Potential MacBook Air Update Delayed Due to Chip Shortage?

[spyker3292]

I just want to hear some Macbook Pro rumors. It's past the average "days since update" and it makes perfect sense for Apple to use this time to also announce some slight upgrades to the MBPs.

Hopefully they do, because if they do, I'll be ordering one.

 

[griz]

Anyone who seriously thinks that a media-pad running phone OS can replace a full-featured Mac OS ultralight laptop doesn't have a first clue about Apple or computers in general.

Once again, I think you are not looking outside the paradigm of the current mouse based app with keyboard input requirements. I remember hearing people screaming when Apple dropped the floppy disk from its line of computers before anyone else. Anyone miss that? I also recall people saying that switching to Intel processors was a bad idea.
Think about how Apple was able to transition everyone from 680x0 processors, to PPC, to Intel and all while still moving through OS8, OS9 and now 6 releases of OS X. Along every step of the way they have allowed for migration and a way to move ahead. If you want to stay in a world of mice and keyboards, fine, stick with what you have. But as the UI morphs to meet the needs of a touch based input, we will see more and more touch based apps and systems. Personally, I wouldn't doubt it if Apple's next OS release is full multitouch input based and the entire iLife Suite moves that way too. We have 10 fingers. We use them for typing. Why not for navigation throughout the compete OS. Single point and click is so dated.

 

[jdechko]

big white elephant MBA

still there are previous generation MBA unsold at apple online stores.

Unless intel brings down the price of Low voltage CPUs ($300 around) Apple not going to make them cheaper and it is going to be tough once apple tablet released in $700 range...

Not really. Unless I'm mistaken, the SL9600 (2.13) is the chip that's currently in the MBA. That's more than $300 already. The other thing is that, at least from my perspective, the MBA competes in the "thin and light" category, where it is competitively priced and spec'ed.

Neither the MBA nor the tablet are "netbook competitors", nor are they going to be. Steve Jobs, himself said that Apple doesn't know how to make a $500 computer that isn't a piece of crap (though they can make an $1800/3100 piece of crap, i.e.: the original MBA ). Apple doesn't compete on price, they compete on quality, and do quite well for themselves.

<slightly bitter>Regarding the refresh cycle, calling it a "stepchild" might be one thing were it not for the fact that it routinely gets updated about every 6 months, just like the MBP and iMac. That means that it's updated more than the iPhone! I guess then by that definition, the iPhone is a "stepchild" too, huh? </slightly bitter>

 

[Shanpdx]

If the Air is to survive, it's gotta drop from $1499 to like $999 as well as improve the drive performance. But maybe the Air will finally be laid to rest this year.

the price problem is due to the CPUs costing around $300 and more.

Low voltage CPUs are expensive and no competition available from AMD, so no way apple going to sell the MBA at loss.

apple strategy 50 to 60% component cost and 40% for profits and other expenses.

having said that, with 80GB SSD in $1499 MBA might be a decent machine, but who knows what is apple plans for MBA ...

 

[hitekalex]

Anyone who seriously thinks that a media-pad running phone OS can replace a full-featured Mac OS ultralight laptop doesn't have a first clue about Apple or computers in general.

Once again, I think you are not looking outside the paradigm of the current mouse based app with keyboard input requirements. I remember hearing people screaming when Apple dropped the floppy disk from its line of computers before anyone else. Anyone miss that? I also recall people saying that switching to Intel processors was a bad idea.

Think about how Apple was able to transition everyone from 680x0 processors, to PPC, to Intel and all while still moving through OS8, OS9 and now 6 releases of OS X. Along every step of the way they have allowed for migration and a way to move ahead. If you want to stay in a world of mice and keyboards, fine, stick with what you have. But as the UI morphs to meet the needs of a touch based input, we will see more and more touch based apps and systems. Personally, I wouldn't doubt it if Apple's next OS release is full multitouch input based and the entire iLife Suite moves that way too. We have 10 fingers. We use them for typing. Why not for navigation throughout the compete OS. Single point and click is so dated.

I fail to see how your analogies to floppy drive, Intel switch, or I/O methods bear much relevance here.

The reason why Tablet won't replace laptops like Air doesn't even have to do with lack of hard keyboard, or alternative input methods. The real differentiation between Tablet and MacOS computer is in applications and locked down OS. I use my Air for many different things - including code development, engineering work, diagramming, and more. I would not be able to do any of these things on a stripped down iPhone-like Tablet running locked down mobile OS. App Store craplets won't replace real apps for me, sorry.

Sure, if all you do on your laptop is browse the web, watch videos and do light word processing - Tablet may fill you needs. I already have my iPhone for these things anyway. But when I need to do real computing - that's when Air comes in.

So that's where the real differentiation between something like MacBook Air and Tablet is - one is a computer, another is a glorified toy.

 

[johnwarrenod]

I fail to see how your analogies to floppy drive, Intel switch, or I/O methods bear much relevance here.

The reason why Tablet won't replace laptops like Air doesn't even have to do with lack of hard keyboard, or alternative input methods. The real differentiation between Tablet and MacOS computer is in applications and locked down OS. I use my Air for many different things - including code development, engineering work, diagramming, and more. I would not be able to do any of these things with with stripped down iPhone-like Tablet with locked down mobile OS. App Store craplets won't replace real apps for me, sorry.

Sure, if all you do on your laptop is browse the web, watch videos and do light word processing - Tablet may fill you needs. I already have my iPhone for these things anyway. But when I need to do real computing - that's when Air comes in.

So that's where the real differentiation between something like MacBook Air and Tablet is - one is a computer, another is a glorified toy.

Tablets will be for consumers of information, laptops (like the Air) are and will be for creators and consumers of information.

JW

 

[ericinboston]

the price problem is due to the CPUs costing around $300 and more.

Low voltage CPUs are expensive and no competition available from AMD, so no way apple going to sell the MBA at loss.

apple strategy 50 to 60% component cost and 40% for profits and other expenses.

having said that, with 80GB SSD in $1499 MBA might be a decent machine, but who knows what is apple plans for MBA ...

Forget all the bits and bytes and volts...WHO is the Air aimed at (meaning, the consumer's use case)?! Nobody at Apple seems to know. I've never even seen an Air (except for the stores).

If the Air was aimed at being a sexy, light, underpowered machine for super portability and web surfability...Apple failed miserably as $300-$500 Windows netbooks are 1/3 to 1/5th the price.

If the Air was aimed at being a sexy, light, average-powered machine...Apple failed yet again with the pricetag set to $1500. Macbooks and MBPs for hundreds less have better performance but a tad heavier. And, Windows laptops for $700-$1000 will blow the Air away for this use-case and come close to the "ultra-thin" profile of the Air and netbooks.

I'm not trying to state Windows/PC laptops are necessarily better...I'm stating that the pricepoint for the Air combined with the poor advertising and lack of use-case marketing has made the Air a flop. Apple needs to figure out who the Air is aimed at and price it accordingly. Personally I think the Air needs to be at $1000 or less...AND with better performance/specs.

 

[P99]

I just want to hear some Macbook Pro rumors. It's past the average "days since update" and it makes perfect sense for Apple to use this time to also announce some slight upgrades to the MBPs.

Hopefully they do, because if they do, I'll be ordering one.

 

[Eidorian]

Tablets will be for consumers of information, laptops (like the Air) are and will be for creators and consumers of information.

JW

I'd rather not be one to let Apple do my thinking and segment the market how they want. Look at the "Pro" line up.

Forget all the bits and bytes and volts...WHO is the Air aimed at (meaning, the consumer's use case)?! Nobody at Apple seems to know. I've never even seen an Air (except for the stores).

If the Air was aimed at being a sexy, light, underpowered machine for super portability and web surfability...Apple failed miserably as $300-$500 Windows netbooks are 1/3 to 1/5th the price.

If the Air was aimed at being a sexy, light, average-powered machine...Apple failed yet again with the pricetag set to $1500. Macbooks and MBPs for hundreds less have better performance but a tad heavier. And, Windows laptops for $700-$1000 will blow the Air away for this use-case and come close to the "ultra-thin" profile of the Air and netbooks.

I'm not trying to state Windows/PC laptops are necessarily better...I'm stating that the pricepoint for the Air combined with the poor advertising and lack of use-case marketing has made the Air a flop. Apple needs to figure out who the Air is aimed at and price it accordingly. Personally I think the Air needs to be at $1000 or less...AND with better performance/specs.

I find it really hard to believe that Apple didn't see the netbook boom coming and then or vendors showing up with thin, light metal notebooks. Dell and HP have come a long way but you have to check their business side to find LV/CULV in aluminium enclosures. The Vostro V13 and HP's Envy or Pro/Elite Books are making a respectable showing short of OS X.

 

[ericinboston]

I find it really hard to believe that Apple didn't see the netbook boom coming and then or vendors showing up with thin, light metal notebooks. Dell and HP have come a long way but you have to check their business side to find LV/CULV in aluminium enclosures. The Vostro V13 and HP's Envy or Pro/Elite Books are making a respectable showing short of OS X.

And...remember that the Air was released in Jan 2008 for $1799...then Apple slightly improved it in Oct 2008 (right around when Windows netbooks were starting to become popular) but kept the ridiculous pricetag....June 2009 Apple gave a slight performance improvement and dropped the price to $1499. Too little, way too late.

Meanwhile, people like myself caught onto the netbook craze and purchased one for $275 in Jan 2009. My 65+ year old dad bought a Samsung for $329 in June 2009 and absolutely loves it. A few other people I know at work and friends purchased some models last Fall for around $350 each model.

The Air seems to have been aimed at the netbook market from the beginning (low performance, 1 USB port, ultra thin and light, smaller-than-laptop-size screen, 5+ hour battery life)...but totally missed the boat on Apple's crazy pricetag and outcry of lack of ports (most Windows netbooks have 3 USB ports, memory chip reader, and ethernet jack). Who can live with only 1 USB port (mice, keyboard, flash drives, portable hard drives, digital camera transfer, ipod sync, etc)?!

http://guides.macrumors.com/MacBook_Air for more info on the history of the Air.


-Eric

 

[hitekalex]

And...remember that the Air was released in Jan 2008 for $1799...then Apple slightly improved it in Oct 2008 (right around when Windows netbooks were starting to become popular) but kept the ridiculous pricetag....June 2009 Apple gave a slight performance improvement and dropped the price to $1499. Too little, way too late.

Meanwhile, people like myself caught onto the netbook craze and purchased one for $275 in Jan 2009. My 65+ year old dad bought a Samsung for $329 in June 2009 and absolutely loves it. A few other people I know at work and friends purchased some models last Fall for around $350 each model.

The Air seems to have been aimed at the netbook market from the beginning (low performance, 1 USB port, ultra thin and light, smaller-than-laptop-size screen, 5+ hour battery life)...but totally missed the boat on Apple's crazy pricetag and outcry of lack of ports (most Windows netbooks have 3 USB ports, memory chip reader, and ethernet jack). Who can live with only 1 USB port (mice, keyboard, flash drives, portable hard drives, digital camera transfer, ipod sync, etc)?!

You obviously don't understand the difference between a "netbook" and an "ultraportable laptop", so your entire post is completely flawed.

The Netbooks are typically based on Intel Atom processor family, have 5"-10" screen, low-resolution video, undersized keyboard, etc. Ultraportables (like Air) are based on Intel C2D or better, have 12"+ screen, 2GB+ of memory, and can do most of the same tasks as full-sized laptops, but without the weight and giving up some of the extra ports and optical drives.

If you want to do price/performance comparisons between Air and other computers - compare it against Sony Vaio Z series, or Dell Adamo. I promise you that Air does quite well against these both in terms of specs and pricing. The Air is not and never was designed to compete with cheap netbooks.

Comparing Air to your Atom-based Samsung would be like comparing Mini Cooper to Ford Fiesta.. The only thing the two have in common is that both are small cars.

 

[dernhelm]

One of Gruber's posts (Daring Fireball) indicated a possibility that the tablet would replace the MacBook. I said at the time he was wrong, but it might replace the MacBook Air. At the time, there was no evidence that the Tablet would be ARM instead of Intel.

Now that it seems more likely that the tablet is an ARM processor, it can't replace the MBA - at least not how Apple originally purposed the MBA. Back in the day, Apple wanted the MBA to be a full feature Mac, "impossibly" thin and very light, but still with a 13" display and able to run most applications (not photoshop, but most others). To get the form factor you give up external ports, hard drive speed, etc. The target market for this device was supposed to not care.

The question Apple needs to answer now is whether or not there is a significant enough market share to bother with the Air anymore. Netbooks have shown people can deal with a 9" or 10" screen in order to get small and light, and they also more ports and other bells/whistles that the MBA doesn't have. Apple seems to be wrong in thinking that the smallest screen anyone would want is 13".

However, the tablet seems (to me, anyway) to be Apple's response to the Netbook segment. Most people use netbooks to surf, view media, twitter, and check e-mail. If the tablet does all that in the form factor we've seen (iPhone squished with a rolling pin) it'll make most netbooks look positively enormous, and it'll probably be nicer to use. It will also limit the types of applications you can run on it, but most people that I know that have Netbooks are not installing large amounts of software on it anyway. They're perfect for a set number of tasks - and that's about all anyone uses them for. Everything else is done on the user's "other" computer - you know - the one with a real keyboard and screen.

 

[gri]

As someone who has several MacBooks and a MB Air and who travels quite a bit (as well as carting the computer from home to office), the Air is really nice to carry around. I bought the initial air mainly because I'm a self admitted gadget geek but very quickly became enamored with the weight loss on my shoulder. As the Air got "longer in the tooth" and I put more animations into my presentations, the Air couldn't keep up and I found myself moving towards the first unibody MB and just dealing with the weight. Lately however, I've been gravitating back to the Air for some uses.

As someone else said, new processor and 4 gig of RAM and I'll consider upgrading. If you're not someone who travels a lot, the weight isn't a big deal and you're better of with the MB Pro of your preference.

JW

What revision do you have? I would be using one mainly for keynote presentations...

 

[DrEasy]

The question Apple needs to answer now is whether or not there is a significant enough market share to bother with the Air anymore. Netbooks have shown people can deal with a 9" or 10" screen in order to get small and light, and they also more ports and other bells/whistles that the MBA doesn't have. Apple seems to be wrong in thinking that the smallest screen anyone would want is 13".

I agree. It seems to me that 11.6'' is the ideal screen size. If Apple could release a smaller MBA they would appeal to people who want something that is extremely portable yet powerful.

 

[ericinboston]

You obviously don't understand the difference between a "netbook" and an "ultraportable laptop", so your entire post is completely flawed.

The Netbooks are typically based on Intel Atom processor family, have 5"-10" screen, low-resolution video, undersized keyboard, etc. Ultraportables (like Air) are based on Intel C2D or better, have 12"+ screen, 2GB+ of memory, and can do most of the same tasks as full-sized laptops, but without the weight and giving up some of the extra ports and optical drives.

Here we go again....some fanboy is upset.

Since when are you, hitekalex, the author of what a netbook, laptop, or ultraportable laptop should be defined as? And who the heck owns a 5" netbook?! Sheeez. Yeah, I'm totally oblivious to the difference between netbooks and ultra-portable laptops. You got me.

In case you've been under a rock the past 1-1.5 years, the $300-$500 netbooks that have been sold (to great fanfare) are selling with 10-12" screens...with resolutions of 1024x600 to 1366x768...with 1-2GB of ram...with 5400RPM drives (or a SSD like my netbook).

Look, netbooks are really designed to be very light, small, low performance web surfing machines. Can they run applications? Sure. Am I going to run Photoshop on them? No. MS Office? Sure. Email client, chat client, basic photo editing/organizing app, iTunes? You betcha. Play hi-def movies? What's the point on a 10-13" screen?...but sure, you could play a dvd-quality movie/file on a netbook or stream high quality movies over the web if that's what you want.

We can sit here all day and debate the differences between ALL portable computers. Suffice to say that Apple's Air, when looked at it's specifications (look at the hyperlink I posted earlier) will clearly dictate that the Air was aimed at the netbook market but a hint of aim at the ultra-portable market. Apple couldn't quite figure out where it wanted to be.

I think the Air is a pretty sexy looking machine...but then I look at the pricetag and wonder, "ummm why is it this much? and read me those specs again please." Yea...4200 RPM drive, 1280x800 screen resolution, 1 USB port, 120GB drive, 2GB maximum ram configuration....all those specs clearly aim at the "netbook market" in a portable computer world. Sure, maybe the CPU is a class higher...but that's the only tech spec that is above (better) than the netbook market. And before you write back, yes, most netbooks ship with 1GB of RAM but offer 2GB for $40-$50 extra....still making the pricetag far far below the Air.

When the air debuted at $1799, netbooks were $299-$499. 1.5 years later and 917 sales of the Air, the Air has now been priced at $1499 for 9 months while dozens of netbooks are still $299-$499 with the occasional super-high-end-trying-to-be-a-notebook at $599.

Apple is going to have to figure out where the Air fits...and adjust the Air's performance and pricing accordingly. My gut tells me that unless the Air drops under $1000 this year, the Air will not be for sale in 2011.

-Eric

 

[bloodycape]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't heard anything about SFF (small form factor) on any mobile Core i3/ i5s, mainly because of the integrated graphics. I'm sure Apple doesn't want Intel's GPU again so cramming this and a separate GPU in an Air is going to be a tight squeeze.

There is the ULV i5, but nothing in the i3 yet.

 

[hitekalex]

the $300-$500 netbooks that have been sold (to great fanfare) are selling with 10-12" screens...with resolutions of 1024x600 to 1366x768...with 1-2GB of ram...with 5400RPM drives (or a SSD like my netbook).

That's nice.. But please show me a $500 netbook that comes with with 2.13Ghz C2D processor, 1200x800 screen, discrete Nvidia 9400M graphics, and 128MB SSD. You can't, because it doesn't exist.

My Rev C MBA can easily handle PhotoShop, H.264 encoding, video editing.. compile code, and bunch of other things your Windows Atom-based craptop will choke on. Rev C MBA can easily act as the only computer for most people. With NetBook, most people will still need another "real" computer.

I think the Air is a pretty sexy looking machine...but then I look at the pricetag and wonder, "ummm why is it this much?

As I said, if you want to complain about MBA pricing - compare it against Adamo or Vaio Z series, that are in the same computer class. 2.1Ghz Adamo starts at $2,300, Vaio is even more. Refurb 2.13Ghz 128MB SSD Air sells for $1,550 right now - pretty darn good deal, if you compare it to other computers in its class.

Apple is going to have to figure out where the Air fits...and adjust the Air's performance and pricing accordingly. My gut tells me that unless the Air drops under $1000 this year, the Air will not be for sale in 2011.

Certainly, Air is a high-end computer and it's not targeted for mass consumption. But that's just fine. I and many others are willing to pay the premium, as it gives me a full computing experience in an extremely nice mobile package. Going back to my car analogy - you may be happy with your Ford Fiesta, but I am willing to pay a little extra for my Mini Cooper. That doesn't mean Mini needs to be changed to be more like Ford.

 

[cvaldes]

Forget all the bits and bytes and volts...WHO is the Air aimed at (meaning, the consumer's use case)?! Nobody at Apple seems to know. I've never even seen an Air (except for the stores).

If the Air was aimed at being a sexy, light, underpowered machine for super portability and web surfability...Apple failed miserably as $300-$500 Windows netbooks are 1/3 to 1/5th the price.

If the Air was aimed at being a sexy, light, average-powered machine...Apple failed yet again with the pricetag set to $1500. Macbooks and MBPs for hundreds less have better performance but a tad heavier. And, Windows laptops for $700-$1000 will blow the Air away for this use-case and come close to the "ultra-thin" profile of the Air and netbooks.

I'm not trying to state Windows/PC laptops are necessarily better...I'm stating that the pricepoint for the Air combined with the poor advertising and lack of use-case marketing has made the Air a flop. Apple needs to figure out who the Air is aimed at and price it accordingly. Personally I think the Air needs to be at $1000 or less...AND with better performance/specs.

Historically, Apple targets the premium price category, not the entry level.

Since I have mostly seen MacBook Airs being used in airports by business travelers, this makes sense. Apple is not trying to market it as a low-price, low-margin volume commodity product to students and Joe Consumer. The MacBook Air is a secondary mobile device for the business traveler who relies on a desktop computer when in the office. These are people who are willing to pay a premium for portability (and maybe a little style), in exchange for reduced price/performance valuation. The battery life constraints are probably the most niggling issue, but many airlines offer in-seat power in their business class cabin.

In terms of profitability, Apple posts great results and presumably, the MacBook Air contributes to a very high profit margin for their notebook line (Apple does not break out sales by individual models).

Based on increases in shareholder value (I'm an AAPL stockholder), I am satisfied with Apple's execution of its current business model. I don't want Apple to release a low-cost, low-margin netbook competitor since it would erode profit margins.

If you have a suggestion how they could do this without eroding margins, I (and they) would be very curious to hear what you have to say.

 

[Jamo12]

One of my favorite quotes.

...But when I need to do real computing - that's when Air comes in.

 

[DVD Plaza]

WHOA - MacRumours posted a Mac rumour!!!

As much as I'm excited about this tablet device, I've become sick of reading so many regurgitated news stories PER DAY regarding the same or ever so slightly different crap about it.

The MacBook Pros are OVERDUE for update, many of us have been absolutely hanging out for them. That "There have been no reports of refreshed Mac hardware being announced at the event" is because everyone including MacRumours are utterly obsessed with iPhones, iPods, and iPads...

If Apple weren't working on i5 and i7 MacBook Pros then they might as well be discontinuing the products, since everyone else in the industry are releasing such machines.

Personally I'm expecting a bit more than that - for them to finally pull Blu-ray out of their a##. I am so sick to death of not being able to watch any of my BDs on my iMac and MBP, the DVD drive might as well be a darned floppy drive.

Whether new MBPs are due within days or a week of next week's event is another matter, but it's sooooooooooo obvious they are on their way.

This situation is reminding me of the last time MacRumours and ThinkSecret both discarded any relevance of notebook updates... that keynote ended up being the all-new 17" PowerBook, IMHO the biggest notebook announcement ever! Talk about missing the boat guys, and I reckon you're doing it again...

Perhaps time to change your domain to iphoneosrumours.com

 

[NeuralControl]

Apple definitely was on the right track with the price drop that came along with the last revision of the MBA. A speed bump, 4GB of RAM, greater capacity SSD, and ~$200 price drop will really propel the computer. I don't want to see Apple give up on MBA like others have suggested.

 

[offwidafairies]

Sounds like me MacBook Pro refresh hopes are being dashed.

NOOOOOO!

 

[offwidafairies]

I just want to hear some Macbook Pro rumors. It's past the average "days since update" and it makes perfect sense for Apple to use this time to also announce some slight upgrades to the MBPs.

Hopefully they do, because if they do, I'll be ordering one.

hear hear and ditto!!!
even a slight upgrade will do for me...

 

[Skoal]

I think the Air will be phased out of the product line. It's overpriced and under featured, the speculated tablet will be the primary ultra-portable solution from apple.

The laptop feels like a damn slim jim.

Agreed! Aside ffrom the novelty of how thin it is I've always looked at the AIR as more of a gimmick than anything real useful, especially at the crazy price they list it for. Reminds me of the new SHUFFLE with it's proprietary earbuds and voice function. Seriously, I know what songs are on my own iPod. Silly!

 

[JCT]

Apple definitely was on the right track with the price drop that came along with the last revision of the MBA. A speed bump, 4GB of RAM, greater capacity SSD, and ~$200 price drop will really propel the computer. I don't want to see Apple give up on MBA like others have suggested.

I'm typing this on my 2-yr-old Rev A (1.6 Ghz, 80GB HDD ) -- the day they go to 4GB RAM and a slightly larger SSD I will buy it.

I've used my current one every day for the past two years and traveled all over the world with it. Not a single problem or hiccup. For a frequent business traveler it is superb as it fits in my regular work bag-- I used to have to carry a separate laptop bag or a huge messenger bag, definitely a serious PITA given the carry-on limitations.

One of my best computer purchases ever.

JT