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Prosser: Next MacBook Air Could Come in Colors Similar to iMac
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Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
I'd recommend that you make sure that this is true for your workflow.
M1 Macs have changed the game in many ways so be sure to try it out first (you got two weeks to return it after putting it through your workflow paces).
I've encountered a number of comparisons on YouTube where the M1 Mac shocked testers when compared to RAM-loaded intel iMacs.
If it isn't then let us know where the weaknesses are; some of us are interested in this as well.
I was correct....unfortunately...Don't forget to change the bezels from black to white on the redesigned MBA
https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/10/macbook-air-redesign-rumor-white-bezels/…
No disagreement, M1s are huge improvements in processing power. Those improvements might even be enough for most normal users. Not arguing at all.
But the type of processing I do, there is never fast enough. I use a 40GB machine with memory swaps that take hours to process or just craps out (blue screen of death, not enough memory) when I compile a specific Xcode project.
I'm the process of upgrading to 64GB, my current max. Would probably do 128GB if I could.
Don't see how an instruction set that takes more bytes per complex instruction is going to be any better in memory consumption in spite of the hype. Faster maybe! I remember a time when Apple claimed Motorola chips were supposed to be faster than Intel. We all knew it was not true, and then eventually Apple switched because it was. You really have to be careful of the Apple machine. Sometimes it is devoid of truth.
M1 uses 16k pages. x86 4k. That means that ARM, in worst case, wastes more RAM than x86. But the larger pages make RAM addressing and management faster. ARM uses therefore slightly more RAM but is is a good amount faster in memory addressing.
You cannot fit more into RAM with a different architecture. I don't know who came up with that ********. But it's not going to work. If you load a 100MB dataset in RAM, you need at least 100MB RAM.
M1 is just faster at swapping than x86 to compensate for that. But: SSDs (especially those in the M1) are not anywhere near as fast, as RAM.
For the typical user it's not a problem. But if you need RAM, you need RAM. And the only replacement for RAM, is more RAM. That didn't changed with Apple's M1 and will probably never change (at least no in the foreseeable future).
If you need 16GB RAM on x86, you will need 16GB (or even more) on M1. The M1 also shares the RAM with the GPU way more than on x86. Intel HD graphics has a fixed amount of RAM it can use, that is then locked to the Intel HD. Dedicated GPUs have their own VRAM.
M1 GPU can freely access the RAM like the CPU can do. So if you also have graphics intensive work, you might need even more RAM than on x86, because your RAM is now also VRAM (while dedicated GPUs have their own VRAM).
If it does happen, I don't want a plastic bottom case on my MBA. It would end up cracking and be more susceptible to breaking.
I like the white a lot I know that the large bottom is a joke but remove that and it would look so nice
Well, the hip kids will buy them. One can only hope the "Pro" models will be available with black keyboard and bezels.
Then again, as much as I love the M-chips, Apple locked down their software eco system so tight, that the whole performance computing / research community is leaving Apple behind right now. Maybe it's time to say goodbye to Apple as a compute platform and hope for a more macOS like version of iOS (or macOS on an iPad), so I can fully port my reading/writing, daily tasks and maybe some lightweight photo-/video workflow to the iPad Pro and do the rest on a Razer laptop with Nvidia GPU. 🤷♂️
The fact that I have a lot of trouble to get serious work done on macOS these days and the butt ugly redesign of the MBA is a hard pass for me. Let's see what the redesigned MBP looks like.
And many here defended the machine having only one port. Someone even said to me: "if you want ports, go Windows, the future is wireless", others just said to go MB Pro... It still surprises me what fandom does to MacRumors users.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Not really trusting Apple's hype machine, but instead real-world tests done by several YouTubers yielding impressive results.
I simply recommended that you don't just trust your instincts and actually put your workflow through empirical, hands-on tests.
Is there any current portable that met your needs? I mean, we were talking about an MBA here, THE low-end Mac.
It sounds like you need a desktop Mac for what you do, though.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
I disagree.
I love it and would have a hard time picking a color, same as I do with the iMacs and iPad Airs.
If I hadn’t bought a 2020 iMac last august I’d probably have a purple model on the way.
I would have much preferred the bolder colors. These look like candy necklaces. I don't think I would get one of these, but if I did. I would have zero problem picking a color. Silver.
It's not the color. I'd happily pick the silver version. Silver is ok, space grey as well. The rest is just not for me, except for the watch which I own in stainless gold. As long as the keyboard is not super bright white, I might be ok as well.
I have this: https://www.razer.com/gaming-laptops/Razer-Blade-15/RZ09-0330QEM3-R3U1 (don't judge me, I needed the RTX5000 which my MBP16 doesn't have) and that's already pretty annoying. Add to that white bezels and... 🤮
I'll likely buy another 15" Razer soon, this time with the RTX3080 and all black.
It also drives me nuts that they don't take proper advantage of PRODUCT RED marketing. It isn't supposed to be "iPhone (Product) Red" - the intended use is to replace the word "product" with the name of the product / brand logo. So it should be "(iPhone) Red". This always bothered me.
Pro/Air/?/SE Apple lineup:
It seems to me that Apple is increasingly positioning stuff along 4 lines with their products:
Pro (iPad Pro/Mac Pro/Macbook Pro): will have the best chips, the highest graphics capabilities, and the XDR-est screens. The new iPad Pro shows that vision. I think the Macbook Pros will start to follow suit. I think Pro in this sense would start to shift to be all those "creators". Will low end macbook 'pros' drop out of this line?
Air (iPad Air/Macbook Air): will have lots of pro-like features; they will go for say, OLED over XDR, or have less high-end graphics. These will probably be coveted by someone like me - or any 'cloud' dev/devops persona. The latest Macbook Air and new iPad Air is an example of this vision.
non: Basic stuff. Good value(?) Apple stuff - Brighter colors? The existing iPad or new iMac come to mind. That would make me think that this rumor os for "Macbooks" not Airs. These are things your mom would be happy with.
SE: The compromise stuff. Will they come out with laptops/ipads on this line?
I think they'll do this so they can better increase prices and margins on their 'pro lineup' stuff. Because when you want to sell millions of things, you've got to expand those offerings...
It seems to me that Apple is increasingly positioning stuff along 4 lines with their products:
Pro (iPad Pro/Mac Pro/Macbook Pro): will have the best chips, the highest graphics capabilities, and the XDR-est screens. The new iPad Pro shows that vision. I think the Macbook Pros will start to follow suit. I think Pro in this sense would start to shift to be all those "creators". Will low end macbook 'pros' drop out of this line?
Air (iPad Air/Macbook Air): will have lots of pro-like features; they will go for say, OLED over XDR, or have less high-end graphics. These will probably be coveted by someone like me - or any 'cloud' dev/devops persona. The latest Macbook Air and new iPad Air is an example of this vision.
non: Basic stuff. Good value(?) Apple stuff - Brighter colors? The existing iPad or new iMac come to mind. That would make me think that this rumor os for "Macbooks" not Airs. These are things your mom would be happy with.
SE: The compromise stuff. Will they come out with laptops/ipads on this line?
I think they'll do this so they can better increase prices and margins on their 'pro lineup' stuff. Because when you want to sell millions of things, you've got to expand those offerings...