If the Macbook Air 13" really gets redesigned plus a retina screen during WWDC, I don't think there is any point of buying the retina Macbook now...
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Redesigned Macbook Air 13" = rMB killer?
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I agree, which is why I think that if WWDC has anything for the Airs, it'll be an update (USB C?), not a redesign.
Doesn't make much business sense for Apple to spend the billions on R&D to create the retina MacBook and then turn around and basically kill it (in less than two years) with a retina MacBook Air, IMO.
Doesn't make much business sense for Apple to spend the billions on R&D to create the retina MacBook and then turn around and basically kill it (in less than two years) with a retina MacBook Air, IMO.
The Air will in my opinion remain the entry-level model, most likely retaining the current display and form factor. The point of the MBA is that it's cheap.
Apple is not about to "kill off" the 12" rMB. More likely they will introduce a redesigned 13" rMBP, but it will still be about 3lbs and have a 28W processor, meaning there will be plenty of room for the 12" rMB. The Air is likely only going to see modest, if any improvement. They might put a Skylake processor in there and change nothing else. Or perhaps they won't update it at all.
MBA will never have retina, I don't think it can ever be rMB killer.
I don't even believe mBA will be redesigned except maybe 1-2 internals. If they change ports they'll have to redo the body.
I think whatever leaked image that these people saw as a MBA are actually redesigned MBP 13"
I don't even believe mBA will be redesigned except maybe 1-2 internals. If they change ports they'll have to redo the body.
I think whatever leaked image that these people saw as a MBA are actually redesigned MBP 13"
So Apple can have models under $1000, IMO.
The "Air" name does not make sense anymore unless you put it on the 12" MacBook. A redesigned Air would not be thinner (processors with cooling being the key difference) than the MacBook. I actually think there will be so much overlap with the new MacBook Pro line that the MacBook lineup can be brought down to this:
12" MacBook
14" MacBook
(13)14" MacBook Pro
(15)16" MacBook Pro
Having used the 12" MacBook for a week now I strongly believe there is no need for another laptop that's just aimed for basic tasks. It handles everything perfectly (low-end 2015 model). Just this and Pro models will do.
12" MacBook
14" MacBook
(13)14" MacBook Pro
(15)16" MacBook Pro
Having used the 12" MacBook for a week now I strongly believe there is no need for another laptop that's just aimed for basic tasks. It handles everything perfectly (low-end 2015 model). Just this and Pro models will do.
If the shave a few 100g of the new rMBP then theirs little room between a rMB and the new rMBP
I suspect the new rMBP will offer both M and I processors to save creating a so called 13/14" rMB
The air will survive more or less in it's current state for as long as Apple think it will sell as a cheaper entry device IMO
I suspect the new rMBP will offer both M and I processors to save creating a so called 13/14" rMB
The air will survive more or less in it's current state for as long as Apple think it will sell as a cheaper entry device IMO
Air`s dead in the water, Apple already updated the 13" Air will be discontinued soon as Apple can increase profitability of the Retina MacBook to the same levels. Is very obvious that development of the Air has ceased, little like USB A on the current rMBP, it will be gone on the next revision, like it or loath it...
Q-6
Q-6
Apple has kept the classic 13" Pro around much longer than I would have guessed, so the Air might be around a while. But it's days are certainly numbered.
Bring on the 14" MacBook!
Yeah, IMO the 13'' Air will replace the cMB 13'' as the entry level model. It will be for those users who insist on having several ports (USB A, SD, etc). The 11'' model will die, and the MBA will probably live on for a few more years without another update.
I think Apple will just be releasing 2 new MBP models. 13'' and 15'', or 14'' and 16''. The latter choices are more what I'm hoping for than anything else-- I think Apple is likely to stick to 13'' and 15'' for several reasons. I do think it's also possible we could see a 14'' rMB in the future, however I really doubt we'll see one at WWDC or whenever they announce these Macs.
I think Apple will just be releasing 2 new MBP models. 13'' and 15'', or 14'' and 16''. The latter choices are more what I'm hoping for than anything else-- I think Apple is likely to stick to 13'' and 15'' for several reasons. I do think it's also possible we could see a 14'' rMB in the future, however I really doubt we'll see one at WWDC or whenever they announce these Macs.
....and?
That's my point: the Air will probably stick around like the cMBP has, slowly dieing out over the next couple of years.
The chances of a new 13-inch MacBook Air are near zero. These rumours from supply chain sources likely misidentified the product. The more credible rumours from Kuo have been saying 13-inch MacBook. Kuo knows his stuff:
"In addition to upgrading the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros, Apple will also introduce a new 13-inch MacBook similar to that of the 12-inch Retina model that was just upgraded with performance boosts. According to Kuo, Apple plans to make the MacBook Air the entry-level option, while the MacBook will become the mid-tier choice and the MacBook Pro will remain the high-end variant."
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It's all a bit sad. For me the MBA is more than portable enough. The grams I would save with a Macbook offers me close to 0 value. The MBA is powerful enough - I rarely need what a Pro would offer. I'm sure "portless" will be the future, but for the moment I value a couple of extra ports. A dongle to charge and use external monitor at the same time is not acceptable.
So why not just get a MBA? I hate the screen. If I hadn't spilled milk on my 2012 I wouldn't have been looking for a replacement, but now I got nothing but my work computer.
A retina MBA would be pretty perfect for a lot of people in my opinion. More suited to offer a great all round portable computer with the current battery, cpu etc. technology than the current Macbook. Unfortunately I don't think it will happen.
So why not just get a MBA? I hate the screen. If I hadn't spilled milk on my 2012 I wouldn't have been looking for a replacement, but now I got nothing but my work computer.
A retina MBA would be pretty perfect for a lot of people in my opinion. More suited to offer a great all round portable computer with the current battery, cpu etc. technology than the current Macbook. Unfortunately I don't think it will happen.
I wouldn't go as far as calling it a deal breaker. I'm not saying a MBA Retina is the perfect computer, but it would be "perfect enough" in my opinion.
The bezels is slightly annoying as it is just a waste of space, but I could live with that if it saves me 2-300 USD compared to a Macbook.
I know a lot of people have been clamoring for a retina MBA for years, however I think the answer is pretty clear as to why Apple didn't release one. Apple focused on battery life more than anything else in recent years in MBA updates and it's made it the easiest to recommend laptop for a lot of people, even still. My father, for example, could give a crap about what screen resolution he had. The MBA is still the best recommendation for him with the combo of battery life, solid construction, keyboard/trackpad, price and durability. Apple clearly felt they couldn't release a MBA with a retina screen that offered a comparable experience in the battery department. Battery life is the bottleneck in this scenario, as is the case with many Apple products.
If you have wanted a retina MBA all this time, that's what the 13'' rMBP has been. Very similar in a lot of ways and an awesome screen. That device represents the best combo of battery life/screen quality Apple was able to produce in 2012, hence why there was never a retina MBA. Looking forward, there's no reason for Apple to release a new 'Air' model. For one, the 'Air' moniker makes no sense anymore given the 'Macbook' is now the thinnest/lightest notebook Apple makes; that's not changing at WWDC either. Given more recent purchasing patterns indicating consumers nowadays are waiting longer and longer to upgrade their laptops, it makes sense for Apple to simplify their notebook product line into two camps. Macbook Pros, and Macbooks.
My prediction is that in 2017, Apple will release a 14'' rMB. It will essentially be the new 13'' Air. By this time, Kaby Lake will have arrived in these machines and they'll support TB3/USB-C natively. They'll throw 2 ports on this one to silence the haters and call it a day. It will share the design aspects of the rMB with a larger body. Again, critics will condemn the device for no connectivity options, and consumers will vote with their wallets. Expect a nearly bezel-less 14'' rMB that's thinner and has a similar footprint to the 13'' MBA. It'll sell like hotcakes.
I believe all this time, the needs for most computer users have been so simple. The GHz wars in the 90's and 2000's, along with strong advertising from Intel, brainwashed consumers into thinking that they needed highly-clocked processors. This still remains true to this day. In reality, I'd argue the large majority of users have never needed more than MS Office, iTunes, a good browser, and a few non-resource intensive applications. Even many business folks fall under this classification for their work machines. The current rMB can handle these tasks with complete ease and I only expect this to become more true as Kaby Lake makes its way in. The true 'new' Apple Macbook Air will be the 14'' rMB.
If you have wanted a retina MBA all this time, that's what the 13'' rMBP has been. Very similar in a lot of ways and an awesome screen. That device represents the best combo of battery life/screen quality Apple was able to produce in 2012, hence why there was never a retina MBA. Looking forward, there's no reason for Apple to release a new 'Air' model. For one, the 'Air' moniker makes no sense anymore given the 'Macbook' is now the thinnest/lightest notebook Apple makes; that's not changing at WWDC either. Given more recent purchasing patterns indicating consumers nowadays are waiting longer and longer to upgrade their laptops, it makes sense for Apple to simplify their notebook product line into two camps. Macbook Pros, and Macbooks.
My prediction is that in 2017, Apple will release a 14'' rMB. It will essentially be the new 13'' Air. By this time, Kaby Lake will have arrived in these machines and they'll support TB3/USB-C natively. They'll throw 2 ports on this one to silence the haters and call it a day. It will share the design aspects of the rMB with a larger body. Again, critics will condemn the device for no connectivity options, and consumers will vote with their wallets. Expect a nearly bezel-less 14'' rMB that's thinner and has a similar footprint to the 13'' MBA. It'll sell like hotcakes.
I believe all this time, the needs for most computer users have been so simple. The GHz wars in the 90's and 2000's, along with strong advertising from Intel, brainwashed consumers into thinking that they needed highly-clocked processors. This still remains true to this day. In reality, I'd argue the large majority of users have never needed more than MS Office, iTunes, a good browser, and a few non-resource intensive applications. Even many business folks fall under this classification for their work machines. The current rMB can handle these tasks with complete ease and I only expect this to become more true as Kaby Lake makes its way in. The true 'new' Apple Macbook Air will be the 14'' rMB.
Couldn't agree more, especially with your last paragraph. To pile on: including an SSD instead of a hard drive has been a far better performance boost to most people's needs in the last 5 or so years vs having the latest and fastest processor. My home 2010 iMac has had the SSD surgery performed on it, and it runs rings around my work Dell (2014) that has a significantly newer processor but a spinning HD.
A 14" MacBook, for me, would be a no-brainer purchase to replace the iMac. I'd get an external monitor and it would spend most of its time docked, but easy to grab and go when needed.