an educated guess and not a real fact. I thought it was clear by the context and I apologize if it wasn't.
...
My mother tongue is Portuguese. I am Brazilian.

Okay, my apologies then, I didn't know that. The way you said your statement, the only way it could be interpreted is as a declaration of fact. Better would be:

"I think Apple will update the Air in early 2015"
- or -
"I assume Apple will update the Air in early 2015"
- or -
"Apple will probably update the Air in early 2015"
etc.

 

[mcarling]

I've been considering buying a MacBook air (my first MacBook), but am hesitant because the push towards retina makes me wonder if I'll end up buying a MacBook and then having it be "outdated" within a few months. Does it make sense to buy a non-retina Air (meaning wait for apple to release one) at this point in the game?

It depends on what exactly you mean by "a few months". Based on the availability of suitable Broadwell CPUs, it seems that an updated MacBook Air is at least two months away, at a minimum.

 

[skaertus]

Okay, my apologies then, I didn't know that. The way you said your statement, the only way it could be interpreted is as a declaration of fact. Better would be:

"I think Apple will update the Air in early 2015"
- or -
"I assume Apple will update the Air in early 2015"
- or -
"Apple will probably update the Air in early 2015"
etc.

OK! Then, based on rumors I read, and on the past timeline of Apple products, I think the MacBook Air will suffer a redesign sometime in the first half of 2015 and will feature a 12-inch retina display. That's to sum it up my prediction. If someone still wants to buy the current model, then go ahead, but there is a probability that the current model is redesigned in a few months.

 

[Harthag]

I'm a month into owning my 13" Air and don't regret the purchase at all, knowing full well something "better" may be coming along in the next few months. I'd trust the current tried and true Air (and the current mbp as well) over an upcoming 1st gen product with an allegedly fan-less form factor. Also not a fan of a 12" form factor if that rumor turns out to be true. The fact that there's been no design change in the Air over the past few years also doesn't matter at all to me, she's a beauty as is.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Okay, my apologies then, I didn't know that. The way you said your statement, the only way it could be interpreted is as a declaration of fact. Better would be:



"I think Apple will update the Air in early 2015"

- or -

"I assume Apple will update the Air in early 2015"

- or -

"Apple will probably update the Air in early 2015"

etc.

I wouldn't apologise. He knows exactly what he is doing and has great command of the English language. He is just being an argumentative git as per usual and in his world there is only one correct person.

 

[motrek]

... The fact that there's been no design change in the Air over the past few years also doesn't matter at all to me, she's a beauty as is.

Indeed. It wouldn't surprise me if the design is eventually considered timeless, sort of like the Movado "museum" watch or a Leica camera or a Porsche 911.

Just because a design hasn't changed in 4 years doesn't mean it's automatically stale and requires refreshing.

 

[MarvinHC]

Indeed. It wouldn't surprise me if the design is eventually considered timeless, sort of like the Movado "museum" watch or a Leica camera or a Porsche 911.

Just because a design hasn't changed in 4 years doesn't mean it's automatically stale and requires refreshing.

I agree the current design is great (and thin enough), if they could just use more of the existing space for the screen and maybe improve its resolution, that is the only change I personally need.

 

[DisplacedMic]

OK! Then, based on rumors I read, and on the past timeline of Apple products, I think the MacBook Air will suffer a redesign sometime in the first half of 2015 and will feature a 12-inch retina display. That's to sum it up my prediction. If someone still wants to buy the current model, then go ahead, but there is a probability that the current model is redesigned in a few months.

you need to revisit your understanding of what the word "outdated" means.

 

[skaertus]

I wouldn't apologise. He knows exactly what he is doing and has great command of the English language. He is just being an argumentative git as per usual and in his world there is only one correct person.

I am sorry, but you shouldn't do such personal attacks. You don't even know me. This is an Internet forum and is supposed to let people freely discuss ideas and opinions. Being argumentative is part of what this forum should be intended to be. Everybody has the right to disagree with me, and I have the right to stand for my opinions. There is nothing personal about this.

----------

you need to revisit your understanding of what the word "outdated" means.

Actually, I thought I had expressed my view on what outdated means. It can mean lots of things. The current MacBook Air is not outdated in specs, as they are the most up-to-date. As for the design, well, it has seen better days, and I would call it outdated as it has been superseded by the design of the MacBook Pro and other ultrabooks.

 

[chleuasme]

pointer: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1656178/

Apple last updated the MacBook Air 243 days ago, according to the Buyer's Guide of this site, and the last update was a minor spec bump. The average time for releasing another laptop is 337 days. So, it is pretty clear to me that the next MacBook Air will come in the first half of 2015. Intel is about to release the Broadwell processor, so it's also clear to me that Apple is likely to use Broadwell on its next MacBook Air.

Now, will it be a redesign? Apple has last redesigned the Air four years ago. So, it's likely that Apple comes up with a redesigned Air this time, and all rumors point out to that. It's possible that Apple doesn't redesign the Air, but it is likely that Apple does. It's not a fact, but it's a probability, and a high probability.

So, no fiction here. Just educated guesses.

Discussing the average day counts between releases is not really worth any interest. Apple has mainly to follow intel roadmap, and when intel is not on a regular schedule, Apple can't be either. Rather watch the intel roadmap and schedule, and (ir)regularity.
New design for better integration of new hardware is one thing, but with current specs any change could mean a degradation on one aspect versus another. What cosmetic change should Apple have done during the last 4 years, and that would not have affected production lines and costs?
The only educated guess remains Apple is likely going to release a new Macbook when intel get its 15W Broadwell chips out, and then making a retina screen possible in the ~12" range. That's it.

 

[DisplacedMic]

Actually, I thought I had expressed my view on what outdated means. It can mean lots of things. The current MacBook Air is not outdated in specs, as they are the most up-to-date. As for the design, well, it has seen better days, and I would call it outdated as it has been superseded by the design of the MacBook Pro and other ultrabooks.

You did. And your view bears no relation to what the word actually means.
Even if the word can mean "lots of things," none of those things are at all applicable to the current line of MBAs, now or in the coming months or even year.

 

[Meister]

I find this thread/discussion very hard to read.