Sticking with the MBAir 13.

[Newtons Apple]

The MacBook looks nice but I can not get over the lack of ports. Guess I am old school but ports are important to me. SD reader and USB are the reasons I need a laptop in the field. I love the retina screen but the Air looks better using Windows which is what I need with AutoCad.

Who's Air will still be a member of the family, for now.

 

[capathy21]

The MacBook looks nice but I can not get over the lack of ports. Guess I am old school but ports are important to me. SD reader and USB are the reasons I need a laptop in the field. I love the retina screen but the Air looks better using Windows which is what I need with AutoCad.

Who's Air will still be a member of the family, for now.

I am with you. It's funny how a new MB is released and all of the sudden the Air is this old, clunky, dinosaur. I was looking at mine on my coffee table last night and thought, "damn, that is still a nice looking laptop."

I am all for keeping up with changing technology and I was completely in favor of Apple ditching disc drives and firewire ports on laptops but it's entirely too early in the game to remove usb and probably memory card readers too. usb is still an integral part of computing for most people that use their machine for more than a Facebook surfing tool.

I appreciate how Apple is out in front of the curve on a regular basis with their computers but sometimes they are out a bit too far.

The only option for those of us who like usb and memory card slots and want an extremely light notebook is to stick with the Air. As I've stated in other threads, I'm sure the Air will be around for another year or two and it's not like our Air's will stop working when Apple stops making them.

But in short yes, still proudly part of the Air family

 

[SmOgER]

The new rMB is more of a fashion accessory / device to carry in a small purse than alternative to MBA.
I'am sure Apple wasn't expecting to cannibalize the MBA line with it.

 

[dsmedic10]

I think the new Macbook is the eventual replacement for the Air. I think the current Macbook Air eventually moves up to replace the Pro. I wouldn't be surprised by a Macbook 12" and 12"/14" Pro utilizing the new technology of the Macbook but with more powerful CPUs w fans. Maybe in two years what we know as the MBA becomes powerful enough to call a MBP. That would make the new MB the "air" version-super thin and light, and the Pro version the "power" model with quad core CPUs and more RAM, all in the current MBA body packaging.

 

[HellasLEAF]

Macbook Air owner. 2011 13 inch. best darn computer ever owned.

Guess I'll be waiting for rev 2 or (possibly) macbook air with retina.

 

[shoulin333]

What I wonder is if the MBA is supposed to be the thinest and lightest of the notebooks, how thin will the new versions be? I am assuming they will have zero ports (Inductive charging like the Apple Watch) and no longer be Intel based but rather "A" processor based.

 

[Maui19]

I really like the new thinner lighter MB. However after I looked at what I was getting, I decided it wasn't a good trade off for me. Sure I would like a lighter laptop (who wouldn't?), but the port thing was a huge drawback for me. I mean, it is not an insurmountable obstacle, but it would definitely be a PITA. My mid 2012 is a sleek, very high performing laptop that meets my needs very well. I'm sitting tight.

 

[mtneer]

I wonder if this is one of the last updates for the MBA. Apple has already let the industrial design stagnant for a while while the industry (and Apple itself) has moved on with the XPS 13 and the new rMB. It fits into a pattern of slow neglect and abandonment of Apple products such as with the iPod's, the cMBP, rMini...

 

[Abbara]

Yeah, not really interested in the new MB myself. 13' MBA looks awesome.

3 hours less battery
less CPU power
less GPU power
worse camera
$300 more expensive
less space between keys and keys/touchpad & less travel on keys
fewer ports = extra dongles (less portable and adds $80 or w/e)
1' smaller screen

It's also a personal preference to have a slightly bigger screen. Funny fact is the MB has a base 720p vertical, less than any ipad ever created. Just not something I like to work on. The screen is definitely nice, but it's just crispier text, the MBA screens are completely fine. PPI of ~130. The iMac is at like ~110, this monitor I use now is ~90. It's completely fine. In fact my PPI on my 22' monitor is low because I use 1680x1050, because 1980 x 1080 is too small (like the MB's native resolution is for me), and I love the 90 PPI. With the MBA at ~130, extra pixels isn't a dealmaker for me.

The base model ($999) is still the most popular model and fine for most users (e.g. students etc), making a $300 lower deal for better specs (see above) a steal.

For those who go up to $8gb of ram, it's still $200 cheaper. And if you add a Nifty device you get the same storage an still be cheaper. Even an 8gb/256gb ssd, it's priced the same, but you still get more battery, more cpu, more gpu, better camera, bigger screen, more ports, nicer keyboard etc.

Compared to the MBA 11' it's not as bad. Slightly bigger screen but not bigger laptop, same battery, no SD either, bigger keyboard etc. BUT, the 11' is so cheap, it's a whole different category. As the 2012 11" already beats the new MB in terms of specs, you can get a cheap new 2014 MBA 11" for what, $700-800. Comparing that to a $1300 device is just silly.

So yeah, whether I'm poor or rich, I'd prefer the MBA 13" over the MB.
I'd also prefer the 11" MBA over the MB, unless I was really rich, at which point the MB is the better pick.

I expect the MB to come down to $1200 next year, with options for 512gb SSD etc more more money. At that point USB-C will have a **** ton of cheap extras. They'll boost the battery to 10h and the Intel M will get 30% more powerful. The Air doesn't get a refresh and a year later they stop getting sold when the MB gets another upgrade. At that point the MB will be awesome. But the first edition? Reminds me of the ****** 2008 MBA that they charged $1800 for. Back when a 64gb SSD cost a $1300 premium. The MB is full of new parts, over time the price will come down on those and it'll be a nice deal. For now, MBA still wins, unless you're rich and looking to upgrade your 11' MBA.