How likely is the rumoured 2018 refresh of the Macbook Air?

[PortableLover]

I3 8130 u 2.2ghz to 3.4 turbo would be a nice option for this new air. I guess thats if they want to keep the cost low but not go onto the 15' area with a quad core..

i5 8350 U would be great, i dont see them doing it until more powerful chips are ready for a standard 13 and 15' update.

 

[Bazza1]

Frankly, I don't *need* a retina screen. Yes, yes, lovely to look at - but if that's the only selling point...

And if I already wanted something less capable than my 11" Air - with less power, fewer ports and a dodgy keyboard, I would have bought a MacBook. If the rumoured Air comes to pass - with the likely 'improvements' Apple will impose - I may yet grab a current 13" from the refurb store and keep it stashed away until my 7 year old Air finally packs it in.

For Apple to toss the Air into the 'obsolete' closet when it seems that the product is the ' go to' Mac notebook for coffee shop attendees everywhere (hint - I've never seen a MacBook in use in any cafe or office) would be foolish indeed.

 

[Macdctr]

As much as I would love to see a MacBook Air with improved specs, TB3 and retina display there is always a possibility even with rumors that Apple might pull the plug on this line and discontinue it. I'm hoping Apple will continue producing the Air and give it the refresh it does deserve....

 

[yanksrock100]

I always thought the Macbook would be the (spiritual) successor to the Air. My guess is that this new laptop is a "MacBook" in name, and is going to be the middle ground between the current Air and rMB.

Addressing some of the complaints, I have to agree. The MacBook Air's keyboard is great (in my opinion), especially compared to the rMB/MBP. The new keyboards are a downgrade.

 

[Wags]

As much as I would love to see a MacBook Air with improved specs, TB3 and retina display there is always a possibility even with rumors that Apple might pull the plug on this line and discontinue it. I'm hoping Apple will continue producing the Air and give it the refresh it does deserve....

Agree. Apple’s problem with it though it could become great selling machine and screw up the MB lineup/pricing and MBP13.

 

[EightyTwenty]

What I expect is for Apple to lower the price of the MB and drop the MBA. It might not be what people want or need but it seems like the next logical step for Apple.

Actually, that is exactly what I want... and what I need.

 

[Pugly]

I don’t know what Apple can do with an Air that doesn’t push people away from the 13” Pro. All the Air needed for about 5 years now is a better screen. There’s really not enough differentiation in 13” laptops to maintain two lines. The Pros have lost most of the features they were known for, and the class of CPU the Air gets is not really a compromise.

I’m curious to see if the 12” MacBook sells as much as a mainstream laptop, or more as a niche item. It makes a good replacement for the 11”... well not for me, but for what I imagine most use an extremely portable laptop for, but not so much a mainstream single device buyer.

The 13” non touchbar Pro just needs some sort of refresh and physical difference from the touch bar. Give the 13 tocuhbar a ultra retina screen or something, or just drop the Pro name from the non touchbar.

They really have to do something with the $1000 Air as the mainstream laptop. That’s always been compelling enough to get you in the door, but then you start contemplating upgrades for just a couple $100 more. But with it being so stagnant, I wonder if it’s even doing that job anymore. And it just makes the lineup look sloppy.

 

[SusanK]

Frankly, I don't *need* a retina screen. Yes, yes, lovely to look at - but if that's the only selling point...

And if I already wanted something less capable than my 11" Air - with less power, fewer ports and a dodgy keyboard, I would have bought a MacBook. If the rumoured Air comes to pass - with the likely 'improvements' Apple will impose - I may yet grab a current 13" from the refurb store and keep it stashed away until my 7 year old Air finally packs it in.

For Apple to toss the Air into the 'obsolete' closet when it seems that the product is the ' go to' Mac notebook for coffee shop attendees everywhere (hint - I've never seen a MacBook in use in any cafe or office) would be foolish indeed.

Keep an eye on Best Buy's site. I bought an Air two weeks ago for $799. Last week it was on sale for $699. BB price matched so I opened the box. Some credit cards double the warranty on new products but not refurbs.

The 13" Air is clunky and heavy compared to the 11" IMHO. If the 11" Air was available I would not have considered the 13". I need ports so Macbook was not an option. Too bad Cook killed the 11' Air. I doubt that made many of us buy the Macbook.

 

[The Samurai]

I bought the 13" MBA from Best Buy for a cousin in the States last month during the Presidents Day sale weekend, $750 ($999 originally). Wouldnt have paid the full whack for it.

I knew he'd struggle with the dongles, especially as he was switching from Windows, so I had to make the transition as easy as possible for him

 

[Falhófnir]

I always thought the Macbook would be the (spiritual) successor to the Air. My guess is that this new laptop is a "MacBook" in name, and is going to be the middle ground between the current Air and rMB.

Addressing some of the complaints, I have to agree. The MacBook Air's keyboard is great (in my opinion), especially compared to the rMB/MBP. The new keyboards are a downgrade.

The MacBook is the successor to the 11” Air, focused on portability over just about all else - the 13” Air is less about portability and more about being a balanced overall package, so the MacBook falls short of being a successor to it. The nTB 13” Pro was meant to be the replacement there, but I guess they haven’t been able to get the price down as much as they envisioned?

 

[meme1255]

The MacBook is the successor to the 11” Air, focused on portability over just about all else - the 13” Air is less about portability and more about being a balanced overall package, so the MacBook falls short of being a successor to it. The nTB 13” Pro was meant to be the replacement there, but I guess they haven’t been able to get the price down as much as they envisioned?

I would rather say that they weren’t willing to lessen their margin on the nTB MacBook Pro. If it was cheaper, many would choose it instead of TB MacBook Pro IMHO.

 

[rlenhart91]

To me, it makes perfect sense for Apple launch a slightly larger MacBook, either a 13” or 14”, and start phasing out the MacBook Air.

12” MacBook - $899-$999
14” MacBook - $1,199-$1,299

Then you’d have the rest of the lineup stay pretty much the same

13” MacBook Pro
15” MacBook Pro
21.5” iMac
27” iMac
iMac Pro

I’ve been holding out on buying a Mac for quite some time now as I love the design of the 12”, but want something just a little bit bigger and I don’e necessarily need a “pro” machine. It’s looking like we’ll have to wait until June to find out for sure, but it’ll be here before we know it.

 

[deepen03]

Frankly, I don't *need* a retina screen. Yes, yes, lovely to look at - but if that's the only selling point...

And if I already wanted something less capable than my 11" Air - with less power, fewer ports and a dodgy keyboard, I would have bought a MacBook. If the rumoured Air comes to pass - with the likely 'improvements' Apple will impose - I may yet grab a current 13" from the refurb store and keep it stashed away until my 7 year old Air finally packs it in.

For Apple to toss the Air into the 'obsolete' closet when it seems that the product is the ' go to' Mac notebook for coffee shop attendees everywhere (hint - I've never seen a MacBook in use in any cafe or office) would be foolish indeed.

I'd rather not go blind staring at that disgraceful 1440x900 screen. If they want to keep the Air, I'm okay with an upgrade to the 8th gen and a 1080P Retina-ish screen to keep the cost at $999.
[doublepost=1522084073][/doublepost]

I would rather say that they weren’t willing to lessen their margin on the nTB MacBook Pro. If it was cheaper, many would choose it instead of TB MacBook Pro IMHO.

Resellers such as Microcenter and Best Buy have been selling the Retina MBP for $999 - $1199. I don't see a reason why Apple refuses to bring the cost down for the entry level MacBook. They can just axe the Air completely and force people to either get the MacBook or the Pro.
[doublepost=1522084283][/doublepost]Said this before but will repost:

Ideal Lineup

MacBook 13" - $799
MacBook 12" - $999
MacBook Pro - $1199
MacBook Pro TB - $1399
MacBook Pro TB 15" - $1999

DONE.

 

[SusanK]

I don't see a reason why Apple refuses to bring the cost down for the entry level MacBook. They can just axe the Air completely and force people to either get the MacBook or the Pro.
DONE.

Apple can't force us to do anything.

 

[dark_skies]

The MacBook Air is the only portable mac left that has useful ports unless you go for the 'silver' MBP.
The MacBook is an embarrassment with degraded keyboard, intel Core M, and one (!) usb-c port so we all get to carry a hub around, and - well it does have a nice display. One USB-C: only for Apple sales reps. For the rest of us with memory sticks and external monitors, I guess you go wintel.

I use HDMI (teaching and at meetings)
I use SDXC (DSLR images and, soon, 4k video)
Apple's "all dongles all the time" policy means ... if the MBA is eliminated or 'refined' into only USB-C, I'll buy an old MBA or go to Windows ... as much as I would hate to do so.

 

[SR-71]

Still rocking maxed out 2012 MacBook air and it is doing fairly well. I have changed battery twice and surprisingly this OWC battery seems holding charge better than Apple's original batteries.

Wish there would be option for 15" MacBook air. At home my air is connected to thunderbolt display but I would like to have more screen real estate when I'm away from home. I think I can be more productive in the split screen mode having Safari and Word open in a big screen.

 

[Macdctr]

...
Apple's "all dongles all the time" policy means ... if the MBA is eliminated or 'refined' into only USB-C, I'll buy an old MBA...

I can relate to this...

There are many who would rather have a laptop with several ports to choose from rather than one or two USB-C ports. I for one am one of those users who would prefer to have "choices" to select from on my laptop rather than using dongles which is why I prefer the 2012's-2015 laptops...

edit: I also forgot to mention I like having magsafe connectors for power on my books...

 

[ChrisChaval]

What I expect is for Apple to lower the price of the MB and drop the MBA. It might not be what people want or need but it seems like the next logical step for Apple.

The rumours do specify the name MacBook Air but if you look at Apple's lineup you see right away that the Air is part of an older generation of laptops. The name doesn't fit the pattern or Pro and non-Pro (iPad, iPad Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro). The design is older, the keyboard is older, the screen is older etc. IMO, it's just a matter of time before they get rid of it.

my thoughts exactly

 

[TheHurryKayne]

my thoughts exactly

Me too.Axing the Air would make sense.Macbook still no thundebolt 3 but one more usb c( i hope ) .Macbook pro 13 dual core ( no quad think till Intel will build those ones ) 2/4 ports and thunderbolt 3 and the 15 quad-tb3.I don't think we will see nothing more than this next WWDC.The only news will be(new MacBook and) the end of the Air.

 

[OldEditor]

In the end, I think Apple knows its sales/profit numbers better than anyone, and the decision to keep/end/refresh the Air will revolve around that.
Personally, I think they'll want to keep something in the lineup for the entry crowd at $999 or less. But that's just a guess.
Also, in terms of personal preference, I sure do prefer the Air to the MB, though I would like to see it get a better display ... but please, oh, please, keep the keyboard.

 

[deepen03]

The MacBook Air is the only portable mac left that has useful ports unless you go for the 'silver' MBP.
The MacBook is an embarrassment with degraded keyboard, intel Core M, and one (!) usb-c port so we all get to carry a hub around, and - well it does have a nice display. One USB-C: only for Apple sales reps. For the rest of us with memory sticks and external monitors, I guess you go wintel.

I use HDMI (teaching and at meetings)
I use SDXC (DSLR images and, soon, 4k video)
Apple's "all dongles all the time" policy means ... if the MBA is eliminated or 'refined' into only USB-C, I'll buy an old MBA or go to Windows ... as much as I would hate to do so.

The GPU can't do multiple displays. Why would you buy 5 year old hardware? It's an absolute WASTE.
[doublepost=1522616034][/doublepost]

I can relate to this...

There are many who would rather have a laptop with several ports to choose from rather than one or two USB-C ports. I for one am one of those users who would prefer to have "choices" to select from on my laptop rather than using dongles which is why I prefer the 2012's-2015 laptops...

edit: I also forgot to mention I like having magsafe connectors for power on my books...

The TYPE C can handle 4 4K displays simultaneously, using the new 7th gen Intel GPU and dedicated on the 15 inch.

So no, the Air is NOT worth it. You can buy dongles on Amazon for less than $30 with multiple connections.
[doublepost=1522616094][/doublepost]

Apple can't force us to do anything.

They should, as other brands have done.

Customers will adapt.

 

[meme1255]

The GPU can't do multiple displays. Why would you buy 5 year old hardware? It's an absolute WASTE.
[doublepost=1522616034][/doublepost]

The TYPE C can handle 4 4K displays simultaneously, using the new 7th gen Intel GPU and dedicated on the 15 inch.

So no, the Air is NOT worth it. You can buy dongles on Amazon for less than $30 with multiple connections.
[doublepost=1522616094][/doublepost]

They should, as other brands have done.

Customers will adapt.

Sure. They COULD keep the SDXC slot, though. I am convinced that is is removed because people have used it for Niftystorage.

 

[SusanK]

They should, as other brands have done.

Customers will adapt.

One monkey don't stop no show.

BTW did you get lost on your way to the portless Mac forum?

 

[ChrisChaval]

The GPU can't do multiple displays.

excuse me?

 

[saulinpa]

excuse me?

Maybe he means the MBA can't do multiple 4K displays at 60Hz due to limitations of the mDP/TBv2 port?