Carbon Fiber would be great...if its good looking. Secondly, I didnt forget it goes down to .16"...but the fact remains you still have to accommodate for the thickest part of the unit which is .76"
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The Future of the Macbook Air
- Thread starter knemonic
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Carbon Fiber would be great...if its good looking. Secondly, I didnt forget it goes down to .16"...but the fact remains you still have to accommodate for the thickest part of the unit which is .76"
The MBA v2 is amazing. The first one was little more than a netbook. Everyone says the MBA doesn't sell because the first version is so cheap. I think the first version is obsolete which is why it's cheap. No matter if it was $500, the first MBA is not as good of a value as the new MBA at $2499! Nobody wants the netbook when they can have a MB that's super portable!
I think that Apple could eventually make the MBA into the MB. The new MBAs are nearly as powerful as the MBs.
So, one way or another, the MBA will live on for many years in my opinion. It may get smaller too! But right now, the MBA v2 is the coolest computer on the market.
I am waiting on MBA 3.0. I want:
Glass trackpad
Glass display (if it's light enough)
2 GHz CPU
4 GB RAM
256 GB SSD
Snow Leopard
Sell it for $2999 and I will buy it the day it's introduced. I really need the memory.
I think that Apple could eventually make the MBA into the MB. The new MBAs are nearly as powerful as the MBs.
So, one way or another, the MBA will live on for many years in my opinion. It may get smaller too! But right now, the MBA v2 is the coolest computer on the market.
I am waiting on MBA 3.0. I want:
Glass trackpad
Glass display (if it's light enough)
2 GHz CPU
4 GB RAM
256 GB SSD
Snow Leopard
Sell it for $2999 and I will buy it the day it's introduced. I really need the memory.
I'm also waiting for the MBA to hit 2.0GHz, 4GB RAM & 256GB SSD before I buy one....but $2999? I would never pay 3g's for a 13" laptop with 1 USB port, no removeable battery and no dvd burner drive.......$2499 is already pushing it.
Well, the 256 GB option in SSD is $900 on the 17" MBP, so I doubt they can do it for $2499 right now. Maybe if it takes a year to release the next MBA it will be priced there. I am hopeful for a mid-year 2009 release of the MBA take 3!
Please Apple, take my money! Gladly pay the $2999 for the options I mentioned within the next few months.
Not in today's economy, try:
Glass trackpad
1.6 GHz Dual Core Atom
nVidia Ion
2 Gig RAM
120 Gig HD
Snow Leopard
$1,299
Just throwing this thought out there - Atom/Ion for the Mini, followed by Atom/Ion for the Air, which would lower costs.
I am the target (consumer) buyer for the MBA, I have a steady job, I love Macs and I have a bonus coming in April. I have decided I want the MBA because of it's thinness, coolness (I also own a PB12), SSD and the fantastic screen. The cost is purely a technicality. If they dropped the price by £200 it wouldn't bring any more buyers.
The current MBA does everything I need, in my real world use (surfing web, pages and numbers, organising viewing photos/music/movies) I believe it is as fast as my current BlackBook.
I'll wait for Rev. C before I buy, but I hope they don't change anything on the outside. I like having a trackpad button, I like the design, though it would be nice to have a bit more RAM and a 2GHZ processor...
In summary, it is a great product because it is technically brilliant. If you think the AlumBook is in the same ballpark then the MBA is not for you.
The current MBA does everything I need, in my real world use (surfing web, pages and numbers, organising viewing photos/music/movies) I believe it is as fast as my current BlackBook.
I'll wait for Rev. C before I buy, but I hope they don't change anything on the outside. I like having a trackpad button, I like the design, though it would be nice to have a bit more RAM and a 2GHZ processor...
In summary, it is a great product because it is technically brilliant. If you think the AlumBook is in the same ballpark then the MBA is not for you.
+1 -- Almost the exact same thoughts, outcome, and new plan. Occasionally, on a long trip, I wish I had the lighter unit... but not all that often. (Leaving for ASIA on Monday for 2 weeks -- that will be one of those times!)
People cant look ahead well and still think we need a cd drive I saw people worried that there was no floppy. Once wireless gets even more advanced it will be a way better seller!
Now that's not very nice.
But yeah, you shouldn't be buying a computer based on its resale value, you should be buying it on how much you need it, and like it.
Long Live The Macbook Air!
I don't want those specs, and I don't want a lower price. Having lower prices means compromises. I don't want compromises. I want top-notch hardware, and I want ultra portability.
The Atom would ruin the MBA. I love having a true Core 2 Duo 45 NM Penryn Chip in there. And the 6 MB L2 cache really is the difference to the MBs slightly faster CPU speed but only 3 MB L2 cache.
Another person said it, a $400 price break isn't going to change anything. At this price, it's a luxury item. We are paying for the luxury of super portability. Otherwise, we would all choose the MB at 50% heavier with optical drive. The MB and MBA have one difference - portability. They both have nearly the same specs. And if you use it with a lot of peripherals, the MB has more ports. But, the MBA buyer is willing to pay the premium for ultra lightweight and super COOL features.
I think the future of the MBA is bright. A MB Lite or MB Nano or MB Mini can have an Atom chip and smaller display. I will take my MBA fully loaded! Make it better, charge more, sell more. If the MBA had a dedicated graphics chip in it, they would probably sell three times as many. Lots of MBP buyers NEED a dedicated graphics chip but want a 13.3" display. That may be in the future of the MBA (I can always hope for it).
LONG LIVE THE MACBOOK AIR!
I don't want those specs, and I don't want a lower price. Having lower prices means compromises. I don't want compromises. I want top-notch hardware, and I want ultra portability.
The Atom would ruin the MBA. I love having a true Core 2 Duo 45 NM Penryn Chip in there. And the 6 MB L2 cache really is the difference to the MBs slightly faster CPU speed but only 3 MB L2 cache.
Another person said it, a $400 price break isn't going to change anything. At this price, it's a luxury item. We are paying for the luxury of super portability. Otherwise, we would all choose the MB at 50% heavier with optical drive. The MB and MBA have one difference - portability. They both have nearly the same specs. And if you use it with a lot of peripherals, the MB has more ports. But, the MBA buyer is willing to pay the premium for ultra lightweight and super COOL features.
I think the future of the MBA is bright. A MB Lite or MB Nano or MB Mini can have an Atom chip and smaller display. I will take my MBA fully loaded! Make it better, charge more, sell more. If the MBA had a dedicated graphics chip in it, they would probably sell three times as many. Lots of MBP buyers NEED a dedicated graphics chip but want a 13.3" display. That may be in the future of the MBA (I can always hope for it).
LONG LIVE THE MACBOOK AIR!
The MacBook and MB Air will merge to become the MacBook. DVD in 3 years? SSD capacity increasing, battery technology, charging by magnetic induction ... In 3 to 5 years the thinness and weight of the MacBook will be close enough to the current MB Air.
Cheers,
OW
Cheers,
OW
I don't think the MacBook Pro will merge with any Air derivative, but I can see the MacBook merging into the MacBook Air. But that'll take many years.
even though i've just bought a MBA but not got it yet - reading this thread reminds me of an older Apple product that was treated the same way :
Apple Cube - hated for the price on release - Still loved by the faithfull til this day
Apple Cube - hated for the price on release - Still loved by the faithfull til this day