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Quanta Said to Manufacture Apple's Upcoming 'Inexpensive Notebooks' in September Quarter
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Maybe they will remove the Air and the none touch bar from the line up and slot a 13" version of the MacBook in it's place?
It does seem odd leaving the MacBook Air around. I wonder why they are doing this in the first place? is it in response to customer feedback or the lack of real consumer laptops, apart from the Air (which is outdated) and the 12" MacBook which may be too small for some people.
Fingers crossed these will be announced in September alongside a 12" MacBook spec update, i'm already seriously considering a Surface Pro or Surface Book, at this point it's only MacOS that's keeping me from making the jump.
It does seem odd leaving the MacBook Air around. I wonder why they are doing this in the first place? is it in response to customer feedback or the lack of real consumer laptops, apart from the Air (which is outdated) and the 12" MacBook which may be too small for some people.
Fingers crossed these will be announced in September alongside a 12" MacBook spec update, i'm already seriously considering a Surface Pro or Surface Book, at this point it's only MacOS that's keeping me from making the jump.
Have you seen the price of the 12.9” iPad Pro? There’s a reason the 12” rMB is $1299. Large retina screens are expensive.
The $999 model might get a retina screen, but it would hardly be “criminal” if it didn’t. Retina is no more a requirement for a $999 entry level 13” notebook than is a 256GB SSD.
If you were the product manager, which would you rather have as your entry level model: a 1920x1200 IPS at $999 or a $1,099/1,149 retina?
I'm willing to make a gentlemans bet that it's their #1 selling computer by volume despite the technical deficiencies.
it's the only "Budget" priced computer in their lineup.
these are Canadian prices, but:
Cheapest Air - 1199
Cheapest MacBook - 1729
Cheapest MacBook Pro - 1729
if you're looking to just get a mac just to have a computer and you're not picky... the MacBook air is still the best bargain from Apple
$1000 is inexpensive. Price is relative. It’s right at the upper end of budget territory. It gets you a solid mainstream, mid-range notebook. Not garbage but not amazing. A high end notebook Mac or Windows costs twice as much. Now $1000-1200 for a phone is expensive.
My point was that Apple needs something other than a Tablet at this price point to maintain the growth of new users into the ecosystem. When they spend most of high school on a Chromebook (as this years back to school sales demonstrate) the MB and MBP sales for college shrink. Parents are not going to purchase a $999 laptop for their high schooler in todays market. They need to enter the ecosystem early on something other than an iPhone.
I don't disagree with your point that Apple will most likely never enter a low margin laptop market. They need to do something however to increase Mac sales to pre college age consumers.
your post makes NO sense.
No one is talking about Galaxy Note 9... We are talking about the price comparison between MacBooks and iPhone X.
Unchanged design, with emphasis on the word design. I was not referring to the internals, nor the Mac as a whole.
The external design is unchanged for that long, aside from some connectivity / port updates and the Mission Control / Launchpad keys on the 2011 MacBook Air to coincide with the release of Mac OS X Lion.
Edit: But in the case of the Mac mini, I wouldn't argue that it needs a design refresh. Give us decent internals + upgradable RAM + Space Gray as an option, and that'll be good enough.
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People also voice the same complaint about the design of the iMac. In all three cases (pun intended) you could say the excellence of the current designs—some would call them timeless—makes possible and even encourages their extended longevity. Is/was there any real need to change, or is it just change for the sake of change?
Yes, people want smaller and thinner and bezels that aren’t so thick, I get it. But it isn’t as if there’s really anything “wrong” with the current designs; it’s more that we’re just tired of them.
Just ask the MILLIONS of users around the world. To be fair, I haven’t seen any real innovation in laptop form and dedign lately and I can’t think of any different forms than the current ones... fyi, I am NOT tlking about less ports and thinner form-factor. I am actually talking about a new-refreshed design all-round...
I suspect the consolidation of the nTB MBP, MB and the Air. Ideally, I would love to see the consolidation starting with the base at around $999. I can envision casual users and parents for kids willing to buy a good long-lasting computer at that price. Then I would love to see the MBP really be customizable with the latest tech. I could even see its base model go up a little higher in price. As I said in another thread, I cancelled my order of the nTB MBP just because it really is underwhelming. I decided, that when my 2013 MBP--which is still running sweet--dies, I'll get the top-tier (TB or whatever it will be called in the future). Meanwhile, the reason for my computer-searching is that my parents really need an upgrade from the 2008 MBP. They are asking why can't we buy like a $400 PC and be done with it? I insist on a Mac, and the Air would be a perfect fit, save for the screen. They need no extra ports. They need no extra storage. But the only thing preventing me from buying one is that I would like them to have a retina screen, cuz they watch so many videos with it. The MB would also be a great fit, but I can't justify paying the mid-tier pricing for it just because of the screen.
I think it would be great for Apple to have the "Air" at an "affordable" price point for most people. That'll drive up sales for sure. Then make a MBP line that is actually pro. Then they can serve both ends of the market.
I think it would be great for Apple to have the "Air" at an "affordable" price point for most people. That'll drive up sales for sure. Then make a MBP line that is actually pro. Then they can serve both ends of the market.
I would favor you as a senior VP of Mac products over anyone currently at the Board.
But don’t feel too flattered: that may apply to a few more here at MR...
If they updated the cpu to something current that could encode/decode h.265 it would by my ideal rig.
Why? Apple's brand has a stranglehold on the mindshare for teens.My point was that Apple needs something other than a Tablet at this price point to maintain the growth of new users into the ecosystem. When they spend most of high school on a Chromebook (as this years back to school sales demonstrate) the MB and MBP sales for college shrink. Parents are not going to purchase a $999 laptop for their high schooler in todays market. They need to enter the ecosystem early on something other than an iPhone.
I don't disagree with your point that Apple will most likely never enter a low margin laptop market. They need to do something however to increase Mac sales to pre college age consumers.
Would I love to see a $799 mac computer? You bet. Is apple somehow in trouble if they don't do it? Can't fathom why they would be.
I wonder how this update will affect it? If they update the Air with a retina screen, less bezel and latest processors my guess is it will sell REALLY WELL. or even if they drop the Air name and bring in a 13” version of the MacBook I think it would sell well, just like when the Air had 11” and 13” versions.
I think it will be an iOS based iBook. Why else would Apple all of a sudden rename iBooks to Books? However, that does not mean that it will replace macOS, but rather offer an inexpensive alternative for those (the majority I guess) that do not really need the power and versatility of macOS. They will sell millions of them/iBooks (since they are comperatively cheap and iOS is already known and used by millions) and continue to charge high prices for the Macs purchased by those who really need them.
And the "form-factor" for laptops in general hasn't been "Updated" since 1991, and for all Tower computers since 1980.
Now what?
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You were trying to point out that the iPhone X costs as much as a laptop (which is true). I was merely pointing out that the same could be said of the GN 9.
Never said Apple was in trouble. Was strictly commenting on growing Mac sales more robustly with teens.
Ok, so first it's external packaging, nevermind internal design or specs. THEN it's "Oh, nevermind, just update the internal design, nevermind the external packaging.
So what part actually constitutes an "Update"?
Hint: They both do.
I think the iMac Pro was only released to “shut” some mouths regarding pro users. I highly doubt they will keep it, once the new “modular” MacPro is released next year...
This comment/article from earlier this year makes sense. The new Air could be the iBook of the time (not actually the iBook).
https://9to5mac.com/2018/03/05/comment-more-affordable-macbook-air-new-ibook/
Also wouldn’t it be great if they offered it in space gray as well as the usual silver
https://9to5mac.com/2018/03/05/comment-more-affordable-macbook-air-new-ibook/
Also wouldn’t it be great if they offered it in space gray as well as the usual silver
My point was that Apple needs something other than a Tablet at this price point to maintain the growth of new users into the ecosystem. When they spend most of high school on a Chromebook (as this years back to school sales demonstrate) the MB and MBP sales for college shrink. Parents are not going to purchase a $999 laptop for their high schooler in todays market. They need to enter the ecosystem early on something other than an iPhone.
I don't disagree with your point that Apple will most likely never enter a low margin laptop market. They need to do something however to increase Mac sales to pre college age consumers.
But imagine what would happen if they released a $499-$599 laptop, competion would be decimated the very next day...