Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
KGI: Apple to Launch Cheaper MacBook Air in 2Q 2018
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You’re not seeing nor understanding the big picture. Your Legacy x86 apps are irrelevant in an ARM Mac Store. There is no such thing as an ARM Mac Store because the ARM Mac Store will be the iOS App Store.
Generally you don’t grasp the concept of what’s likely coming, hence trying to frame it this way to get you to think iOS on the desktop.
Last edited:
LOL This post should be sticky'ed. It is the canonical response to every Macbook thread.
If it is a cheaper MBA, i say Apple will simply drop the price to $899. Which was the price for the 11" MBA.
To clear a few things up, Macbook isn't going to be $999. Yes a lot of people said MBA dropped price after three years, but what they dont realize in the three years time a lot of the PC market caught on to Ultrabook, and were buying more low power chip, the direction was clear, and Intel no longer charges a super premium for those chip. ( Still a premium though )
Can you see HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, the big five doing an Ultra portable like Apple Macbook fanless design? No. This time the trend isn't as clear. As a matter of fact the biggest money maker right now is bigger, and faster Gaming Notebook.
So these 4.5W TDP chip from Intel aren't exactly going to be cheap in the near future, and certainly not in 2018, since the CPU is one of the biggest BOM cost in the Notebook. Without that you cant get to $999 with Apple's average gross margin of 40%. Adding that memory price and NAND price isn't dropping as fast as I did expect, there certainly isn't much room to further cut cost.
Which leads to ARM Macbook Air. Which you could argue is essentially the same as iPad Pro 12.9. Except with a Keyboard and no Touch Screen. As much as I may like it, this seems to 1. Defeat the purpose of iPad Pro, 2. Create unneeded complication with Software compatibility. 3. The ARM chip aren't going to scale to the Mac Pro uses. Which means Apple will have to keep two uArch on the Mac platform, doesn't sound like Apple at all.
Unless Apple has the x86 emulation perfect. Or they could market MBA as Macbook with a compromise when you run Apps not designed for it. But again, sounds un Apple to me.
So how will Apple lower price you ask? And to those who said Apple will update its CPU due to Broadwell being discontinued. That is so far from truth, Intel till today still produce SandyBridge CPU to selection of customer for very cheap, ( Sub $50 per unit ). It is likely one reason why Apple has been able to kept its margin on the current MBA.
But I dont see Intel going even lower for Apple to obtain its $100 cheaper RSP.
My Guess.
It seems Apple is currently positioning the importance of GPU across its whole MAC lineup. Assuming Apple has its hand on the Intel CPU + Vega M deal. The new MBA may likely feature a Ryzen 2300U, similar CPU speed but much better GPU. And it is cheap, sub $100 listed price, and my guess AMD may give some special discount to Apple.
I have always wondered why AMD has yet to close down a deal with Apple on Zen. Having Apple using its CPU is the biggest marketing point and signal to the rest of the industry. Much like all other component manufacture, if it is good enough for Apple. It is likely good enough for everybody else.
And the 2nd most important thing may likely be Apple made Chip, much like the T2, which integrate lots of component, from Audio to SSD Controller, and saving cost as well. I have always been looking for a small volume product that Apple could test its Wireless Chip. Apple already has 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.1 in their AirPod and Apple Watch. But both 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5 is a much more complex beast, and slightly over power for uses in Apple Watch and AirPod. I was hoping iMac Pro has that, but my guess timing were tight.
The Wireless Chip, combined with T2, ( or it would be T2 + Wireless = T3 ) could save Apple potential of $50+ BOM.
I just hope Apple could throw in a 2K TN Screen instead of the current low res TN. The difference in cost is absolutely minimal. ( Few Dollars )
To clear a few things up, Macbook isn't going to be $999. Yes a lot of people said MBA dropped price after three years, but what they dont realize in the three years time a lot of the PC market caught on to Ultrabook, and were buying more low power chip, the direction was clear, and Intel no longer charges a super premium for those chip. ( Still a premium though )
Can you see HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, the big five doing an Ultra portable like Apple Macbook fanless design? No. This time the trend isn't as clear. As a matter of fact the biggest money maker right now is bigger, and faster Gaming Notebook.
So these 4.5W TDP chip from Intel aren't exactly going to be cheap in the near future, and certainly not in 2018, since the CPU is one of the biggest BOM cost in the Notebook. Without that you cant get to $999 with Apple's average gross margin of 40%. Adding that memory price and NAND price isn't dropping as fast as I did expect, there certainly isn't much room to further cut cost.
Which leads to ARM Macbook Air. Which you could argue is essentially the same as iPad Pro 12.9. Except with a Keyboard and no Touch Screen. As much as I may like it, this seems to 1. Defeat the purpose of iPad Pro, 2. Create unneeded complication with Software compatibility. 3. The ARM chip aren't going to scale to the Mac Pro uses. Which means Apple will have to keep two uArch on the Mac platform, doesn't sound like Apple at all.
Unless Apple has the x86 emulation perfect. Or they could market MBA as Macbook with a compromise when you run Apps not designed for it. But again, sounds un Apple to me.
So how will Apple lower price you ask? And to those who said Apple will update its CPU due to Broadwell being discontinued. That is so far from truth, Intel till today still produce SandyBridge CPU to selection of customer for very cheap, ( Sub $50 per unit ). It is likely one reason why Apple has been able to kept its margin on the current MBA.
But I dont see Intel going even lower for Apple to obtain its $100 cheaper RSP.
My Guess.
It seems Apple is currently positioning the importance of GPU across its whole MAC lineup. Assuming Apple has its hand on the Intel CPU + Vega M deal. The new MBA may likely feature a Ryzen 2300U, similar CPU speed but much better GPU. And it is cheap, sub $100 listed price, and my guess AMD may give some special discount to Apple.
I have always wondered why AMD has yet to close down a deal with Apple on Zen. Having Apple using its CPU is the biggest marketing point and signal to the rest of the industry. Much like all other component manufacture, if it is good enough for Apple. It is likely good enough for everybody else.
And the 2nd most important thing may likely be Apple made Chip, much like the T2, which integrate lots of component, from Audio to SSD Controller, and saving cost as well. I have always been looking for a small volume product that Apple could test its Wireless Chip. Apple already has 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.1 in their AirPod and Apple Watch. But both 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5 is a much more complex beast, and slightly over power for uses in Apple Watch and AirPod. I was hoping iMac Pro has that, but my guess timing were tight.
The Wireless Chip, combined with T2, ( or it would be T2 + Wireless = T3 ) could save Apple potential of $50+ BOM.
I just hope Apple could throw in a 2K TN Screen instead of the current low res TN. The difference in cost is absolutely minimal. ( Few Dollars )
Given the current state of Apples 'doubling down on secrecy' I would be amazed if this is anything other that an effective price drop for the 13 inch Air.
If there was any kind of architecture change or switch from Intel to AMD imminent we would know about it by now.
If there was any kind of architecture change or switch from Intel to AMD imminent we would know about it by now.
No it doesn't. I've been happily using Windows in a VM on my 8GB MBP for years - for testing software and websites, and running my preferred vector graphics app (Xara), sometimes alongside a Linux server VM. Runs fine - its not like I'm trying to run a dozen memory- and CPU-hungry programs on the VM as if it were my primary machine.
Maybe you're configuring your VMs with way more virtual RAM than you actually need...?
Of course, if you're developing software that needs loads of RAM then its a different story. 8GB isn't going to cut it for people writing multi-platform 4k video editors or 3D modelling packages, but if you're knocking out custom databases or HTML5 web apps you don't need a high-end computer any more.
Apple will probably gimp the living hell out of it and hope there’s enough consumers out there dumb enough to just see a lower price and Apple logo.
I think the MBA is the quentisential entry level everyday workhorse laptop that is due for a few updates, but I would not want Apple to trash the model. Go to a college campus. The MBA is by far the most popular computer with students. Why? It is affordable and ridiculously reliable, which are important attributes for students and many consumers. Apple could:
1. replace the TN screen with a decent 1080p IPS display
2. swap Thunderbolt 2 for 3
3. implement routine processor updates.
4. Keep the current form factor and beloved Apple illuminated icon.
Hopefully, this could be accomplished without increasing the base price above the magical $1,000 entry level. I think this would be a wildly popular computer.....heck the current MBA with its few warts is still very popular.
The Apple laptop line-up would be:
1. replace the TN screen with a decent 1080p IPS display
2. swap Thunderbolt 2 for 3
3. implement routine processor updates.
4. Keep the current form factor and beloved Apple illuminated icon.
Hopefully, this could be accomplished without increasing the base price above the magical $1,000 entry level. I think this would be a wildly popular computer.....heck the current MBA with its few warts is still very popular.
The Apple laptop line-up would be:
- Entry level workhorse MBA: $1,000
- Ultraportable rMB: $1,300. This is a niche product with limited ports that is designed for folks that put a premium on portability.
- MBP with touch bar: $1,600
Shouldn't the MacBook be the MacBook Air? and the MacBook Air should be something like eMacBook for education?
When will the mac mini get an update? Why do they refues to update it I don't understand?
As for the messy Apple product line, I suggest you research Jobs matrix from 1999. Things were much simpler.
When will the mac mini get an update? Why do they refues to update it I don't understand?
As for the messy Apple product line, I suggest you research Jobs matrix from 1999. Things were much simpler.
Actually, people buy the Air because it -doesn't- have USB-C and the 900p screen is perfectly fine. If Apple were to give the Air a Retina display, it would be a 1280x800 pixel-doubled (remember, this isn't going to be any better then existing tech) so owners will end up altering the resolution to the 1440x900 scaled size anyway; so why bother with the expense and battery-sucking complexity?
If Apple were simply to give the new Air a 7th-gen CPU and whatever modern mobo graphics chip is current, that's plenty. The Air is yesterday's tech and we know it but the basic design is more than paid off, is durable and reliable and, without that nasty USB-C "one-is-all-you-get" "which-cable-is-actually-compatible?" port, it's a much better machine than the current MacBook.
Now, as for the mini: I'm with you, bud. But don't expect to see anything but a disappointing POS from Jony Ive & Co.
Not only is this entire laptop lineup nonsensical, they keep on taking away things people want and worked well (MagSafe) and added stuff that people didn't want and doesn't work well (Touch Bar). I hope my 2013 rMBP 13" lasts for a lot longer, as any laptop without MagSafe would equal a broken-on-the-floor-laptop.
"That said, it looks as though Apple intends to back out of education entirely at this rate"
Based on what evidence? I see them doing the opposite. Having said that, I do think they should back out of education since it's all driven by race-to-the-bottom in terms of price.
MacBook Air is a complete anachronism.
It's heavier than the MacBook and about the same as the MacBook Pro.
It's also the thickest MacBook model, and the one with the most ports. The "Air" monicker doesn't really make any sense anymore.
Folks who suggest getting rid of the MacBook Air and simply offering the MacBook are completely missing the point: after carrying the MacBook Air anywhere, the MacBook still feels like an HP brick. The thickness and weight of the latter is pathetic.
It's more like Tim Cook, Jony Ive, and Co. Ive with the guiding hand of Jobs was fantastic, but left to his own devices (pun intended), he just makes everything thinner at the cost of everything else that made the MacBook / MBP such a fantastic work tool. And I've owned a white version of the BlackBook, a 13" MAcBook, an 11" Air, a 13" Aluminum MacBook, and a 13" rMBP... so it's not like I'm not familiar with the product, and clearly, I'm a fan. Or at least, I used to be... the current crop is utterly disappointing.
I wonder if the MacBook Air might not be competing with Google Chrome. Public schools in California have switched to the much less expensive (and just as capable for elementary and middle school students) Google Chrome. Apple used to own the public schools, but have quickly lost that gateway to Google Chrome. Steve would never have let that happen. Apple, with too many balls in the air to juggle, simply dropped this one.
Sure you can always compromise, esp. if you’re trying to make the best use of your existing hardware, but I don’t understand the logic of suggesting a NEW development machine in 2018 that is limited to 8 GB and which can never be upgraded past 8 GB. This is especially true for a machine which is intended to be used with VMs.
Sure I can use a 4GB machine just fine, if I intentionally limit the way I work. But I don’t want to. 8 GB is simply more pleasant to use, but if you’ve allocated 2-3 GB to a VM, suddenly you’ve only got 5-6 GB left over.
Having 16 GB just makes life a lot easier and also increases the longevity of the machine as it allows for changes in your workflow and allows for the usual bloat that happens as software applications and OSes get updated.
Yes, the new Apple does need to build a vastly lesser-priced model around for the Education environment. If Apple's ecosystem still worked properly in education this wouldn't be such a big deal - it all worked so well that schools that really thought about such things properly could put their $$$ into Macs and save big-time in the long run. But Apple's "new" ecosystem is all about pushing a 1:1 device-ratio, limiting deployment methods, obsoleting perfectly functional technologies (both hardware and software) and maximizing profits from one of the segments with the least purchasing-power. ( Oh, and it's all become so buggy it's sometimes nearly useless, good job on that one Apple! )
It was relatively easy for Apple to sell a $999 (don't go over that - it's a magic number in education purchases) computer to schools when the management, reliability (software & hardware), integration, and user-experience was 5x better than than a $500 Windows computer or even a $300 Chromebook. It's much, much more difficult for Apple to sell a $999 computer when the management, reliability (it's mostly software reliability which has declined, the hardware reliability is still reasonably good), integration, and user-experience is 1.5x (and that's is being generous) better than a $500 Windows computer or $300 Chromebook.
As few as 6 or 7 years ago there isn't anyone I worked-with who had Apple equipment in the education environment that would have seriously considered any competing technology. The up-sides of the Apple ecosystem was simply unassailable. Now serious consideration is given to other technologies every single year. Since Apple is racing-to-the-bottom in terms of user-experience, they need to race-to-the-bottom in price too.
I guess they will put in the new butterfly keys, remove the MagSafe, make it all USB-C, thin the bezel, and price it around $1,000. Maybe try to even out the wedge.
There is still a market for lower end Macs. Schools, college students, people that want more than windoze but don’t want to pay $2,000+ (lol)
There is still a market for lower end Macs. Schools, college students, people that want more than windoze but don’t want to pay $2,000+ (lol)
I get the impression that Some of the MacBook Air fans here are comparing them to out of date MacBook and MacBook Pro hardware.
Yes, my 13” MacBook Pro is a brick compared to the 13” MacBook Air, but that’s because mine is an old model. The current model is essentially is the same weight. Furthermore, the 13” MacBook Pro’s footprint is actually significantly SMALLER than the 13” MacBook Air’s footprint. The 13” Air has a 14% larger footprint than the 13” Pro.
Furthermore, many people have said that the Air is significantly faster than the 12” MacBook. Yes, that is true if you’re talking about the 2015 12” MacBook but it’s not 2015 anymore. I will reiterate that the 2017 is hugely faster than the 2015, and is about the same speed as the current MacBook Air. In benchmarks like PassMark and Geekbench, the 2017 12” is faster than the MacBook Air, but in Cinebench the MacBook Air is slightly faster, by all of 6%.
RIGHT! Everyone is a critic but always buy the latest and greatest ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(There is some fair critisim however most of it is overkill)
I agree 100% the only reason I won’t buy an Air is because of the screen, if Apple put a retina screen in and updated the specs I would probably buy one.