I don't agree with any other point in your response, but this phrase right here, it rings true, unfortunately.
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MacBook Air 2018
- Thread starter Dave245
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I don't agree with any other point in your response, but this phrase right here, it rings true, unfortunately.
Is it a mess for Apple? I believe it is exactly as Apple designed and wanted. Most will buy just because MBA. Diligent shoppers will notice screen difference right away. When I was at Apple store there was someone comparing screens and $100 price difference with the salesperson. Think left with 13ntb.
General consumers probably wont notice the difference, there is often a stark difference between the average consumer and even those of us who post in these threads. Most general consumers just want a laptop, most will probably just notice that it has a retina screen which looks bettter. Oh and the new gold colour
The problem is it’s finding the happy medium because while I see that some people are not happy, it doesn’t mean that the majority won’t be, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad machine it just means that it might not be for you. That’s exathe reason why I’m going to test out the machines in the store and find out what I think, that and I really want to see the gold colour to see if I like it or not
is that good for 2018? im kinda baffled or "bappled" over the 200 $ hike, either apple is taking advantage of the economy or celebrating the football seasons
It’s an increase over both the previous gen Air and the 12” MacBook, however it’s not by much I believe it’s about 10%
To be fair the price hike isn’t that bad in my opinion, for that extra money you’re getting the Retina display (even if it is 300 nits) IPS screen, Touch ID, HD FaceTime camera, 3rd gen butterfly keyboard (that could be good or bad depending on you’re opinion of the keyboard).
the reason i am asking is i need to replace an Macbook air 2010 were the top row of keys dont work. these airbooks are great, but fragile and now disposable. my options are a 2012 MBpro or a dell XSVM 13.3 inch. honestly i like a dvd player, photocard reader and hdmi port to plug into a TV instead of streaming whytewalkers and ramsey bolton shananagins though the air.
New 2018 MBA: Why, why, why? All Apple needed to do was add the T2 chip with touch ID to the MBP nTB 13. Maybe this is why Phil Schiller did NOT do his usual keynote presentation for new Macs or the MBA in this case; he knew it was an inferior Apple notebook?
Why not simply keep the MacBook Air as it exists, with numerous external ports like USB, Thunderbolt2, mag-safe, etc., and simply upgrade the screen a little bit as they did at $999 for 128 GB storage.
Why not simply keep the MacBook Air as it exists, with numerous external ports like USB, Thunderbolt2, mag-safe, etc., and simply upgrade the screen a little bit as they did at $999 for 128 GB storage.
Heard some interesting information about the "Y" chips that seem to disappoint everyone. Listened to a video by one of the contributors for iMore who had a long discussion with a lot of Silicon experts. Now these are his words not mine. It's a bit confusing, but I think Intel likes it that way.
Macbook has Kaby Lake Processors Intel Core M3, M5, M7 Now they call the 5 and 7 - i5 and i7 but it's still the M processor … and as we know the Macbook Air uses Amber Lake Y series--- Coffee Lake is the U series in the MBP.
Now the people who understand how this silicon work say you can’t go by the names on these chips to judge performance. You have to examine the base frequencies and the thermals and then find out how it works. If it does a good job it doesn’t matter if it’s Y series, and if it does a bad job it doesn’t matter if it’s U series. According to these experts this Y series has pretty good base frequencies, pretty good turbo frequencies and thermal frequencies. With it’s wattage it doesn’t get throttled in the Air's casing like a U series would. And this is typically with 5 watts and the 7 Watts in the Macbook Air is a custom variant that Apple asked for that did not exist until they approached Intel and asked for it.
I don't know if any of that helps or not, but I think there's more to the Y choice as a processor than Apple just cheaping out and going with something lessor and keeping the price high. One thing I've come to learn about my Apple products is they are not that cheapo plasticky stuff you see out there. It's quality, built to last years, and to me almost looks like a piece of art. I never feel they cheapen anything... which is another reason we don't see cheap entry level computers from Apple. They are more a designer luxury brand.
And that's the kind of shopper I am. I'd rather carry my Louis Vuitton handbag that I've had for 10 years that still looks brand new, than a cheaper one that would be replaced year after year. I get a zillion miles out of my old Apple stuff and most of them have been handed down to family members and are still working. That's what we pay for.
Macbook has Kaby Lake Processors Intel Core M3, M5, M7 Now they call the 5 and 7 - i5 and i7 but it's still the M processor … and as we know the Macbook Air uses Amber Lake Y series--- Coffee Lake is the U series in the MBP.
Now the people who understand how this silicon work say you can’t go by the names on these chips to judge performance. You have to examine the base frequencies and the thermals and then find out how it works. If it does a good job it doesn’t matter if it’s Y series, and if it does a bad job it doesn’t matter if it’s U series. According to these experts this Y series has pretty good base frequencies, pretty good turbo frequencies and thermal frequencies. With it’s wattage it doesn’t get throttled in the Air's casing like a U series would. And this is typically with 5 watts and the 7 Watts in the Macbook Air is a custom variant that Apple asked for that did not exist until they approached Intel and asked for it.
I don't know if any of that helps or not, but I think there's more to the Y choice as a processor than Apple just cheaping out and going with something lessor and keeping the price high. One thing I've come to learn about my Apple products is they are not that cheapo plasticky stuff you see out there. It's quality, built to last years, and to me almost looks like a piece of art. I never feel they cheapen anything... which is another reason we don't see cheap entry level computers from Apple. They are more a designer luxury brand.
And that's the kind of shopper I am. I'd rather carry my Louis Vuitton handbag that I've had for 10 years that still looks brand new, than a cheaper one that would be replaced year after year. I get a zillion miles out of my old Apple stuff and most of them have been handed down to family members and are still working. That's what we pay for.
sorry to burst your apple bubble, and the beginning of that post was pure tech poetry, which i enjoyed! i wish that was true, they are making these older 2000 models obsolete by creating software that impedes older ipods and itouches. My 2011 itouch works, but not internet, maybe a page or 2 but what ever browser im using always shuts off after the 3 page appears. My macmini 2012 USB ports are horrible were i need to disconnect my usb keyboard and mouse to run another USB drive. the innards of an MBair are not solid and have many flaws like the bluetooth chord too long and fragile clips for he speakers. Not one macbook chord is frayed or falling off since 2015, (I checked!) and am on my 3rd and last replacement chord, that need to be replaced. i could type more but since today is my first day here (yeah right) i will leave this. Apple WAS great i did alot of extra research and 3rd party app builders are saving the apple computers. oh i cannot use the enter, delete or other important keys on my 49.99 usb keyboard i purchased in 2007.
Yikes!!! That's too bad. Right now my niece is still using my old Aluminum Unibody Macbook... we are watching movies on our theatre system run by our old 2010 MacMini. Not the fastest, but still reliable and works flawlessly. I guess I just have great luck with my electronics. But before I switched in 2006 my luck with our computers wasn't so great. Back then, everyone seemed to have their own tech support guy to come to your house and keep stuff running. I got tired of paying someone every month to fix stuff so I became our own tech guy. Now the money just gets spent on fun gadgets not support.
The one Apple app that bugs the crap out of me is Photos. I feel like I'm aways organizing photos and deleting dupes. But when I switched from Spotify to Apple Music (6 months free with my phone carrier) I feel like I need a class to just create a freakin playlist. Damn Apple why doesn't it just work.
Even with the ability to stream music through Spotify and/or Apple Music, I still occasionally plug in my 120GB iPod.... love that old click wheel... those were the days weren't they?
I just got back from the Apple store, I tried out the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, I really don’t know what all the fuss is about with the screen on the Air, seeing it in person it really wasn’t bad at all, the colours looked vibrant, the display has great viewing angles and the Air really is a step up from the last generation.
You can really tell the difference between the old Air and the new one, where as the difference between the Pro and the new Air isn’t that noticeable. The Pro is a little more brighter, it’s colours pop just a little bit more but other than that there isn’t a difference, 95% - 99% of people will be more than happy with the new Air, if you edit video professionally or you really need True Tone then get the Pro with Touch Bar, otherwise the Air is a great upgrade.
Other things I noticed include:
The speakers are louder and sound better than the old Air and my old 2011 MacBook Pro
The new gold colour is actually nice in person and is more of a copper gold, I can see how it appears different under different lighting conditions.
It’s actually smaller than I thought it would be and it’s got a nice premium weight to it
It’s more than fast enough for most tasks, I opened iMovie, pages, Safari with a number of tabs and it didn’t even turn the fan on (that I could hear anyway).
The screen on the new Air has the same resolution as the MacBook Pro, the only difference is that the Pro has a P3 and True Tone display. It really isn’t that much more noticeable, at least not to me, ie someone coming from a 2011 MacBook Pro non retina.
After taking about an hour and a half inside the Apple store I came out pleasantly surprised with the new Air, and the best news is that I’ve FINALLY decided what I’ll be buying/upgrading too, it will be without a doubt the new Air. It was able to handle everything I threw at it in my work load and more.
To most people I would reccomed this new Air, students and general consumers are going to love it I think.
You can really tell the difference between the old Air and the new one, where as the difference between the Pro and the new Air isn’t that noticeable. The Pro is a little more brighter, it’s colours pop just a little bit more but other than that there isn’t a difference, 95% - 99% of people will be more than happy with the new Air, if you edit video professionally or you really need True Tone then get the Pro with Touch Bar, otherwise the Air is a great upgrade.
Other things I noticed include:
The speakers are louder and sound better than the old Air and my old 2011 MacBook Pro
The new gold colour is actually nice in person and is more of a copper gold, I can see how it appears different under different lighting conditions.
It’s actually smaller than I thought it would be and it’s got a nice premium weight to it
It’s more than fast enough for most tasks, I opened iMovie, pages, Safari with a number of tabs and it didn’t even turn the fan on (that I could hear anyway).
The screen on the new Air has the same resolution as the MacBook Pro, the only difference is that the Pro has a P3 and True Tone display. It really isn’t that much more noticeable, at least not to me, ie someone coming from a 2011 MacBook Pro non retina.
After taking about an hour and a half inside the Apple store I came out pleasantly surprised with the new Air, and the best news is that I’ve FINALLY decided what I’ll be buying/upgrading too, it will be without a doubt the new Air. It was able to handle everything I threw at it in my work load and more.
To most people I would reccomed this new Air, students and general consumers are going to love it I think.
It’s good to finally know which Mac I’m going to be getting
All I need now if for Apple to update the iMac 5K so that I can upgrade from my 2012 iMac, that will then be all my Mac’s updated for the next 4-7 years
@Dave245, do you think you may be tempted by the 13" TB MBP? With discounts the difference for a 16GB/512GB model is around £310 (£330 if you factor in Apple Care+ for both). It is tempting not just for the better screen, but having a CPU which you won't have to worry about bottle-necking you once you have used and loaded up the MacBook for a couple of years. It also has some of the niceties like Bluetooth 5.0, extra ports.
I can see the appeal of the Air, the wedge means your wrists won't get digged into by the sharp edge. The battery life should hopefully be a little better also. No TouchBar is probably the best thing for me!
It's crazy to think, had Apple made the 128GB model £999 and the 256GB model £1199, people would probably find it less difficult to decide (as the price difference will go near ~£500).
I can see the appeal of the Air, the wedge means your wrists won't get digged into by the sharp edge. The battery life should hopefully be a little better also. No TouchBar is probably the best thing for me!
It's crazy to think, had Apple made the 128GB model £999 and the 256GB model £1199, people would probably find it less difficult to decide (as the price difference will go near ~£500).
From my experience in the Apple store no, the majority of what I do is writing (hours a day) and I tested the Air in store, I opened multiple apps even ones I don’t use that often (like iMovie) and it didn’t seem to even push the Air, I couldn’t hear the fan.
The Air will be machine that I’ll use around the house, out in the garden and take with me to meetings, my main desktop is currently a 2012 iMac that I plan on upgrading to the 5K version when Apple actually update it. I did look at the none Touch Bar MacBook Pro but I’m all honesty I think the higher spec would be wasted on me.
My plan at the moment is to get the 16GB Ram with 512GB storage on the new Air, that way it should be ok for the next 4 years or so.
Typing on the new Air was great with the wedge shape, it didn’t seem to dig in as much as the Pro, something I will appreciate after hours of writing! I even tried out the Touch Bar and it didn’t do anything better for my work flow, in fact I was spending more time looking down at all the different menu options, than I was looking at the screen.
New MacBook Air in gold has got my name on it
and with the discount I get I will save over £100 on the Air.[doublepost=1542126114][/doublepost]This is interesting, his score on Cinebench actually rose
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I can't say enough how happy I am with my new Air... love the Gold and am even quite used to the new keyboard. With the great return policy Apple has, I've been really scrutinizing this one and I just don't find anything that I don't like. Before it arrived and I had read all the negatives about price and dim screens I got a bit nervous. I too keep mine for a long time and then pass them on to my husband. I want no buyers remorse. But the more I use it, the more confident I am that it's a great little machine. Hope you enjoy yours just as much.It’s good to finally know which Mac I’m going to be getting
All I need now if for Apple to update the iMac 5K so that I can upgrade from my 2012 iMac, that will then be all my Mac’s updated for the next 4-7 years
I decided to pickup the Air as well today, I was in the Apple store and my wife’s laptop is in dire need of replacement. If anything I thought I’d do it as an experiment.
I’ll use it for a week and let you guys know of what I think of the machine. If it’s no good, I’ll return.
I went for the 8GB/256 variant, I think on a machine like this it would be rare for me to utilise or feel the benefit of the 16GB RAM as I don’t do heavy video or audio work, before the CPU bottlenecks me (on multitasking which is the only area I could ever have benefited from it and even then, marginal improvement).
Also might pick up a new Pro 15 with Vega tomorrow if it becomes available...
I’ll use it for a week and let you guys know of what I think of the machine. If it’s no good, I’ll return.
I went for the 8GB/256 variant, I think on a machine like this it would be rare for me to utilise or feel the benefit of the 16GB RAM as I don’t do heavy video or audio work, before the CPU bottlenecks me (on multitasking which is the only area I could ever have benefited from it and even then, marginal improvement).
Also might pick up a new Pro 15 with Vega tomorrow if it becomes available...