swingerofbirch
macrumors 68040
Agree with all above--I went for 16 GB RAM as well. Except there was no quadcore in the 13" until the 2018, and I don't believe there was a dual core 15" but could be wrong.
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First 2018 MacBook Air Benchmark Shows Moderate Gains Over 2017 MacBook Air and MacBook
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Should have went with an A12X instead. Intel dragging them down.
Thinner is not always better, as portable devices these things need to last a beating not crack on the first drop.
When Jobs got back with Apple in 1997 one of the first things he did was to slash out all sort of products because it confused the consumer especially with naming. He made the 2x2 grid, Pro Consumer x Desktop laptop. As a long Apple user, it even confuses me more with iPad product line.
When Jobs got back with Apple in 1997 one of the first things he did was to slash out all sort of products because it confused the consumer especially with naming. He made the 2x2 grid, Pro Consumer x Desktop laptop. As a long Apple user, it even confuses me more with iPad product line.
A 12” i-7 1.4/3.6GHz MacBook is rather expensive at $1,549, but it’s very small and incredibly light at 2.03 lbs. it’s a faster machine than the 2016 model she had.
The MBA is 13”, has an i-5 1.6/3.6GHz CPU but weighs 2.75 lbs. It’s not quite as fast as the i-7 MacBook.
If she travels a lot and values the 2 lb. ultraportable form factor, it’s quite possible she would not be as happy with the MBA.
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Given the i5-8210Y chip used in the new 2018 Air, how would the chip limit the 2018 Air's performance?
I would love to upgrade from a late 2013 MBPro (2ghz), and primarily use it for iTunes, Safari, and editing photos (nothing more).
The new 2018 Air looks ideal but why the concern surrounding the 7w Y chip?
I would love to upgrade from a late 2013 MBPro (2ghz), and primarily use it for iTunes, Safari, and editing photos (nothing more).
The new 2018 Air looks ideal but why the concern surrounding the 7w Y chip?
In the UK the MacBook Pro with 512 drive is only £50 more than the Air with a 512 drive.
The MacBook Pro is thinner, much faster, has better graphics and a better screen.
Why would anyone buy the Air?
Apple have totally messed up the pricing of this thing. It should be at least £100 cheaper if they want people to buy it.
The MacBook Pro is thinner, much faster, has better graphics and a better screen.
Why would anyone buy the Air?
Apple have totally messed up the pricing of this thing. It should be at least £100 cheaper if they want people to buy it.
what I was afraid of. That’s why i snagged a 2018 13” TB MBP. The tiny price increase got me more than double the multicore performance. And let’s not forget P3 display, True Tone, better graphics dual fan cooling etc.
i dont think you should go with the new MBA
Too much a perf difference. you lose screen real estate, the only 3 things that you getting is usbC/TB3 and more battery life, and lighter mac
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yes, because Apple knows that nTB keyboard is doomed to failed...so its ok to be on the same price
Mostly because the old CPU was 15W.
With your stated usage, you actually have three choices, all very close in price.
1) If battery life is not your biggest concern, the 13” MacBook Pro is $1,299/1,499 for 128GB/256GB SSD. It’s a faster machine than the new Air, and it weighs 3 lbs. The P3 wide color display is the best of the three models.
2) MacBook Air is $1,199/1,399 for 128GB/256GB SSD. It would also be a good choice and has a long lasting battery. It’s 2.75 lbs.
3) If the smaller display isn’t an issue, the 12” MacBook at $1,299 is also an option. It’s about as fast as the Air and has a 256GB SSD. It doesn’t have Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gbps) ports, its USB-C ports only support USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps) but that’s probably not an issue for your use, unless you were planning on using a 5K monitor. The MacBook only weighs 2lbs.
If you’re using iTunes to watch movies you might want to compare the sound. I’m not sure but the MBP might have the best sounding speakers, then the Air then the 12” MacBook.
Ahh I’m on an iPad and I swiped back and lost this long reply I’d typed up. But basically apples deff going this hybrid route e.g. these new chips and usb c are telling. I would be so stoked to have an iPad I could dock into a laptop or desktop. Eventually you’ll have the option of navigating as you traditionally would an iPad or Mac OS X and everything will be cross compatible. Or a some kind of combination of the two in a hybrid presentation. As a poster said here both operating systems are based on the same kind of linux and the same code libraries so this wouldn’t be too hard for them. They spent years prototyping the iPhone you can be sure they are doing this here but aren’t rushed basically until the demand is there, other companies catch up, etc.
True but it has the same keyboard as her previous 2016 model. But yes the keyboard on the Air is the newest (3rd) generation and should be more reliable.
I'm currently making this choice.
Much better battery life and better keyboard. Personally I prefer the wedge shape to type on also. I travel a lot so I'll take the weight saved though not a big factor. I seem to spend a lot of time messing with passwords so I'd want the touch id too.
Performance wise, this Air should come in around a 2016 13" mid range Pro. I've used that laptop and it's plenty fast for my needs. I'm replacing a 2012 13" Pro (I dropped it) which wasn't limiting, so either model works. It has a fan so shouldn't throttle like a similarly but lesser power MacBook. Given the advantages above the Air fits my life better I think.
I agree the Air should suit someone such as yourself. My point is a less powerful machine like this should be cheaper than it is.
The Pro is also very thin, so for the vast majority of people it offers much better value for money, even if they don't really need the extra performance.
Not sure what folks were expecting. It’s a MacBook, but with bigger screen AND two TB3 ports. Those ports are a huge distinction. I know lots of folks that will find this machine to be perfect.
Contrary to what you might read here. The 12” MacBook is a very popular machine and is loved by its users. Same for the Air. The vast majority of users could care less about raw performance or ports.
There’s a reason my wife still loves her rMB, iPad Mini, and even her iPhone SE. she prefers the small size and doesn’t need much power.
Contrary to what you might read here. The 12” MacBook is a very popular machine and is loved by its users. Same for the Air. The vast majority of users could care less about raw performance or ports.
There’s a reason my wife still loves her rMB, iPad Mini, and even her iPhone SE. she prefers the small size and doesn’t need much power.
I do that for my home laptop. At work I use thinkpads.
The reason is, I value my personal life and could not stand to torture myself and have a bad day because I would see and tolerate windows in my free time.
Still no (new) MacMini benchmarks though (despite same release date).
Admittedly; the Air is of some ephemeral interest because of the previously unknown CPU.
Admittedly; the Air is of some ephemeral interest because of the previously unknown CPU.
Intel UHD 617 Graphics...I haven’t compared them to see what the difference is with the Intel UHD 615 Graphics...both are GT2 class, but that is to be expected in a 7w TDP CPU.
They weren't ready to kill off the brand.
But it really doesn't make sense anymore when every other laptop is just as light.
They really should just rename it MacBook at some point, and just sell it in the two different sizes. If they really can't give up the "Air" they should use the name for both MacBook models. Either way, it just doesn't make sense now. What makes a MacBook with 1 more port, a CPU fan and 1 inch bigger screen "Air"?
Nostalgia and better brand awareness and it is just far enough away from the 12” MacBook to escape any negative connotations the 12” may have with users already familiar with the MacBook.