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I don't get it
- Thread starter MBX
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I don’t comprehend it because you are saying 2 things with a different weight weigh the same.
Just admit it. The MBA is lighter. Some people will want the lighter portable computer.
No. I think for some reason what I keep repeating to you over and over again is simply not registering for some reason. I did not say they weigh the same. I never said that. What I did say (and I'll use the exact same word I used before), and what I'm going to say for the very last time, because this has gotten ridiculous, is that the weight difference between the MBA and MBP is NEGLIGIBLE in real world usage. It's .25 lbs. You will not notice the difference between the two machines when transporting them in your bag. Period. End of story.
Is the MBA technically lighter than the MBP? Yes. I never said otherwise. Does that little weight difference matter in any way? No. Absolutely not. .25 lbs, 4 ounces, 113 grams, is just about nothing when it comes to a laptop.
Will someone buy the MBA over the MBP because it weights .25 lbs less? I don't know. I would tell that person, if given a chance (say if I was an Apple store employee), that the difference in weight is so little that it simply does not matter in real world usage. If you are gonna pick the MBA over the MBP, I hope it's for reasons beyond the minimal weight difference.
I hope you understand this finally because I'm really tired of repeating myself and frankly have no desire to continue this ridiculous banter with you.
99% of the people who buy this machine have never heard of macrumors or could care less about the specs. They’ll buy it cause it’s a MacBook Air. Tech nerds on this site just don’t understand they are the minority. I’m buying one cause I don’t need the power and want the better battery life. And since when has apple EVER had a value anything? Why should they? They make 90% of the profit of the entire mobile space and probably similar in laptops. No apologies for being the most profitable company in the world. I’m a geek in sales. Most geeks just don’t understand business.
That's literally the problem this time around.
The expectation and bar that was set by previous MacBook Air's for performance and longevity, especially a couple years into ownership, is simply not there this time as Apple has realigned it down market.
This is not a spiritual successor to the MacBook Air, but rather a 13" Retina MacBook.
For some that will work out fine, and for some who'd been lovers of previous MBA's, it'll be a cold bucket of water in their face.
What’s a “spiritual successor”? A low res screen? Lol
It’s very MacBook Air. It’s thin. It’s light. It’s relatively low CPU powered. The only thing that’s not really MacBook Air is the nice screen and thin bezels.
It’s very MacBook Air. It’s thin. It’s light. It’s relatively low CPU powered. The only thing that’s not really MacBook Air is the nice screen and thin bezels.
I think people mainly want legacy ports, reliability(keyboard NOT crapping out) and a low price point.
Legacy ports are gone. We should accept that. Reliability SHOULD BE improved. Its inexcusable. Price is...well subjective.
Legacy ports are gone. We should accept that. Reliability SHOULD BE improved. Its inexcusable. Price is...well subjective.
I really disagree, especially with the value and entry level market this is supposed to be more targeted at.
Apple apparently recognizes that people use and want USB-A ports for convenience still, thus they are on the new Mac Mini and the iMac Pro.
It's really frustrating that they wouldn't put a single one a machine like the MBA.
I've been USB-C now for 2 years since the MacBook Pro 2016. Rarely have a missed a legacy port. If you want legacy ports buy a machine that has them! Don't bitch about a machine that looks to the future and not the past.
The MacBook Air caters to a market that lives in the now, and needs reliability and value. By definition that's not a market looking to invest in new cables, dongles, peripheral upgrades, etc.
This is supported by the fact that Apple spec'd the hardware internals for the "now". It's not a forward looking device performance wise when looking at benchmarks at all.
You were really never in the MacBook Air target market as defined by Apple.
You're an early adopter and a MBP/higher end user.
If I'm not too mistaken the Air is too thin for a USB A port. Still no excuse to not have a SD card slot on the right side though.
I find the tapering to be much more important, it gives the illusion of it being even lighter than what it is. Most importantly, compared to say the 13” rMBP, the front edge doesn’t dig into your wrist from time to time. It really is just a better experience/feel due to that wedge tapering.
Without it, even if it was 0.5 lb lighter instead of 0.25 lb, I’d take the tapering.
It’s not like the size of the edges was a fixed and unchangeable measurement.
Apple made an all new Air and certainly could have accommodated the height if they’d wanted.
I just find it frustrating because people are handing me USB-A thumb drives every single day still for a variety of work uses. I don’t think it’s gonna change for a long while.
They put USB-A ports on the iMac Pro and the just released Mac Mini for a reason…
They are still useful and convenient for a lot of people and situations.
This whole thing is mind boggling, there doesn't seem to be much of a point of this product because of it's price point.
The whole point of this thing was to have a bang for your bucks 999 laptop. 1099 would have probably been acceptable for many people but they should have still made an 11 inch version that's 999 at that point.
The Macbook is 100 bucks more expensive which makes it overpriced and pretty much trash for what it does. Even if this were to be the new 999 laptop, it would still be a hard sell...at 899 it might be a good buy but it needs the gen 3 butterfly keyboard, and a gen 8 processor
Overall it's almost always better to just buy an iPad Pro if you're a casual browser/casual workflow buyer. And for any professional you're already in the MacBook Pro price bracket because this thing isn't worth buying without the 16gb ram upgrade.
Non-portable the Mac mini is the better option
Apple hits it on the head with the Mac mini but completely swings miss with the MBA
The whole point of this thing was to have a bang for your bucks 999 laptop. 1099 would have probably been acceptable for many people but they should have still made an 11 inch version that's 999 at that point.
The Macbook is 100 bucks more expensive which makes it overpriced and pretty much trash for what it does. Even if this were to be the new 999 laptop, it would still be a hard sell...at 899 it might be a good buy but it needs the gen 3 butterfly keyboard, and a gen 8 processor
Overall it's almost always better to just buy an iPad Pro if you're a casual browser/casual workflow buyer. And for any professional you're already in the MacBook Pro price bracket because this thing isn't worth buying without the 16gb ram upgrade.
Non-portable the Mac mini is the better option
Apple hits it on the head with the Mac mini but completely swings miss with the MBA
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I have no idea how you think the Air is for the "now". It was cutting edge design when it came out and still is if you ask me. I looked at a Dell XPS 13 and it felt like a piece of crap in all honesty. 4K screen is a joke, all it does is chew up battery.
Definitely not a high end user - early adopter yes. I just do web browsing, office, and a few other applications. Battery life is way more important to me. So I actually think a lower powered processor is better for longer battery life.
How you felt an XPS 13 felt like crap is bizarre, I owned that machine along with 3 different types of MacBooks and the XPS is anything but that.
Funnily enough, even with a 4K screen, it has one of the craziest battery life (8+ hours). I love the matte 1080p and even preferred it in many use cases to the MacBooks, and with that option the battery life is unbelievable.
I wouldn’t say the Air is cutting edge design - it’s an old borrowed design from the original 12” MacBook which has just been made with a bigger screen. The whole reveal was all rather underwhelming to be honest.
How long have you had it? Can I ask how the alcantara has held up on the palm rest?
The Surface Laptop 2 flat out demolishes the Air at $100 less..... SL2 is a quad core, 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM with a 620 GPU... Compare that to the Air with 256 GB and the SL2 destroys it for $100 less....
I gave my thoughts on the SL2 here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/surface-laptop-2.2150708/
I have had it a year now and the fabric still looks like it did when I got. No worn areas, discoloration, dirt, etc. Very happy with it. I use it every other day.
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Great review and photos as well! I'm not sure if I will upgrade my SL1 to the 2 as for me it is still working fine - but now you have my curiosity going. Hmmmmm.... I also did the Win 10 Pro and didn't look back. I use it mainly for writing/meetings, and some light Adobe Premiere stuff. Just love the keyboard and the Win Hello log in.
The black SL2 is drop dead sexy!
The only bummer is the port situation but it does not bother me.....