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Do you think we will see a Retina MacBook Air?
- Thread starter Mr. RPG
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That is why I said mobile. 1920x1080 crammed into a 13" dispay without scaling looks pretty bad on OSX with its bad resolution manager. Have you seen a ative res rMBP? Text is all but unreadable and a 1080p MBP 13"would only be a little better.
….mmm, I disagree. All resolutions look great except the lowest one on my rMBP 13.3.
I voted yes, because of the coming Haswell chip…...
I voted yes, because of the coming Haswell chip…...
There will be no "retina Air". If it was technologically possible for Apple to make 13" rMBP in a thinner "Air" form factor (it is not) - they would make just one 13" laptop.
As things stand, retina display requires a thicker form factor. That's why we see two separate 13" models - one optimized for thinness (at the exception of resolution), and another optimized for screen resolution (at the expense of thinness).
As things stand, retina display requires a thicker form factor. That's why we see two separate 13" models - one optimized for thinness (at the exception of resolution), and another optimized for screen resolution (at the expense of thinness).
I don't think there will be any bump in resolution unless they go full Retina, which is almost garanteed to not happen this year.
MBAs are already the Macs with the physically smallest UI, going to a resolution like 1920x1200 would make things way too small and OS X isn't designed to scale things at like 1.5x (bitmaps would look crappy anyway unless developers updated their assets yet again for 1.5x).
My guess is that a rMBA will happen in 2015. Until then, what I'm wondering is if they'll keep the same TN panel or upgrade to a new IPS one with the same resolution but better colors and viewing angles. That's the best we can realistically hope for this year.
MBAs are already the Macs with the physically smallest UI, going to a resolution like 1920x1200 would make things way too small and OS X isn't designed to scale things at like 1.5x (bitmaps would look crappy anyway unless developers updated their assets yet again for 1.5x).
My guess is that a rMBA will happen in 2015. Until then, what I'm wondering is if they'll keep the same TN panel or upgrade to a new IPS one with the same resolution but better colors and viewing angles. That's the best we can realistically hope for this year.
People were saying the same thing last year with the Pro - i think the chances are actually quite high.
Yes Apple will make all Macbook line with retina display. If you disagree then tell me why Apple is ditching cMBP??? Without retina I would call it as cMBA! 
No they won't. The best you will see this upgrade cycle is slightly thinner rMBP, which Haswell will allow them to do. But it is impossible to make an Air with retina display while retaining its current form factor and battery life, with the available technologies.
There are certain technological realities, people. Apple doesn't just make stuff by magic and smoke. And you cannot wish "retina MBA" into existence.
There are certain technological realities, people. Apple doesn't just make stuff by magic and smoke. And you cannot wish "retina MBA" into existence.
Yes Apple will make all Macbook line with retina display. If you disagree then tell me why Apple is ditching cMBP??? Without retina I would call it as cMBA!
Personally I'd rather see a thinner MacBook Air than a Retina MacBook Air. Keep Retina for the Pros, and ultra portability for the Airs.
Just get the retina pro. It's a way better box on almost all fronts. The air is a bit thinner, but the new retina will make that difference less still.
nope, if the rMBA is released then it would be on the same price point with the slightly heavier rMBP.
i think that would cause even more confusion for the customers.
the MBA vs MBP is justifiable because MBP is much thicker, heavier, and not using SSD, but not in the case of rMBA vs rMBP where they have almost similar specs.
if you think that rMBP is too heavy, a monthly gym membership would be a better choice than a rMBA
i think that would cause even more confusion for the customers.
the MBA vs MBP is justifiable because MBP is much thicker, heavier, and not using SSD, but not in the case of rMBA vs rMBP where they have almost similar specs.
if you think that rMBP is too heavy, a monthly gym membership would be a better choice than a rMBA
if you think that rMBP is too heavy, a monthly gym membership would be a better choice than a rMBA
Very true. The rMBP blurs the line between ultra portable and high performance laptops. I'm currently using a 2008 Macbook and it's heavy enough to be obvious when carried around from place to place. Sure it's not too heavy, but it certainly adds some noticeable weight to my work bag.
The 11 inch Air still holds the crown for portability. It's really light with a small footprint not much bigger than a full sized iPad. Sure it isn't going to play top end games or render a large 3D model, but then that isn't its intended use. As far as a miniature fully functional Mac computer goes it ticks all the boxes.
However the 13 inch air is close to redundant now the 13 inch rMBP has been released. I have had the pleasure of using the smaller rMBP and I've held a 13 inch air. The Air has a larger footprint and there isn't enough in the weight when you take the feature set into account. Right now I wouldn't buy a 13 inch Air because price for spec it isn't worth it against the rMBP.
After 3 years of the same design and the introduction of the 13 inch rMBP pro I think Apple is probably preparing to redesign the Air to address this. Especially if they intend of making the rMBP even thinner as recent rumors have been suggesting. Maybe not this WWDC, but certainly in the next year or so I would expect to see a slightly smaller, thinner, and more lightweight 13 inch Air.
Maybe it will be this WWDC though. By the sound of recent rumors they are only going to be releasing the new Macbook Airs. That could be a marketing move to allow a new design some time in the limelight before showing off a thinner rMBP.
I hope the MBA gets a retina display... I guess it may not happen, but everybody else - Dell, Acer, Asus, Fujitsu, and so on - is showing off ultrabooks with retina-like resolutions at Computex 2013. If Apple is not going to release a Haswell rMBP at WWDC 2013, it could at least release a retina Air.
It's a bummer, but I have a feeling we're just not quite there yet. Maybe next year. It's too bad, because a retina Air is all I'm waiting on in order to upgrade from my current setup.
The technology is already here. All the competitors, which don't have a fraction of Apple's economic power and design abilities - such as Dell, Asus, Acer, HP, Toshiba, Fujitsu and Samsing - are announcing their ultrabooks with resolutions of 2560x1440 and up.
People want it. That's why there are always people hogging them in Apple Stores. People just can't afford it, or in reality don't need the extra horsepower under the hood.
Retina in the Macbook Airs would be amazing for its physical size. It would only ruin the laptop in your eyes. From reading your post in the other thread I can't help but feel you would be better off with a cMBP anyway.
We know that leaked prices suggest that Apple is keeping the current prices for the Macbook Air. So either they have found a way to fit a retina display in without compromising on price, or we aren't getting one. Considering earlier rumors of the Macbook Air getting a retina display in Q3 anyway I'm more inclined to think we might just see the upgrade this WWDC.
You have to think though, in reality the Retina iPad screens aren't that much smaller than an 11" Air screen. It's doable. With the right power management.
Really? A much larger logic board with a bigger CPU and GPU, 8 times more RAM, more ports, bigger battery and a fan. That takes up substantially more space that the iPad, which is pretty much just a battery and tiny logic board.