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jw3571

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 21, 2010
157
2
Is this ever going to happen? I'm about ready to give up and get a MBP? Thoughts?
 
Its pretty crappy by todays standards thats clear to see

I guess clarity is in the eye of the beholder. Quite literally in this case. I've just got an 13" Air and I think the screen is great. I've moved from an 8 year old XPS with lower resolution so this is a step up for me. No, it's not as sharp as very high res displays, but it's still good for those moving from older machines.

Airs are not about screens though, they are about form factor and battery life. Want retina? Apple has those too.
 
I guess clarity is in the eye of the beholder. Quite literally in this case. I've just got an 13" Air and I think the screen is great. I've moved from an 8 year old XPS with lower resolution so this is a step up for me. No, it's not as sharp as very high res displays, but it's still good for those moving from older machines.

Airs are not about screens though, they are about form factor and battery life. Want retina? Apple has those too.

I also think the screen is fine. I do think that people who use Airs aren't looking to do photo editing etc. that needs such high resolution.

But I would love a new design. I've had my Air for about three years and it looks no different to the current ones. More HDD, faster processor, USB 3 and a reduction in the massive silver bezel are a few of the things I want.

At the moment I see no reason in buying a new one.
 
I also think the screen is fine. I do think that people who use Airs aren't looking to do photo editing etc. that needs such high resolution.

Given that the Retina display is a standard component in everything from iPads, iMacs, MacBooks and iPhones, there is no reason why the Air shouldn't have a Retina display, and it will.

Also, photographically, a laptop I can comfortably travel and edit with is sorely needed. I find a 13 inch Macbook Pro too heavy to regularly include on jobs with me, but perfectly powerful for photo editing - a current macbook air is already more powerful than my 2009 Pro, so yes, a better screen and longer battery life would be incredibly practical.
 
I had bought a macbook air every year since they were released until last year when I bought a macbook pro just because of its resolution. When and if Apple ever releases a 12-inch retina Air, I will happily switch back.
 
I had a 13" Air. Loved it. Saw the Retina MBP 13 and had to have it. Sold the MBA. After a few months, I wanted the Air again. Ordered it. When it came in, I did some video calibration and had it looking great, until I put it side by side with my Retina. It was pitiful. When the Air is used on it's own without having a retina for a comparison, it's okay. No way I can have an Air again until they put a retina display in it. I hope they do, I want the Air bad, but will not sacrifice that difference in screen quality. The retina is just that good.
 
Is this ever going to happen? I'm about ready to give up and get a MBP? Thoughts?

It will. No doubt about it. 8 more months at the latest. If you can't wait, get a rMBP, but it is coming at some point. And for everyone saying the MBA has a great screen, it isn't bad, but it isn't IPS, so the viewing angles are dissapointing.
 
I've waited long enough for this, will look elsewhere. THE IOS 8 disaster on my IPad has really soured me on spending money on more Apple products. All I run on a laptop is Adobe PS, and with CC I can run it on anything.
 
In response to the original post in this thread, while Digitimes got it wrong in claiming a MBA Retina would be announced yesterday it is hard to imagine their sources could be making up claims that such a product is being manufactured and shipped as we speak (with full speed production coming in the next two months). It seems as if Apple simply needs to build up inventory in order to make this device available for sale given that the chip being utilized is arguably also new and in the process of having its production ramped up.

Apple could not have announced such a laptop yesterday without cratering sales of existing generation MacBook Airs. So it makes sense for them to keep mum until they are ready to sell it to customers. Obviously the Apple Watch is a brand new product that can be announced in advance without freezing existing sales of another item, so it is being spoken of even while it may become available for sale at the same time a MBA Retina does.

With a MBA Retina seeming to be in the offering sooner rather than later, I am going to see what it has to offer before biting on the falling prices of existing MBAs or buying a MacBook Pro Retina.
 
Whats wrong with the current MBA resolution?

What was wrong with iMac res that they had to go 5K? Nothing, but 5K is better. So that's all. I really don't care about MBA res screen, because I'll mostly use it with external monitor, but there's nothing wrong in trying to improve things
 
This may be a case of "I don't know what I'm missing" but to echo the sentiments of a few others, I think the screen in the MBA is pretty nice. Perhaps after having used one for awhile, it's difficult to go back to a lower resolution though (this was certainly the case with SSDs).

On a side note, gotta love apple's marketing gimmicks. "Retina display" or "superdrive" "magic mouse"... I'm surprised they don't have some elegant name for their SSDs.
 
Is this ever going to happen? I'm about ready to give up and get a MBP? Thoughts?

It will happen but not especially soon. An update before the end of the year is almost out of the question, obviously. After that, I think the odds gradually increase from "highly unlikely" in January to "quite likely" by the end of the year.
 
Same here.. I put my MBA for sale today and grabbing a pro. Honestly I'd rather have the performance than the portability of the air. While it's been my favorite laptop, it's a bit choppy at times. Albeit not often but I just prefer it when something is always buttery smooth.
 
The macbook air is the best laptop ever made according to many sources.
Pushing a retina resolution requires more power, better heat management and a better gpu. The mba was not built for this and if you want the retina get the rmbp. :apple: provides an option for everyone.
 
The claim that the MBA is built such that it cannot have a better resolution screen seems undercut by so many claiming the screen could be improved, by so many claiming Apple is in the process of building a retina screen MBA, by the fact that other ultra-thin laptops are coming out with enhanced screens, and the existence of the next generation of Intel microprocessors that should be able to improve performance while also reducing heat generation and having the ability to drive a retina screen.

The MBA is a terrific device that can and should be improved.
 
The macbook air is the best laptop ever made according to many sources.
Pushing a retina resolution requires more power, better heat management and a better gpu. The mba was not built for this and if you want the retina get the rmbp. :apple: provides an option for everyone.

You are going to be proven soooooooooooooooooooo wrong within 6-12 months. Apple is most likely waiting on one thing and one thing only to release the new MBA with retina display...Broadwell.
 
640K is enough memory for anyone, and is a HD screen, it seems. Congratulations, you're as smart as Bill Gates.
People have a choice between the retina or regular screen when they buy a macbook.
An Bill Gates never said that.

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You are going to be proven soooooooooooooooooooo wrong within 6-12 months. Apple is most likely waiting on one thing and one thing only to release the new MBA with retina display...Broadwell.
I never said that :apple: won't release a retina mba at some point. They most certainly will. I was talking about the past and present. I suspect they will somehow merge the rmbp and mba into one macbook line. But this will by no means make current mbas obsolete or bad in any way. They will continue to be awesome just with a lower res screen.
 
People have a choice between the retina or regular screen when they buy a macbook.
An Bill Gates never said that.

I didn't say he did, he just built his OS with that assumption.

So if I want a retina MBA I should buy a MacBook? Wow, that's even smarter than saying all anyone needs is a HD screen.

There's no actual technical reason for a MBA not to have a retina style screen, but the Apple apologists have got a better idea: "take what you're given and stop complaining."
 
So if I want a retina MBA I should buy a MacBook? Wow, that's even smarter than saying all anyone needs is a HD screen.
A macbook pro is basically he same as a mba just with a retina screen.
I am not sure what you want.
 
A macbook pro is basically he same as a mba just with a retina screen.
I am not sure what you want.

LOL! Yeah, all Apple laptops are the same! Seriously, you know your stuff.

What do I want? I want to have the choice of an MBA with a high-resolution screen. It's amazing that you haven't figured this out by now.
 
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