So is the MacBook Air the bigger MacBook most wanted?

[deuxani]

At first I thought that the MacBook Air was just a thinner MacBook Pro without Touch Bar, but as Apple was tightlipped about their processors, we missed something crucial: it has the latest Y-series 7W Intel processor. It's a fanless architecture, but Apple added a fan for when it would get hot in Turbo Boost mode, instead of throttling the CPU during high loads. So it's mostly fanless.

To me that means that the MacBook Air is a 13.3" version of the retina MacBook and also adds the long requested two Thunderbolt ports. The current line up doesn't make any sense as the price difference between the MacBook (with outdated specs), MacBook Air and base MacBook Pro is so small, however the processor difference is huge.

So people who were waiting for a 14" MacBook, is the Air something you would upgrade to?

 

[noobinator]

Where did you hear this info about a fan that is only used in Turbo Boost mode? Sounds like nonsense.

 

[lowkey]

Yes, I think the new Air is basically a 13" MacBook.
The range makes sense to me, because a laptop is not just about the CPU.
Do you want the most portable Mac available, at the cost of CPU power? Get a MacBook
Do you want a general purpose laptop? Get the Air
Do you need more power, at the cost of additional weight? Get a MacBook Pro.

Id agree with the fan. The MacBook only throttles when turboboost heats up the machine. If it had a fan, thats when it would come on. Not when its idling.

 

[deuxani]

Where did you hear this info about a fan that is only used in Turbo Boost mode? Sounds like nonsense.

We don't know for sure until we use one, but if you think about it logically it makes sense. The entire idea of fanless architecture is that It doesn't need a fan and doesn't get hot under normal load. Only under high load for a longer time it will get hot and without fan would throttle down again. The fan will make sure you can continue at high speed for a prolonged period.

Normally you would get either a 15W CPU with fan or a 5W without fan. This 7W hybrid is still a mystery, but to me it makes sense what I described. The fan would only make a sound under prolonged high load.

Yes, I think the new Air is basically a 13" MacBook.
The range makes sense to me, because a laptop is not just about the CPU.
Do you want the most portable Mac available, at the cost of CPU power? Get a MacBook
Do you want a general purpose laptop? Get the Air
Do you need more power, at the cost of additional weight? Get a MacBook Pro.

Id agree with the fan. The MacBook only throttles when turboboost heats up the machine. If it had a fan, thats when it would come on. Not when its idling.

I think you described the differences pretty well for the current Mac lineup. The differences between them are very small though and especially with the small price differences on top makes Apple's decisions look very strange, to say the least.