this is how it will look, but with e biger screen an colors on topIt's only been 11 years ago since we had a white MacBook...and many loved the look of it.
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Next MacBook Air to Feature Off-White Bezels and Keyboard, M2 Chip, USB-C Ports Only, MagSafe, and iMac-Like Colors
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Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Guys, this is a consumer computer.
I love that it'll come in "fun" colors, I hate the notch but don't care about it enough to deter purchase, I actually LIKE the white bezels (most of my iPads until my Pros have had them), and given that we have best-selling devices named AirPods and iPad Air, the MacBook Air name ain't going nowhere (as much as I'd like them all "Air" names to go away).
I like that their consumer line of products are infused with a bit of (what used to be derogatorily thought of as) feminine energy, making them more unisex than the brawny vibe I get from the Pro line.
I'd LOVE a purple, red, or (my favorite) green iPad Pro 12.9 and MacBook Pro combo.
Apple seems to be returning to its roots, and I DIG THAT ABOUT THEM.
I love that it'll come in "fun" colors, I hate the notch but don't care about it enough to deter purchase, I actually LIKE the white bezels (most of my iPads until my Pros have had them), and given that we have best-selling devices named AirPods and iPad Air, the MacBook Air name ain't going nowhere (as much as I'd like them all "Air" names to go away).
I like that their consumer line of products are infused with a bit of (what used to be derogatorily thought of as) feminine energy, making them more unisex than the brawny vibe I get from the Pro line.
I'd LOVE a purple, red, or (my favorite) green iPad Pro 12.9 and MacBook Pro combo.
Apple seems to be returning to its roots, and I DIG THAT ABOUT THEM.
Putting the M1 in the MacBook Air while holding the current price made it a very popular device with buyers. They are getting what was Pro like performance without paying extra. If Apple continues this with a redesign and colour options then they will again bat it out of the park.
Which brings us to the current entry level 13in. Pro. Is Apple going to phase this out with you being able to get an up-spec’d Air (or MacBook) in that price range? Or will the offer an entry level 14in. Pro?
I’m beginning to suspect the former because if they were to offer an entry level 14 Pro then why wouldn’t they have done it when they just released the new redesigned Pros?
Which leads to another question: will the new Air stay at 13in. or will it become a 14? Given much, if not most, of the small laptop market is now 14in. it would seem very odd for the new Air to be a 13.
Which brings us to the current entry level 13in. Pro. Is Apple going to phase this out with you being able to get an up-spec’d Air (or MacBook) in that price range? Or will the offer an entry level 14in. Pro?
I’m beginning to suspect the former because if they were to offer an entry level 14 Pro then why wouldn’t they have done it when they just released the new redesigned Pros?
Which leads to another question: will the new Air stay at 13in. or will it become a 14? Given much, if not most, of the small laptop market is now 14in. it would seem very odd for the new Air to be a 13.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I'm impressed by your assumption of superiority without knowing me whatsoever. Bravo.
But that comment was not really about design or even Apple design- I'm confident Apple will make it look as great as Apple can. That was about the often-slung pokes at competing products which put a black camera hole in a screen instead of a notch. Those are often posted as some defense of the notch. So the choice of any color other than black means that this rumored product choice would present BOTH an apparent "hole" AND a notch. All will clearly see the camera "hole" AND clearly see the notch.
Whether that's aesthetically ugly or the most beautiful design choice ever made in any kind of product could only be known by design Gods- and apparently you- right now... though personal opinion- even by consumers who may not "understand anything about design"- will actually matter most to those individuals who have them... regardless of what design geniuses think.
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Well then by your definition in Europe the education market as a separate entity is almost nonexistent. Obviously I can't know about every country here, but to say the least schools handing out laptops are rare. And privately sourced laptops range from cheap Chinese pcs to gamer laptops and some macs, just like the whole market. Heck, there is only two dealers I found in a price aggregation website who sell chromebooks, and they are priced in the range of mid-level machines with Windows, so...
I'm not sure about the notch so can't comment on that. Basically we're not taught that notch is a good thing ?
I have a current MacBook Pro 16, and the notch on that one covers the entire width of the screen!
So they replaced some of that black area with screen area.
Also its the height of the menu bar so if you have a black menu bar then it won't be in the way at all.
A notch looks really bad as far as I am concerned, but the reasons for having it make more sense on a laptop than they do on a phone.
MagSafe available on Air also will be appreciated. Also happy to hear that Air will be launched in colours. Hopefully bright colours like iMac
USB-C is not at all terrible, infact its capability is more than enough for me. The issue is i have thunderbolt display, that wont work if macbook air 2022 doesn't have thunderbolt controllers. I was really hoping to buy macbook air solely for its fan-less design.
Thinking about what the benefits really are over a current M1 Air. 1080p webcam and magsafe are nice. M2 likely to be an incremental improvement not a seachange, not like the M1 Pro processor. Price will be significant.
Current gen M1 is looking like better value.
Current gen M1 is looking like better value.
My guess is that they'd go with something like this. Off-white bezels with black notch. Especially if it has a mini-led display. Just makes more sense?
I'm not sure we'll see a notch if the bezels are white.
I could see a return to a thicker top bezel with slimmer side and bottom ones (kind of like what the current MBA looks like, but smaller). But new colours and MagSafe thrown in.
It would be consistent with how the iPad Pro line has even slim bezels, with the regular consumer iPad having uneven ones.
But just my speculation.
I could see a return to a thicker top bezel with slimmer side and bottom ones (kind of like what the current MBA looks like, but smaller). But new colours and MagSafe thrown in.
It would be consistent with how the iPad Pro line has even slim bezels, with the regular consumer iPad having uneven ones.
But just my speculation.
I agree that it isn't worth getting upset about.
to be honest, this was one cool design! I don't get why people get upset about the white bezels
We had a number of these around our house for the kids' laptop program at school and as our primary home computer. However, you almost never saw them in an Office setting.
I do hope they offer a neutral/conservative color option (e.g. silver or space grey perhaps with black keys and bezel) for the professional/office environment. Some people like their tech understated for work.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Personally, I think differently about that last bit. IMO, the biggest argument for a notch on the phone is that a fundamental aspect of that whole product is size... to fit in a pocket. Laptops are NOT overly dependent on squeezing into such tiny spaces. There's room for the camera to be fully in a bezel... if not THESE bezels, then bezels made modestly "thicker."
How thick? Apple just sold me an iPad Mini 6 with a 1080p FaceTime camera in a notch-less bezel... possibly the SAME 1080p FaceTime camera in these new MBpros? I haven't yet seen the new MBp in person so I don't know the relative size of those bezels... but the MBp I do have has relatively fat bezels vs. the ones in this Mini 6. So these look VERY thin in that comparison.
So maybe these new MBp cut even more bezel thinner than the dimensions of the camera... thus the need for some kind of notch or hole punch solution? OR, hypothetical option B, make the overall case of the laptop only a little bit bigger to fit in the thin iPad Mini-sized bezels around the screen. Then 1080p FaceTime camera is fully in notch-less bezels... this "extra screen" we're slinging around is fully realized too, much as if the notch could slide up into the bezel revealing that "extra" obscured by it too... AND we get the FaceTime camera upgrade.
How much bigger would that case have to be? Again, I don't know the size of the new bezels but if they are- say- about HALF of what appears to be about 10mm bezels in this Mini, add 5mm to the top and bottom of the the laptop case to put these bezels in it. 10mm more would still fit every laptop bag and I doubt anyone could notice the difference if Apple opted to roll that version out.
What does seem obvious though is that the general sentiment seems to be crowning these MBpros as laptop perfection "except for that d*mn notch." So whether one "loves the notch" or rationalizes it by some logical/illogical spin, had Apple gone option B, every benefit slung by the pro-notch crowd would still be there... and the one thing not liked by the notch-haters would not be there.
Since Apple just fit a 1080p FaceTime camera in thin Mini 6 bezels, they certainly COULD have done that here too. I don't look at the bezels in this Mini 6 and see "fat", "huge", etc bezels. If it turns out the bezels in these new MBpros ARE about the same size as the Mini 6, I won't be able to make any sense of what inspired the notch: maybe the other stuff in a future FACE ID MBpro needs more vertical space than the Facetime camera, so Apple went ahead and created the (empty) space (now) for something to come in next-gen models next year (or two)?
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I really don’t see a white notch to be that much different than black. Both will blend into the desktop with the right wallpaper. But I can understand how it might bother some. I do hope Apple provides a space grey or black color option for people this time (unlike the iMacs) that will have a black notch— that would alleviate some of these concerns.
I get it for macbook Air,but iMac? it's not an emac..iMac always been for Pros and casuals alike.why they destroyed than amazing design is beyond me.I will NEVER consider buying these ugly iMacs,and I've been using iMacs since 2010.my favourite Apple product.striking design..turned into this mess.it's sad.
they were popular over a decade ago..yes but there was also black option.times have changed.it's now all about metallic shades.pastel colours are childish and don't appeal to many people.unless it's a young child.white is also outdated.It's only been 11 years ago since we had a white MacBook...and many loved the look of it.
I completely disagree and I don't think you working at Apple store gives anymore validity to your opinion,these colors were not available when you work there.how do you predict people's reaction?
iPhone 5C was discontinued for this reason.these childish colors don't appeal to majority of people.
Since 2010 is not “always”. If you were older, you might remember this:
Look, white bezels!
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I take it for granted the world is full of things that are popular which I personally don’t get. There are genres of music I really dislike and get on my nerves, but I cannot deny they’re popular with others. There are films and television series that appear to be popular, but personally don’t interest me in the least and I will never bother with. There are fashion trends I find totally bizarre and I think look outright stupid, but some embrace them.
Thats how the world works.
It’s tempting to think our own personal viewpoints represent a sort of overall truth, but unless they’re based on something more substantial than subjective opinion then they’re largely meaningless in the bigger scheme of things.
A smart business bases its approach on more than just whim and subjective opinion. They will act on the best factual data available to them. Yes, there is an element of intuition and guessing, but it still needs factual data as a starting point.
Apple’s current design language isn’t just something arbitrary they’re pulling out of their backside. There has to be an element of market research telling them what kind of products have a better chance of success with the buyers they’re hoping to reach as well as maintain. No, they don’t always get it right—well evidenced with the introduction of the touchbar and eliminating legacy ports on the previous MBP which they are now putting back on the new MPB models. But overall they have been having a pretty good success rate these past twenty some years.
To that end I find cries and proclamations Apple is going down a stupid and misguided path is laughable.
Thats how the world works.
It’s tempting to think our own personal viewpoints represent a sort of overall truth, but unless they’re based on something more substantial than subjective opinion then they’re largely meaningless in the bigger scheme of things.
A smart business bases its approach on more than just whim and subjective opinion. They will act on the best factual data available to them. Yes, there is an element of intuition and guessing, but it still needs factual data as a starting point.
Apple’s current design language isn’t just something arbitrary they’re pulling out of their backside. There has to be an element of market research telling them what kind of products have a better chance of success with the buyers they’re hoping to reach as well as maintain. No, they don’t always get it right—well evidenced with the introduction of the touchbar and eliminating legacy ports on the previous MBP which they are now putting back on the new MPB models. But overall they have been having a pretty good success rate these past twenty some years.
To that end I find cries and proclamations Apple is going down a stupid and misguided path is laughable.
I miss the white bezels on iPhones, wished for some two-tone white frame around screen with black for FaceID/Camera module.. I know I'm in the minority though! Interested in some white bezel on 27" iMac or standalone display.. Pair with a white Mac mini, show no dust...