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Updated MacBook Airs with Improved Haswell Processors See Minor Speed Boosts
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So apple went to the effort of updating the processors, just to announce a whole new model in a months time. nah!
Is Geekbench 3 fundamentally different from 2?
Because my 2013 MBA (i5-4250U) clocks in at 6083 (32-bit) and 6761 (64-bit), using Geekbench 2.
Because my 2013 MBA (i5-4250U) clocks in at 6083 (32-bit) and 6761 (64-bit), using Geekbench 2.
You are going to need to run it again Version 3.
I am debating between a 13" Air or Pro. Though I am tempted by a dirt cheap 11" Air to just have a new Mac for chump change.
I find it more plausible that they were running low soon anyways and discontinued one in favor of the more promising other.
They probably still won't release a new model. That is, unless it will run alongside this one (think eMac or rMBP/MBP)
Don't forget Apple also knocked $100 off the price tag.
...which is the 4th sign of the apocalypse.
I dont see the retina air Thang. Apple i positioning air AS lowend and pro AS highend. Live with it. Whats the point of buttonless pad anywa 
How come this MacBook Air update escaped the Analyst's forecast?
Because analysts are busy making up stories and new products
As much as the Air would benefit from a better resolution screen, the Retina Air doesn't make sense from a product line point of view. Before the price drop on Airs that difference (in price and power) between Air and Pro was too small for most consumers to notice hence all teh dillema posts on the web: should I go 13 Retina or Air? If they went Retina with Air then the 2 Macbook lines would be almost identical and they would have to raise the price of the Airs which would be a marketing nightmare after theyd just dropped the prices
If Apple goes with ARM Retina Macbook then that becomes more like an iPad with keyboard than a laptop and I think many customers would be put off by it not having the capability to run "PC" apps - even though Office should be available just like it is on the iPad, but people's prejudice could prevail. Besides I think it would be against Apples philosophy to offer a halfcooked product like a Chromebook now you have a 100% tablet like the iPad and 100% light, efficient Air notebook which is a fully capable computer. With Retina Air you would basically have a bigger iPad, its a computer, but not quite
Doesnt make sense IMHO. I see Apple improving Airs screen (but Im not sure if improving the screen and keeping current prices would go along with their margins), but I dont see the Air becoming an ARM iPad with an attached keyboard.
There will be no MBA replacement announcement at WWDC, that's why
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How does that Chromebook 2 get on with running OS X? You know, what everyone here requires?
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What are you talking about?
I'm not interested in a 12" screen nor am I interested in a retina display. This will no doubt come with a higher price tag and possibly less battery compared to the current models.
I don't understand why the new models are faster. In Geekbench the processors should be running at max turbo. Isn't the turbo the same on the 1.3 and the 1.4 Ghz models (i.e. 2.7 Ghz?).
I'm actually surprised that the change in processor gives any speed-bump at all.
EDIT: Ok, I can see now that the previous models were 1.3 (turbo to 2.6) and the new are 1.4 (turbo to 2.7).
Which gives an 8.5% (no turbo) to 3.8% (maxturbo) improvement. In this context the approx 6-7% boost in Geekbench is better than expected.
I'm actually surprised that the change in processor gives any speed-bump at all.
EDIT: Ok, I can see now that the previous models were 1.3 (turbo to 2.6) and the new are 1.4 (turbo to 2.7).
Which gives an 8.5% (no turbo) to 3.8% (maxturbo) improvement. In this context the approx 6-7% boost in Geekbench is better than expected.
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Not really Apple related but I have seen no need to upgrade my first gen i5 2500k in my custom built rig from over 2 years ago. And I just got an updated i5 dell laptop for work that replaced an older i5. The biggest improvement is from the SSD drive; not from the proc. Intel is slacking or better yet the entire computer industry is slacking.
The biggest improvements are coming from mobile. My Note 3 definitely feels faster than my Note 2 and that phone was faster than my Verizon Nexus.
The biggest improvements are coming from mobile. My Note 3 definitely feels faster than my Note 2 and that phone was faster than my Verizon Nexus.
so, looks like the biggest difference is ssd capacity as standard.
Petty they favored ssd more bump over small performance...
I would have chosen bigger performance boost instead of all MBA's being same clock speed by default....
But then i guess you wouldn't get that $100 price drop would you...
Petty they favored ssd more bump over small performance...
I would have chosen bigger performance boost instead of all MBA's being same clock speed by default....
But then i guess you wouldn't get that $100 price drop would you...
Performance is more than just speed!
As someone who likes and even occasionally needs speed (an increase of 4x would be nice, but not fast enough when I need it most), I have to say that an increase in battery life is a significant performance improvement. That you get it with any increase in speed is impressive, especially since the previous generation is plenty fast for 99.9+% of all uses.
As someone who likes and even occasionally needs speed (an increase of 4x would be nice, but not fast enough when I need it most), I have to say that an increase in battery life is a significant performance improvement. That you get it with any increase in speed is impressive, especially since the previous generation is plenty fast for 99.9+% of all uses.
how do you find the difference in battery life?
i've been weighing those 2 options for a while - waiting to see a big refresh for MBA
no price drop in Canada (Eh?) and since I run a windows on VMware fusion, I'd need to get the maxed version of MBA with 8gb RAM and higher processor anyway, so this minor update was a letdown for me personally.
That's quite a corner Apple painted itself into: the form factor (and weight) are so paramount to the MBA that adding a retina display to it will only be possible if size and weight are preserved. And getting a battery to last 10+ hours under those constraints is not going to be easy at all (if at all feasible).