It may perform fine, but it is getting outdated due to other factors, and the one that pops out to mind is the screen, which is still TN and low resolution compared to competitor PC ultrabooks.
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Warming-up for the all-new redesigned retina 2014 (2015?) MacBook Air
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It may perform fine, but it is getting outdated due to other factors, and the one that pops out to mind is the screen, which is still TN and low resolution compared to competitor PC ultrabooks.
You said it was slow. I didn't know the resolution and screen made a laptop slow.
It was not me who said that. It was somebody else.
The MacBook Air performance is just fine. It is certainly not the fastest of laptops, as it runs on a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor, but it is OK.
Even if it's not a redesign, i would like something like this concept
That would be interesting, although I dare to say it is very unlikely to happen. If it happens, though, I hope Apple makes it in aluminum and not "unapologetically plastic".
Even if it's not a redesign, i would like something like this concept
That concept is nice. A black / space grey MacBook Air would look amazing. I agree though, not plastic. I don't think they could replicate the thinness in plastic and I definitely don't wan't them to try.
We don't need a Macbook C.
I'd say the performance of the current Air is more than fine when compared to other ultrabooks in its class. The HD5000 (while limited by the 15W TDP) is more than powerful enough to satisfy the needs for any regular work/play.
The screen is literally the only thing holding it back from being great again. Although a redesign that slims down the overly large bezel and reduces the overall footprint would be welcome too.
The performance of the MacBook Air is just fine.
The MacBook Air has a 1.3 GHz processor, the Intel Core i5-4250U. Most ultrabooks out there run a Core i5-4200U processor at 1.6 GHz. The i5-4200U has a higher base frequency, but both the i5-4200U and the i5-4250U run at a maximum speed of 2.6 GHz. While I suspect that the i5-4200U is generally faster due to the higher clock rate, I cannot confirm this information.
The i5-4250U has a better integrated video card, though (the HD 5000) than the i5-4200U (the HD 4400). The video card will not make most apps run faster, only those who make extensive use of GPU (such as games and the rare software that makes use of OpenCL).
I am not sure about greatness.
If the MacBook Air gets a retina display, it will be on the same level as other high-end ultrabooks such as the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus and the Asus Zenbook Infinity.
The Mac will certainly be the only one to run OS X, and that may be the standard of greatness for many here. However, the fact is that the MacBook Air, even if it gets a retina display, will have unique in terms of hardware.
I hope Apple comes up with some redesign that makes the MacBook Air unique again, and not just an ultrabook that runs OS X, so similar to so many copies of it that arose over time.
Is ddr4 in the upcoming air even a possibility?
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/0...-deliver-lightning-quick-performance-in-2014/
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/0...-deliver-lightning-quick-performance-in-2014/
I am not sure why all the negativity toward the MBA, find me an ultra book that can even get close to an MBA (actual usage not "advertised") I don't think you will.
Sure the screen is not retina, but it is a nice screen for what it is and that screen trade off allows for a lighter design, more battery life, less graphic need to push those pixels.. There is a good reason apple has yet to include it in the air, I think the trade off's are fairly big.
But I am excited for this retina mba to hit the market.
Sure the screen is not retina, but it is a nice screen for what it is and that screen trade off allows for a lighter design, more battery life, less graphic need to push those pixels.. There is a good reason apple has yet to include it in the air, I think the trade off's are fairly big.
But I am excited for this retina mba to hit the market.
It is an outdated product. It is not bad, it has just past its prime.
Apple has been consistently reducing the price of the MBA, because it is less and less competitive. Apple's strategy is to release a product and then keep the same design for some time, not updating it, until it suddenly brings up something completely new.
The iPhone and the iPad seem to be revamped every two years. The iPhone 4S felt outdated after the release of Android phones which were light and had a bigger screen, but Apple kept the same design until the release of the iPhone 5.
The non-retina MacBook Pro was outdated in 2012, when nearly all Windows laptops were becoming thinner, lighter and had a higher resolution display. Still, Apple waited until 2012 to release a new model and until 2013 to discontinue most of the models.
And now the MBA is outdated. It is not about trade-offs or anything. It is about consistency. Apple keeps the same design and then upgrades it altogether, and the new product comes with a boom of novelty that makes it very exciting. If the screen resolution of the MBP kept increasing year after year, and it kept becoming thinner and lighter year after year, it would have slowly become the rMBP. That's not how Apple works.
There are ultrabooks that are better than the MBA. I cannot say about "actual usage" because, of course, I have not used all of them for long periods of time, and "actual usage" may be something very subjective.
Still, there are ultrabooks which are better than the MBA now: the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, the Asus Zenbook Infinity, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro, the Sony Vaio Pro, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, the Dell XPS 12, the Acer Aspire S7...
Perhaps you do not find them better than the MBA... but it's certainly subjective. Even the 13" rMBP is a better MBA than the MBA itself. It became almost as thin and light as the MBA, and it has better specs and a better screen. It is definitely time for a change.
Unknown. Could be right away.
Rumors are for a new 12" retina MBA that is thinner and lighter. Some rumors have said it will be fan-less and some have said that it will have a new trackpad.
There also have been some predictions that Apple will switch over to an ARM processor (and not use Intel). Cheaper and lower power...but incompatible with older Intel software.
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I have the 2013 MacBook Air, and I'm looking forward to replace it in 2015.
I'm really interested in what the 2014 MacBook Air is going to be.
If this year's model is going to have a Retina display and still retain all-day battery life, I might replace it.
I might go for the MacBook Pro with Retina display 13" in 2015 if MacBook Air model still remains the same.
I'm very curious on how MacBook Air line up will be like in marketing wise because once it gets a retina display, Apple should worry about MacBook Pro with Retina display 13" cannibalizing the Air model. The only major difference will be the Air being lighter. This issue can be avoided if the 13" Pro retina is introduced with dGPU.
I'm really interested in what the 2014 MacBook Air is going to be.
If this year's model is going to have a Retina display and still retain all-day battery life, I might replace it.
I might go for the MacBook Pro with Retina display 13" in 2015 if MacBook Air model still remains the same.
I'm very curious on how MacBook Air line up will be like in marketing wise because once it gets a retina display, Apple should worry about MacBook Pro with Retina display 13" cannibalizing the Air model. The only major difference will be the Air being lighter. This issue can be avoided if the 13" Pro retina is introduced with dGPU.
Usually Apple makes it available right after the announcement. It does not always happen, although I have never seen Apple delay the availability when annoucing new MacBooks.
We're now in april, with two more months till june. Still, no rumors of a 13/14" Retina MacBook Air, only 12".
Too bad. Might need to replace my 2011 13" MBA with a rMBP.
Too bad. Might need to replace my 2011 13" MBA with a rMBP.
It would not make sense for Apple to release a 13/14" rMBA. Apple already has the 13" rMBP, which is only slightly heavier than the 13" MBA, and nearly the same size. A 12" rMBP, on the other hand, could be the same size of the current 11" MBA, but with a smaller bezel.
Thing is, the 13" MBA is Apples best selling laptop, together with the 13" cMBP. At my school, 50 % of everyone on campus use Apple laptops. Half of those are 13" MBAs, the other half are 13" cMBPs. This is not very surprising, seeing as these computers are volume-sellers which sells with great discounts at our equivalents of Best Buy. These are simply the most affordable Apple laptops, by quite a lot. Most people at uni wants one computer to do it all. It should act as their main computer at home, while being light enough to bring to class all day, while still being affordable. This is where the 13" computers shine. Nearly everyone I know considers the 11" MBA to be "WAY TOO SMALL!" for their only computer, (could be why I never see them on campus...) Mind you, this computer is already 11.6", not that for from the rumored 12.2", but quite far from 13.3".
Now, rumor has it, the 13" cMBP is being discontinued (about time, if you ask me. Many will disagree however...). If the 13" MBA is also discontinued, students have no choice but to purchase the 13" rMBP, or the 12" MBA, or go iPad/PC.
If the 12" MBA will sit closer to the 11" MBA than the 13" MBA, I believe many people will consider it too small for any serious work. (Debatable of course, but the general opinion in my surroundings). These people would probably opt for the 13" rMBP instead. Problem is, here in Sweden, the base 13" rMBP costs an equivalent of $500 more than the 13" MBA (which is the exact same price as the cMBP), as of now.
Thing is, I'm not sure the 12" is the great replacement for the do-it-all 13" MBA, for us students at least. Me, and many others would love a 13" rMBA at the same price point, and in best of worlds I would love to see a 14" rMBA with the same size, but an edge-to-edge 14" screen. At least we can hope that Apple won't be axing the "Classic 13" MBA" until a proper replacement arrives, or the 13" rMBP has reached an equivalent price-level.
Edit: But yes, I do agree with you - the 13" rMBP is the logical replacement of the 13" MBA, however not until the prices have reached a significantly lower level.
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No it isn't. Här i Sverige, the base rMBP costs 11.995kr and the base 13" MBA is 9.995kr, which is equivalent to a difference of about 300 USD, a far cry from the 500 USD gap you claim.
The 12" machine will come in a new form factor that is not identical or even iterative of the current MBA form factor - it will be easily recognisable as a next generation machine. The screen is rumoured to have a 16:10 aspect ratio, making the actual screen real estate at 12" much larger than the current 11" in MBA's so as to not really make it comparable. This has been covered in this thread already. With retina resolution, and the ability to run scaled resolutions with OSX, this would blow the current 13" MBA out of the water in terms of usability for "serious work." (Note that I am a finance professional who uses the 11" MBA in my sig. as my only computer for work) I am pretty sure the design we will see will include a massively reduced bezel making the screen itself appear much larger to the eye as well in relation to the machine. Think iPad mini or iPad Air sized bezels.
I think the bigger question here isn't whether this is going to be the new or next generation Air, but whether it will even be an Air at all. If the rumours of a fan-less design prove to be true, then one is looking at either an Intel y-series Broadwell chip, or at proprietary Apple A-series ARM silicon. If the latter, then it won't be called MBA, but something else. If the former then it will be.
Either way it will run full OSX that will be indistinguishable regardless of the x86 or ARM architecture, it won't be iOS. ARM doesn't equal iOS. Then if they can partner with some of the big software partners like Adobe for creative cloud and Microsoft for the next version of Office for OSX, then I could see either alternative being massively successful, and when you look at the cost difference between the Intel chip and the ARM chip (circa $400 difference!!) It is a compelling financial argument. Key will be having killer apps on board from day 1, like the ones mentioned above. With Microsoft acting like a software company again, it isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Not saying it will happen this time around, but it very well could. Very curious to see what this next computer from Apple will turn out to be.
Well, you're referring to the MSRP, hence you are somewhat correct. However, would you have taken the time to read my previous post, you would've noticed that I clearly stated that the 13" MBA and cMBP are the volume-sellers, hence why they sell at great discounts at our equivalents of Best Buy. The store I'm referring to is Elgiganten, which sells the 13" MBA for 8990kr. Comparing Apples to Apples, the same store sells the rMBP for 11990kr. A difference of an equivalent of 459 USD to be exact. Based on the swedish pricing, the rMBP is 33 % more expensive than the MBA.
Sure, one could argue that the rMBP will probably drop in price, as soon as the cMBP is discontinued. I for one hope that this will be the case.
However, I'm not going to continue this discussion, mostly due to the fact that most members of MR could care less about our local pricing, that said, heck, even the $300 price difference you mention is a lot for most students.
Point is, I'd love to see Apple offer a larger-than-12" retina MBA, at a competitive price point.
Point is, I'd love to see Apple offer a larger-than-12" retina MBA, at a competitive price point.
Everybody would love that. However, Apple already offers a 13" and a 15" thin-and-light laptops. While they are not Airs, they are thin and light enough, so Apple is not going to release anything else to compete with them. As for the price, these laptops are already competitive for what they are. The cheapest 13" costs US$ 1,299, which is on par or cheaper than retina-level Windows laptops.
Well, you're referring to the MSRP, hence you are somewhat correct. However, would you have taken the time to read my previous post, you would've noticed that I clearly stated that the 13" MBA and cMBP are the volume-sellers, hence why they sell at great discounts at our equivalents of Best Buy. The store I'm referring to is Elgiganten, which sells the 13" MBA for 8990kr. Comparing Apples to Apples, the same store sells the rMBP for 11990kr. A difference of an equivalent of 459 USD to be exact. Based on the swedish pricing, the rMBP is 33 % more expensive than the MBA.
Sure, one could argue that the rMBP will probably drop in price, as soon as the cMBP is discontinued. I for one hope that this will be the case.
However, I'm not going to continue this discussion, mostly due to the fact that most members of MR could care less about our local pricing, that said, heck, even the $300 price difference you mention is a lot for most students.
Point is, I'd love to see Apple offer a larger-than-12" retina MBA, at a competitive price point.
Agree we shouldn't drag it out, but I wasn't aware there was that much elasticity in the MBA's pricing compared to the rMBP. Interesting that Elgiganten and MediaMarkt can do that with the Air, but not the rMBP.
Off topic but I wonder if the same is the case in other markets, like the US? Or if the hard core electronics store price war going on between Elgiganten and Mediamarkt has anything to do with it...