Macbook is Gone

[MBABuyer]

HELLO PEOPLE!!!!!!

THE REASON APPLE GOT RID OF THE MACBOOK IS BECAUSE THE BASE 11" MBA IS $999, THE SAME PRICE AS A MACBOOK.

THEY FIGURED, PROBABLY CORRECTLY, THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BUY A $999 NOTEBOOK WOULD RATHER HAVE A NICE, LIGHT, THIN, AND PERFECTLY USABLE LAPTOP, INSTEAD OF A PIECE OF THICK, WHITE PLASTIC!!

And if you dare try to argue about crap such as "but the macbook had more ports " ....you don't even know what the macbook was for in the first place. It is for the average consumer, and guess what, the average consumer does not want ethernet or firewire! All the average consumer wants is the MBA with the 2 USB ports, a thunderbolt port, and an SD card reader (for 13" version)

So, get over yourselves. It was a smart decision by apple, and now all apple products will have a more nice looking metallic form.

That is all I have to say, Thank you

 

[KPOM]

Agreed.
Apple will find out soon enough that this was a BAAAAAAAAAAAAAD decision.

If so, they can always bring it back. Remember, people were surprised when the Aluminum MacBook dropped the Firewire port. It got it back when it was rechristened the 13" Pro.

before mine died, the 12 inch powerbook was the baddest m*therf*cker ever made by apple.

if they just upgraded the internals, it would still be king.

luxury keyboard
matte screen, almost edge to edge compared to today's apple products
compact size, even smaller footprint than the Air i think

just add backlit keys and upgrade the internals, and they can have my money forever

As far as I'm concerned, the new 11" MacBook Air is the spiritual successor to the 12" Powerbook G4. The 12" G4 didn't have all the features of its larger brethren, but was quite the powerhouse for its day. The new Air is the same way. It is faster than most of its competition (e.g. Samsung Series 9), and has beaten the other "UltraBooks" to the market by several months, at least. There's very little that you can't do with the Core i7- (or even Core i5-) equipped MacBook Air.

In a larger sense, though, the end of the MacBook line was confirmed with Apple's earnings call the day before the updated MacBook Air was released and the MacBook relegated to the education market. iOS revenue now exceeds Mac revenue. Heck, iPad revenue now exceeds Mac revenue. Those who might have purchased a $500-1000 computer to check e-mail or browse the web might well just pick up an iPad instead of a low-price notebook. Remember, the iPad is nearly as powerful as the desktop PCs we were using back when the the iPod came out 10 years ago.

Both Apple and Microsoft are in the process of merging their desktop and tablet OSes. Microsoft is trying (as it has been for a decade) to scale its desktop OS down. Apple created a separate mobile OS, but is making their two OSes much more similar. I would not be surprised that if by 2020 the only distinction between an iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air is the size. There will always be some need for a dedicated PC, but that need will become narrower and narrower. The Cloud is replacing our servers, and we're moving full circle back to the days when our devices are really just "dumb terminals," albeit much more capable than the dumb terminals of the 70s and 80s.

 

[xMacMan]

How could they do this?

The macbook air doesn't even have a disk drive!

 

[MBABuyer]

How could they do this?

The macbook air doesn't even have a disk drive!

What can you do with a disk drive that you can't do digitally?

 

[KPOM]

How could they do this?

The macbook air doesn't even have a disk drive!

An SSD is a disk drive. It lacks an optical drive, but look at the writing on the wall. The 15" Pro may be the next to drop the drive (or at least offer a version without it). They still offer the $79 Superdrive for when you really need one.

 

[Kebabselector]

So, get over yourselves. It was a smart decision by apple, and now all apple products will have a more nice looking metallic form.

Having MBA purchase justifications issues are you?


Not all people want an ultra portable, not all people want an 11" screen, some people want to store more than 64gb locally, maybe a strange one for you to consider - some people might want to play a CD/DVD.

Now the latter point I'm sure you'll point out is addressed by the $79 Superdrive. It is, but when you have that your ultra portable is no longer that. It's an ultra portable with a DVD hanging off it.

The MBA fits your need, It doesn't fit mine. Sadly I have no middle ground option, I can only get a hampered device (MBA) for the same price or spend more on a MBP which essentially is a MacBook in a nicer case.

It is for the average consumer, and guess what, the average consumer does not want ethernet or firewire!

The last generation Macbook didn't have Firewire. Oh btw does the average consumer need/want Thunderbolt and a backlit keyboard? Probably not - maybe they should remove this pro spec equipment from the next MBA

 

[smali]

HELLO PEOPLE!!!!!!

THE REASON APPLE GOT RID OF THE MACBOOK IS BECAUSE THE BASE 11" MBA IS $999, THE SAME PRICE AS A MACBOOK.

THEY FIGURED, PROBABLY CORRECTLY, THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BUY A $999 NOTEBOOK WOULD RATHER HAVE A NICE, LIGHT, THIN, AND PERFECTLY USABLE LAPTOP, INSTEAD OF A PIECE OF THICK, WHITE PLASTIC!!

And if you dare try to argue about crap such as "but the macbook had more ports " ....you don't even know what the macbook was for in the first place. It is for the average consumer, and guess what, the average consumer does not want ethernet or firewire! All the average consumer wants is the MBA with the 2 USB ports, a thunderbolt port, and an SD card reader (for 13" version)

So, get over yourselves. It was a smart decision by apple, and now all apple products will have a more nice looking metallic form.

That is all I have to say, Thank you

Calm down dear. Calm Down.

 

[altecXP]

What can you do with a disk drive that you can't do digitally?

Optical disks are digital.

 

[SkyBell]

And with that discontinuation, Apple has lost whatever small chance they had of me buying another Mac. I just don't get it, I see literally 3 times more MacBook's around then any other Mac out there, it had to be a good seller for them. Apple has become a true corporation it seems over the last few years, but as far as a financial move goes.. I can't see it being an especially good one for them. But Apple seems to have something going for them, as every dumb move they make brings more sucess...ah well, it's a shame for I and perhaps many others out there who wanted one of these. RIP.

 

[leekohler]

And with that discontinuation, Apple has lost whatever small chance they had of me buying another Mac. I just don't get it, I see literally 3 times more MacBook's around then any other Mac out there, it had to be a good seller for them. Apple has become a true corporation it seems over the last few years, but as far as a financial move goes.. I can't see it being an especially good one for them. But Apple seems to have something going for them, as every dumb move they make brings more sucess...ah well, it's a shame for I and perhaps many others out there who wanted one of these. RIP.

Yep. Apple has lost me completely as a new customer. I will now only buy used Apple products from third parties. They have lost my business as a laptop and desktop customer. Oh well, that's their decision.

 

[Resist]

THE REASON APPLE GOT RID OF THE MACBOOK IS BECAUSE THE BASE 11" MBA IS $999, THE SAME PRICE AS A MACBOOK.

THEY FIGURED, PROBABLY CORRECTLY, THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BUY A $999 NOTEBOOK WOULD RATHER HAVE A NICE, LIGHT, THIN, AND PERFECTLY USABLE LAPTOP, INSTEAD OF A PIECE OF THICK, WHITE PLASTIC!!

I agree with your logic. But the specs and more inputs of the white Macbook made it a better deal. If the MBA had the same specs as the Macbook, then there wouldn't be so many people upset.

 

[KPOM]

And with that discontinuation, Apple has lost whatever small chance they had of me buying another Mac. I just don't get it, I see literally 3 times more MacBook's around then any other Mac out there, it had to be a good seller for them. Apple has become a true corporation it seems over the last few years, but as far as a financial move goes.. I can't see it being an especially good one for them. But Apple seems to have something going for them, as every dumb move they make brings more sucess...ah well, it's a shame for I and perhaps many others out there who wanted one of these. RIP.

I'm sure Apple knows what their MacBook sales have been, and concluded that the iPad, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models would offset most of the lost business. Had they given the MacBook the Pro specs like they did last time, it likely would have cannibalized the MacBook Pro. Perhaps they could have given it the Air's processor and the Pro's internals, but I think they decided it was time to drop the line since it didn't bring in many incremental sales.

It's too bad for those looking for a $999 alternative to the Pro, but it is probably a solid business decision. If not, we'll see a drop in the price of the Pro or a return of the base MacBook at the next refresh cycle.

 

[Acorn]

apple always has the resources and opportunity to bring the regular macbook back if need be. they are trying without it. no big deal. it will either work out for them or wont. in the end if it doesnt like i said they could always bring it back. people making a big deal out of nothing.

 

[winston1236]

The white macbook was my first mac, there was no Macbook Air when i got it, given the choice i think most people would buy the Air, i know i would have.

no, the air sucks for anything but play

 

[KPOM]

no, the air sucks for anything but play

That's a rather harsh statement. The new model is about as powerful as the base MacBook Pro. It's pricier because of the SSD, but it's capable of running anything that the old MacBook can.

 

[akhbhaat]

The new model is about as powerful as the base MacBook Pro.

No, it isn't. It can run with it in short term synthetic benchmarks because its processor has the same architecture and Intel has tuned it with a very aggressive automatic overclock ("Turbo boost"), but with only 17W of heat dissipation capacity, it reaches the limits of its thermal operating envelope pretty quickly and that overclock becomes unsustainable. There's a reason why the MBA's ULV processors are only rated at 1.6-1.8GHz and the base MBP's i5 (35W TDP) is rated at 2.3 GHz; those numbers do matter.

Longer term real-world benchmarks usually show a 20% difference (or more) between the two when you really push them both for more than a couple seconds.

That said, I think the MBA is a great consumer class computer and an appropriate replacement for the standard Macbook in so far as Joe Consumer is concerned. The form factor forces a lot of significant compromises, but building the machine around SSD storage effectively allows Apple to mask most of those compromises from the typical user, and lets emotional appeal do the rest.

 

[YanniDepp]

What can you do with a disk drive that you can't do digitally?

Here's everything I've done with my Mac mini and MacBook Pro optical drives in the last year:

- Ripped my extensive collection of DVD box sets in HandBrake (I've almost filled a 4TB drive)
- After filming two weddings (for friends), edit the video in iMovie and burned it to DVD for them to send to relatives that couldn't make the ceremonies.
- Burned several Linux distros to DVD (Ubuntu 10.04, Ubuntu 11.04, CentOS 6, Gentoo), for setting up various servers at work.
- Burned many, many music CDs (I DJ sometimes at the weekend)
- Installed Windows 7 in Boot Camp.

Yes, you could replace some of those things with internet services. While you may not use optical drives, there are people who still do.

I'm not sure "I've uploaded your wedding videos to YouTube" is an ideal replacement for a nicely packaged DVD that can be sent through the posts to friends and relatives. I DJ with CD decks because using a laptop and MP3's is seen as 'easy' and 'cheating'.

On a side note, how to MacBook Air and 2011 Mac mini owners install Windows in Boot Camp?

And if you dare try to argue about crap such as "but the macbook had more ports " ....you don't even know what the macbook was for in the first place. It is for the average consumer, and guess what, the average consumer does not want ethernet or firewire! All the average consumer wants is the MBA with the 2 USB ports, a thunderbolt port, and an SD card reader (for 13" version)

So, get over yourselves. It was a smart decision by apple, and now all apple products will have a more nice looking metallic form. :

I think you'll be much happier over at 9to5Mac. You'll find many like-minded individuals in their comments section.

 

[KPOM]

On a side note, how to MacBook Air and 2011 Mac mini owners install Windows in Boot Camp?

The new Boot Camp can take an ISO file and create a bootable Windows 7 USB key.

 

[KPOM]

Longer term real-world benchmarks usually show a 20% difference (or more) between the two when you really push them both for more than a couple seconds.

That said, I think the MBA is a great consumer class computer and an appropriate replacement for the standard Macbook in so far as Joe Consumer is concerned. The form factor forces a lot of significant compromises, but building the machine around SSD storage effectively allows Apple to mask most of those compromises from the typical user, and lets emotional appeal do the rest.

These results are pretty much a toss-up between the 1.8GHz i7 in the Air and the 2.3GHz i5 in the base Pro.
http://www.macworld.com/article/161424/2011/07/bto_macbook_air_2011.html

I'm sure, for heavy projects (e.g. the Handbrake test) the 2.3 will be faster, but most people don't push their processors to the extreme for extended periods of time. For most people, the i7 or even i5 Air will perform similarly to the base 13" Pro. The 13" Pro is sort of in the same position it was last October, when the 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Air compared quite favorably to the 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro.

That's why I think the 13" Pro is probably the most vulnerable of Apple's remaining lineup. The 15" and 17" have the quad-cores and discrete GPUs that blow both the Airs and the 13" Pro out of the water. The 13" Pro doesn't have a similar advantage right now, except for people who really need FireWire or an optical drive. Apple's said what they think of optical discs, and are also big on Thunderbolt, forgoing even USB 3.0 support for the moment.

The 13" Pro might re-emerge as the "budget" Mac if it turns out Apple loses more sales than it expects from the dropping of the white MacBook. Early reports are that the new Air is selling well, however, so I think what's more likely is that the 13" Air will eventually supplant the 13" Pro. We'll find out when the Pro is updated, I guess. What supports my view is that Intel has publicly committed to reducing the TDP of their future processors, starting with Ivy Bridge, and really kicking into gear with Haswell. They are really behind this Ultrabook concept, and manufacturers like ASUS and HP are on board with it, too. With Ivy Bridge or Haswell, we may not need to choose between performance and TDP, except for the most extreme uses. Sandy Bridge is already a huge step in that direction.