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Good for them. The consumer won't be happy about having to buy new headphones or scruffy 3.5mm adapters which is why it won't happen.
Wireless headphones are great - at home. But not suitable for air travel because not allowed once airborne - and isn't the whole point of making the machine lighter and thinner :rolleyes: for travel/on-the-go?
 
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I never thought the MacBook was a replacement for the Air. At least, not anytime soon.

The MacBook is the new Air (ultraportable), and the Air is the new MacBook (consumer device).


This utterly doesn't make sense, they're going to discontinue the Air and completely replace it with the 'MacBook'

It makes absolutely no sense to maintain two models, you're going to have to maintain to products that are exactly the same.

Its more profitable to just push one model. what you're going to purchase two different chips? parts? have them manufacture and assemble? Its just not as profitable and of course this is a public company.


They're going to sell whats in stock and with the parts they have.


What you're saying is basically "Hey, I never thought the iPhone 5 was the replacement for iPhone 4"
 
I never thought the MacBook was a replacement for the Air. At least, not anytime soon.

The MacBook is the new Air (ultraportable), and the Air is the new MacBook (consumer device).

When the Air first came out, it was underpowered, contained pathetic storage capacity and seemed unlikely to replace the plastic MacBook.

The same is true here: the new MacBook seems unlikely to replace the Air, but the second and third generation will prove superior to the current Airs.

I am more interested in the Mac Mini. The current line up of Minis leaves too much to be desired. The iMac 5ks are nice; but if I am buying a 5k monitor, I will
want to keep it after I depart with the CPU.

I have owned a Mac since the Quadra 840. Unless the MacMini gets a nice upgrade I might consider a Hackintosh or an Ubuntu build.
 
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This utterly doesn't make sense, they're going to discontinue the Air and completely replace it with the 'MacBook'

It makes absolutely no sense to maintain two models, you're going to have to maintain to products that are exactly the same.

Its more profitable to just push one model. what you're going to purchase two different chips? parts? have them manufacture and assemble? Its just not as profitable and of course this is a public company.


They're going to sell whats in stock and with the parts they have.


What you're saying is basically "Hey, I never thought the iPhone 5 was the replacement for iPhone 4"

No, not at all.

These products are NOT exactly the same.
 
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No, not at all.

These products are NOT exactly the same.


they're not the same in a sense that its an update yes.


thats not the point, according to your logic, they should still be making game cubes and PS2s?
 
they're not the same in a sense that its an update yes.


thats not the point, according to your logic, they should still be making game cubes and PS2s?

No? That analogy makes no sense.

The PS3 and Wii were advancements upon the old PS2 and Gamecube hardware. They used new and more advanced processors and added new capabilities for developers to work with, and ran new, more advanced software. The PS2 didn't get updates to support what the PS3 did, and neither did the Gamecube. That's a HORRIBLE analogy because MacBooks work completely differently compared to dedicated gaming consoles.

The MacBook uses a Core M processor. The Air uses a Core i processor. Two completely different processor families. They both are efficient at their goals. "m" is not a replacement for lower power "i" cores.

In the future, the good future, maybe the MacBook will replace the Air, but I don't see the Air being replaced for a while. Not in 2016, probably not even in 2017.
 
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i would like to see a macbook pro so thin i cannot even see it. oh yeah in 16 inches too, with a crappy battery life and CPU/GPU lagging. But guess what!!! YOU CANT SEE IT isn't that cool?
 
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not allowed once airborne? what century do you live in?

not allowed during take off and landing, as with any laptop, but often now allowed in flight:

http://www.britishairways.com/cms/global/pdfs/handheld-devices-used-onboard_Dec14.pdf

Great, you found an exception to the rule. Here are a few airlines that do NOT allow bluetooth to be used at anytime on board: Air France, KLM, Swiss, ...

http://corporate.airfrance.com/en/p...al-electronic-devices-throughout-your-flight/

https://www.klm.com/travel/jp_ja/about/news_press/travel_news/use_your_mobile_more_on_board.htm

https://www.swiss.com/corporate/en/media/newsroom/press-releases/mediarelease-20140430
 
When the Air first came out, it was underpowered, contained pathetic storage capacity and seemed unlikely to replace the plastic MacBook.

The same is true here: the new MacBook seems unlikely to replace the Air, but the second and third generation will prove superior to the current Airs.

I am more interested in the Mac Mini. The current line up of Minis leaves too much to be desired. The iMac 5ks are nice; but if I am buying a 5k monitor, I will
want to keep it after I depart with the CPU.

I have owned a Mac since the Quadra 840. Unless the MacMini gets a nice upgrade I might consider a Hackintosh or an Ubuntu build.

Yes, I am tempted by the 5k iMac and right now am thinking that will be my upgrade in 2017 for my desktop. Without supporting target display mode (maybe something will change?) I'm real hesitant about buying an all-in-one though. My monitor has never been upgraded at the same time as my desktop.
 
here's another that does.

http://www.easyjet.com/en/help/on-your-flight/electronic-devices

air france and klm are the same company, so that's just about even.

here's another for good measure

https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/on-board/onboard-guide.aspx
To confuse matters further, I'll throw in ANA, which allows Bluetooth headphones on some aircraft types but not on others (which would suggest there are actually technical reasons why it's not always allowed):

http://www.ana.co.jp/wws/th/e/asw_common/guide/baggage_electronics.html
 
I'm in the market for buying a new MB within the next couple months. I love my MBA, it's the second one (proud owner of the 1st Gen one ;) ). It's perfect for what I need it; it's light and slim for traveling (yes, for me the MBP is too heavy and thick) but has enough power for my usual tasks. Thus, the new MB is completely out of the question (also since I DO WANT 13'' for efficient working). The MBP is, as I said, still too heavy.

I was afraid, Apple might discontinue the MBA anytime soon after introducing the MB, so these rumors are really delightful. Especially if it means there COULD be coming a MBA with retina, one of a few reasons I haven't been buying, yet. On the other hands...making it even thinner potentially means that awful butterfly keyboard - and no increase in battery life.

If I can make a wish: keep the current design, maybe upgrade it to 14'' while keeping the same size as the current one (thinner bezel - but please, don't make it black!), make it retina, give it 8GB RAM (and dammit, keep the illuminated apple!). I'd be sooo happy and buy in the blink of an eye.
 
here's another that does.

http://www.easyjet.com/en/help/on-your-flight/electronic-devices

air france and klm are the same company, so that's just about even.

here's another for good measure

https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/on-board/onboard-guide.aspx

So in short, some allow, some don't. So looks like I am living in the same century like you after all... :rolleyes:

But in other words: going full on wireless is not (yet?!) a great solution for a phone.

And another drawback: bluetooth earphones mean yet another device to keep charged.
 
So in short, some allow, some don't. So looks like I am living in the same century like you after all... :rolleyes:

But in other words: going full on wireless is not (yet?!) a great solution for a phone.

And another drawback: bluetooth earphones mean yet another device to keep charged.

well no, you said they're not allowed. and they didn't used to be. but as bob dylan said, the times they are a changin' and if you look at alaska airlines' note, you'll see the problem is not technical but due to the rules and regulations of various countries which haven't caught up with the times. the same way a commercial aircraft isn't allowed to take off without an ashtray fitted in the toilet despite smoking being banned...

i agree with your last point though. unless they charge wirelessly and the iphone can both be charged and charge the headphones in the same manner...
 
I'm in the market for buying a new MB within the next couple months. I love my MBA, it's the second one (proud owner of the 1st Gen one ;) ). It's perfect for what I need it; it's light and slim for traveling (yes, for me the MBP is too heavy and thick) but has enough power for my usual tasks. Thus, the new MB is completely out of the question (also since I DO WANT 13'' for efficient working). The MBP is, as I said, still too heavy.
The 13" MBP is half a pound heavier than the 13" MBA because that is the amount of extra battery that is required to drive the retina screen. If they made a 13" retina MBA , it too would weigh a half a pound more.

As to thickness, the MBP is 0.71" thick and the MBA is 0.68" thick. (Not too mention the neverending chorus of forum members who swear they don't ever want thinner devices.)

One spec that rarely seems to be compared between the two machines is footprint. The 13" MBA is 114 square inches. But can anyone guess the size of the footprint of the 13" MBP...

106 square inches

There is never, ever going to be a retina MBA.
 
The 13" MBP is half a pound heavier than the 13" MBA because that is the amount of extra battery that is required to drive the retina screen. If they made a 13" retina MBA , it too would weigh a half a pound more.

As to thickness, the MBP is 0.71" thick and the MBA is 0.68" thick. (Not too mention the neverending chorus of forum members who swear they don't ever want thinner devices.)

One spec that rarely seems to be compared between the two machines is footprint. The 13" MBA is 114 square inches. But can anyone guess the size of the footprint of the 13" MBP...

106 square inches

There is never, ever going to be a retina MBA.

Ah, here they are, the people claiming that the MBP isn't really all that much heavier or thicker. Guess what, it does matter to ME (and I would assume quite a few other people, as the MBA remains popular after all, although the prices aren't that different anymore...)

So, because retina needs a compulsory bigger battery, please explain why the iPhone is getting thinner and thinner (and the MBP is much much thinner than the previous MBP, not even to speak of the MB). Nice logic there, but I guess you're missing the point that Apple is pretty good at one thing: making things thinner.

But I kinda agree on one point: there either is going to be a retina MBA - or the MBA will be discontinued. No way is there gonna be a new MBA without retina.
 
So, because retina needs a compulsory bigger battery, please explain why the iPhone is getting thinner and thinner (and the MBP is much much thinner than the previous MBP, not even to speak of the MB). Nice logic there, but I guess you're missing the point that Apple is pretty good at one thing: making things thinner.

iphone - bigger screen = bigger footprint. can afford to make the battery taller and wider, but thinner because there's more space in there.

macbook pro - have you not noticed the optical drive is gone? that took up a large chunk of space in every dimension.
 
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iphone - bigger screen = bigger footprint. can afford to make the battery taller and wider, but thinner because there's more space in there.

macbook pro - have you not noticed the optical drive is gone? that took up a large chunk of space in every dimension.

Oh and that's why the new MB, only 1'' smaller, has retina at being much thinner, too? What about the iPad Pro? I also remember the iPad Air becoming thinner while having retina.

Whether you like it or not, it would be possible to make the MBA retina... (for example by using newer CPUs which use less energy)
 
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I'm dreaming of a 15" MacBook Air for several years. If it becomes a reality I'll wait in line to get one the first day.
 
This utterly doesn't make sense, they're going to discontinue the Air and completely replace it with the 'MacBook'

It makes absolutely no sense to maintain two models, you're going to have to maintain to products that are exactly the same.

Its more profitable to just push one model. what you're going to purchase two different chips? parts? have them manufacture and assemble? Its just not as profitable and of course this is a public company.


They're going to sell whats in stock and with the parts they have.


What you're saying is basically "Hey, I never thought the iPhone 5 was the replacement for iPhone 4"

Apple's goal with the rMB was to make the most forward-thinking, advanced laptop that they could, without disrupting existing supply chains for the MBA, and MBP. It was a design-driven, from-the-ground-up machine that had nothing holding it back. A design-focused product meant compromises for the user, like a single, new port, a wonky keyboard, a 480P camera, a mobile processor, etc. They knew offering an incredibly thin, light, and fan-less machine wouldn't be cheap. If it was a MBA replacement, why wouldn't they brand it as "The New MacBook Air" or "Retina MacBook Air?" That certainly would make naming conventions easier until they were ready to drop the Air moniker altogether. The rMB is its own product parallel to the MBP and MBA offerings. It's more similar to an iPad than a MacBook.

I'm not sure why everyone is so quick to throw the MBA to the curb, when it's a significantly different device. It offers flexibility, usability, and an attractive, low-cost-of-entry price into the OS X environment. The MBA is for the students, the casual users, the parents and baby boomers, the non tech savvy, etc. These people have SD cards and USB-A devices. They don't care if their machine has a fan, nor if it has a retina screen. All they want is a Mac laptop without breaking the bank. I'm also not sure why we're so quick to want to reduce the MacBook line back to two device categories so quickly when almost every other Apple category has three offerings. Options are good.
 
I'm also not sure why we're so quick to want to reduce the MacBook line back to two device categories so quickly when almost every other Apple category has three offerings.
I don't know if anybody here is exactly happy about this turn of events? It's just that calling a light small laptop "Macbook" and a heavier thicker laptop "Macbook Air" makes zero sense.

The Apple laptop lines at the moment are quite convoluted and random. Hopefully this year it will get some sort of clean-up.
 
I could careless about a thinner macbook air but be nice if they can improve the display with retina but I doubt it.
 
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