MacBook Air 2018

[gaanee]

If Apple is going to move to ARM processors then it will start from Macbook lineup. ARM road-map claims to compete with Intel i5 so it can easily surpass core-M in Macbooks.
And that could be the distinguishing factor between Macbook, Pro and Air line-ups

As more as I think of it...dreaming about it...I really want a small mac now, instead of iPad.
If there’s thinner bezels a 12" and a 14" will make more sense then 11" and a 13"
And why not a 12" when they have MacBook 12".
So what will be the difference between MB Air and MacBook be? If the Air will get retina too.
Will MB disappear or be more exclusive then it is now, comparing to a new MB Air.
Looking forward to the event

 

[Dave245]

If Apple is going to move to ARM processors then it will start from Macbook lineup. ARM road-map claims to compete with Intel i5 so it can easily surpass core-M in Macbooks.
And that could be the distinguishing factor between Macbook, Pro and Air line-ups

Apple need to do something to distinguish between the different models, what’s the average consumer suppose to buy, MacBook Air or MacBook? There are issues with both, the 12” screen might be too small for some, while the Air has no retina dissolute and is now old.

If Apple introduce a new Air with Retina disaply and thinner bezels (like it’s reported they will) then where does that leave the MacBook? Is it an average consumer laptop still?

 

[Lioness~]

If Apple introduce a new Air with Retina disaply and thinner bezels (like it’s reported they will) then where does that leave the MacBook? Is it an average consumer laptop still?

Makes most sense if they discontinue the MacBook and introducing a new MacBook Air in retina with 2 different versions 11/12 and 13/14 (later inch no with smaller bezels). They could make them in same colors or more that MacBook was made in.

 

[Dave245]

Makes most sense if they discontinue the MacBook and introducing a new MacBook Air in retina with 2 different versions 11/12 and 13/14 (later inch no with smaller bezels). They could make them in same colors or more that MacBook was made in.

I would love a 13" or 14" retina Air, if however they don't do that and the reports/rumours are wrong (which i doubt as it's Mark Gurman) then i would get a 12" MacBook once they have been given the spec update.

You might have a point tho, the 12" MacBook hasn't been updated yet and neither has the none touch bar MacBook Pro, what if Apple intend to remove both of them and introduce a new MacBook Air.
On the flip side to that tho i can see them keeping the MacBook around, when Steve Jobs announce the MacBook Air back in 2008 he talked about the line-up of MacBook (obviously it was a different version back then) he then went on to say how the Air was positioned in between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. Apple might simply add a new MacBook Air and do exactly the same.

 

[TheHurryKayne]

Do you think the new Air will have some thunderbolts 3 ports?

 

[frou]

Do you think the new Air will have some thunderbolts 3 ports?

I doubt it, because if they are going for a $999 price then they will be desperate to retain exclusive MBP-13 features for it to justify its much higher price

 

[vaugha]

I'm quite stoked about the new mba. I will wait out a couple of months before forking out and see reviews first but if the keyboards are the same old keyboards from prior gens, then it will make a strong argument for me to go over the fence.

 

[Dave245]

I'm quite stoked about the new mba. I will wait out a couple of months before forking out and see reviews first but if the keyboards are the same old keyboards from prior gens, then it will make a strong argument for me to go over the fence.

Yea i think if the report is correct (from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg) it will be a nice upgrade, retina display and thinner bezels will make it look more modern at least. Not sure what the specs of the machine will be but it would be nice for it to sit somewhere in-between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro in terms of specs.

As for the keyboard i'm not sure what they will do, if they are going all in on the new design (especially with it being fixed with gen 3) then they might put the butterfly inside the new Air, this would allow them to make it thinner i think which is something they could do. Personally i would like the Air to get a retina display and thinner bezels and be available in space grey. I'm waiting to see what happens before i update my 2011 MacBook Pro, if i'm not satisfied with the new Air then i will have to choose between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro.

 

[ET iPhone Home]

I was in the market for a 2018 MBP, but after the MBA announcement I've been hearing of, I'm definitely getting the 2018 MBA, regardless of the specs. I have a 2011 MBA now and its basically all I need for basic tasks.

 

[antonis]

I would love a 13" or 14" retina Air, if however they don't do that and the reports/rumours are wrong (which i doubt as it's Mark Gurman) then i would get a 12" MacBook once they have been given the spec update.

You might have a point tho, the 12" MacBook hasn't been updated yet and neither has the none touch bar MacBook Pro, what if Apple intend to remove both of them and introduce a new MacBook Air.
On the flip side to that tho i can see them keeping the MacBook around, when Steve Jobs announce the MacBook Air back in 2008 he talked about the line-up of MacBook (obviously it was a different version back then) he then went on to say how the Air was positioned in between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. Apple might simply add a new MacBook Air and do exactly the same.

Mind that the new gen CPUs (whiskey lake) aiming at the fanless MB (Y-class) and a potential new MBA (U-class) where just announced this week by Intel. This opens the road for the MB and MBA upgrades - at least from the technological side of things (e.g. as long as they are still in apple's plans to upgrade MBA). This is also a good excuse for the fact that they didn't get an upgrade sooner.

 

[Dave245]

Mind that the new gen CPUs (whiskey lake) aiming at the fanless MB (Y-class) and a potential new MBA (U-class) where just announced this week by Intel. This opens the road for the MB and MBA upgrades - at least from the technological side of things (e.g. as long as they are still in apple's plans to upgrade MBA). This is also a good excuse for the fact that they didn't get an upgrade sooner.

Any idea of how much a performance boost it will be over last years Macbook? Seems like they are waiting to update later this year.

 

[dogslobber]

Is this the blueprint for the 2018 MBA?

https://www.anandtech.com/show/1329...ets-133inch-display-slimmer-chassis-lte-modem

 

[Dave245]

Is this the blueprint for the 2018 MBA?

https://www.anandtech.com/show/1329...ets-133inch-display-slimmer-chassis-lte-modem

That’s the Swift 3

 

[antonis]

Any idea of how much a performance boost it will be over last years Macbook? Seems like they are waiting to update later this year.

No idea, haven't seen any benchmarks yet. However, I wouldn't expect any huge leaps in that matter.

 

[unagimiyagi]

Historically, Apple does not ever build what the masses "want". Their whole M.O. is to build what they think we need. This may not always be true, but it is also undoubtedly true that they are most definitely do not have a product category for every type of user like Samsung does or Dell does. This almost always leads to products that "disappoint" because they are not what large swaths of customers envision.

Because I think Apple is really sticking to their new designs, I think the old air with a retina screen drop-in replacement will not happen, nor will a hybrid half-old, half-new design be revealed. I can't recall a time when what the vast majority of people want was fulfilled, so there's no reason to think that they will be this time around. It's been six years hoping, so the smart money would be to give up hoping at this point. Time would be better invested in lobbying for a much better redesigned chassis for the MacBook Pro 2019.

I too want a retina air and that's it. If they want to cram a 14" screen and keep the exact same external casing, I'm fine with that too. I'm almost positive though that they will not do that. It'll be the nontouchbar MacBook Pro from 2016 that will be the new air is my guess, or at least a computer that is > 90% identical to that machine. No one would be complaining if the newest gen MacBook Pros were designed well. People would be applauding the lowered price point of the 13" nontouchbar MacBook Pro being reassigned to the role of the air in the lineup...if only it was a well-designed computer. That's the real problem here: people do not want the six year old Air design per se. They only want it because Apple still has not come up with a better design than the six year old air's chassis, and the current chassis is a regression as declared by basically everyone.

 

[Mainsail]

Nope. The Macbook Pro non-TB of 2016 is NOT a rebadged Macbook Air.
The 2016 MBP nTB is missing:

1. magsafe
2. SD card slot
3. USB-A ports
4. price

There's more to a Macbook Air than simply a light notebook capable of running macOS. It's a package deal. It is a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Some look at the lack of a retina display and no other benefit it offers matter.

For those who want a fast, light macbook with a retina display, yes... the Macbook Pro is it... and they can buy that today. For the rest of us who want/need what the current Macbook Air offers, our days are numbered. I think that the "new" Macbook Air will be nothing more than the current retina Macbook with some internal tweaks and a $1000 starting price.

I agree. I love the current MBA, but there is little chance it will return in it’s present incarnation with MagSafe, existing ports, etc.. You might be correct that Apple will simply offer a lower cost rMB with 128GB SSD storage as their entry level laptop. They might also rebrand the nTB MBP. In order to implement the new membrane keyboard, they will need to mess around with the lower case, so perhaps, Apple will simply implement a wedge shaped lower case with improved keyboard reliability and call it the new MacBook Air. It would have the same display, ports, processor, etc. as the current 128 GB nTB MBP, so they might be able to sell it for $1,100 - $1,200.

As another curve ball, Apple seems to believe that the iPad is really the new entry level laptop. I don’t necessarily agree with this viewpoint, but for arguement’s sake, let’s list typical stuff an entry level laptop user might want to do:

• Respond to emails and messages (Mail & iMessage)
• Make calendar appointments (iCal)
• Edit photos (Photos)
• Take Notes (Notes & Notability)
• Write essays & reports (Pages)
• Create simple spreadsheets (Numbers)
• Develop Presentations (Keynote)
• Create, Edit, and Annotate PDFs (GoodReader)
• Track personal finances (Mint)
• Make Video Calls (FaceTime)
• Organize Files in the Cloud (Files & DropBox)
• Read Books (iBooks & Libby)
• Play Music (Music & Spotify)
• Watch Movies & TV (NetFlix & Direct TV Now)
• Make a simple video (iMovie)
• Etc.

I have easily done all of the above on my $300 base 2017 iPad (sometimes used with an inexpensive BT Keyboard and/or a cheap fine point stylus), which has been my primary device for over a year. There are times when I need to use a traditional computer to handle larger documents or multiple windows.....but, it is pretty rare....less than 10% of my computing usage. On these occasions, I can simply Airdrop the file to our family shared Mac Mini and then work on the document.

Anyway, there is a chance that Apple just does not philosophically believe in the entry level MacBook. The iPhone and iPad make up a huge portion of their profits. Mobile devices and software are developing more rapidly then desktop/laptop, Apple might simply believe they are better-off investing in pushing the Tablet platform to the next level rather than offering a low cost laptop, with potentially smaller profit margins. Again, I do not necessarily agree with this point of view.....but, the trend seems to be in that direction.

 

[Dave245]

I think it’s going to be very interesting to see what Apple do in this space! It may not be at the September keynote like some people have pointed out but this year I think we will see an updated Air.

My 2011 MBP broke the other day so at the moment I’m using a mixture of my iMac 2012 at home along with my iPad Pro 12.9”, while it can do a lot of laptop things I’m simply not a fan for tasks that I spend most of my time doing, like writing for long periods of time.

I’m waiting to see the updates Apple give the Mac this year before making my final decision. If the new Air doesn’t impress me and they don’t update the 12” MacBook very much then I think it’s the 13” MacBook Pro with Touch Bar for me.

 

[maerz001]

I would like to see Apple pushing its laptop line to the next level and introducing not only a new Retina display with a different sized body.

Something like a crossover between iPad/touchscreen/MacBook. Like the Dell XPS 2in1.
But with some clever switching between iOS and macOS on the same machine depending on the way u use it in tablet vs desktop mode...

 

[Dave245]

I would like to see Apple pushing its laptop line to the next level and introducing not only a new Retina display with a different sized body.

Something like a crossover between iPad/touchscreen/MacBook. Like the Dell XPS 2in1.
But with some clever switching between iOS and macOS on the same machine depending on the way u use it in tablet vs desktop mode...

The Lenovo Toga Book C930 is a very interesting concept, I was watching the guy demo it with the e-ink keyboard and it’s where I could see Apple going next, the Touch Bar is probably the beginning of it.

 

[DHagan4755]

What I want to see Apple do vs. what Apple actually does are two different things. What's hard to square is what they will do based on past precedent because just about everyone acknowledges that Apple needs to simplify its notebook line-up.

My wishes:
Discontinue the 12-inch MacBook, 13-inch MacBook Air, and 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar.

What they will introduce:
New 13-inch MacBook (maybe even still using MacBook Air branding). Two USB Type-C ports, slim bezels, 720p (or better FaceTime camera), good speakers, headphone jack, same battery life as the MacBook Air. 128GB SSD, 8GB RAM, ~2.3 pounds, entry price of $999.

Controversial items will likely be:
3rd gen. butterfly keyboard and using a Y-series fanless Intel processor vs. U-series Intel processor.

 

[unagimiyagi]

I think that the issue with a 13" MacBook with your specs is the price. For $999, no one is going to buy the pro in my opinion. I think 95% of people do not need 4 physical cores and 98% don't know the difference, as that would be the only advantage of the 13" 2018 mbp.

2.3 pounds is a meaningfully lighter carry everywhere computer and significantly lighter than the 3.02 pound mbp. I think many people would consider the 13" MacBook that you describe as a superior computer regardless, but especially superior b/c of the price. There is a very real effect of lessened expectations when pay less money and higher ones when you pay more. The astronomical price of the pros makes it really hard for anyone to be super dazzled by Apple level happy with the purchase, which seems to be the bar that most people have internally set for Apple products.

$999 for a retina air replacement, however, is cheap enough for most (it's not THAT much more than a comparable windows laptop) to be a Toyota of a laptop that people won't obsess over slightly scratches, slight imperfections. It'll be a good workhorse for most and beater laptop for the rich.

 

[Pugly]

I think that the issue with a 13" MacBook with your specs is the price. For $999, no one is going to buy the pro in my opinion. I think 95% of people do not need 4 physical cores and 98% don't know the difference, as that would be the only advantage of the 13" 2018 mbp.

In my mind the Pro has always been a hard sell compared to the Air, because the CPUs in them are so close in power. And that was when there was a $300 price difference, now that Apple is keeping the $1799 price for the 13 inch Pro it's even worse.

The class of CPU the Air replacement should get is a quad. It is more than what most people need... but it's what is available.

If this new computer really does get a quad 15w U-series cpu, retina screen, and a low price... I don't know what makes the Pro worth the price jump. Touch ID? Color gamut? More ports? Faster SSDs? I can do without those things.

 

[Falhófnir]

In my mind the Pro has always been a hard sell compared to the Air, because the CPUs in them are so close in power. And that was when there was a $300 price difference, now that Apple is keeping the $1799 price for the 13 inch Pro it's even worse.

The class of CPU the Air replacement should get is a quad. It is more than what most people need... but it's what is available.

If this new computer really does get a quad 15w U-series cpu, retina screen, and a low price... I don't know what makes the Pro worth the price jump. Touch ID? Color gamut? More ports? Faster SSDs? I can do without those things.

in 2015 the 13" Air was £849 while the base 13" Pro was £999 - for £150 you got Iris graphics (the real benefit of the 28W TDP being it allows this to actually be meaningly more powerful than HD graphics); 8GB RAM standard over 4; Retina; the thinner bezel design and all in a casing the was negligibly thicker, very slightly heavier and actually had a smaller footprint - it was almost insane to buy an Air at that point. I think this is why Apple have moved the Pros up - likely we will see a real distinction coming in - Retina in the Air but no P3, probably a HD graphics solution, 128GB storage where the pro will begin at 256, 4 thunderbolt ports whereas the Air will likely have two or will continue with the current port selection but the TB2 replaced by a single USB C or TB3.

I'd predict the 13" pro might get a modest price drop when the nTB is killed so you'd have the Air starting at $999, and the Pro starting at $1,599 or so. for the extra $600 you get the above benefits making the Air easily the better option for most consumers, while pros will go with the pro for the wider colour, extra power and more flexible IO for their work.

 

[maerz001]

I'd predict the 13" pro might get a modest price drop when the nTB is killed so you'd have the Air starting at $999, and the Pro starting at $1,599 or so. for the extra $600 you get the above benefits making the Air easily the better option for most consumers, while pros will go with the pro for the wider colour, extra power and more flexible IO for their work.

As Apple usually sells bigger displays for more imho they will start with a 128GB 12“ MB and than the New 13“

 

[Pugly]

in 2015 the 13" Air was £849 while the base 13" Pro was £999 - for £150 you got Iris graphics (the real benefit of the 28W TDP being it allows this to actually be meaningly more powerful than HD graphics); 8GB RAM standard over 4; Retina; the thinner bezel design and all in a casing the was negligibly thicker, very slightly heavier and actually had a smaller footprint - it was almost insane to buy an Air at that point.

Yeah, all those things made the Pro a very compelling choice. But just from a cpu upgrade perspective, it was just priced high enough to make me have to think about it.

I would have probably got a 2015 13” Pro over the Air. But portability was my biggest concern, so I ended up with an 11”.

Which was my point, that the price difference now makes it a non factor almost.