MacBook Air to Update This Week?

[theappleguy]

I apologize in advance to those who love the air but please, what on earth is it for? I still have no idea exactly where it fits in . . To me it's a device that takes up too much space and doesn't do much but it's light . . IMO the tablet will tear it apart in just another year and a half as far as everything from functionality, to aesthetics. IMO it was clearly a mistake.

I use my MacBook Air to take notes at uni, browse the internet and organise my photos. Given that is a Rev A, the capabilities of the Rev C (and future Rev D) would be more than sufficient for the average consumer (not professional video editors, animators or gamers obviously). Only thing I would say is the iPod sized hard drive is a bit slow, so I would definitely go for the SSD model when I upgrade.

 

[the-jobster]

Hey guys, does any of you know how long it takes after such a product is released to be available is stores such as amazon? One wouldn't have to pay taxes this way right?

 

[Drag'nGT]

I'm happy with my 1st gen MBA. I like seeing the new models but I'm more interested in the new price.

 

[Vantage Point]

Hey guys, does any of you know how long it takes after such a product is released to be available is stores such as amazon? One wouldn't have to pay taxes this way right?

roughly a week. It will be listed within a day or so but getting inventory might take a bit longer. Another great place is B&H Photo if you do not live in NY. they typically have free shipping and sometimes a slight discount on Apple computers.

 

[the-jobster]

roughly a week. It will be listed within a day or so but getting inventory might take a bit longer. Another great place is B&H Photo if you do not live in NY. they typically have free shipping and sometimes a slight discount on Apple computers.

Thanks!

 

[entatlrg]

All the talk about the MacBook Air again is great!

Let's first HOPE there is indeed an update tomorrow ... it's still all speculation at this point.

 

[KingYaba]

Overpriced and under spec. This is Apple's worst product. I think they should dump the Air.

 

[robeddie]

1) It can't match the 13" MBP. Assuming it will is foolish. The 13" MBP uses 35W CPUs, where the Air uses 17W CPUs. 35W processors would be far too hot for the Air.

2) i5 and i7 (ULV models) make perfect sense to many of us, because they're 18W processors.

1) I did say "at the very best, it would match the 13" MBP, so I acknowledge it's an outside shot.

2) I have no issue with the i5 or i7 CPU's, but again, I said 'assuming that means we'd then get the intel GPU', that would be one step forward, two steps back, and in my mind, that would not be worth it.

I think even my mortal enemy Scottsdale would agree with me on this one!

 

[airplaneman]

Macworld.com.au claims that Apple's MacBook Air could see updates as early as this week. They cite a "well-placed source" who identifies the new product number as MC516LL/A K87 BETTER BTR-USA. This source was previously able to pinpoint the recent MacBook Pro updates a week prior to their release.

It seems it's not entirely certain that the product number necessarily represents a new MacBook Air. Macworld Australia speculates it could also represent a new Apple LCD. Either way, several thousand of these items are presently on their way to Australia which indicates a major product launch.

According to our Buyer's Guide, a revised MacBook Air is overdue for release. It was last updated in June 2009 and was not updated alongside the MacBooks and MacBook Pros last month.

Article Link: MacBook Air to Update This Week?

The MacBook weren't updated...

 

[NeuralControl]

I'm looking forward to see what Apple upgrades on the MBA. It would be nice to think that it will get a a generous upgrade considering how long Apple has held out.

 

[AAPLaday]

You need to go to the gym. I can hold my open 13" MBP on its very corner, between my thumb and index finger and stretch out my arm. It's only a pound or so different to the Air.

Thats great, thats how we all should use laptops from now on. How about carrying it in a backpack with a lot of books and other gear. Thats when you notice the difference

 

[WoodNUFC]

Reasons I will never buy another notebook/iPad after owning an MBA:
1) Super lightweight. Walking to my uni isn't a chore with the MBA because I hardly notice it's in my bag.
2) Saves space. It may only be 80% of the MB at it's thickest, but because of its small size I can carry more books and notes with me. (Very important that I can carry absolutely everything I need for an entire day's work without sacrifice)
3) 13" screen. I was looking at netbooks, but the fact that the MBA has a viewable screen is important to me.
4) Fullsize keyboard! again netbooks were not comfortable for that reason, and there is no way I can type on an iPad at my full typing speed. (I've spent quite some time with one, and i'd never want to try to write my dissertation on it instead of my MBA.)
5) It's a real computer with full OS X. The iPad is just a consumption device that would fail me in almost every way.


For some of you size and weight do not matter. To someone who travels very frequently and both size and weight are at a premium this is a perfect computer. I really wouldn't buy another portable computer after owning this machine.

 

[Alchematron]

Please do not slap a ugly black bezel on this beautiful machine!

 

[dgookin]

i think this will be the deciding factor as whether or not to get a MBP or MBA update, i only ask Stevie for a few things

- Intel Core i7 @ 2.53GHZ
- 4GB DDR3 RAM
- nVidia 330M with 512MB DDR3 VRAM
- 500GB 7200RPM HDD or 512 SSD
- 3 USB Ports, MiniDisplay Port, Headphone Jack (Standard 3.5)

What? Who want to fry eggs on it?

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Yawn. Who buys Airs other than pretentious people who think it looks good? Why would anyone spend more money for less power, less functionality and thickness that is 80% of the MacBook Pro at its thickest point, which is the critical benchmark.

Apple should yank the optical drive from the MacBook Pro 13, add another hard drive (large mechanical + smaller SSD is the way to go) and make it a bit thinner with an i5 or i7 and a bigger fan. Now I would pay a premium for that.

Stop, you sound like a real P.I.T.A.

 

[skillwill]

What are the chances it will be tomorrow - I bought a brand new MBA two weeks ago (I know, I'm an idiot, I got tired of waiting though), and my return date is May 11th ... if it is tomorrow, straight swap, if it's later this week - I'll be pissssed off!

 

[tldizard]

EDIT: I hate the Macbook Air, and want it to die. I believe it to be a worthless piece of underpowered, overpriced junk targeted at Arts students. This news does not please me.

Or it's Apple's notebook that competes with the Toshiba Portege and Lenovo x300 series of ultra-portables and that the MBA as well as the aforementioned PCs are used extensively by persons with mobility impairments as the light weight offers them the same mobility that would otherwise be lost by heavier systems.

I have both said impairment and MBA rev. C June 09 and as a systems admin I couldn't ask for anything more. I didn't have to compromise as much in regards to power and speed as I would have for a netbook or other, similar trash.

I guess it's hard to take the needs / wants of others into account when formulating generalizations about other MBA owners. I cannot buy a MBP, as the weight issues just give me, and others, a pretty looking desktop.

Edit - Also, don't forget that the small size and low weight, while keeping previous-years-performance comes at a premium. The fact that you can get this at under $2500 astounds me, as I paid over $2800 for my Toshiba Portege R200 in 2005. The MBA meets the needs of a smaller, niche market, but a market that exists, none the less.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

This rumor of an impending MBA update is exciting news, if true. I am typical of many longtime Mac owners who don't have an MBA but would buy one in a flash if it were upgraded sufficiently. I'll go for one if it is offered with 4Gb of RAM and a glass trackpad. I am hoping for more but can probably live with just that.

The bashing in this thread of the MBA and of the judgment of those who buy it, by posters who have never owned one, left me shaking my head. Did those posts seem to anyone else to smack of the politics of envy?

Pretty much politics Gary boy, but, I am with you.My i Pad has left me lusting for lightness, BUT I'd still like a touchscreen

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I think that's "reasonable expectations," too. If Apple will offer all of that in an undated MBA, I'll be buying one of them.

I THINK, OWC offers a 512 SSD, but I don't know if it will fit

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I apologize in advance to those who love the air but please, what on earth is it for? I still have no idea exactly where it fits in . . To me it's a device that takes up too much space and doesn't do much but it's light . . IMO the tablet will tear it apart in just another year and a half as far as everything from functionality, to aesthetics. IMO it was clearly a mistake.

It's just thin and light! THE reason I love my iPad. It will pick up where the iPad leaves off and complete my hand, to a FLUSH! The rest of your post will be redundant when it has a Touch Screen, but mistake, never, it is the FUTURE, 13,15, and 17 will be dino-soars THIN/LIGHT?TOUCHSCREENS is waz Hapnin

 

[Neodym]

I apologize in advance to those who love the air but please, what on earth is it for? I still have no idea exactly where it fits in . . To me it's a device that takes up too much space and doesn't do much but it's light . . IMO the tablet will tear it apart in just another year and a half as far as everything from functionality, to aesthetics. IMO it was clearly a mistake.

If nothing else, it was not only Apple's first try at Unibody construction, but also a trailblazer for current design and construction principles throughout Apple's notebook families - besides Unibody think of e.g. the fix-installed battery, the Multitouch-Touchpad or LED backlighting!

The MBA had to aim for a niche to allow Apple asking a higher price for the new approach (to make up for R&D, machinery etc.). Once they made their experiences with the new technologies and got a certain amount of R&D costs back, they could bring all that to the "mass market" (i.e. MBP).

And besides it was a good marketing investment for Apple, as this device has brought them lots of publicity and public attention!

 

[Zulu1]

The name of this site is Mac Rumors, which should provide a clue to even the newest of newbie posters that discussing Mac rumors is a good part of what we do. If threads like this one bother you, Mac Rumors almost certainly isn't for you and may even be detrimental to your emotional health.

I said "gooday"

 

[Scylax]

The MacBook Air does everything I need a computer to do. I don't need the power of a MacBook Pro, and I will gladly pay extra for the extreme portability of the MacBook Air that is beautiful and the perfect portable Mac.

I hope I can give Apple about $3K this week for a fully loaded BTO MacBook Air.

Thank you thank you thank you for this sensible response! I object to being told I am pretentious for having a MBA which is absolutely the perfect computer for me. Weight means a lot to me, and the MBA keeps a sensible screen size and a low weight. It has plenty of power for everyday use in writing and so forth, and serves me, and I suspect many others very well. I hope very much to see an update soon, mostly to show that Apple is still keen on improving it. The thing I most want to see is a larger SSD. But please, don't knock the MBA just because it doesn't suit your needs. It doesn't have to. A MP wouldn't suit mine. Let's just hope that Apple keeps it's entire line going so that all of us can have what we need and want.

 

[Stately]

I think it's too much to call it a mistake (and I have no product loyalty to the Air...never owned one). Even if it filled a role for two years, then it mattered at that point in time.

Right now I think it's definitely LESS important than it used to be (given that the iPad is out) because a big part of its appeal was that it was aimed at light usage (no heavy video/audio editing, etc....overheating issues abounded even just watching YouTube). A large percentage of that light usage (email, web browsing, Pages, Numbers, etc) can be done by iPad now. I know it's not a full-fledged computer like the Air, but nonetheless, it bites into the market share. It has to. There's no getting around that.

I think there will still be people who want a FULL version of OSX on something ultra portable. ...and the Air is their answer.

Yes maybe I shouldn't have said it was a mistake, I guess I'm thinking that Apple knew that sooner than later, they were going to launch the tablet, so why waist energy on the air, ya know? But yes it has served it's purpose, because it seems there are those that really enjoy it. Take it easy.

 

[Stately]

It's just thin and light! THE reason I love my iPad. It will pick up where the iPad leaves off and complete my hand, to a FLUSH! The rest of your post will be redundant when it has a Touch Screen, but mistake, never, it is the FUTURE, 13,15, and 17 will be dino-soars THIN/LIGHT?TOUCHSCREENS is waz Hapnin

Lol, YES SIR . .