Sidebar Sidebar
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

dogslobber said:
An entry level has to be dongle proof and actually serve the market. There's only a single port on the current MB which is no use to any regular person.
Click to expand...
I meant to say a cheaper MacBook in general not the 12" specifically ;)
 
Count Blah said:
I posted this earlier but ...

1 - not widely used, by the common folk, Port
worse keyboard
no-magsafe
less powerful CPU

Everyone way you say?
Click to expand...
All of everyone's arguments for the MacBook Air is that it's better because it has 2 USB ports. What makes you think the new version is going to have any? And it for sure isn't going to have MagSafe - USB-C charging is the new standard. The keyboard might subjectively be bad but after using it for 2 days you won't even notice.

The m3 in the MacBook is faster than the i5 in the Air, AND the m3 doesn't need a fan because of its extremely low TDP - I'm not sure where you got this bad information from.

If anything push for the MacBook to have more ports and a better keyboard rather than rehashing the outdated and inferior Air design. Whether you like it or not USB-C and wireless are the future, and USB3 is outdated.

In any case they already "refreshed" the Air towards the end of last year - I highly doubt they are going to refresh it again, especially in Q2, this is probably just a misinterpreted price drop.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Robnsn2015
Ryzen APU, T2/3, High Res TN.No TB.

Since 1080P isn't as high as 2560 x 1600, so they don't have to call it Retina.
 
However good or bad an ARM Mac is, whenever it happens, if you own Intel stock, be prepared to hit big losses. And as we all know, it's not just Apple with their finger on the button for ditching Intel, Windows is all set and ready to do so as we speak.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yvan256
Val-kyrie said:
I would love to see an entry-level "Air" in the 12" form factor with a 13" hi-res display with thin bezels (a la Dell XPS 13), same ports as current MBA but TB 2 updated to TB 3. I'll probably be disappointed....



Can you share some links please?
Click to expand...

Remember reading something that Cook said about issues upgrading the old air design for retina. Whether it's true or not and just an excuse by apple is another thing
 
rp2011 said:
However good or bad an ARM Mac is, whenever it happens, if you own Intel stock, be prepared to hit big losses. And as we all know, it's not just Apple with their finger on the button for ditching Intel, Windows is all set and ready to do so as we speak.
Click to expand...

Won't that make both companies face a big chunk of loss as well?
 
rp2011 said:
However good or bad an ARM Mac is, whenever it happens, if you own Intel stock, be prepared to hit big losses. And as we all know, it's not just Apple with their finger on the button for ditching Intel, Windows is all set and ready to do so as we speak.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that I read a rumour that Apple are going to use Intel for chip fabrication for the rumoured Mac ARM chips?

I'm sure that they'll still be a hit on their stock though - this will be the beginning of the end for Intel in consumer products.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rp2011
Macbook Air is experiencing a slow death, because Apple is dead set of having a sub $1000 portable machine. As long as the sales numbers are acceptable, or Apple decides to launch a stripped down Macbook with 128gb storage at $999, the Macbook Air will live on. Same as the HDD Macbook Pro.
 
dogslobber said:
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.
Click to expand...

I think youre failing to grasp the importance of software.

If they release this without giving a period for app development and some key apps available day 1, it will suffer.
 
JPack said:
Certainly not going to happen, not when Apple committed to putting Intel in the $4,999 iMac Pro.
Click to expand...
It could happen. How many people are running Windows on a MacBook or Macbok Air?

They could leave the Pro line as Intel and move the non Pro laptops to ARM based CPUs developed in house.
 
I wonder if Apple are working on something to go alongside the “marzipan” announcement where iOS apps will work on a Mac? Would it be a low powered device to test the water maybe? but then wouldn’t that be going down the route of Surface, something they are against.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rp2011
tech3475 said:
I think youre failing to grasp the importance of software.

If they release this without giving a period for app development and some key apps available day 1, it will suffer.
Click to expand...
The mac is a relatively software poor platform, always has been. For a lot of people as long as Word/ Pages, Numbers/ Excel and a browser is there they will be more than happy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: meme1255, rp2011 and IG88
tech3475 said:
I think youre failing to grasp the importance of software.

If they release this without giving a period for app development and some key apps available day 1, it will suffer.
Click to expand...

Apple could require Mac apps submitted to the Mac app store to be compiled in bitcode. Not sure if that would be enough for Apple to convert the app to ARM64 themselves though. Anyhow, if they're going to move a laptop over to ARM64, you'd see a change in App Store requirements first.
 
  • Like
Reactions: meme1255
IG88 said:
Apple could require Mac apps submitted to the Mac app store to be compiled in bitcode. Not sure if that would be enough for Apple to convert the app to ARM64 themselves though. Anyhow, if they're going to move a laptop over to ARM64, you'd see a change in App Store requirements first.
Click to expand...

They would still ideally need to be tested/debugged though and apps like MS Office are not on the Mac app store.

I'd be shocked if they did a major architecture change without some kind of hardware pre-release, at least to select companies.

Falhófnir said:
The mac is a relatively software poor platform, always has been. For a lot of people as long as Word/ Pages, Numbers/ Excel and a browser is there they will be more than happy.
Click to expand...

And what if there isn't a version of Office?
 
tech3475 said:
And what if there isn't a version of Office?
Click to expand...
Use the iWork equivalent. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to repurpose the iOS version, especially if Apple requires it for it to remain on the App Store, or make it clear that's ultimately the direction the platform is heading. Microsoft want to be as ubiquitous as possible as this is a major revenue stream for them...
 
IG88 said:
Apple could require Mac apps submitted to the Mac app store to be compiled in bitcode. Not sure if that would be enough for Apple to convert the app to ARM64 themselves though. Anyhow, if they're going to move a laptop over to ARM64, you'd see a change in App Store requirements first.
Click to expand...

Nope. Chris Lattner already said bitcode is uarch specific
 
  • Like
Reactions: IG88
MacBH928 said:
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.
Click to expand...
Yes it should. However with one port, low power, a dodgy keyboard and high price it isn’t.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back