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Why does it matter? I admit I had the same reaction at first. But most of the time, I barely use any CPU at all, so it sits there idle and sucks up battery because of the clock speed.

So 1.3 GHz is fine for browsing the web and stuff, it will save tons of battery life. And with turbo boost, if I need more power, the Chip can clock up to 2.6 GHz.
 
Why does it matter? I admit I had the same reaction at first. But most of the time, I barely use any CPU at all, so it sits there idle and sucks up battery because of the clock speed.

So 1.3 GHz is fine for browsing the web and stuff, it will save tons of battery life. And with turbo boost, if I need more power, the Chip can clock up to 2.6 GHz.

agreed
 
I think the new MBA's are just right. If the Intel HD 5000 performs as expected this could be the one to eliminate the MB Pro "tax" for home users.

With Haswell, an MBA 13 + 8gb RAM is extremely fast, fast enough for about any home task. The package is very small, portable and most importantly affordable.

Skip that Retina nonsense and add a 27" external display if you need more video real-estate. Now you have yourself a powerhouse computer in a razor thin package.

I'm really looking forward to ditching my 2011 15" MBP for an Air. I really wanted the dedicated GPU + i7 performance but I don't really need 4 cores or the bulk.

I think the price/power ratio on the Airs is very attractive. Shoot, I'll even consider the little 11" model.
 
was just wondering to myself, will the 4th gen 1.3 outperform the 3rd gen 1.7 or is it all about compromise for power saving?
 
Yes to what? Dude!!!

Yes to both. Not only will the 2013 Air have better battery life due to the processor/GPU, but in many cases, it will outperform the 2012.

For one, gaming. The GPU is up to 40% better on the 2013 model.

There are going to be instances where the 2012 model will probably perform better, but it's best to wait for some good benchmarks from MacWorld or Barefeats.
 
so dissapointed with not having an IPS panel (even with the same resolution) in the MBA's for the next year.. looks like it'll end up with the Retina crap next year, that most MBA users really don't need and that'll suck the battery life and reduce the responsivenese of the system.

the only thing Apple did for the new MBA's is throwing Haswell ULT into it, installing a bit faster SSDs and reducing the price by 100$. like Schiller said, there is so much engineering, development and awesomeness behind it..
 
Yes to both. Not only will the 2013 Air have better battery life due to the processor/GPU, but in many cases, it will outperform the 2012.

For one, gaming. The GPU is up to 40% better on the 2013 model.

There are going to be instances where the 2012 model will probably perform better, but it's best to wait for some good benchmarks from MacWorld or Barefeats.

got a friend who wants one for traktor, where the processor speed is important. i get the feeling the air may no longer be suitable for these applications.

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so dissapointed with not having an IPS panel (even with the same resolution) in the MBA's for the next year.. looks like it'll end up with the Retina crap next year, that most MBA users really don't need and that'll suck the battery life and reduce the responsivenese of the system.

the only thing Apple did for the new MBA's is throwing Haswell ULT into it, installing a bit faster SSDs and reducing the price by 100$. like Schiller said, there is so much engineering, development and awesomeness behind it..

12 hour battery life, theyre trying to distance them from the pro's by being lightweight long life laptops for people on the go who dont need power or fancy screens.
 
12 hour battery life, theyre trying to distance them from the pro's by being lightweight long life laptops for people on the go who dont need power or fancy screens.

I'm very skeptical of the 12 hour battery life claim. My MBP was advertised at 7 hours, in reality I get 3.5. Shall we anticipate a 6 hour battery life on the new Airs?
 
is there any difference in the looks of it? and anyone know when your going to be able to start buying it?
 
got a friend who wants one for traktor, where the processor speed is important. i get the feeling the air may no longer be suitable for these applications.

I'm not sure. I guess that's one of those edge cases that needs to be solved for one's self. Don't know what else to say.


is there any difference in the looks of it? and anyone know when your going to be able to start buying it?

Externally, they will look identical to the 2012 models with the exception of a second microphone hole on the left side.

Available today online, in stores on the 12th.
 
I'm very skeptical of the 12 hour battery life claim. My MBP was advertised at 7 hours, in reality I get 3.5. Shall we anticipate a 6 hour battery life on the new Airs?

Your MBP was advertised at "up to 7 hours." These are advertised at "up to 12 hours." So yes, you should probably expect 6-8 hours.
 
Geekbench 2 Results

MacBook Air 2013 i5 4250U = 6043
MacBook Air 11" 2012 i5 = 5758
MacBook Air 13" 2012 i5 = 6120
MacBook Air 2012 i7 = 7024

On the processor front
- slight upgrade going from 11" 2012 to 2013 base processor
- very slight downgrade from 13" 2012 to 2013 base processor
- noticeable downgrade from i7 2012 to 2013 base processor
- unconfirmed regarding i7 2012 to i7 2013 but should be slight upgrade
 
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