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KGI: Apple to Launch Cheaper MacBook Air in 2Q 2018
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Why is Apple keeping the Air around? It's simple: marketing.
When the Air launched, it was pretty innovative: SSD, lightweight, long battery. There was nothing like it.
Now that the MacBook has taken on many of these qualities, plus the Retina screen, it makes the Air superfluous really except for a slightly bigger screen.
But that's the point. If you want the cheapest laptop Apple offers, you get an Air or a MacBook. However, compared to the MacBook Pro, it makes the regular MacBook look like a pretty mediocre option. (The designated decoy.)
It's also the reason why you can only get a Pro in 13 inch. If you want a 13 inch screen, the Pro is the best option. It's the same thing when Apple lets you double the capacity of an iPhone for just $100 more.
When the Air launched, it was pretty innovative: SSD, lightweight, long battery. There was nothing like it.
Now that the MacBook has taken on many of these qualities, plus the Retina screen, it makes the Air superfluous really except for a slightly bigger screen.
But that's the point. If you want the cheapest laptop Apple offers, you get an Air or a MacBook. However, compared to the MacBook Pro, it makes the regular MacBook look like a pretty mediocre option. (The designated decoy.)
It's also the reason why you can only get a Pro in 13 inch. If you want a 13 inch screen, the Pro is the best option. It's the same thing when Apple lets you double the capacity of an iPhone for just $100 more.
That video works well. I try to explain these concepts to people, but it doesn't always translate. That video apple'd Apple in it's simple functionality. Perfect!
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The apple Watch will be ARM?
There's a 15-inch Pro.
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If they could add magnetic safeties to USB type-C, that would be awesome.
What does Muliti-User FaceTime mean?
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Do you think Kaby Lake-G is too much for a 13-inch MacBook Pro?
I, for one, think that that "Air" name is very valuable, but that the regular MacBook encroached way too much on its territory, now it's lost its identity. I love my 2013 Air and have held out replacing it because there's really nothing else on the market (from Apple) worthy of being its replacement. Let's hope that Apple wises up and releases a new, unique Air. ARM-based would be awesome!
I don’t like this strategy at all. They are supposed to be a premium product company. It makes the product line messy and confusing. I’ve said it before on here: there should be 3 iPhones made each year - iPhone mini (4 inch phone), iPhone (at 4.7 or slightly bigger), and the iPhone plus (at 5.5 or bigger). Stop selling the older models. iPads should be the same. They do it with their laptops & Watch, why not do it for everything else?
I also think they should remove the Air from the lineup and reduce the price of the MacBook - it makes the most sense. I predicted this last year to happen this year, actually too.
Not if it's launched in Q2 (April-June).
edit:
Even then I think they'd be cutting it close unless they have some kind of X86 emulator lined up with enough performance for e.g. MS Office, Photoshop, etc. Or they've been speaking to their biggest third party software providers under NDA.
If this is for the educational market, not having these could kill the MBA (although an ARM only Mac would have for my course at uni anyway since we used virtual machines).
BTW, it was half a year before they released consumer hardware during the Intel transition and included Rosetta.
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They need a non-Retina laptop for their entry-level option. They also sell an entry-level iMac with a non-Retina 1080p display, a mobile CPU, and without a graphics card.
I have a top end 2017 MBP. Worst Mac I’ve ever owned. The MBA is dated and doesn’t fit, the Pro line is the worst it’s been in a long time, the Mini is a dead man walking, Apple is scrapping the Mac Pro and taking 2 years to develop a desktop computer. Further, Apple totally got out of the supporting peripherals that made these things tick—monitors, routers, time capsule, etc. The computer line is in total disarray.
That's not true: Microsoft Windows 10 runs x86 code on ARM at "near native speed". They are good at this stuff. The cpu and driver code are native to ARM.
https://www.extremetech.com/computi...m-devices-will-run-x86-code-near-native-speed
On top of this, going forward Windows Developers can even compile mixed Intel and ARM apps with no code changes just the click of a mouse at compile time:
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Android has always had a mouse cursor as soon as you connect a Bluetooth mouse. Handy for old scumm monkey island games
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I believe the Y series has 12 PCIe's. That's enough for four to the SSD, four to Thunderbolt, and enough left for WiFi and Bluetooth.
For whatever reason, Apple equipped the Air's with processors that have a GPU with 48 EU's. Unfortunately, Intel has hung Apple out to dry in terms of an upgrade path for these chips. The only options with equivalent or better GPU's are Iris Plus level parts that have the extra expense of eDRAM. The Mac Mini has gone down the same dead end. Apple needs to switch to inferior graphics, or pony up for a more expensive chip.
I think the "air" term has lost its significance.
The MacBook Air had a very important role back when the MacBook Pro was still comparatively bulky and heavy. You were telling users that they were giving up computing power in exchange for portability, and for many, it was a reasonable tradeoff.
Today, all MacBooks are thin, light and portable. The 13" MacBook Pro has virtually the same weight as the 13" MBA. The 15" MBP isn't really that much heavier, while the macbook is now even thinner and lighter than the MBA.
That said, I do feel the Macbook gives up way too much in the name of portability. I could theoretically live with one port, and I have seen the videos of how it can edit 4k footage on final cut pro, but I am not sure I want to go down this self-imposed rabbit hole.
I think that as Apple continues to grow (and seek growth), it is inevitable that they have to start selling products at all price points in order to target as many consumers as possible. Continuing to sell older iPhones is one way to lower the price without cheapening your brand. If people see you with an iPhone 5c, the impression is that you bought a cheaper iPhone to save a few bucks. Buy an older iPhone, and people won't know if you just bought it this year at a discounted price, or if you had purchased it the previous year at full price.
Apple likely doesn't do this with older Macs because it would get too confusing. There is no real easy way to tell which MacBook Air is from which generation when they all pretty much look the same. iPhones are still easier to distinguish (even if they pretty much end up appearing identical with a case on).
Can it tho? i have been stuck between deciding whether to get the MacBook or a MacBook Pro (13" inch) for a while now simply because i edit video (mostly 1080 at the moment but that could change shortly) The MacBook comes across to me as an entry level device, for example i've noticed that on Apple's page you can add Final Cut Pro X (my favourite editing software) to the MacBook Pro when ordering BUT you can't do the same when ordering the MacBook.
I also like a big enough screen when editing and i'm not sure if there would be enough screen estate to do so on the MacBook like you can on the 13" or 15" MacBook Pro
Another point i have is that by the time you max out the MacBook you are talking £1,864 but the 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar comes in at £1,949 that's less than £100 between them. I think Apple should release a 13" or 14" version of the MacBook that has the retina display, higher specs and either take out the Air and put the 12" MacBook in it's place for $999 OR remove the 12" MacBook and put a 13" or 14" version in it's place.
Thank goodness. The Air is their only non crippled model, only one with MagSafe and the Mac with the longest battery life.
All they need to do is update the internals, replace thunderbolt with USB-C
All they need to do is update the internals, replace thunderbolt with USB-C
I'd rather get a "cheaper" version of the MacBook Pro 13 using as reference the old mid 2012 case.
No ODD, put the HDD there instead and make all bottom battery.
Slap on it a cheaper and newer Ryzen+Vega with user upgradable ram.
With all the good old fashioned ports (replace TB2 and FireWire for TB3 USB-C ports) and MagSafe.
No gimmick emoji bar and the good old keyboard.
Boom, sold!
No ODD, put the HDD there instead and make all bottom battery.
Slap on it a cheaper and newer Ryzen+Vega with user upgradable ram.
With all the good old fashioned ports (replace TB2 and FireWire for TB3 USB-C ports) and MagSafe.
No gimmick emoji bar and the good old keyboard.
Boom, sold!
Emulation performance is nowhere near “native” speeds.
I’m not sure why you’re relying on Microsoft claims made in PowerPoint where there are real benchmarks and reviewer experiences out there. The GeekBench scores on x86 emulation are embarrassing and everything takes twice as long.
See Snapdragon 835 notebook running Windows 10 below.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/12/06/always_connected_snapdragon_pcs/
https://www.ultrabookreview.com/19015-asus-novago-impressions/
Like many on this thread I think that what is really going to happen is:
- The Air goes
- The MacBook takes a massive price cut
- This is done by using a A11X chip and their new cross platform framework (which is revealed to be cross processor, too).
The timing for this will be interesting:
- Will it be announced 'early out the gate' in June at WWDC with the next version of MacOS released early for just this machine? I.e. to help incentivise developers ('we expect the new MacBook to be very popular').
- Or will it appear later this year when (presumably) the next version of macOS is fully read. Even then I suspect that this machine might get it quite a way ahead of other machines.
- The Air goes
- The MacBook takes a massive price cut
- This is done by using a A11X chip and their new cross platform framework (which is revealed to be cross processor, too).
The timing for this will be interesting:
- Will it be announced 'early out the gate' in June at WWDC with the next version of MacOS released early for just this machine? I.e. to help incentivise developers ('we expect the new MacBook to be very popular').
- Or will it appear later this year when (presumably) the next version of macOS is fully read. Even then I suspect that this machine might get it quite a way ahead of other machines.
It would be a very interesting time frame considering Apple is suppose to be announcing “Marzipan” where IOS Apps can run on the Mac, this is supposed to be announced at WWDC, is it possible that we see this “new Air” announced alongside that? Possibly.
They don’t need to put the latest cpu in order to claim that the 2018 MBA is faster than the previous generation by ABC times！ That is what they call “Innovation “. An innovative way to fool non-technical customers.
they'd be better off upgrading their cloud photo services and letting that be a marketing spin on the 4k Apple TV. No one raised on smartphones is buying a monitor/keyboard/mouse and a computer that does less than their phone.
I'd rather see the 12" get a second port, touch bar and a coprocessor along with price drops on the base MBP and MB. Spec down the current MBA too if there's a market for that but give me something cool in the compact form factor and not just something cheap.