Of course I am aware of these benchmark results, however, real usage is not a benchmark. The real usage depends much more on specific things such as video-accelerator circuits , supported instructions such as SSE4.1, 5, AVX, VT-x etc. The issue is that it is hard to benchmark that and most people do not take in into account. I do not see a good reason why Apple should create ARM Mac. They already have it - iPad Pro with keyboard.
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KGI: Apple to Launch Cheaper MacBook Air in 2Q 2018
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Of course I am aware of these benchmark results, however, real usage is not a benchmark. The real usage depends much more on specific things such as video-accelerator circuits , supported instructions such as SSE4.1, 5, AVX, VT-x etc. The issue is that it is hard to benchmark that and most people do not take in into account. I do not see a good reason why Apple should create ARM Mac. They already have it - iPad Pro with keyboard.
iPad Pro with keyboard is unusable. Or at least unusable for me with and iPad Air 2 with keyboard. The performance is not the problem. It's the interface. Performance is totally fine for what I need it to do, but the touch screen with a lack of trackpad and mouse input makes it a non-starter.
Ever try using Excel on an iPad? Speed is fine, but after about 10 minutes of using it, you want to rip your hair out because of the interface. BTW, I have tried two excellent Bluetooth keyboards, one being the very well respected ThinkOutside foldable keyboard, and the other being an Apple wireless Bluetooth keyboard, the same one they included with iMacs.
OTOH, I'd often rather watch Netflix on an iPad than a MacBook.
Of course he doesn't offer any details, he's speculating! The sooner Ming decides to get lost the happier I'll be.
Not true. I stay away from MacBook. Its underpowered and has no ports. No use for me. I still refuse to update my laptops due to lack of MagSafe port. That one is crucial for me
Lol you want the most accurate Mac rumor guy to go away and you’re posting this on a Mac rumors site. The irony...
Even at a lower price point, I don't plan on buying one. The screen size is just too small for me. I already have an MBA and I've come to the point where I'd rather use my Mac Mini. I'm trying to hold out for a speed bump to the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
I think a Chromebook competitor would be better described as a non-Retina iPad with a built-in keyboard than as a cheaper MacBook Air. I think a cheaper MacBook Air is going to cost at least 800$.
If the 2017 MacBook is underpowered for you, then so in the 2017 MacBook Air, because they're the same speed.Not true. I stay away from MacBook. Its underpowered and has no ports. No use for me. I still refuse to update my laptops due to lack of MagSafe port. That one is crucial for me
Nah. A Chromebook without touchscreen is infinitely easier to use for stuff like MS Office than an iPad with keyboard. Again, it's all about the interface.
The lack of a trackpad or mouse with the iPad is a dealkiller.
MacBooks as ultraportables, MacBook Pros as performance laptops. With Steve we had MacBook Airs as ultraportables and MacBook Pros as performance laptops. What exactly is confusing now?
My guess: you don’t like new MacBooks so you’re trying to present your personal taste as some objective confusion.
Everything changes. Time does not stand still. Everything comes to an end and alternate solutions to failing existing ones always pass up the old guard who stay too long guarding existing bread and butter products instead of looking beyond what myopic bean counters insist a company focus on.
A tale as old as time in any reality. Alternate or not.
Yes Apple is in a legal battle with Qualcomm and that is a major reason why they are buying Intel modems. Intel is also working with Apple to tailor the modems they make for them to leverage technologies Apple has in their cellular-enabled devices.
But Qualcomm is in legal battles with a number of entities - including governments - over their royalty schema and if Broadcom is successful in buying the company, is widely expected to revise those royalties significantly to make them far less onerous on premium smartphones. So Apple could very well go back to Qualcomm once the royalty situation is resolved.
We know Apple is researching their own cellular modem technology, but doing a true clean-sheet design will likely take awhile and when they do launch it, they can expect to be sued for IP infringement by Qualcomm and others just to ensure that there is in fact none of their IP present.
Yes, because Steve hated cash cows and profit.
Just another little reminder... The bezel on the MacBook Air is quite large. A good improvement would be to reduce the bezel size. But they won't do it, because they've already done that with the 12" MacBook and the 13" MacBook Pro.
This is why the footprint of the 13" MacBook Air is bigger than the 13" MacBook Pro, and this is why the footprint of the 11" MacBook Air is bigger than the 12" MacBook.
Mockup of the 11" Air vs the 12" MacBook footprint:
Real world comparison of the 13" MacBook Pro vs the 13" MacBook Air footprint.
Furthermore, the 12" MacBook is lighter than the 11" MacBook Air, and the 13" MacBook Pro is all of 2% heavier than the 13" MacBook Air.
This is why the footprint of the 13" MacBook Air is bigger than the 13" MacBook Pro, and this is why the footprint of the 11" MacBook Air is bigger than the 12" MacBook.
Mockup of the 11" Air vs the 12" MacBook footprint:
Real world comparison of the 13" MacBook Pro vs the 13" MacBook Air footprint.
Furthermore, the 12" MacBook is lighter than the 11" MacBook Air, and the 13" MacBook Pro is all of 2% heavier than the 13" MacBook Air.
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Sure, though you could easily have done a google search yourself.
https://www.engadget.com/2014/10/17/why-apple-doesnt-have-a-retina-macbook-air/
https://www.cnet.com/news/why-the-macbook-air-didnt-get-a-retina-display/
https://www.quora.com/Why-wont-Apple-make-a-MacBook-Air-with-a-Retina-display
That sounds nice, especially in the consumer space. But it will take a LONG time before enterprises give up Intel-based PCs. Bet on that.
Yeah, we don't need the "Intel-is-dead!" hyperbole in this thread.
Intel is still #1 for process technology in the world. Sure, they may not be as far ahead now as they were 5 years ago, but for the foreseeable future they will still be the dominant player. Maybe that will change in 10 years, but 10 years is eons in chip technology.
The differences are so great that they shouldn't be compared. They're essentially 2 different programs.
As I've already said, that just indicates that MS will write a version of ARM MS Office if it makes financial sense do to so.
That’s the iPad line, the iPhone line as well. Confusing and lacking any clear strategy. Too many SKU’s.
Just give me a Macbook Air with a quad core i7, 16gb ram, and 500gb SSD and I'll be happy.
You're not going to be happy.
However, you'll probably be able to get a MacBook with quad-core i7, 16 GB RAM, and 500 GB SSD in 2019, or else a MacBook Pro with quad-core i7, 16 GB RAM, and 500 GB SSD in 2018.
Kudos and a tip of the hat to Intel for milking their 40 yr old design.
But let's also remember that it's partly luck rather than genius. Luck that Windows and Intel created a symbiotic duopoly that was difficult to crack because of its ubiquitousness than anything else.
That ubiquitousness has been broken up. It's gone. Over. Done. That ubiquitousness, and everything that goes with it, such as economies of scale have been handed off to ARM economies. The R&D money is now in the hands of ARM chipmakers.
There is no way Intel comes out of this unscathed. like any 40-something, X86 has nothing to look out for but a nice retirement. It's been nice. But like everything else, there comes a time when everything comes to an end.