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Leakers Claim Next MacBook Air Will Have White Notch and Bezels, Here's Why They Could Be Right
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Not gonna lie, I have no idea why anyone needs an SD card slot. And I can’t remember the last time I needed one for corporate work. I’m thinking never?
Ah, finally you could properly see again which keys you use regularly.
Pretty sure mine would have looked like that if I hadn’t had to have the keyboard/top replaced three times under warranty for separation and cracking.
However, I still have really fond memories of that notebook. It’s the one that really got me to come back to Mac and I haven’t left since.
I agree with poster above that it would make sense just to call these “MacBook”. The “Air” is a description without a purpose anymore. I’m looking forward to either a green or orange one when they come out.
And they will be available as an upgrade for ~$700 and include a free Upgrade to MacBook Pro ?
I had a white iBook G4 and a white iMac G5, both of which had giant glossy white bezels. Never caused me any issues. Looking forward to these.
The notch is just about the most offensive design feature that Apple has ever produced. Buggy, intrusive, awkward, superfluous, a perfect example of form taking function hostage. Apple will probably keep it for the next 5 year generation of Macbooks, then phase it out and give back notchless edge to edge screens to their captive audience. "We feel great about this choice", Craig's hologram will say.
I think you've hit the nail on the head there - the 2010+ MacBook Air was so close to perfection (for a 13" ultraportable) that the only way was down. It was exactly as small and light as it needed to be. Stick an M1 and a modern display in there and you're done.
I don't want a laptop that is so small that you can't pick it up without mashing the keys or putting a thumbprint on the screen.
My concern is how easily dirt shows on a white computer. I prefer black keys as well since the backlighting is less intrusive than a fully lit keyboard with dark lettering.
Will its cleaning cloth be pristine white as well?
I do as well, and they were fine machines. I still have 2 sitting in the closet that will be donated once I have time to verify they work and wipe the drives. they still re great machines if al lyou need is web surfing / light word processing device. I guess you could also run Linux on them. I toyed with teh idea of making one the basis of a MAME console but went with the RaspberryPI instead.
They could have easily added a USB-C to USB-C Magsafe cable since the MBA power draw is well within what any decent cable can handle currently; offering the flexibility of 2 ports if needed.
I doubt the MBA is aimed at corporate users but more the home / school market.
At its price point it is a very attractive machine, and while there are cheaper laptops my experiences with Macs is they easily last for 4 or more years at university; unless you are in a major that users some Windows only software.
Apple's Office suite is certainly powerful enough in such an environment so unless you get Office365 free from your university you don't need to shell out for it.
AppleCare makes it easy to get it fixed if something does break. Now that you can go year to year with AppleCare it means you can keep protection through senior year 5, 6, 7... at university.
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So the gist of it...
Regular products: form over function
Pro products: function over form
I think they know their market well and I don't disagree with this distinction. The problem comes when some people don't like their form/style choices, but since Apple is such a trendsetter company, most people just adapt anyway
Regular products: form over function
Pro products: function over form
I think they know their market well and I don't disagree with this distinction. The problem comes when some people don't like their form/style choices, but since Apple is such a trendsetter company, most people just adapt anyway
I guess it could be true, but historically all of the white or light color iPhones with a notch have always had a black bezel.
It used to be that the MacBook was aimed at home and school users and the Air was that middle tier that appealed heavily to people who traveled a lot for work, especially as a second machine, and people who wanted something with pro characteristics w/o the pro weight and price tag. So it’s a bit of a shift to make it the low-end machine, though in the last few years, that’s what it’s been. But Apple has made it seem like there is no low end, just middle and high. This feels like more of a low vs high with no middle.
Until Apple finds a way to make the screen white when the Mac is asleep, this design rationale is quite absurd. If you can’t hide the screen, why not hide the bezel? I never understood white bezels on iPhones for the same reason. And as others have pointed out, it makes even less sense with a notch.
'Corporate' has such a broad meaning, so I think I disagree with you a bit. Many corporate users only ever run basic office applications and prefer the thinnest/lightest devices possible, so the MBA is absolutely aimed at them (well, the 12" MacBook was prime for those people, but now we're left with the Air). Now that the MBP is a bit chunkier, pricier, more clearly aimed at creative professionals (and the basic M1 crushes the old intel low-wattage stuff anyway), the MBA is even more going to be the choice of corporate folk.
In my recent experience, the corporate market is actually dominated by iPad Pros and Microsoft Surfaces.
I bought a white NEC 27" 4K screen for my home office. I love it.
And I think I will sell my M1 MacBook Pro and buy the next MacBook Air when it comes out. I think it looks great. If the design will be like this.
The bezel doesn't bother me either. Not on my iPhone, not on the latest displays.
Really glad that Apple has returned to making great machines.
And I think I will sell my M1 MacBook Pro and buy the next MacBook Air when it comes out. I think it looks great. If the design will be like this.
The bezel doesn't bother me either. Not on my iPhone, not on the latest displays.
Really glad that Apple has returned to making great machines.
Remember the time that no one ever bought a white bezel iPad?
Those were around for years. I even owned one. ahhhh the Comic Book Guy gallery will decry these things only sold because people are sheep and there “aren’t pro”. The reality is the products are just good, and the stained t-shirt brigade have no concept of how things are used outside of their own limited concept of a use-case ideal.
Those were around for years. I even owned one. ahhhh the Comic Book Guy gallery will decry these things only sold because people are sheep and there “aren’t pro”. The reality is the products are just good, and the stained t-shirt brigade have no concept of how things are used outside of their own limited concept of a use-case ideal.
I have had no issues with my first gen m1 MBA. It's really a fast and capable machine. I really am looking forward to see what is next in line. If they come out with colors like the iMac, I definitely will consider. I agree with dropping the "air" and just going with MacBook, it's time.
I won’t buy a computer with white bezels.
No offense to anyone who would.
No offense to anyone who would.
I would imagine they would colour the space either side of the notch white as opposed to black on the pros? If they did this the notch would still blend in (unless there is a boarder around the notch)
As the Pro models went all-out “Pro”, the Air needs to go all-out “Air”. I want something thin and light, say less than 1 kg (2.2 lbs). The current Air is 2.7 lbs. The 2015 MacBook was 2 lbs.
These renders and rumors would be better suited for a “MacBook” line that replaces the current 13” MacBook Pro in price and features. Not “Pro” enough in looks, speed, and ports. Not light enough to compete with the lightest laptops like the Samsung Galaxy Book line.
If this is the new Air (which I don’t think it is - where’s the tapered look?) - then this is just Apple playing it safe (with a bunch of nice colors and a controversial notch to get people talking about it).