I'm loving the new MBA, sooo worth the wait! Anyway I was somewhat happy to find out that the SSDs are the same proprietary-yet-user-replaceable types that the 2010 MBAs used. Especially with the MacBooks being phased out and the baseline MBA being the "most affordable" Apple laptop, I would think there would be a market for these proprietary SSD drives... if not right now, then soon.
As far as I know, Other World Computing is the only 3rd party offering these SSDs to buy as an upgrade. And they are really expensive!! Prohibitevely expensive!
On apple's website they write about their decision to abandon conventional SSDs saying "Getting rid of the hard drive enclosure and using only the parts that matter the actual flash chips frees up about 90 percent more space." I imagine similar choices were made with regards to the RAM.
I really find it hard to believe that hardware manufacturers are not scrambling and going crazy to define the standards that would fill this void. Correct me if I am wrong, but if Apple has to resort to these kinds of proprietary components doesn't that mean they don't exist elsewhere. The success of the MBA's is going to be undeniable very very soon. For all computer manufacturers, isn't it time we have a new class of hardware that will not limit form factor?
I'm hopeful that the more MBAs shipped, means the more proprietary drives out there, means that 3rd parties will wake up to these issues! How awesome would it be in the future to buy 512 GB or 750 GB SSD chip for an 11 inch air? Especially if the price was fair (ie: not OTC Auro Pro) Or in hindsight if there was a standard for micro sized RAM modules, being able to upgrade to 8 or 16 GB in the future.
The popularity of the Macbook Airs has to mean this market and need can't be ignored right?
As far as I know, Other World Computing is the only 3rd party offering these SSDs to buy as an upgrade. And they are really expensive!! Prohibitevely expensive!
On apple's website they write about their decision to abandon conventional SSDs saying "Getting rid of the hard drive enclosure and using only the parts that matter the actual flash chips frees up about 90 percent more space." I imagine similar choices were made with regards to the RAM.
I really find it hard to believe that hardware manufacturers are not scrambling and going crazy to define the standards that would fill this void. Correct me if I am wrong, but if Apple has to resort to these kinds of proprietary components doesn't that mean they don't exist elsewhere. The success of the MBA's is going to be undeniable very very soon. For all computer manufacturers, isn't it time we have a new class of hardware that will not limit form factor?
I'm hopeful that the more MBAs shipped, means the more proprietary drives out there, means that 3rd parties will wake up to these issues! How awesome would it be in the future to buy 512 GB or 750 GB SSD chip for an 11 inch air? Especially if the price was fair (ie: not OTC Auro Pro) Or in hindsight if there was a standard for micro sized RAM modules, being able to upgrade to 8 or 16 GB in the future.
The popularity of the Macbook Airs has to mean this market and need can't be ignored right?