Confused: What will be the Skylake successor to my 13" MBA??

[Yixian]

I have a 2013 MBA 13" and I am looking to upgrade with Skylake, but I can't figure out where the logical upgrade for me will come..

Is the MacBook now a netbook line with only a 12" model or will it see a larger model with Skylake?

Is the MacBook Air likely to be phased out, is it now a beefier version of a MacBook or is it going to be even thinner?!

Will the only 13/14" Apple notebook be a MacBook Pro?!?!

I feel like the lines are very confused at this point.

Ultimately my question is, when will there likely be a 13"/14" Apple notebook with Skylake, that isn't a MBP? In 2015?

 

[motrek]

I have a 2013 MBA 13" and I am looking to upgrade with Skylake, but I can't figure out where the logical upgrade for me will come..

Is the MacBook now a netbook line with only a 12" model or will it see a larger model with Skylake?

Is the MacBook Air likely to be phased out, is it now a beefier version of a MacBook or is it going to be even thinner?!

Will the only 13/14" Apple notebook be a MacBook Pro?!?!

I feel like the lines are very confused at this point.

Ultimately my question is, when will there likely be a 13"/14" Apple notebook with Skylake, that isn't a MBP? In 2015?

I don't think anybody here will have useful answers for you. It will all just be semi-pointless speculation.

That being said, it's fairly clear to me that the MBA line is being phased out. The writing is on the wall when the regular MacBook is smaller and lighter than the model named "Air."

I don't expect the Air to get any updates to the screen, trackpad, etc. Why would Apple bother?

That being said, I expect Apple to keep the model(s) around for a few more years as a budget offering, the same way they've been keeping the classic non-retina MacBook Pro on life support.

Intel will eventually shift manufacturing capacity from Broadwell to Skylake so if Apple wants to keep the MBA around, odds seem pretty good that, at some point, they will have to update the internals to Skylake just so they can keep manufacturing it.

So, the answer to one of your questions I think is probably that the MBA will get Skylake but I don't know when.

 

[Yixian]

Hmm, ok, I can't recall a time in the last 10 years that the future of the various lines has been so unclear. I mean if you're an MBP user then it's clear, you will get Skylake revisions of what you roughly already ahve.

But for 13" MBA and MB users I really don't know what we're gonna get, or if we're going to be forced onto a netbook type of device like the new MB or what.

Or when..

 

[motrek]

Hmm, ok, I can't recall a time in the last 10 years that the future of the various lines has been so unclear. I mean if you're an MBP user then it's clear, you will get Skylake revisions of what you roughly already ahve.

But for 13" MBA and MB users I really don't know what we're gonna get, or if we're going to be forced onto a netbook type of device like the new MB or what.

Or when..

Can't help you.

BTW, netbook implies a computer that only has enough compute power and storage to browse the web and do little else.

Apple has never sold a netbook and I doubt they ever will.

The retina MacBook might have less processing power than other current models but it still has more than enough to do almost anything, not just basic web browsing.

 

[zhenya]

It is a little confusing right now.

It's clear that the Air is being ignored what with lack of updates and new technology.

Still, it's by far the best selling Apple laptop, and the U-series processors they contain are the workhorses of the Intel laptop lineup - powerful enough for the vast majority of users needs while remaining reasonable power-efficient. It's hard to see Apple dropping them entirely.

On the other hand, if the Air were updated as people want - with a Retina screen packed into a smaller device - you end up with a computer that is extremely similar to the new Macbook, and one that is significantly more expensive than the price point the Air sits at today. So it is very possible that Apple sees the future lineup as the 12" Macbook, and 13 and 15" Pros.

If you are itching for an upgrade, depending on your specific needs, the new Macbook may be worth your consideration. I've found 12" high-resolution screens to be the perfect balance of maximum portability while remaining functional for real workloads. The rMB is extremely usable at 1440x900 which is about the same resolution most people use on the 13" Pros, yet it's smaller than the 11" Air. If you look at the feedback in the Macbook forum most people, even those coming from the Pro line, are finding the Core M to be perfectly usable.

 

[Yixian]

Im not so much itching to upgrade as just worried that there will basically not be a consumer 13/14" laptop going forward..

The 12" is too small, not powerful enough and doesn't have thunderbolt, the Air managed all of this without being a Pro, let alone the previous MacBook!

 

[Boyd01]

You must have never owned a netbook if you think that title applies to anything Apple makes. I've had Samsung and Asus netbooks, and also an HP Slate tablet with a netbook class CPU. They were all real dogs in terms of computing power. I didn't even feel they were acceptable for web browsing. They maxxed at with 2gb RAM and a 1024x600 pixel screen (which was pretty much standard on netbooks) is horrible.

The main attraction of the netbook was a very low price, and that has never been a direction that Apple has gone.

 

[motrek]

...
The 12" is too small, not powerful enough and doesn't have thunderbolt, the Air managed all of this without being a Pro, let alone the previous MacBook!

Not powerful enough for what? You must be doing something that is SERIOUSLY processor intensive.

 

[Boyd01]

I haven't really followed the MacBook discussions. But ripping a DVD is a very processor intensive task that many ordinary people do. My 2008 core2duo MacBook Pro would take about 75 minutes to rip a TV show. That same show rips in 15 minutes on my 2013 i7 MacBook Air. Am guessing that the new fanless MacBook would be slower because the fans on my MBA kick into high gear a few seconds after I begin a rip.

 

[DHagan4755]

I'm thinking Apple will eventually drop the price point of the 12-inch MacBook to the entry-level Mac model in the notebook line.

I think the rationale here is that it uses Core M processors, unlike the MacBook Air line that uses the low-voltage Core i5s. There's an obvious difference here hence the name differentiation. I think they'll either get rid of the 11- and 13-inch models in favor of a 14" MacBook Air model or keep the 13-inch model, but whatever the case, I think the MacBook Air will be overhauled. It will get the retina display and force touch trackpad. And the Air is destined to gain the USB-C connectors that will probably be Thunderbolt 3.

The MacBook Pro will still be as distinct as it is now in the notebook lineup.

 

[motrek]

I haven't really followed the MacBook discussions. But ripping a DVD is a very processor intensive task that many ordinary people do. My 2008 core2duo MacBook Pro would take about 75 minutes to rip a TV show. That same show rips in 15 minutes on my 2013 i7 MacBook Air. Am guessing that the new fanless MacBook would be slower because the fans on my MBA kick into high gear a few seconds after I begin a rip.

True, the rMB would probably clock down to its advertised clock speed shortly after you started the rip. So I would expect it to take about 3 times as long (3.3ghz vs. 1.1ghz). That means 45 minutes. Still much faster than your 2008 MB, which you presumably got along fine with up until just a few years ago.

 

[Boyd01]

Sounds like the rMB would be the perfect travel computer. I went from a 13" MBA to an 11" MBA and was amazed at how much better that was for travel. So something even thinner and lighter would be great.

But the thing is, my MBA is powerful enough to be my primary computer and I use applications like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. Sure doesn't sound like the rMB would cut it for these things, and the lack of ports would also be a minus. I retired a few years ago and can't justify having a separate travel computer, so the MBA is a better choice for me.

And yeah, I got along fine with the 2008 MBP a few years ago, but that is history now. And I can't see paying a premium price for 2015 computer that is (using your numbers) only 1/3 the speed of my 2013 computer just for the slim design and retina screen.

But we all have different needs and priorities.

 

[motrek]

...
And yeah, I got along fine with the 2008 MBP a few years ago, but that is history now. And I can't see paying a premium price for 2015 computer that is (using your numbers) only 1/3 the speed of my 2013 computer just for the slim design and retina screen.
...

Sure, I understand. I have an 11" MBA myself and don't view the rMB as an upgrade either.

I was just posting about the rMB processor because it's frustrating to see people describe it as underpowered when it really is still very powerful. Its performance should be very similar to that of a 2012 MBA and I've never seen a 2012 MBA called underpowered.

Note that it's only 1/3 as fast as your current MBA when doing a sustained CPU-heavy task for minutes at a time, e.g., ripping and transcoding a DVD.

The usage pattern for most people, most of the time, is to have shorter bursts of CPU activity. In which case the base model rMB will turbo boost up to 2.4GHz, which is most of the way to your laptop's 3.3GHz.

So, in regular daily activity, I doubt you would notice much of a difference between the two.

Again, not trying to sell the rMB to you or anybody, just saying that it's not "underpowered."

 

[MacDarcy]

I prefer the 13" MacBook Air over the new retina 12" Macbook. I tried the MacBook out in the store, and did not like the feel of the keys at all. Neither did I think the MacBook felt much smaller than the 13" MacBook Air. I think the MacBook air is the perfect combo of portability & power, while the MacBook is kinda like an iPad with a keyboard. It just seems too underpowered for what I want to do(editing HD video on the road).

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful looking machine. The anodized black in particular. Plus the retina display is nice. But the lack of ports & power would be too limiting for my needs.

If the MacBook Air had a retina display, it'd be perfect.

I'm gonna wait for the next update, and if the MacBook air gets a faster processor & retina, I'm nabbing one.

 

[X-Caliber]

I prefer the 13" MacBook Air over the new retina 12" Macbook. I tried the MacBook out in the store, and did not like the feel of the keys at all. Neither did I think the MacBook felt much smaller than the 13" MacBook Air. I think the MacBook air is the perfect combo of portability & power, while the MacBook is kinda like an iPad with a keyboard. It just seems too underpowered for what I want to do(editing HD video on the road).

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful looking machine. The anodized black in particular. Plus the retina display is nice. But the lack of ports & power would be too limiting for my needs.

If the MacBook Air had a retina display, it'd be perfect.

I'm gonna wait for the next update, and if the MacBook air gets a faster processor & retina, I'm nabbing one.

I agree 100% on the keys in the new Macbook are just "off" in terms of feel!

 

[motrek]

...
I'm gonna wait for the next update, and if the MacBook air gets a faster processor & retina, I'm nabbing one.

*sigh* You did video editing on it in the store and it wasn't fast enough?