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When Will MBA Be Updated

Gruber said:
Perhaps by not solving it. If Apple chooses to present the MBA as a smaller, all-new device with a focus on portability and Office applications, the GPU issue might not matter anymore in the public perception.
The (Windows) gaming performance of my 15in MBP is not exactly mind-blowing. When switching to an ultraportable form factor, I think that I can ignore 3D performance as long as the GPU is fast enough to keep the GUI responsive and handle HD on an external screen.
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You may be right about that. I'm not a gamer and don't do much that is graphics intensive so I'm really not sure how much GPU power I would need. I do know, though, that 2Gb of RAM, and maybe even 4Gb, would not be enough for my applications.
 
gwsat said:
You may be right about that. I'm not a gamer and don't do much that is graphics intensive so I'm really not sure how much GPU power I would need. I do know, though, that 2Gb of RAM, and maybe even 4Gb, would not be enough for my applications.
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then you definitely don't need an Air my friend, if your current notebook has 6gb of memory and you're saying it ain't enough.

I can't see Apple ever going with more than 4 gb of memory in the Air for 2 simple reasons - cost and heat.

my MBPro (early 08) with 6gb memory ran faster (for sure) but much warmer than when I dropped it back to 2gb.

my daughter has the 4gb stick in her MBPro now for the enormous amount of Photoslop and other creative stuff she does, but complains about the heat issue.
can only put 2 and 2 together and figure that's the reason.
(I'm happy to stand corrected though on that one)

Apple will always (in the Air) sync cpu/gpu/memory/etc for the optimal performance, and will not blow us away with specs so we can say 'look how big mine is' - that what PC's do 😀
 
gwsat said:
I'm really not sure how much GPU power I would need. I do know, though, that 2Gb of RAM, and maybe even 4Gb, would not be enough for my applications.
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I totally agree. 2GB is not acceptable for a notebook in 2010, and 4GB is very tight for one that I expect to be using for three years. I would very much prefer 8GB.

It is somewhat unfortunate that the current discussion is dominated by Apple fanboys that pretty much ignore the state of the art when it comes to ultraportables outside the Cupertino universe. (No, Sony's laptops are not melting when you use a little more main memory. And yes, it is possible to make an ultraportable computer with high-end specs. And yes, there is a market for that, and smaller computers do not need to be cheaper.)
 
halledise said:
then you definitely don't need an Air my friend, if your current notebook has 6gb of memory and you're saying it ain't enough.
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That wasn't what I said and it's not what I think. Reread my post, give the matter a little more thought than you apparently have so far, and we can talk.
 
Scottsdale said:
I believe you're completely wrong about the future of the MBA. Apple is going a different route with other 13" Mac notebooks. Those other Macs have 10-hour batteries, optical drives, are thicker, and heavier.

The MBA is the design that gives users the ultraportable feature set many of us want from computers. Ultraportables in the market seem to be doing better and better.

I really think Apple will spread the MBA market before eliminating it. They could add both 11.6" and 15" MBAs to the lineup in addition to the 13.3" MBA.
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I really hope you are right. I love the MBA, but I'm very skeptical about an update given the current overall picture of what Apple is doing. With the iMac and the Mac Pro on the verge of an update, if we don't get an update to the MBA by the end of September, I think it's EOL for the MBA as we know it.

I agree with you about the MBP's to a point. But, why make a 13.3" MBP at all? How doe that fit with the MB? They used to make several options of the MB, and the MBP entry was a 15.4" version. Now they are down to one MB, which is really just a low cost entry point for students. If they take the 13.3" MBP one step closer to the air (thinner and/or lighter) at the same price, it's EOL Air!

Mac users around here (university) are calling the Air the analog of the Cube: overpriced, underpowered. I guess the good thing about that is the Cube led to the Mini!
 
AtmChm said:
I really hope you are right. I love the MBA, but I'm very skeptical about an update given the current overall picture of what Apple is doing. With the iMac and the Mac Pro on the verge of an update, if we don't get an update to the MBA by the end of September, I think it's EOL for the MBA as we know it.
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[Emphasis added]

I think you might be right about that but, I suggest, discontinuing the current version of the MBA would not necessarily be bad news if Apple redesigned and updated it to give it more power and features without increasing its weight. In fact, I believe that's one of the possibilities Scottsdale has suggested.
 
New Line

Somewhere earlier I already predicted that there would be nothing soon (God I hope I am wrong) but probably late 2010 or the latest early 2011 when the C2D are EOL. Than also the MacBook needs an update which would go well with the MBA. I could see that Apple ditches the optical drive of the Pro line, gives them the form factor of the current MBA with improved specs (especially cooling etc) and we have the merged MBP/MBA line, maybe called the MBB - MacBook Breeze... ;-)
 
gwsat said:
That wasn't what I said and it's not what I think. Reread my post, give the matter a little more thought than you apparently have so far, and we can talk.
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I'm not a gamer and don't do much that is graphics intensive so I'm really not sure how much GPU power I would need. I do know, though, that 2Gb of RAM, and maybe even 4Gb, would not be enough for my applications.
__________________
MacBook Pro3,1 2.4Ghz 17 Inch 6Gb RAM; PowerBook G4 17 Inch; iPad, 16Gb; Apple TV 160 Gb; Time Capsule 1 TB; three Airport Express units
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it was this post including your current setup upon which I based my comments.
to clarify what I meant:
if you don't do much graphics intensive stuff, and you've stated that even 4gb 'would not be enough for my applications'; and you currently have a MBPro with 6gb of memory - then:
a) you must be running some heavy duty apps that require top notch cpu/gpu with lots of memory.
b) a MBAir will not fulfil your requirements.

so that said, if I upset you I apologise for I must be missing something here; 😀 or else you are rather sensitive to being misunderstood for some reason
 
halledise said:
it was this post including your current setup upon which I based my comments.
to clarify what I meant:
if you don't do much graphics intensive stuff, and you've stated that even 4gb 'would not be enough for my applications'; and you currently have a MBPro with 6gb of memory - then:
a) you must be running some heavy duty apps that require top notch cpu/gpu with lots of memory.
b) a MBAir will not fulfil your requirements.

so that said, if I upset you I apologise for I must be missing something here; 😀 or else you are rather sensitive to being misunderstood for some reason
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You did misunderstand but I sincerely appreciate your apology. The apps I run that are memory intensive are VMware Fusion in Unity mode and several Windows apps, which run simultaneously with several OS X apps. When I had only 2Gb of RAM in my MBP it couldn't handle Fusion in Unity mode at all. I upgraded to 6Gb because that is the maximum my Santa Rosa MBP can handle. Fortunately, it has been more than enough and I have been very happy with my setup ever since I upgraded. Thus, it is clear that the current MBA, which is limited to 2Gb of RAM would be inadequate.

If an upgraded MBA offers only 4Gb of RAM I will probably pass it over, too, because the conventional wisdom seems to be that even 4Gb of RAM is marginal for running Fusion and several Windows apps in Unity mode. Although I feel certain that 6Gb of RAM would be enough, I think the chances of Apple making such a configuration possible on an MBA are minuscule. That's why I mentioned my desire for 8Gb of RAM in an MBA in my earlier post.

I am not at all worried about the MBA's 2.13Mhz C2D chip, because the circa 2007 C2D 2.4Ghz chip in my MBP has been more than adequate. The bottom line seems to be that Fusion absolutely requires considerable RAM but is less demanding where processing power is concerned. Consequently, I think that in the unlikely event Apple does offer an 8Gb RAM option in an upgraded MBA it would be adequate for my needs, regardless of the CPU Apple used.

In fairness to you, I might have been well advised to have said all of this in the first place.
 
gwsat said:
The apps I run that are memory intensive are VMware Fusion in Unity mode and several Windows apps, which run simultaneously with several OS X apps. When I had only 2Gb of RAM in my MBP it couldn't handle Fusion in Unity mode at all.
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Have you tried Parallels? I've gone back and forth between Parallels and Fusion. Back in version 3 I found Parallels quite unstable and limited in what it could do. Switched to Fusion at some point, and have used that on three of my Macs, including my Rev A MBA. But I would agree, it is very slow running in a window. Never tried unity. And if you try too much, the MBA would almost lock up. However, when the new version of Parallels came out (revision 5), I tried that. It converted my Fusion Win XP setup and all worked ok, and it was definitely faster on my rev A MBA. I also noticed the Fusion virtual machine was fairly large - about 30 GB on my HD. Parallels did some kind of compaction process when I converted the virtual machine, and now it is about 14 GB under Parallels. I really don't know why the machine is so big in Fusion because I only had a few apps loaded on the virtual machine, and I keep all my data on the Mac side. Anyway, now that I have my new MBA rev C with the TS128B SDD, it's amazing how fast the virtual machine runs, and I have not seen limitations in the number of apps I have open, though I don't use that many simultaneously (2 or 3). iStat shows that I only have about 12 MB of free memory when I am running Parallels, but it doesn't seem to matter how many programs I have open. I suspect it is swapping memory to the SSD, but since the read/writes are fast, it's almost like having a lot more memory.

So, if you have access to a rev B/C with a fast SSD, you might try running your virtual machine in Parallels. I don't know if you are running XP or Win 7. Maybe this is a bigger problem in Win 7.
 
AtmChm said:
Anyway, now that I have my new MBA rev C with the TS128B SDD, it's amazing how fast the virtual machine runs, and I have not seen limitations in the number of apps I have open, though I don't use that many simultaneously (2 or 3). iStat shows that I only have about 12 MB of free memory when I am running Parallels, but it doesn't seem to matter how many programs I have open. I suspect it is swapping memory to the SSD, but since the read/writes are fast, it's almost like having a lot more memory.

So, if you have access to a rev B/C with a fast SSD, you might try running your virtual machine in Parallels. I don't know if you are running XP or Win 7. Maybe this is a bigger problem in Win 7.
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I agonized long and hard over whether to go with Fusion or Parallels but finally chose Fusion. As noted earlier, it has been great on my MBP with 6Gb of RAM. As much as I admire the MBA, I lack the courage to try the current model because of the headaches I had running Fusion with only 2Gb of RAM on my MBP. I may take a chance and get an MBA if it is upgraded to 4Gb of RAM but even that scares me.

I hear good things about the current version of Parallels but have spent so much time learning the ins and outs of Fusion that I hesitate to consider a change. Also, I have concluded that either program needs a lot of memory to run optimally. I continue to wait and wonder what Apple is going to deliver in the way of an MBA upgrade, if anything, but fear that the upgraded model will likely have only 4Gb of RAM without a way to upgrade it.
 
Gruber said:
It is somewhat unfortunate that the current discussion is dominated by Apple fanboys that pretty much ignore the state of the art when it comes to ultraportables outside the Cupertino universe.
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Go wash your mouth out with soap. 😉

I want to buy my mother one for her birthday in late October, so naturally I'm hanging for a refresh.

I agree that for a lot of people it's a limited computer but it is perfect for some. My mum does her internet banking, checks emails, writes letters and might watch a bit of YouTube every now and then. That's it. And she likes the form factor.
 
gri said:
Somewhere earlier I already predicted that there would be nothing soon (God I hope I am wrong) but probably late 2010 or the latest early 2011 when the C2D are EOL. Than also the MacBook needs an update which would go well with the MBA. I could see that Apple ditches the optical drive of the Pro line, gives them the form factor of the current MBA with improved specs (especially cooling etc) and we have the merged MBP/MBA line, maybe called the MBB - MacBook Breeze... ;-)
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I hope for all that is gray that they don't do that. Call me an old fart, but I do not want to be without an optical drive no matter what. There are just too many instances where I need to go back to the CD, or load up a DVD/CD, or something else. It's not daily - once every month or so? But it's just the convenience of knowing it's there. I don't want a SuperDrive dangling off a USB port (of which I already have few). I know it sounds quirky given the infrequent access, I just...
 
hoping for a refresh

apple cant think that many are buying the air the way it is now. i would say some are buying ipads and some are buying 13 mbps instead. i dont know how much longer it can sit like this but look at the mini. it does not seem like the mini (just updated) and air are a high priority to apple.
 
gri said:
Somewhere earlier I already predicted that there would be nothing soon (God I hope I am wrong) but probably late 2010 or the latest early 2011 when the C2D are EOL. Than also the MacBook needs an update which would go well with the MBA. I could see that Apple ditches the optical drive of the Pro line, gives them the form factor of the current MBA with improved specs (especially cooling etc) and we have the merged MBP/MBA line, maybe called the MBB - MacBook Breeze... ;-)
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Yep, I said it also, and believe (and hope beyond hope) that it's what they're going to do. Unfortunately, that also means waiting waaaay longer, as I don't think THAT is coming for 2010...
 
halledise said:
based on this article, I'd say that not only is an Air update a lot closer than early 2011 as I and a few others have settled for and in fact the concept that Scottsdale has previously espoused (re the AMD/ATI combo) is indeed a closer reality 😀

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/04/16/apple_in_advanced_discussions_to_adopt_amd_chips.html
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Ontario appears to be ahead of schedule, as it is scheduled for a release at the end of the year (before Llano).

roadmap_juli10.jpg

(desktop roadmap but it's similar for mobile)
 
iMacmatician said:
Ontario appears to be ahead of schedule, as it is scheduled for a release at the end of the year (before Llano).

roadmap_juli10.jpg

(desktop roadmap but it's similar for mobile)
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With the new information about Nvidia and Intel being close to a resolution, there's a good chance Apple waited long enough with C2D that it can keep Nvidia's GPU/chipset and add Core i-series CPUs.

I would say there's a better chance of Nvidia and Core i than AMD/ATI making the next round of MacFive computer updates.
 
gwsat said:
I, too, can see Apple substantially upgrading the MBA and selling it for a higher price. I would love to see an MBA with an 8Gb RAM option, for example. That would be worth a premium to me. I will be curious to see how Apple solves the CPU-GPU quandary that Intel has forced on it, too. Perhaps a deal with AMD? Anyway, I hope that something is done soon.
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I would quite happily pay more for a 13" MBA with Discrete Graphics, 4GB RAM, i5 and Solid State Drive than a £1800 17" MBP
 
Advanced tea leaf reading...

Does anyone know Apple marketting history enough to answer this question:

Would it neccessarily seem true, in the light of Apple's past announcement practices, to deduce from the today's news (?) --- "Today Apple announced products that in certain instances, they won't be actually selling until August and September. Therefor, this tells us that we can forget about a revised Macbook Air in those 2 months."

It would seem illogical to leave out one more item that's coming in the same time frame. But of course, so often history trumps logic.... so.... Would it be like Apple to leave one thing out of an announcement like this... when they could've put it in?
 
I have a MBA, an Ipad and a MBP 13. I am using more and more the iPad, the mbp sits on my desk and very seldom I take it from there, it is very heavy, not classy to be at the admirals club, and my MBA is by my bed, should I need to dowload something that does not play on the iPad. As technology evolves, I am willing to go back to Windows and getting the only competitor of the MBA, the Vaio Z. I felt let down by Apple on the MBA.
 
jns2001 said:
I have a MBA, an Ipad and a MBP 13. I am using more and more the iPad, the mbp sits on my desk and very seldom I take it from there, it is very heavy, not classy to be at the admirals club, and my MBA is by my bed, should I need to dowload something that does not play on the iPad. As technology evolves, I am willing to go back to Windows and getting the only competitor of the MBA, the Vaio Z. I felt let down by Apple on the MBA.
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I have some hope for the iPad going forward but, for the moment at least, it is critically limited. I usually use my iPad only to watch streaming video and listen to recorded books. Every one of the Web browsers available for it is limited to one degree or another so I almost always find myself going to a real computer when I want to surf the Web. The iPad's primitive mail client is brutally hard to use and is almost unconfigurable compared to Mail and other genuine mail clients. Maybe iOS 4.0 for iPad will make it more functional, I hope so.
 
Scottsdale said:
I would say there's a better chance of Nvidia and Core i than AMD/ATI making the next round of MacFive computer updates.
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I think some of the newbies here might benefit from a refresher course on the signifigance of the 'MacFive' theory.

After all, there's a total of only SIX classes of Macs in the first place, so a subset that encompasses five of the six seems kind of ... odd. Especially since very few of us even consider buying the sixth, which is the MacPro.
 
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