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Been there, done that...

12" powerbook:
 

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Looks stunning, but those arrow keys are desisting though.

Not sure if that's the right word for them, but yeah, those arrow keys will definitely not be on the new MacBook Air. Arrow keys are a small detail that, AFAIK, every laptop keyboard other than Apple's have completely gotten wrong.
 
I also think the wedge shape is unsightly, always has been on the MBA.

13" retina MBP with it's solid slab of aluminum that sits flat looks better than the wedge shape of the MBA (spare me the tilted keyboard explanation).
 
I'm sure when we see the actual Macbook Air it'll look much better than the "artists" impression.

the 'artist' clearly didn't think about how the screen would close on elevated buttons (look closely), and clearly thought the power button needed a new home and, based on nothing whatsoever - decided it should go where the esc key has lived on keyboards for 30 some odd years. i wouldn't trust this 'artist' to get me a cup of coffee, let alone tell me what an unreleased laptop will look like.
 
Definitely not for me (heavy MBP user here), but I understand there are plenty (majority?) of people, who will be completely satisfied with something like this.
 
Didn't we have a single-USB-port Macbook Air a few years ago? And everyone hated the lack of more ports? I seem to recall skipping that machine because of that reason, and many people I know did too.

Shouldn't Apple have learned from that mistake?

I think this is a crappy ill-informed mockup. If this machine really comes to be in this form, it will be the final nail in the coffin convincing me Apple has gone mad and that it's time to begrudgingly move onto a new platform. Sigh.
 
You missed that one...

A quick—and honest—question: what on earth is the benefit of moving the power button to the position where the Esc key has occupied since the dawn of the PC keyboard?

I think you've missed the memo. All MacBooks and MacBook Pros have the power button there. The ESC key is on the left side, as it's always been on Macs (at least since I can recall with the wired Apple keyboard I'm using)
 
Didn't we have a single-USB-port Macbook Air a few years ago? And everyone hated the lack of more ports? I seem to recall skipping that machine because of that reason, and many people I know did too.

Shouldn't Apple have learned from that mistake?

I think this is a crappy ill-informed mockup. If this machine really comes to be in this form, it will be the final nail in the coffin convincing me Apple has gone mad and that it's time to begrudgingly move onto a new platform. Sigh.

Lol, there are many many users that don't need video out ports, extra usb ports, or Ethernet ports on their laptop. Many people want something as thin and light as an iPad but with a keyboard and full desktop OS. This will answer those calls. A simple MacBook that gets the job done for the vast majority of people who just use web browsers and maybe some word processing.

For people like you or I who want the most out of your laptop they offer the MacBook pro. I think apple knows exactly what they are doing and they are making the device people want but don't even know it yet. I also think this is the kind of move that apple would do because it would push you to use iCloud more to store files so you can access them from your phone or iPad without the need of a USB stick or external HD.
 
I think you've missed the memo. All MacBooks and MacBook Pros have the power button there. The ESC key is on the left side, as it's always been on Macs (at least since I can recall with the wired Apple keyboard I'm using)
The power button is on the left side on those renderings.... Esc is in the number two position.
 
Is Apple sorta becoming a parody of itself? It seems all they can to do to innovate is "thinner and lighter." Isn't there a point where everything is thin and light enough? And going further is just ridiculous and even detrimental? It seems that without Steve Jobs, there's no one there who knows what to do next, so they just default to thinner and lighter.
 
I am sold so long as battery life is better than my 13" air. Also if it has only one port I am unsold. Needs to have two USB and a separate charging port. I suppose two USB where one is also a charging port would be acceptable but really it should be two. Also I don't want this USB-C crap, none of my jump drives would fit without a dongle, nor would any other peripheral manufactured in like the last 15 years (or ever I suppose). Its pretty laughable that they stuck Thunderbolt on all their laptops, almost nothing was ever made for it, and now its gone. Same will happen with USB-C unless PC makers adopt it, Apple really can't be trend setters when it comes to ports because it seems to always fail (minidisplayport, firewire, thunderbolt), and if that is the ONLY port on the thing its just terrible
 
Why not take away absolutely all the ports? It will be even more beautiful. Like the NeXT cube. Remember? But seriously, a Thunderbolt port is great for troubleshooting (Target Disk Mode, as FireWire was) and two USB 3 ports are a must for pendrive sharing and Keynote and Presentations with wireless remotes like the*Keyspan Wireless Presentation Remote for Conferences, Boardrooms and Classrooms Model Number: PR-US2
http://www.tripplite.com/wireless-presentation-remote-control-laser-pointer-2-button-mouse~PRUS2
 
As long as it has a touch screen and can run iOS too, I'm all in. Or maybe even a version only running iOS - the Apple answer to the Surface. Could the iPad pro and the retina MacBook Air be one an the same product, supplementing the existing iPad and MB Air ranges?
 
Switch the bezels (bigger one around the keyboard, smaller one around the screen / making it even bigger), add at least one more usb port and then you can take my money. Even though im not a "power user" by any means, there is NO WAY im buying a laptop with just one usb port.
 
Looks great! I'm sure the final thing will be somewhat different though, many things make no sense:
  • Power button is top right key on all portable Macs, why would it be different?
  • One USB Type-C port for everything makes no sense. What if you want to use an external hard drive just as your battery dies? This will either have more than one port, or it will charge wirelessly or via some other method. I sure hope it won't be "buy this $50 adapter that splits the port into a charging and USB port!"
  • Gold looks just as bad as the gold iPhone
 
Looks mad sexy, but I also share concerns about a notebook this thin bending like the 6 phone.

I also hate the border around the screen.. when are we getting edge-to-edge retina screens? Love the edge to edge keyboard, just need the screen to match.
 
I'm confused how the 11" MBA fits a keyboard with no issue and this 12" seems to be barely able to fit a keyboard.
 
Not sure if that's the right word for them, but yeah, those arrow keys will definitely not be on the new MacBook Air. Arrow keys are a small detail that, AFAIK, every laptop keyboard other than Apple's have completely gotten wrong.

I think the arrow keys are the one thing I like least about Apple keyboards. They're great for saving space, but feel way too cramped because of that. It's too easy to accidentally hit the down key when you're going for the up.

It's an entirely subjective thing, of course, but I prefer keyboards where the arrow keys are as large as everything else.
 
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