Let's talk 2012 MacBook Air - what would you like to see?

[Augure]

People need to stop dreaming. UPDATED

We already know from simple studies and analysis of past updates and current component market what the next MBA can or cannot be.

What the 13" will be
1. 1.8 Ghz Dual-core ivy5
This is the only processor compatible and relevant according to leaked specs by Intel
2. 4Go memory 1600Hz
Apple is already upgrading RAM from 1333Hz to 1600Hz compatible with Ivy bridge, 8go will only be an option
3. Intel HD 4000
Ivy bridge comes with this new card that is not much more powerful, just more energy efficient. And it's currently impossible to add a GPU to an ultrabook
4.128gb SSD or 256gb SSD if the 15" is released
It's been two generation that the entry Macbook Air 13" has add a 128GB SSD, and because the price as decreased (from 300$ to 500$ for a domestic external 256GB SSD) BUT there are chances Apple calibrates its product line with the 15" so they don't have to upgrade the storage.
5. Two USB 3 ports
It's about time and Ivy bridge is calibrated for usb 3
6. 8 - 10 hours
The battery is probably going to be longer up to 9 - 10 hours but it also depends on other energy consuming component Apple might use like...
(7. Higher resolution screen)
It would seem logical and possible that Apple update it's screen resolution, but because the market is not yet heading in that direction, and Apple has already bumped MBA resolution compared to MBP, it's unlikely

After some researches, here are others details that might change on the upcoming Macbook Air

(8. iSight HD)
I've seen this many times in the comment, and the iSight with the crappy VGA resolution has been around for so long. I've seen many people complain about it, so Apple might indeed upgrade it.

(9. Wifi 802.11ac)
So this new standards is supposedly way more efficient at delivering wireless connection, plus the Macbook really NEEDS it or maybe another Wifi card because it is pretty terrible. It eats a little more energy but the ivy bridge makes it okay.

(10. Dark Mate body)
This might seem unlikely but it's the next logical step in terms of Industrial Design and trend forcast. I saw someone comment on this and remembered that I also wanted this a while ago. The grey aluminium unibody as been around for so long, and because of the competition we might either see this or...

(11. Thinner &/or Lighter body)
Strategically Apple might either make the Macbook Air change color or make it thinner to mark a change, because the competition has highly attacked the ultrabook market. This afternoon I played with an Asus ultrabook that was as thin, and way lighter than the Macbook Air, and it's only January.
__
That's it. No there won't be smaller bezel, touchscreen, firewire, graphic GPU, hybrid HDD, 12 or 14" screen, Sim Card tray, 1 TB storage, ARM processing etc...
As I said in a previous post, according to Apple past upgrades, current component market, and Apples market strategy that this list is the only update we can hope for...

*Legend: 1 to 6 are for sure, 7 to 11 are (uncertain) but possible, the rest is impossible/very unlikely

 

[Jaro65]

This is EXACTLY what I want to:

• 8gb RAM

• Either smaller screen border or increase the screen size (and resolution) to 12" and 14"

• Better battery, specially for the 11" air

Ivy Bridge is going to help with your last item. Looking forward to the first test results.

 

[frviana]

I'm overdue to replace my MBP but I'm definitely holding up for the next MBA.

13" is not enough for me mainly because resolution ... I am looking forward to see some increase of pixels on the 13"

Full insert of SD card would be great too.

Improved GPU is definitely a plus I am looking for. Most videos now are 720p and 1080p and any small edition you make consumes quite a bit of resource... with FCPX now making use of GPU I can see some good use on a better GPU.

Hope to see a new MBA before the end of Q1, can't wait to replace of my old MBP 3,1 for a lighter version of it.

 

[Zudeo]

I just bought an MBA during the Black Friday sale. I didn't *need* my MacBook 13" 256GB but I love everything about it and I'm happy I took the plunge. The best Ultrabooks on the market don't even compare to the MBA 13.

- however -

I'm still dreading the day that the 2012's get announced. I understand it must be done, and I'll most likely Kijiji this model to get me some USB 3.0 loving.
My expected changes are as follows:

• Intel Core i5 DC ULV 3427U @ 1.8GHz. A faster processor is a given.
• USB 3.0, I'd say two of them.
• Lighter. You can't really get much thinner than this beauty!
• Intel GMA HD 4000 is a given. Faster graphics for all.
• Increased Battery Life. I'll say a 10 Hour Battery like our red-headed step child (the netbook)
  
  and One More Thing...
  
  
• 12" and 14" models with HiDPI modes. A 1050p increase on the 14" end.

This is what I'm hoping for. Year after year Apple has always come through. (Despite the lacklustre improvements of the iPad 2) Regardless, Apple is the only company I believe that can make this happen.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I'd love to see a dedicated forward delete key... the Fn key is so far away from the delete key. It's kind of ridiculous.

I think Apple could either use the little bit of space around the arrow keys, or better yet, move the power button to the side of the keyboard (like how it is on the Macbook Pros) and let the current power button be a dedicated forward delete key.

It would help a lot with writing... :T

 

[Buckeyestar]

All I really care about is improved battery life (more like the iPad) and much more hard drive space.

 

[PPFee]

I'd love integrated 3G. I don't think a SIM bay has to add much weight, have you ever seen how small the Micro-SIM holder is on the iPad and iPhone? It would take less space even with the radio module than the SD card reader does now. And it would be a lot more useful to me personally.

The only thing I would expect would be a fairly unsightly plastic cover in the lid, just like the iPad 3G currently has. I don't think the plastic gap at the back (where the WiFi antenna is located) would be big enough for a WiFi antenna and a 3G one as well (remember 3G can emit up to 20x more power! And the better view of the outside world the antenna has, the lower the transmit power can be and thus the battery drain). I think this is the real reason why it isn't available yet.

If they did add a 3g modem, I wouldn't mind one bit going to the design of the old powerbooks. I had a aluminum 12" powerbook g4 with the top edge of the sides of the screen having those little spaces of plastic for the antennae, i actually liked it. Oh and also there was that prototype that showed up on the internet that showed the same design but with a retractable design of that space, either would be great IMO, but i don't see it happening.

 

[Stingray454]

• Increased Battery Life. I'll say a 10 Hour Battery like our red-headed step child (the netbook)

Yeah, not gonna happen. The Ivy is about 20% more performance for the same power usage. Either we get a processor that is 20% faster than today with the same battery time, or we get one (underclocked) that is the same speed as current generation, but takes a bit less power. IF they went with the latter option, which I don't think they will, power savings would probably be less than 20%. If, in a perfect world it was as high as that, that would make about one hour extra battery time (20% of 5 hours).

Sure, batteries improve, and circuit board designs get better too, but we're talking about a few % maximum there as well. Doubling the battery time would require some kind of revolution in battery technology, or a processor that is way underclocked. Your link looks interesting, but I think it will take years before that is on the market, sadly.

Agree about most other things though Personally, I'm really hoping for an 8Gb option, 4Gb is just not enough.

 

[mortenandersen]

A forward delete key is really needed

I'd love to see a dedicated forward delete key... the Fn key is so far away from the delete key. It's kind of ridiculous.

I think Apple could either use the little bit of space around the arrow keys, or better yet, move the power button to the side of the keyboard (like how it is on the Macbook Pros) and let the current power button be a dedicated forward delete key.

It would help a lot with writing... :T

I totally agree with you, and really hope that Apple will make the change: Making a keyboard with a forward delete key.

And (sigh....): It would be sooo sad if such a reasonable and needed change would be "resisted" because of some kind of proprietary "principles" about how a keyboard should look like. Really hope not, it would too silly, and totally not-understandable.

 

[Masterfox72]

A few small things I'd like:

-HD FaceTime Camera
-Battery indicator like the Pro
-8GB RAM option
-512 GB SSD option
-Move the mic to the center of the air instead of the side

And I'd be happy.

 

[Epic Xbox Revie]

I'd like to see and expect:
50% longer battery (7.5 hours (11") / 9 hours (13"))
The minor spec bump with IVY bridge. (1.8Ghz i5 instead of the base 1.6Ghz i5)
USB 3.0 ports
Bluetooth 4.0 radios
option for 8GB RAM
slightly higher resolution screen
slightly thinner/ lighter design
slightly improved camera

Things i'd like to see but are unlikely
increased SSD capacity 128-256-512
double battery (10 hours + )
retina display (250 + dpi)
improved speakers
3G radio/ 4G radio

 

[Zudeo]

Yeah, not gonna happen. The Ivy is about 20% more performance for the same power usage. Either we get a processor that is 20% faster than today with the same battery time, or we get one (underclocked) that is the same speed as current generation, but takes a bit less power. IF they went with the latter option, which I don't think they will, power savings would probably be less than 20%. If, in a perfect world it was as high as that, that would make about one hour extra battery time (20% of 5 hours).

Sure, batteries improve, and circuit board designs get better too, but we're talking about a few % maximum there as well. Doubling the battery time would require some kind of revolution in battery technology, or a processor that is way underclocked. Your link looks interesting, but I think it will take years before that is on the market, sadly.

Agree about most other things though Personally, I'm really hoping for an 8Gb option, 4Gb is just not enough.

I had my optimism glasses on when I wrote the above post. Apple will most likely go with your Option A -- 20% faster CPU with the same Battery Life.

I'd like the battery life to be better, but my main concern would be a better GPU. More ram would help wonders as well. VMWare Fusion is almost unusable with 4GB's of ram.

 

[gentlefury]

The only thing I can think that the MBA needs is replace those ancient usb 2 ports with usb 3, and add a discreet graphics chip with dedicated memory...thats about it!

 

[Zudeo]

A few small things I'd like:

-HD FaceTime Camera
-Battery indicator like the Pro
-8GB RAM option
-512 GB SSD option
-Move the mic to the center of the air instead of the side

And I'd be happy.

With SSD's as expensive as they were last year, I doubt we'll see 512GB SSD options. 8 GB's ram is more feasible. I think the FaceTime camera on the Air looks atrocious. At least it's low-light performance is; I've never used it in the daylight.

The MBP's Battery Indicator is damn sexy. I'll one up you by saying a black glossy bezel like the MBP's would be the most beautiful thing ever.

I've never had a problem with the mic at the side, I kinda like it out of the way but I see your point.

(System-wide spell/grammar check is gorgeous. I <3 my )

 

[gentlefury]

With SSD's as expensive as they were last year, I doubt we'll see 512GB SSD options. 8 GB's ram is more feasible. I think the FaceTime camera on the Air looks atrocious. At least it's low-light performance is; I've never used it in the daylight.

The MBP's Battery Indicator is damn sexy. I'll one up you by saying a black glossy bezel like the MBP's would be the most beautiful thing ever.

I've never had a problem with the mic at the side, I kinda like it out of the way but I see your point.

(System-wide spell/grammar check is gorgeous. I <3 my )

Yeah an updated camera would be nice too.

 

[Mr MM]

What I think I will see:

Ports:
-2X USB3

-Thunderbolt

- SD card

- Head/mic combo

CPU:

i5 - 1.7

i7 - 2.0

Storage:

64gb, 128gb, 256gb, 512gb

Ram:

-2gb, 4gb, 8gb

What Im hoping to see:

Higher res display, new tech in battery, thunderbolt egpus, a redesign of the ACD giving it more ports, cheaper thunderbolt cables.

What I want and wont see:

Thinkpad X1 keyboard in it, thats the best damn chiclet keyboard that i ever typed on, and better yet its water resistant, and I actually would want a water resistant mba, it doesnt need to be on the same level as the x220, but I would still want for it have more capability to deal with that

 

[DavidC1]

For starters, the whole ultrabook hype is a complete ripoff of their new MacBook Air design (you only need to look at most of the Ultrabooks to see why).

And the Macbook Air itself was derived off the Intel Metro concept:

http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/05/25/intel.metro.and.macs/

So ultimately Intel has the right to market it as their own brand. It's true that Apple made it popular.

1. 1.8 Ghz Dual-core ivy5
This is the only processor compatible and relevant according to leaked specs by Intel

What about the 2.0GHz i7?

3. Intel HD 4000
Ivy bridge comes with this new card that is not much more powerful, just more energy efficient. And it's currently impossible to add a GPU to an ultrabook

On the contrary, its supposed to be faster rather than using less power. Sure, it uses less power at the same performance, if that's what you mean, but it'll have better performance. Each units are supposed to be 2x the gain of the previous gen, of course you won't see 2x gains by unit increases alone, but still substantial.

6. 8 - 10 hours
The battery is probably going to be longer up to 9 - 10 hours but it also depends on other energy consuming component Apple might use like...

Battery life will increase, but not by a lot. In Ivy Bridge alone will be maybe 5-10%. If the next MBA gets big gains, that will be due to bigger batteries.

(7. Higher resolution screen)
It would seem logical and possible that Apple update it's screen resolution, but because the market is not yet heading in that direction, and Apple has already bumped MBA resolution compared to MBP, it's unlikely

I've heard of 2560x1600 resolution on the bigger screen models, that's certainly more than current products right?

 

[Geekbabe]

The only thing I can think that the MBA needs is replace those ancient usb 2 ports with usb 3, and add a discreet graphics chip with dedicated memory...thats about it!

Amen!

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

What about the 2.0GHz i7?

Only in the 15" prototype. ;-)

 

[DavidC1]

There's no reason why they can't offer a 2.0GHz i7 on a 17W part as the 3667U Ivy Bridge part is exactly that. I imagine you'd be able to get i7 just like you can on the 2011 MBAs.

 

[strwrsfrk]

2.0GHz i7 as BTO, GPU

The current generation MacBook Air models have BTO for 1.8GHz i7 (17W part). It seems reasonable to expect the next generation to offer the "replacement" Ivy Bridge part, which clocks in at 2.0 GHz i7-3667u -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Bridge_(microarchitecture). Though I agree that the 1.8GHz will likely be the base option (and perhaps even underclocked a bit for the 11", unless a mid-range or custom chip is created).

Graphics performance under the HD4000 series is supposed to be, what, 20% - 40% better? Plus Open CL support. It will still be an integrated solution, but should show noticeable gains in performance, particularly for games. (I personally enjoy many games on my MacBook Air; so many good Indie and non-intensive options are available that not running Skyrim or similarly mainstream titles is not a problem).

<rant>
My two cents for the Integrated vs Dedicated argument: Would an integrated solution be nice? Yes, except any implementation would destroy battery life and thermal dissipation abilities. Your MBA would be able to start fires. And simply put, that is not the purpose of the device. "No one should tell me what I can and cannot do with my own machine" is the response I've heard most often. And while that's true, you would not take a screwdriver and argue that it should be optimized for use as a hammer.
</rant>

As for less-concrete wishes, add my vote to the tallies for thinner bezels, 8GB RAM, an affordable 512GB SSD BTO option, and at least one USB 3.0 port.

Battery improvements would be welcome, though I'm in the camp that believes any major, marketable differences we see will be the result of improved/larger battery tech, not CPU tech.

 

[jterp7]

The current generation MacBook Air models have BTO for 1.8GHz i7 (17W part). It seems reasonable to expect the next generation to offer the "replacement" Ivy Bridge part, which clocks in at 2.0 GHz i7-3667u -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Bridge_(microarchitecture). Though I agree that the 1.8GHz will likely be the base option (and perhaps even underclocked a bit for the 11", unless a mid-range or custom chip is created).

Graphics performance under the HD4000 series is supposed to be, what, 20% - 40% better? Plus Open CL support. It will still be an integrated solution, but should show noticeable gains in performance, particularly for games. (I personally enjoy many games on my MacBook Air; so many good Indie and non-intensive options are available that not running Skyrim or similarly mainstream titles is not a problem).

<rant>
My two cents for the Integrated vs Dedicated argument: Would an integrated solution be nice? Yes, except any implementation would destroy battery life and thermal dissipation abilities. Your MBA would be able to start fires. And simply put, that is not the purpose of the device. "No one should tell me what I can and cannot do with my own machine" is the response I've heard most often. And while that's true, you would not take a screwdriver and argue that it should be optimized for use as a hammer.
</rant>

As for less-concrete wishes, add my vote to the tallies for thinner bezels, 8GB RAM, an affordable 512GB SSD BTO option, and at least one USB 3.0 port.

Battery improvements would be welcome, though I'm in the camp that believes any major, marketable differences we see will be the result of improved/larger battery tech, not CPU tech.

which SD card are you using with your air? How's the performance?

 

[cragmr]

The only thing I can think that the MBA needs is replace those ancient usb 2 ports with usb 3, and add a discreet graphics chip with dedicated memory...thats about it!

The USB 3.0 stuff I can agree with, but I wouldn't expect a discreet GPU on the Air any time soon, that is a MBP part.

 

[DavidC1]

even underclocked a bit for the 11", unless a mid-range or custom chip is created).

I wonder if Apple will take advantage of configurable TDP and make a even smaller part than the 11"? I know the PC manufacturers will, but will Apple? For some reductions in guaranteed frequency, cTDPdown offers 14W.

Graphics performance under the HD4000 series is supposed to be, what, 20% - 40% better?

I'm willing to bet the MBA parts, the 17W chips will offer graphics performance at least 50% better than the predecessor, with a possibility of 80-90%. The flops will be 2.7x higher, and with 2x texture sampler throughput, along with some other smaller changes.

3DMark Vantage on the desktop parts will score in the 3600-4000 range, and MBA scores ~1700. The 3667U has the same GPU as the desktop parts, only that the CPU will be slower. I assume 3k isn't out of reach.

 

[Ptdr]

What is with you guys and USB3?? i thought apple isn't going to do it, they are more trying to push the thunderbolt to become a standard...
Remember what Steve Jobs said about it...(RIP)
Ivybridge support USB3 it's true but Ivybrigde is also for PC, intel made a ship compatible with thunderbolt and USB3, it's a practical choise, doesn't mean that apple will use the feature..
I haven't been on the forum for a month, did i miss a apple/USB3 rumor?