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DaGreat01 said:
I don't think it's true. If anything, they would release them after lion is released so they are shipped with the latest OS X version.

But buyers of the new Airs will be able to download 10.7 for free.
 
So you believe Apple will stop using Low Voltage CPUs in the 13" MBAs and start using Ultra Low Voltage CPUs? Why do you believe that? I am not saying it's not going to happen, but most of the rumors I have read that mention ULV I wonder if they just don't realize the 13" MBA uses LV not ULV CPUs. In addition, Apple has used high-end CPUs in the 13" MBA, so I definitely believe it will get a Core i7... I would speculate that the loss in graphics performance will be an even bigger and unacceptable hit on the ULV Sandy Bridge. It is bad enough on the LV, but that much of a loss in clock speed is going to definitely impact graphics a long ways from the 13" MBP with a standard voltage Core CPU.

my bet is the 13 inch will have 25 watt processors
11" MBA Base CPU:
Intel® Core™ i5-2537M Processor (Dual Core, 1.4 GHz(2.3GHz turbo) 3M Cache)

11" MBA BTO CPU:
Intel® Core™ i7-2657M Processor (Dual Core, 1.6 GHz(2.7GHz turbo) 4M Cache)

13" MBA Base CPU:
Intel® Core™ i7-2629M Processor (Dual Core, 2.1 GHz(3.0GHz turbo) 4M Cache)

13" MBA BTO CPU:
Intel® Core™ i7-2649M Processor (Dual Core, 2.13 GHz(3.2GHz turbo) 4M Cache)
 
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michaelz said:
Can't wait! I think apple will give free upgrade to lion.

You "think?"

The upgrade to 10.7 has already been approved.
 
if I am not wrong current design of MBA has only one RAM slot (not really a slot, but soldered with only one stick of RAM either 2GB or 4GB)

unless there is a internal design change in MBA, 4GB is the max. or samsung needs to produce the latest 8GB one stick RAM

I alway have windows 7 running under vmware. 4GB works, but sometime no enough. I hope the new air will have more ram. Let hope apple will surprise us like they did before.
 
You get to choose between a 400GB SSD for $1500 extra or the standard 150GB SSD with complimentary cloud.

I really can't wait for the MBA to completely replace the MBP. But the day isn;t here for those of us who need more storage capacity without the extra price.

But I think it is great Apple is pushing ahead with what's available. For many, the storage capacity of the air will be fine. (I know my wishes are not universal). And this should be a nice product for them.
 
Keyboard backlighting PLEASE

I pray for keyboard backlighting (at least on the 13" and at least on the more expensive model - though that would seal the deal that I have to spend higher bucks. 4GB default RAM would be nice with 8GB upgrade.

CPU's will probably be 2537M (1.4GHz i5) for lower 11" and 2617M (1.5GHZ i7) for higher 11" (with 2657M 1.6GHZ as option). If we are lucky, it will be 2617M and 2657M, if we are luckier it will be a bump (i5: 1.7GHz and i7: 1.7GHz/1.8GHz - I don't know the numbers) above this that is not yet released though was rumored on this site. These eat 17W TDP (though include GPU so no extra there). This would mean they probably cannot bump battery life much on the 11" (6 hours max).

For the 13 inch I expect 2629M (2.1GHz) and 2649M (2.3GHz) which eats 25W. This also means they cannot bump battery life much (8 hours max) though they might surprise me and use 17W TDP here which means a nice bump in battery life at the expense of performance (10 hours). Apple would have a hard time explaining why the CPU clock went from 1.86GHz/2.13GHz to 1.4/1.5/1.6 (or even if they use the unreleased goods (1.7/1.8).

I would be fine with both outcomes.

Actually, I just looked up the TDP of the NVidia. 9400M was 12W. GT 320M is probably similar Core2Duo CPU in the 11" is 10W and the 13" is 17W. So TDP for CPU/GPU would go down 22W -> 17W on the 11" and 29W -> 25W on the 13" (assuming they use the 25W of which I am sure of reading this). Maybe the 6 and 8 hours will be 7 and 9. :)

My not overly unrealistic wish is a base 13" with backlit keyboard, 4GB RAM default (upgradable), 128GB SSD and any of the 25W TDP i7 CPU (only i7 is available now), 8+ hours of battery, Thunderbolt, of course. Then I only have to drop the cash on the cheaper model as I don't need more SSD, I can get my RAM upgrade on the base model, and the difference between the 2629M and 2649M CPU is just clock speed. It is not like the difference between the lower 13" Macbook Pro and the higher which is an i5 to i7 upgrade. The backlit keyboard is the stickler. There was one line of Macbook Pros (or aluminium Macbooks?) where the keyboard backlighting was upgrade option between the lower and higher models. PLEASE don't do that. That'll certainly force me to drop the extra cash.

If there is no keyboard backlighting, it is questionable if I will buy...
 
I pray for keyboard backlighting (at least on the 13" and at least on the more expensive model - though that would seal the deal that I have to spend higher bucks. 4GB default RAM would be nice with 8GB upgrade.

CPU's will probably be 2537M (1.4GHz i5) for lower 11" and 2617M (1.5GHZ i7) for higher 11" (with 2657M 1.6GHZ as option). If we are lucky, it will be 2617M and 2657M, if we are luckier it will be a bump (i5: 1.7GHz and i7: 1.7GHz/1.8GHz - I don't know the numbers) above this that is not yet released though was rumored on this site. These eat 17W TDP (though include GPU so no extra there). This would mean they probably cannot bump battery life much on the 11" (6 hours max).

For the 13 inch I expect 2629M (2.1GHz) and 2649M (2.3GHz) which eats 25W. This also means they cannot bump battery life much (8 hours max) though they might surprise me and use 17W TDP here which means a nice bump in battery life at the expense of performance (10 hours). Apple would have a hard time explaining why the CPU clock went from 1.86GHz/2.13GHz to 1.4/1.5/1.6 (or even if they use the unreleased goods (1.7/1.8).

I would be fine with both outcomes.

Actually, I just looked up the TDP of the NVidia. 9400M was 12W. GT 320M is probably similar Core2Duo CPU in the 11" is 10W and the 13" is 17W. So TDP for CPU/GPU would go down 22W -> 17W on the 11" and 29W -> 25W on the 13" (assuming they use the 25W of which I am sure of reading this). Maybe the 6 and 8 hours will be 7 and 9. :)

My not overly unrealistic wish is a base 13" with backlit keyboard, 4GB RAM default (upgradable), 128GB SSD and any of the 25W TDP i7 CPU (only i7 is available now), 8+ hours of battery, Thunderbolt, of course. Then I only have to drop the cash on the cheaper model as I don't need more SSD, I can get my RAM upgrade on the base model, and the difference between the 2629M and 2649M CPU is just clock speed. It is not like the difference between the lower 13" Macbook Pro and the higher which is an i5 to i7 upgrade. The backlit keyboard is the stickler. There was one line of Macbook Pros (or aluminium Macbooks?) where the keyboard backlighting was upgrade option between the lower and higher models. PLEASE don't do that. That'll certainly force me to drop the extra cash.

If there is no keyboard backlighting, it is questionable if I will buy...

I want the back lit keyboard as well, but it may not end up being a deal breaker for me. i'd probably be willing to BTO the backlit if necessary
 
Thank goodness I didn't get my Macbook yet. Hopefully this rumor is true because I am getting a Mac at the end of June and I was hoping to get a Macbook Air because of its display is amazing. Hope its strong as the Macbook Pro 13 inch.

Wait it out even if it lasts until July. well worth it. If the MBA gets the 2.1GHz i7 CPU it will be comparable to the 2.3GHz i5 in the cheaper 13" MBP. The more expensive MBA is expected to have the 2.3GHz i7 and should outperform the cheaper 13" MBP. The more expensive 13" MBP has a 2.7GHz i7 CPU which the Air will not outperform. But the display and portability is well worth it. Wait for the Air upgrade. It is coming. Might come in July but the wait is well worth it.

I guess it is possible that we'll see difference CPUs. But these are some basic guidelines based on what is in the MBP and what is on the market that would fit the Air.
 
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While I seriously hope this release happens on Wednesday (it would time my road trip well...), I suspect it'll just be B2S, if anything, like many others here. I also think Apple will up to 4GB of RAM as the standard as well. While they do get a sizeable profit from the upgrade to 4GB from the old standard of 2GB, I think that people see the Air as weaker than it is with the 2GB only. Perception will force their hand, IMHO.
 
Back to School

Oh yeah - I am not buying until Back to School which is way overdue. I am praying for the inclusion of the iPad 2 in the BtS. 16GB GSM here I come then :) Otherwise I'll just have to sell a brand new iPod Touch... What a waste.
 
what about Macbook and mac mini?

I honestly think the Macbook's days are numbered. Either that or the Macbook Air's days are numbered and the next iteration of the Air will be a Macbook. If there is another iteration of the Macbook, it is because their public opinion researchers were able to convince Jobs that the CD is still important for college kids. (I seriously doubt this as #1 it is probably not true, #2 the sentence included "convince Jobs"... :) In all seriousness I expected the built in CD drive to go away with the last Macbook Pro refresh. I was wrong but the day is coming for sure. It might be next iteration, the one after. But it is coming.

Additionally, can anyone name a single good reason why Apple would continue the Macbook line now that low the Air is $999? I was shocked to see it remain alive when the $999 Air came out. Lion won't be playing nice with hard drives. Portability is becoming more important for the target audience. iCould will be alleviating the storage needs. (Not well enough, can't deal with movies, photos very well, but it is a start. I really wish it was better.) And if you are in the small group of people who prefer a 13" screen, pay the difference. How many low end Mac purchases will turn away from Apple because they can only get an 11" screen for rock bottom price, or the lesser storage when iCould is an option, or no optical drive? Can anyone give me a compelling reason to keep the Macbook? :)

Now that I am writing this out I am starting to think renaming the Air makes sense. The Air brand was never that great. And soon the Pro line will be thiner and lighter once the optical drives go away and power consumptions dip (definitely by 2013 as Intel is promising 14W TDP on the regular line).

The Mac Mini's future has always been very uncertain and upgrades were way behind CPU releases. They usually came when Intel started selling their current line of CPUs ar blowout prices. Time might or might not be here for that yet. I am suspecting fall but they could surprise me.
 
Any chance these MBAs might include a touchscreen? And while I'm dreaming, dual boot OSX and iOS?

Can you list any practical advantages of such a dual boot on a laptop?

Apple has done extensive research and has publicly spoken out against touchscreen on vertical surfaces. A laptop is too unwieldily to hold horizontally, not to mention there's something called an iPad.

I'm not sure if this was supposed to be a joke because those are both pretty ridiculous ideas, but you made another response. So I'm curious to see what actual advantages there are, if any.

It's brought so many changes to Apple, Lion will take major cues from it. To be able to dualboot would make a MBA a truly revolutionary device instead of an evolutionary one. Doubt we'll see something like that this week, but it's time is coming.

Yes, the whole point of the "Back to the Mac" theme was so that the full OS would incorporate successful (and practical) elements from an iOS. As there is more incorporation, the full OS and iOS would become more and more similar, thus closing in the gap between the two. So having a dual boot would be contradictory.

There's always Launchpad in OS X Lion if one really wants to feigning an iOS.
 

I've read every post in this thread and followed subsequent links and I still would like to know "Who is ChronicWire?" and why he has merit.
Did you read that link? He's posted screenshots of internal iOS builds and has been known to have legitimate sources in the past.

Rumors are rumors, but I think all us awaiting the upcoming MBA will take anything we can get ;)
 
Did you read that link? He's posted screenshots of internal iOS builds and has been known to have legitimate sources in the past.

Yes, so what does iOS have to do with a MacBook Air?

If he is known to have legitimate sources, then I would like to see that mentioned in the main article (as MacRumors has done with other reliable sources).
 
I certainly hope that the new Air has a backlit keyboard! I'm using an aging 17" MacBook Pro from 2007.. and one of the features that I can't live without is a backlit keyboard!
 
Yes, so what does iOS have to do with a MacBook Air?

If he is known to have legitimate sources, then I would like to see that mentioned in the main article (as MacRumors has done with other reliable sources).

Of course there won't be iOS on the MBA, but it's an unbelievable fake-out on MSFT. Now MSFT is putting mobile OS or whatever on Windows 8 and ruin the UX for everyone. Steve Jobs is smiling like the devil.
 
iOS isn't a toy. It's brought so many changes to Apple, Lion will take major cues from it. To be able to dualboot would make a MBA a truly revolutionary device instead of an evolutionary one. Doubt we'll see something like that this week, but it's time is coming.

iOS is great, but not for a laptop. I mean, it's barely optimized for iPad, and half the apps would scale very poorly since the displays would have different resolutions. I don't think you've thought this idea through very well at all.
 
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