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

[Reaktor5]

15 inch, 256 GB SSD, a graphics card that will play Starcraft II (not required but would be nice), a quad-core i5 or i7, and at least 4 GB of RAM.

The form factor of the Air is perfect. It just needs a little speed bump for the audio editing I do. A better graphics card would be nice but not essential since I'd only use it for relatively old games. For new games I turn to me 360.

 

[AlfaLavala]

Must play Diablo 3 smoothly. Only requirement haha. Seriously. All hardware upgrades must be geared towards that goal haha.

This. If I can run D3 from the Air on a Thunderbolt display (1080p would do) I will buy it.

 

[David085]

if it his a 512 GB SSD option and it isn't alot that what you already paying then maybe but I already have enough computers so not sure I would

 

[Beanoir]

Battery Life - wouldn't mind a couple of hours more in use, although I still find the standby time pretty impressive if i'm honest.

RAM - i'm perfectly ok with 2GB still and have been for nearly 2 years, but whilst I don't need to upgrade right now, the ability to have user upgradeable RAM would be a bonus to suit those that do.

SD CARD - one on the 11"

Camera - The camera on the MBA is pretty poor, I know this is down to space but if the technology allowed i'd be more likely to use it if it had a HD camera.

and for cosmetic reasons a different screen bezel would be nice, but i'm not that fussed about.

 

[Apple2000]

15 inch, 256 GB SSD, a graphics card that will play Starcraft II (not required but would be nice), a quad-core i5 or i7, and at least 4 GB of RAM.

The form factor of the Air is perfect. It just needs a little speed bump for the audio editing I do. A better graphics card would be nice but not essential since I'd only use it for relatively old games. For new games I turn to me 360.

Intel's leaked roadmap shows only dual core 17 watt processors for ivy bridge, with a slightly higher clock speed. No quad core.

 

[Warhawk15]

What I would love...

8gb ram
sata6 ssd, 128gb is fine
15" with higher resolution to match
Battery life = 8-9 hours

Everything else I want will be solved with ivy bridge such as usb 3.0, better graphics, etc...

 

[2IS]

if it his a 512 GB SSD option and it isn't alot that what you already paying then maybe but I already have enough computers so not sure I would

Should probably keep this thread to realistic expectations. 512GB SSD's are expensive even in their cheapest 2.5" SATA form factor. If they do offer a 512GB option, you're going to pay a lot for it. Guaranteed.

 

[XX55XX]

Besides better graphics, I don't think anything else can be improved. Though, a move to 6GB RAM would be very nice.

 

[Kissaragi]

Better battery life on the 11incher would do me. May well replace my ipad with one if they mange that

 

[cragmr]

Besides better graphics, I don't think anything else can be improved. Though, a move to 6GB RAM would be very nice.

Better graphics will come with the upgrade to Ivy Bridge. And why bother with 6GB? Offer 4GB for the low end and 8GB for the high end.

 

[spikeyjac]

Bigger Ram and that's about it, I'm quite happy with my 2011 one

 

[Mac32]

I was definately looking forward to get a 2012 13'' MBA, but now I'm actually hesitating, as I can't stand the changes Apple made with Lion - ie. versions, auto-save and resume, and several other silly additions. Just bloody awful IMO..
Maybe I'll hold on to my 2010 MBA 11'' a year extra instead. It still serves me quite well.. Especially because of coolbook the CPU runs cool, and battery life is very good.

 

[Oli3000]

I was definately looking forward to get a 2012 13'' MBA, but now I'm actually hesitating, as I can't stand the changes Apple made with Lion - ie. versions, auto-save and resume, and several other silly additions. Just bloody awful IMO..
Maybe I'll hold on to my 2010 MBA 11'' a year extra instead. It still serves me quite well.. Especially because of coolbook the CPU runs cool, and battery life is very good.

Pretty sure you can turn all 3 of those features off...

 

[Mac32]

Pretty sure you can turn all 3 of those features off...

Pretty sure...or quite sure..?

Ie. no, you can't turn them off.

 

[calvol]

I was definately looking forward to get a 2012 13'' MBA, but now I'm actually hesitating, as I can't stand the changes Apple made with Lion - ie. versions, auto-save and resume, and several other silly additions. Just bloody awful IMO..
Maybe I'll hold on to my 2010 MBA 11'' a year extra instead. It still serves me quite well.. Especially because of coolbook the CPU runs cool, and battery life is very good.

Same here, happy with 2010 Air/SnowLeopard/Coolbook, 10+ hours battery life, will probably wait for Haswell to upgrade, skipping Sandy-"fire"-Bridge and it's cousin Ivy, which is just a die shrink, and bloated Lion. Might look at the 2012 15" Air/Pro if it has discrete graphics.

 

[superstarmc]

Upgradable to 8 gigs of Ram and a third USB

 

[trevnod]

Increased SSD

I would love to see the option of a 512GB SSD as surely they are at that stage by now?? Other things I'd like to see but not as fussed are,

Retina display,
USB 3.0

 

[Risasi]

I think HD 4000 graphics will be good enough for me, if augmented by a loaded Mac mini for heavy lifting. Still debating between an Air/Mini+Monitor combo, or a 15" MBP.

What would tempt me to the MBA side is;

A little better battery life. The consistent 6.5-8 hours I get on my MBP is helpful. But not a deal breaker. Working in data centers lately has shown me that having that extra battery when mobile is really nice.​

Hopefully 128GB / 256GB becomes the new storage space standard. I have a 120GB SSD in my MBP right now, and I could use an extra 50GB.
Likewise 4GB as the new minimum for RAM, or even better give me expandability. So an 11" Air for $999 or 13" for $1299 at these specs makes me salivate.​

Put both USB ports on the same side, it's annoying trying to hook up external drives and having two USB plugs that you need to plug in. Also make them USB 3.0​

Aside from that, the current Air covers 98% of my needs. And most of my wants. I would like to be able to run Shogun 2 at medium graphics, but that's a luxury that could be covered by a Mac Mini or even a homebrew Mini-ITX computer screwed to the back of a monitor.

 

[roofz]

9+ hours on battery

speed bump to the cpu and gpu

more ram would be chill

 

[HstephenG]

An hour extra battery on the 11 inch, along with 4gb and 128gb for $999 would make a lot of people, including me, very happy. A bargin and perfect for light work while on the road for consultancy!

 

[minnus]

Discrete video. I don't care if it makes it 'slightly heavier and thicker'.

User Removable RAM.

 

[cragmr]

Discrete video. I don't care if it makes it 'slightly heavier and thicker'.

User Removable RAM.

Not going to happen in the "Air". Discrete video will still happen in the Pro.

I put Air in quotation marks because I believe that when Ivy Bridge comes out we are going to see a refresh that combines the Air and Pro lines into a single line of computing devices, so there might be a "Pro" like model at 13" with discrete video that is slightly thicker than the "Air" model at 13" that doesn't have discrete video but has better battery life.

 

[axu539]

Not going to happen in the "Air". Discrete video will still happen in the Pro.

I put Air in quotation marks because I believe that when Ivy Bridge comes out we are going to see a refresh that combines the Air and Pro lines into a single line of computing devices, so there might be a "Pro" like model at 13" with discrete video that is slightly thicker than the "Air" model at 13" that doesn't have discrete video but has better battery life.

I'm convinced that the 13" will never get a dGPU due to the thermal constraints of graphics processors. This will be even less of a problem since Ivy Bridge graphics will be significantly better, with the HD4000 capable of handling 4k resolutions. I do agree that the "Air" and "Pro" will likely become one line of computers, however. The 15" and 17" machines, regardless of how thin Apple redesigns them, will likely keep their dGPU capabilities, given the much larger surface areas for heat dissipation.

 

[cragmr]

I'm convinced that the 13" will never get a dGPU due to the thermal constraints of graphics processors. This will be even less of a problem since Ivy Bridge graphics will be significantly better, with the HD4000 capable of handling 4k resolutions. I do agree that the "Air" and "Pro" will likely become one line of computers, however. The 15" and 17" machines, regardless of how thin Apple redesigns them, will likely keep their dGPU capabilities, given the much larger surface areas for heat dissipation.

My mistake, sorry. I got confused for a second there and thought that the entire Pro line had dedicated GPUs.

 

[axu539]

My mistake, sorry. I got confused for a second there and thought that the entire Pro line had dedicated GPUs.

Yeah, it's a pity, really. Many 13" users would definitely like the extra power. But, by the time Haswell rolls out, the need for dedicated GPUs will be greatly diminished thanks to the advances in integrated graphics.