If this has a retina screen and the old style keyboard, I'm in. If it's just a spec upgrade, (but keeps that old screen) I'm still probably in. I need a laptop that has the old style keyboard, but is still built like a tank. I'd prefer longer battery life over bigger screen too at this point.
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KGI: Apple to Launch Cheaper MacBook Air in 2Q 2018
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The macbook air and the imac are the only devices that they sell that dont have retina displays. Also, the fact that they still sell computers with spinning platter hard drives is equally as terrible. Axe that **** right now
Full Windows 10 now runs on ARM AND Intel and already runs full x86 code on an arm emulation layer. Not the crappy windows RT but full windows on ARM. It can't currently emulate x64 Intel code, sadly, but 32 bit code. It's a start though. Here's FULL Intel Adobe Photoshop running on Windows 10. On a Snapdragon ARM mobile phone chip
The problem with Windows ARM is when emulating x86, the performance takes a 50% hit.
There’s a huge amount of hand tuning of code to make applications run well on x86. It doesn’t make sense to switch uarch unless there’s a big performance gain.
They should just eliminate all Macbooks while they're at it and give iOS mouse support. That would shake up the market and reduce all kinds of dependency
The entry level 21.5" iMac has the last non-retina display in the desktop range. Given the previous pattern of updates the 2018 iMac refresh should eliminate it unless Apple are aiming to hit a specific price point with the base iMac.
The main reason for eliminating the MBA is to have an entire current range with Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C which could connect to the forthcoming Apple Display.
The other products with Thunderbolt 2 are:
1. The 2013 Mac Pro which is destined for replacement probably this year and clearly that's the day when the Apple Display comes out too.
2. The 2014 Mac Mini which is the other headless Mac which could attract buyers towards a 4k Apple Display after a refresh.
Apple adding mouse support for iOS? Never will happen. The iPad being a prime example of why Apple doesn’t believe in that theory at all. That’s how this Company operates.
No chance at all.
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Would certainly shake up the developers who use those Macs to write the apps that iOS runs, probably with disastrous consequences.
thats idiotic thinking. E. g. Not everyone needs 64 GB doesnt meant they wouldnt take it if its the only option while maintaining the old price
I would be hard pressed to believe this but then again Apple bought and overpaid for Beats so anythings possible.
Maybe not technical reasons but there are also business reasons to consider, ie. the ability to control a product from silicon to software.
Adding a Kaby Lake CPU, Retina display and TB3/USB3 to a MacBook Air would make it effectively a MacBook Pro without Touch Bar and Apple already has that product on offer. And adding all that would increase the price rather significantly so it would cost about as much as the MBP.
Reducing the price of the MacBook by $100-200 would make it more attractive, but as many have pointed out, it still has a pretty slow CPU (due to being fan-less) and only a single port. And it would still be more expensive than the current MacBook Air, much less one that sees a $100-150 price cut.
As I noted up-thread, I see this as the same play Apple did with the iPad 9.7 - take an "old" chassis and do a mild spec bump with a not-insignificant price drop to spur sales for the product category as a whole by making it more appealing to current and potential Apple customers.
Reducing the price of the MacBook by $100-200 would make it more attractive, but as many have pointed out, it still has a pretty slow CPU (due to being fan-less) and only a single port. And it would still be more expensive than the current MacBook Air, much less one that sees a $100-150 price cut.
As I noted up-thread, I see this as the same play Apple did with the iPad 9.7 - take an "old" chassis and do a mild spec bump with a not-insignificant price drop to spur sales for the product category as a whole by making it more appealing to current and potential Apple customers.
It took me a while, but I think you mean escape key, right?
My guess is the 13" MacBook Pro models, including hopefully the non-Touch Bar model, will get this:
Core i5-8350U: Quad-core, 1.7 GHz, with 3.6 GHz Turbo (Kaby Lake Refresh - 8th generation)
Core i7-8650U: Quad-core, 1.9 GHz, with 4.2 GHz Turbo (Kaby Lake Refresh - 8th generation)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaby_Lake#List_of_Kaby_Lake_R_processors_(low/medium_power)
It should be noted though that no Kaby Lake Refresh Y series CPUs exist (yet) for a 12" MacBook update in 2018. Some claim Cannon Lake Y could make an appearance, but others don't believe that, and that Intel and Apple will skip straight to Icy Lake Y quad-core, but not until 2019.
Meanwhile, the question is if they'd actually update the MacBook Air to Skylake. If they do, maybe it'd be something like Skylake i5-6260U and i7-6360U. This would actually keep costs down while still upgrading the speed slightly, and adding partial hardware HEVC decode support. Or else they could just keep the CPUs as Broadwell yet again.
As has been pointed out several times in this thread, the current Kaby Lake Y in the MacBook is roughly the same speed as Broadwell U in the MacBook Air.
Core m3-7Y32 and Core i5-7Y54 are roughly in the same ballpark as Core i5-5350U.
Core i7-7Y75 is roughly in the same ballpark as Core i7-5650U.
In Geekbench 4.2, the 2017 Y series in the MacBook actually easily beats the 2015 U series in the MacBook Air.
In Cinebench R15, the 2015 U series in the MacBook Air beats the 2017 Y series in the MacBook, but the scores are within about 6%.
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Actually think that’s what is going to happen. The air, from all perilous reports, is probably going to be out.
No offense, but I hate every one of those suggestions. I absolutely need x86 and third party (non-app store) apps, and I very much want iTunes downloads.
It seems to me that Apple already sells a product for people who want an A series chip and App Store only - it’s called an iPad Pro, and you can buy one today. Please don’t make MacBooks the same thing.
Honestly that machine would be next to useless for most people. How many people don't run a single third party/non Mac App Store app?
Apple’s strategy is becoming increasingly clear. Mobile and wearables are that future. The Mac doesn’t really have much of a role in this new world order Apple seeks to bring about.
I see Apple retaining only the more “pro” macs. Colour me surprised if the MacBook Air goes on to live another year.
Apple’s strategy is becoming increasingly clear. Mobile and wearables are that future. The Mac doesn’t really have much of a role in this new world order Apple seeks to bring about.
I see Apple retaining only the more “pro” macs. Colour me surprised if the MacBook Air goes on to live another year.
Apart from, you know, being the only way to write any software for those mobile devices...
I bought my Air because it had USB-A, MagSafe and DisplayPort rather than USB-C...
And that’s pretty much the only reason to keep Macs around these days. And the MBA doesn’t really factor into this equation.
When you look at Apple’s grand theory of design, it’s not exactly clear where the MacBook Air even fits in at this point.
Which is why I say - drop the MacBook, MacBook Air and Mac mini. Keep the MacBook Pro (13” and 15”) and iMac (4K, 5k and Pro). Maybe release a Mac Pro for the really edge cases even the iMac Pro cannot handle. Continue to work on making the iPad the general-purpose computer for the masses.
