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I agree, that’s the really glaring gap in the lineup at this point, yet another 13” variant will make little difference and probably just largely cannibalise the sales of the MacBook pros. Meanwhile if you want a 15” screen, 2012 design and 2014 chipset :/ and all for the same you’d have paid in 2015 (more in the UK)

Deliberate and sadly very obviously contrived...

Q-6
 
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Fully agree that they may well just keep the 1440x900 resolution, but up the quality to an IPS display. Doesn't fit the rumors, but the air would be a better computer than the entry level mbp 13 and MacBook if they put in a true Retina display. The air has more ports.
 
They should just do a light update of the MB. Stick a second USB port on it and drop the price $200 and call it a day. It will sell like hotcakes. And the manufacturing line is there to make this machine.

The Air was a great machine, but there is no need for it any more and shutting down the line and associated SKUs would help cover the price drop of the MB
 
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They should just do a light update of the MB. Stick a second USB port on it and drop the price $200 and call it a day. It will sell like hotcakes. And the manufacturing line is there to make this machine.

The Air was a great machine, but there is no need for it any more and shutting down the line and associated SKUs would help cover the price drop of the MB

Jerry I don't know how well that would work. For some users I'm sure that's enough I suppose.

Of all the people I know still using the Air, a price drop and a second USB port, especially USBC, simply holds no appeal and has nothing to do with why they are using the MacBook Air still.

It's all the other stuff about the MacBook Air that's different, that we've discussed at nauseam and meed not repeat again, that keeps them there.

Apple has gotten itself into the situation where it buys into its own hype about how it always knows what the customer wants. You do not Apple. Sometimes you do and other times you're completely mistaken. Pay attention to what some customers want please.
 
Jerry I don't know how well that would work. For some users I'm sure that's enough I suppose.

Of all the people I know still using the Air, a price drop and a second USB port, especially USBC, simply holds no appeal and has nothing to do with why they are using the MacBook Air still.

It's all the other stuff about the MacBook Air that's different, that we've discussed at nauseam and meed not repeat again, that keeps them there.

Apple has gotten itself into the situation where it buys into its own hype about how it always knows what the customer wants. You do not Apple. Sometimes you do and other times you're completely mistaken. Pay attention to what some customers want please.

The USB-C to me is fine. There are some issues, but there are options that let us use older USB devices. Also, the rest of the notebooks are moving that direction. I wish Apple would kill Lightning on it's phones and switch to USB-C. That would speed the transition.
 
That's sort of my point..

(the to me part)

I understand. But, the issues is that the world is moving beyond the old USB A connector, and there are ways to stay with the old connector until the peripherals you use are USB-C. And we would all love to never again hear "why do I have to try 2 or 3 times to get the cable to fit!!" as someone inserts the USB-A cable in upside down, or the correct way but at an angle.

Also, I noticed that Samsung and other Android phone manufactures moved to USB-C (WTH Apple) two years ago. Samsung also has USB-C connectors on their external SSDs like the T3 and T5 drives. Since I am clinging on to my 2015 MBP I have a USB-A to USB-C cable in my bag for my T5. But at some point they will fix the keyboard on the new MBP I can dump that cable and go all USB-C.

As far as user preference to some degree I think back to the Henry Ford quote. "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
 
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I understand. But, the issues is that the world is moving beyond the old USB A connector

Long process - we aren't there yet - some users just want ports built in that work today, with no hassle and no dongles.

Apple should certainly move things forward with USB-C, but it need not be the only USB port on a laptop and certainly there is room for a machine that caters to the users who want built in USB-A ports still.

This is the whole problem. Apple keeps shoving only one type of laptop down everyone's throat with every single model.

Why have different machines if they are all going to be "a couple USB-C ports, and as thin as possible"?
 
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Long process - we aren't there yet - some users just want ports built in that work today, with no hassle and no dongles.

Apple should certainly move things forward with USB-C, but it need not be the only USB port on a laptop and certainly there is room for a machine that caters to the users who want built in USB-A ports still.

This is the whole problem. Apple keeps shoving only one type of laptop down everyone's throat with every single model.

Why have different machines if they are all going to be "a couple USB-C ports, and as thin as possible"?

That's my argument, stylish toys with little substance...

Q-6
 
That's my argument, stylish toys with little substance...

Q-6

Absolutely..

They've turned the 15" MacBook Pro from a "utility truck that can haul the big heavy loads on the spur of the moment" into a "crossover SUV that has a 3rd row of seats you can install, but must store in your garage normally, if you need to carry more stuff".

Some jobs and users want and need that truck!
 
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Absolutely..

They've turned the 15" MacBook Pro from a "utility truck that hauls the big heavy loads" into a "crossover SUV that has a 3rd row of seats if you need to carry more stuff".

Some jobs and users want and need that truck!

Help me out. . . where is the coupe then? Small, fast, and stylish. . . Do we have one of those in the lineup?
 
Help me out. . . where is the coupe then? Small, fast, and stylish. . . Do we have one of those in the lineup?

A coupe is so constrained and unable to easily do so many things, you could make an argument for a variety of the 13" or 12" configurations in that role - Coupe & Convertible are sort of in the same class for the most part I'd say

The problem is that Apple is adding too much "coupe sensibility" at the expense of "truck capability" (on the 15" Pro's at least)

It's like the F-250 starts getting swooping shapes and curves that restrict it's load carrying ability and towing capacity for no reason beyond "looks".

And then they remove the Truck bed but tell us you can "attach one with a trailer anytime you need it"...except many of us want the bed integrated as we use it all the time and it's better to have it built in.
 
A coupe is so constrained and unable to easily do so many things, you could make an argument for a variety of the 13" or 12" configurations in that role - Coupe & Convertible are sort of in the same class for the most part I'd say

I dunno. The 13" is completely out of the question for me (again) until Apple / Adobe fixes the problems with RGB Color Mode in CC 20XX thanks to High Sierra. . . Adobe says that Apple are "aware of the problem and working on a solution". Which likely means never as Adobe CC 2017 was released nearly a year ago if not longer, and High Sierra is now on 10.13.4 (beta) and it still isn't fixed. Come June it will be all hands on deck for 10.14. Sigh.
 
I dunno. The 13" is completely out of the question for me (again) until Apple / Adobe fixes the problems with RGB Color Mode in CC 20XX thanks to High Sierra. . . Adobe says that Apple are "aware of the problem and working on a solution". Which likely means never as Adobe CC 2017 was released nearly a year ago if not longer, and High Sierra is now on 10.13.4 (beta) and it still isn't fixed. Come June it will be all hands on deck for 10.14. Sigh.

If your coupe question is about the 15" - I think it might be the wrong analogy.

A 15" "air" as we had discussed, due to sheer size alone, would be more like a large Porsche or BMW sports sedan that has some limited room for family, but is really a large comfy sporty sexy large/long coupe/sedan type of thing.

Maybe like those 6 series crossovers or even the 7 series l suppose - I'm not up on all the models.
 
If your coupe question is about the 15" - I think it's the wrong analogy.

A 15" "air" as had discussed, due to sheer size alone, would be more like a large Porsche or BMW sports sedan that has some limited room for family, but is really a large comfy sporty sexy coupe/sedan type of thing.

Oh, not at all. I think what I really want is a 12" with some sort of better video. It doesn't need to be a 560 Radeon like what I have now. . . Just something a little more robust, if only when plugged in or what not. Maybe its a limitation of the cooling system in the MacBook, but certainly they could put better video in the Air.

edit: something like this would be perfect. https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/class/class-E/bodystyle-CPE
 
Oh so you want a small screen?
For me I can't use the 12 size screen for very long without being uncomfortable and feeling constrained.
It's just not for me.

It's funny you say that. In theory, yes I want a small screen. However, in practice I don't know for 100% that it wouldn't bother me after a while. It's truthfully hard to say. I do 98% of my tasks on the 5k iMac, with just other bits of coding and such at coffee shops and what not. The 13" would be ideal, just not with having to turn off the GPU in Illustrator.
 
Absolutely..

They've turned the 15" MacBook Pro from a "utility truck that can haul the big heavy loads on the spur of the moment" into a "crossover SUV that has a 3rd row of seats you can install, but must store in your garage normally, if you need to carry more stuff".

Some jobs and users want and need that truck!

Apple fundamentally has no interest in it's users needs, especially it's professional audience. Apple just want's to appeal to the fashion conscious who have little concern for performance and usability, with the Mac becoming simply a throwaway appliance. So much potential, sadly wasted at this point I'd rather Apple produced "handbags" :(:(:(

I find it impossible to sit through yet another Keynote while Apple's execs patronise & procrastinate about the importance of it's professional customers while Apple churns out yet ever more laughable base consumer garbage :mad::mad::mad: Apple's only interest in the professional user is the "halo effect" to impress it's real target audience in order to milk them as much as possible...

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It's funny you say that. In theory, yes I want a small screen. However, in practice I don't know for 100% that it wouldn't bother me after a while. It's truthfully hard to say. I do 98% of my tasks on the 5k iMac, with just other bits of coding and such at coffee shops and what not. The 13" would be ideal, just not with having to turn off the GPU in Illustrator.

12" is fine for short periods, and or casual use, 13" does add up to more although my comparisons are not entirely equal with the 13" being 3:2 aspect ratio, the additional verticality adding to productivity. To me 16:9 is not really useful until the display meets or exceeds 15", preferably 17" or greater.

As my professional usage dictates portable solutions I'm currently traveling with a 17.3" and either a 12" or a 13". The Ultrabook is my on the go solution, the 17" being very much the heavy lifter. I've even been trying to find a useful 10" however they are mostly too weak for my intended purpose.

Q-6
 
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