MBA Ultimate + Apple Cinema Display

[Grolsch30]

Hi,

After having several issues with the iMac 27 i5 whereby I had to send them back and got refunded my monies, I have been unsure what to purchase.

My wife wants a large screen and I was not to bothered but preferred something more mobile.

I hit a light bulb moment earlier on in the week and thought of having a laptop and the ACD , which would mean we have the best of both worlds.

After pricing the fully specd air up with the ACD the cost is quite a lot more, which to an extent does not bother me.

Thanks to this forum I have read only good things on the ultimate air but what does bother me is this refresh thing.

The main reason is not so much the core 2 duo CPU but this thunderbolt connection and backlit keyboard.

Can someone clarify the benefits should the MacBook air receive this and also if the ACD display were to be refreshed how would this compare to the current set up I will hopefully be going for.

Basically want peace of mind that should a refresh come, how much would I be missing out on?

Should I wait?

Also I would be looking at connecting my PS3 to the ACD, anybody know the best option here in regards to the converter ( sorry off thread topic, but might as well ask while I'm typing), the kanex xd, Atlona DP300 or pricey Atlona HD620?


Many thanks in advance

 

[Hellhammer]

There was a rumor that MBA would be updated in June but obviously, that was just a rumor. It sounds plausible though but considering that it took nearly one and a half years to update the MBA last time, it's rather hard to predict the next update based on prior updates.

It looks like Apple will add Thunderbolt to all Macs although it is possible that it will remain as Pro-only feature. It also requires a discrete chip and MBA isn't the most spacious machine. Backlit KB is kinda moot because nothing stopped it from being present in current MBA so it's hard to say.

I would take a look at 3rd party monitors instead. E.g. Dell U2711 uses the same panel as 27" ACD but it has built-in HDMI port so you would be saving the cost of an adapter.

 

[Grolsch30]

There was a rumor that MBA would be updated in June but obviously, that was just a rumor. It sounds plausible though but considering that it took nearly one and a half years to update the MBA last time, it's rather hard to predict the next update based on prior updates.

It looks like Apple will add Thunderbolt to all Macs although it is possible that it will remain as Pro-only feature. It also requires a discrete chip and MBA isn't the most spacious machine. Backlit KB is kinda moot because nothing stopped it from being present in current MBA so it's hard to say.

I would take a look at 3rd party monitors instead. E.g. Dell U2711 uses the same panel as 27" ACD but it has built-in HDMI port so you would be saving the cost of an adapter.

Many thanks for your input Hellhammer, but the other half will only go for the display.

Might just get the air and wait until summer to see if the ACD gets refreshed.

What to do what to do