Who actually is the 12" MacBook for?

[HappyIntro]

I agree that the 12" MacBook is ready for an update! The ONE thing which would get me standing in line ready to buy a 2019 updated one would be if they add a second USB-C port to the machine and I doubt that they will do that...... Spec bumps would be nice, but I can live with what I've got for another year or so, as my current one is maxed out with i7 and 16 GB RAM so speediness really is not an issue.

Even if they'd spec bump the CPU, the upgrade would be minor. My current MacBook is the same model as yours, and it is plenty speedy for me. However I agree, if they could just add a second USB-C port that would be a huge leap forward in usability for a lot of folks.

 

[EugW]

Even if they'd spec bump the CPU, the upgrade would be minor. My current MacBook is the same model as yours, and it is plenty speedy for me. However I agree, if they could just add a second USB-C port that would be a huge leap forward in usability for a lot of folks.

They could remove the headphone jack and replace it with a USB-C port. Apple already sells USB-C to audio dongles for just ten bucks.

 

[noobinator]

I think it will get:

1. updated CPU (assuming there's one available?)
2. updated keyboard, same as 2018 MBP w/ touchbar or even better since that one seems to have issues.
3. updated marketing lingo about the battery, screen, and speakers

They'll reserve multiple USB-Cs for the MBPs unfortunately I believe.

 

[Falhófnir]

I think it will get:

1. updated CPU (assuming there's one available?)
2. updated keyboard, same as 2018 MBP w/ touchbar or even better since that one seems to have issues.
3. updated marketing lingo about the battery, screen, and speakers

They'll reserve multiple USB-Cs for the MBPs unfortunately I believe.

Yep, Amber Lake Y (8th gen) https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/codename/186968/amber-lake-y.html The new MacBook Air is using the i5-8210Y but there's also m3 and i7 flavours available.

 

[EugW]

Yep, Amber Lake Y (8th gen) https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/codename/186968/amber-lake-y.html The new MacBook Air is using the i5-8210Y but there's also m3 and i7 flavours available.

I get the impression the i5-8210Y essentially began life as a custom chip for Apple.

 

[noobinator]

I fear they will jam the touchbar in this model and raise the base price to $1799.

Does anyone know how feasible it would be to put a touch bar in a 12" macbook? Hopefully there isn't room because I'd prefer this machine to not have it.

I'll take a fingerprint scanner tho!

 

[radiologyman]

Anyone can recommend a quality skin for MB 12, preferably with leather feel?

 

[EugW]

Anyone can recommend a quality skin for MB 12, preferably with leather feel?

I put a plastic skin on mine and the added weight (which didn't seem very much to me) made the screen prone to close a bit with the lightest touch.

I took the skin off, and I don't have this problem.

So, now I use it naked, but keep it in a Harber London leather sleeve when I'm not using it. The way the sleeve is designed, I can charge the MacBook while it's in the sleeve.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...leeves-for-the-macbook.2117551/#post-26040402

 

[Clix Pix]

I always use my 12" MacBook naked, but when taking her out somewhere put her into a sleeve or case for protection, especially when traveling.

As for the Touch Bar: meh.... I have one on my 15" MBP and it's OK but I rarely use it; I don't really need or want one on the 12" MacBook.

 

[Dave245]

Ok, i visited the Apple store in Birmingham yesterday during some down time, i left the Apple store questioning why is the 12" Macbook still around? let me explain. I went into the Apple store and spent a good chunk of time with the new Macbook Air, it is better in every way other than weight and size. The Macbook Air 2018, has a 13" screen, the brightness really isn't an issue so i don't know people on the forum are trying to make it one, the same goes for the quality of the screen. You really can't tell a difference between the new Macbook Air, the 12" Macbook and the Macbook Pro unless you line them all up and look very carefully.

The Macbook Air has Touch ID, which is a brilliant feature (altho i can't help thinking it will short lived because Face ID will probably come soon enough). The Macbook Air is also very light, i picked it up and was shocked at how light it felt even holding it in one hand. It's a very portable device that you could take anywhere, open up and use.

The next thing i was shocked by was just how fast the new Macbook Air is, i spent a while trying to slow it down, i opened a number of tabs on Safari, iMovie, Garageband, nearly every app that was on the display machine. It had no problems when it tested out iMovie, i couldn't load my own footage onto the machine but there was already a test footage on there, i scrubbed across the timeline, added effects and in the background i also had Garageband open, Pages, Numbers and Keynote, it handled it with ease. I was shocked because the comments on this forum make it sound like the new Macbook Air's specs are trash. For my work flow i think the Macbook Air would be more than enough.

I'm glad i went to the Apple store and did a more in-depth look at the Macbook Air compared to the 12" Macbook, i wasn't a fan of the gold colour and would personally buy this machine in Space grey. I left wondering what the 12" Macbook was still doing in the lineup, the new Air is cheaper than the 12" Macbook, it has Touch ID and the bigger 13" screen, which to my eyes looked great.

It will be interesting to see where Apple take the 12" Macbook next, will they update it or could they remove it from the line up all together.

EDIT - when testing out the new Air at the Apple store i checked the specs and it was the 8GB Ram model, so i'm guessing the 16GB option would make it even faster for apps?

 

[Falhófnir]

Ok, i visited the Apple store in Birmingham yesterday during some down time, i left the Apple store questioning why is the 12" Macbook still around? let me explain. I went into the Apple store and spent a good chunk of time with the new Macbook Air, it is better in every way other than weight and size. The Macbook Air 2018, has a 13" screen, the brightness really isn't an issue so i don't know people on the forum are trying to make it one, the same goes for the quality of the screen. You really can't tell a difference between the new Macbook Air, the 12" Macbook and the Macbook Pro unless you line them all up and look very carefully.

The Macbook Air has Touch ID, which is a brilliant feature (altho i can't help thinking it will short lived because Face ID will probably come soon enough). The Macbook Air is also very light, i picked it up and was shocked at how light it felt even holding it in one hand. It's a very portable device that you could take anywhere, open up and use.

The next thing i was shocked by was just how fast the new Macbook Air is, i spent a while trying to slow it down, i opened a number of tabs on Safari, iMovie, Garageband, nearly every app that was on the display machine. It had no problems when it tested out iMovie, i couldn't load my own footage onto the machine but there was already a test footage on there, i scrubbed across the timeline, added effects and in the background i also had Garageband open, Pages, Numbers and Keynote, it handled it with ease. I was shocked because the comments on this forum make it sound like the new Macbook Air's specs are trash. For my work flow i think the Macbook Air would be more than enough.

I'm glad i went to the Apple store and did a more in-depth look at the Macbook Air compared to the 12" Macbook, i wasn't a fan of the gold colour and would personally buy this machine in Space grey. I left wondering what the 12" Macbook was still doing in the lineup, the new Air is cheaper than the 12" Macbook, it has Touch ID and the bigger 13" screen, which to my eyes looked great.

It will be interesting to see where Apple take the 12" Macbook next, will they update it or could they remove it from the line up all together.

EDIT - when testing out the new Air at the Apple store i checked the specs and it was the 8GB Ram model, so i'm guessing the 16GB option would make it even faster for apps?

Horses for courses I would say - I wouldn't classify the two machines as directly competing against one another, effectively the 12" MB is the latest generation of the 11" Air while the 13" MBA is of course the direct successor to the old Air. Perhaps this does show Apple needs to make it clearer where the two models stand though. Particularly the discordant pricing and fact they are very similar but in different lines could be looked at (Make the MB the 12" MBA and drop the price to $1,099) - or else they need to keep the MB as the upscale cutting edge machine it started off as and update it with ARM, an iPad pro style display to squeeze more screen into the smaller form factor, and what have you.

 

[EugW]

Ok, i visited the Apple store in Birmingham yesterday during some down time, i left the Apple store questioning why is the 12" Macbook still around? let me explain. I went into the Apple store and spent a good chunk of time with the new Macbook Air, it is better in every way other than weight and size. The Macbook Air 2018, has a 13" screen, the brightness really isn't an issue so i don't know people on the forum are trying to make it one, the same goes for the quality of the screen. You really can't tell a difference between the new Macbook Air, the 12" Macbook and the Macbook Pro unless you line them all up and look very carefully.

The Macbook Air has Touch ID, which is a brilliant feature (altho i can't help thinking it will short lived because Face ID will probably come soon enough). The Macbook Air is also very light, i picked it up and was shocked at how light it felt even holding it in one hand. It's a very portable device that you could take anywhere, open up and use.

The next thing i was shocked by was just how fast the new Macbook Air is, i spent a while trying to slow it down, i opened a number of tabs on Safari, iMovie, Garageband, nearly every app that was on the display machine. It had no problems when it tested out iMovie, i couldn't load my own footage onto the machine but there was already a test footage on there, i scrubbed across the timeline, added effects and in the background i also had Garageband open, Pages, Numbers and Keynote, it handled it with ease. I was shocked because the comments on this forum make it sound like the new Macbook Air's specs are trash. For my work flow i think the Macbook Air would be more than enough.

I'm glad i went to the Apple store and did a more in-depth look at the Macbook Air compared to the 12" Macbook, i wasn't a fan of the gold colour and would personally buy this machine in Space grey. I left wondering what the 12" Macbook was still doing in the lineup, the new Air is cheaper than the 12" Macbook, it has Touch ID and the bigger 13" screen, which to my eyes looked great.

It will be interesting to see where Apple take the 12" Macbook next, will they update it or could they remove it from the line up all together.

EDIT - when testing out the new Air at the Apple store i checked the specs and it was the 8GB Ram model, so i'm guessing the 16GB option would make it even faster for apps?

That's precisely the problem. The 13" is too big and heavy for my tastes. Also, it's not fanless.

The 12" annoyingly is missing the extra USB-C port.

Both the MacBook Air and the MacBook have horrible FaceTime cameras.

I have a 10.5" iPad Pro with Touch ID. It's fine, but for unlocking a laptop, the better idea is Face ID. That's the one annoyance I have with my iPad Pro when using the Smart Keyboard. Double-tapping the space bar won't unlock a Touch ID iPad. On the 11" iPad Pro with Face ID, that brings you to the Home Screen, because it's unlocked with Face ID. On my 10.5" Pro it brings me to the unlock screen, telling me to use either Touch ID or a passcode.

BTW, my iPad Pro has a 7 Megapixel FaceTime camera, and it doesn't even support Face ID.

 

[Dave245]

That's precisely the problem. The 13" is too big and heavy for my tastes. Also, it's not fanless.

The 12" annoyingly is missing the extra USB-C port.

Both the MacBook Air and the MacBook have horrible FaceTime cameras.

I have a 10.5" iPad Pro with Touch ID. It's fine, but for unlocking a laptop, the better idea is Face ID. That's the one annoyance I have with my iPad Pro when using the Smart Keyboard. Double-tapping the space bar won't unlock a Touch ID iPad. On the 11" iPad Pro with Face ID, that brings you to the Home Screen, because it's unlocked with Face ID. On my 10.5" Pro it brings me to the unlock screen, telling me to use either Touch ID or a passcode.

BTW, my iPad Pro has a 7 Megapixel FaceTime camera, and it doesn't even support Face ID.

That’s fair enough, it’s not that I hate the 12” MacBook it’s just I prefer the 13” screen size and the design of the Air with the tapered edge. I think the 12” MacBook could become like the 11” Air was before it got removed. Apple could add Touch ID, taper off the edge and call it the 12” MacBook Air.

My personal preference is the new Air, it’s light enough to carry around and use around the house, while also having a 13” screen. I will be buying one when I sell the mistake that I made which is my Surface Pro 6.

I think Face ID will come to the Mac eventually, after all there is more than enough room with the bezels on the current displays.

 

[alvincth]

I'm having a 13-inch MacBook Air (2012, 128GB SSD with 4GB RAM) with an iPad Pro 10.5 (2017) and an iPhone X. Struggling to choose between MacBook and the latest MacBook Air.

My Air has only ~66% battery capacity left and sometimes needs to be recharged at about 30%. I decided to replace this six-year-old model bought in early 2013 with a new one for website management (Squarespace) and other sorts like Evernote management, light photo editing (Pixelmator Pro) and light publishing through Pages. A larger storage will be needed (512GB) so that I can take my photos easily for blog or other uses even though I will keep an external hard drive for backup.

The screen size of MacBook 12 is already more acceptable than MacBook Air 11.6, but I psychologically think 12 inch is still a little bit small. Weight is another attractive factor for me, but I have an iPad Pro 10.5 for me which is much lighter. (which means MacBook is lighter, but will be still heavier and no difference with Air in the long run)

Touch ID and T2 chip may be beneficial to me, but don't forget that security chip doesn't exist in other devices like iPad and iPhone, and I don't feel unsafe without that chip. Yes, Touch ID can be used in iPad but on my laptop will be better (the main difference is Apple Pay).

For comparison I can't still decide which one as they can be the same as me. Both CPU should be better than my 2012 Air. Sometimes I prefer MacBook but a few days later it's Air. After the show time on 25 Mar, I consider MacBook again.

This is the most struggling time when purchasing Apple products. In the past I didn't think and research too much. An iPhone X is for me because of portrait mode and bigger screen with small size. An iPad Pro 10.5 is for me since 12.9 is toooo heavy and big.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Alvincth, reply deleted .....misread your post......apologies

 

[alvincth]

That’s fair enough, it’s not that I hate the 12” MacBook it’s just I prefer the 13” screen size and the design of the Air with the tapered edge. I think the 12” MacBook could become like the 11” Air was before it got removed. Apple could add Touch ID, taper off the edge and call it the 12” MacBook Air.

My personal preference is the new Air, it’s light enough to carry around and use around the house, while also having a 13” screen. I will be buying one when I sell the mistake that I made which is my Surface Pro 6.

I think Face ID will come to the Mac eventually, after all there is more than enough room with the bezels on the current displays.

After I just have a look in Apple Store, I am sure I prefer 13-inch MBA. Yes MacBook 12 is lighter but for me it's not that much. (If I need to bring a device when going out, I still prefer my iPad Pro.)

The real estate matters me the most, that small difference can have bigger effects for me.

I will buy it soon when I get my things done. Will have 256/512GB with 8GB RAM and Space Grey.

But MacBook 12" is still a great innovative laptop, I still love it but MacBook Air 13" fits me more.

 

[Dave245]

After I just have a look in Apple Store, I am sure I prefer 13-inch MBA. Yes MacBook 12 is lighter but for me it's not that much. (If I need to bring a device when going out, I still prefer my iPad Pro.)

The real estate matters me the most, that small difference can have bigger effects for me.

I will buy it soon when I get my things done. Will have 256/512GB with 8GB RAM and Space Grey.

But MacBook 12" is still a great innovative laptop, I still love it but MacBook Air 13" fits me more.

I think the new Macbook Air fits most people more, including myself. The bigger 13" screen also appeals to me, and the weight of the Air isn't that much heavier than the 12" Macbook.

Personally i think i will get the Space grey with 512GB and 16GB Ram. The new Air is a really nice machine, that retina display is much better than the old Air.

 

[sculfort]

I too grabbed a macbook dor under $800 brand new. It's a deal I have literally been waiting almost a year for.
I had an iPad and I really never used it much especially for online needs but I picked up the macbook because I want to utilize for certain things I do online that would be difficult from a phone or tablet. Basically for me it's my main computer but I have very basic needs and for that price with that amount of memory I couldn't pass it up. Even if I resale or give it away in a year or two I am not at huge loss $$ if any.

Just picked up a open box fair MacBook 2017 from Best Buy for $540. Could not be more happy with this machine. Still can’t believe how light it is. Love the screen and portability.

 

[The Samurai]

Just picked up a open box fair MacBook 2017 from Best Buy for $540. Could not be more happy with this machine. Still can’t believe how light it is. Love the screen and portability.

Cant believe you guys across the pond get these cracking deals. That is a steal.

 

[Dodgeman]

Just picked up a open box fair MacBook 2017 from Best Buy for $540. Could not be more happy with this machine. Still can’t believe how light it is. Love the screen and portability.

That a good deal too.
What made it fair?

 

[Mlrollin91]

I know this is an old thread but here is my reasoning. I went with a 12" MB for two reasons. First, I am a student, and my law textbooks are insanely heavy, so I wanted to lighter computer. Second, I used a 11" MBA throughout undergrad, and absolutely loved it. When they killed it off, I knew the 13" was a little too big for me. The 12" is a perfect middle. I wish I had a second port, but other than that, I am very happy with it.

 

[sculfort]

That a good deal too.
What made it fair?

To be honest I’m not 100% sure. He said it was either a floor model or customer return. It came in mint condition with all accessories. No scratches or anything so not sure why it said “fair” condition. I agree with others though that it could use an extra port

 

[Dave245]

I know this is an old thread but here is my reasoning. I went with a 12" MB for two reasons. First, I am a student, and my law textbooks are insanely heavy, so I wanted to lighter computer. Second, I used a 11" MBA throughout undergrad, and absolutely loved it. When they killed it off, I knew the 13" was a little too big for me. The 12" is a perfect middle. I wish I had a second port, but other than that, I am very happy with it.

That’s why I think Apple should remove the MacBook name, add an extra port add the wedge shape design and call it the 12” MacBook Air. People love Air and I’m sure the new model is selling well (even with the keyboard issues )

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Ok, i visited the Apple store in Birmingham yesterday during some down time, i left the Apple store questioning why is the 12" Macbook still around? let me explain. I went into the Apple store and spent a good chunk of time with the new Macbook Air, it is better in every way other than weight and size. The Macbook Air 2018, has a 13" screen, the brightness really isn't an issue so i don't know people on the forum are trying to make it one, the same goes for the quality of the screen. You really can't tell a difference between the new Macbook Air, the 12" Macbook and the Macbook Pro unless you line them all up and look very carefully.

The Macbook Air has Touch ID, which is a brilliant feature (altho i can't help thinking it will short lived because Face ID will probably come soon enough). The Macbook Air is also very light, i picked it up and was shocked at how light it felt even holding it in one hand. It's a very portable device that you could take anywhere, open up and use.

The next thing i was shocked by was just how fast the new Macbook Air is, i spent a while trying to slow it down, i opened a number of tabs on Safari, iMovie, Garageband, nearly every app that was on the display machine. It had no problems when it tested out iMovie, i couldn't load my own footage onto the machine but there was already a test footage on there, i scrubbed across the timeline, added effects and in the background i also had Garageband open, Pages, Numbers and Keynote, it handled it with ease. I was shocked because the comments on this forum make it sound like the new Macbook Air's specs are trash. For my work flow i think the Macbook Air would be more than enough.

I'm glad i went to the Apple store and did a more in-depth look at the Macbook Air compared to the 12" Macbook, i wasn't a fan of the gold colour and would personally buy this machine in Space grey. I left wondering what the 12" Macbook was still doing in the lineup, the new Air is cheaper than the 12" Macbook, it has Touch ID and the bigger 13" screen, which to my eyes looked great.

It will be interesting to see where Apple take the 12" Macbook next, will they update it or could they remove it from the line up all together.

EDIT - when testing out the new Air at the Apple store i checked the specs and it was the 8GB Ram model, so i'm guessing the 16GB option would make it even faster for apps?

Sorry Dave, I can't agree with you regarding the Air. It's the ugly and useless Sister of the Mac family. The MacBook Pro is superior in every way for a tiny extra amount of money, whilst the 12" MacBook is more portable. The Air is the ignorant choice and exists simply to please Tim Cook sadly. It should not be around and adds to confusion for the Mac customer. It excels at nothing and its pricing is a complete insult.

It's a lazy model. Apple had years to develop the design. Their designers are probably the highest paid designers in the world and they couldn't even be bothered to design something brand new. No, they took a 12" MacBook and made it bigger like the MacBook Pro. What as shame when that day, they launched the brand new iPad Pro with a brand new direction of design with rounded bezels, Face ID, ProMotion display.
With the MacBook Air, they very clearly thought that some clueless sucker will pay over the odds for this because it has the old 'Air' branding. I can't even look at the horrible thing when I go into an Apple store. Seriously, very poor taste Apple! Can't they be bothered with it? It clearly showed that Tim Cook did not want to invest any money into R&D for it. It has no qualities going for it. No wow factor. NOTHING.

I do find it a little crazy that you are surprised how fast it is, surely any brand new computer with nothing clogging up its SSD or harddrive will be super fast? Hell, even my first 2009 MacBook was super fast for the first 2 years before it suddenly turned into a 100 year old senior citizen with a Mac OS update :'(
Also iMovie, Garageband are all very very basic under 10 year olds software. If you'd tried Adobe Premiere things may have not been so speedy or even FCPX although all Apple software seems to be nicely optimised.

Personally, i'm waiting for a new MacBook Pro 13" with Face ID and those sexy round bezels like my iPhone X and the new iPad Pro which I think is beautiful. Once you've experienced video on the ProMotion screen, everything else looks so incredibly wrong!
[doublepost=1553990645][/doublepost]

That’s why I think Apple should remove the MacBook name, add an extra port add the wedge shape design and call it the 12” MacBook Air. People love Air and I’m sure the new model is selling well (even with the keyboard issues )

Do people really loved the 'Air' name??? The young people that i've known over the years on my worldly travels have ALWAYS aspired to the MacBook Pro name!

 

[Dave245]

Sorry Dave, I can't agree with you regarding the Air. It's the ugly and useless Sister of the Mac family. The MacBook Pro is superior in every way for a tiny extra amount of money, whilst the 12" MacBook is more portable. The Air is the ignorant choice and exists simply to please Tim Cook sadly. It should not be around and adds to confusion for the Mac customer. It excels at nothing and its pricing is a complete insult.

It's a lazy model. Apple had years to develop the design. Their designers are probably the highest paid designers in the world and they couldn't even be bothered to design something brand new. No, they took a 12" MacBook and made it bigger like the MacBook Pro. What as shame when that day, they launched the brand new iPad Pro with a brand new direction of design with rounded bezels, Face ID, ProMotion display.
With the MacBook Air, they very clearly thought that some clueless sucker will pay over the odds for this because it has the old 'Air' branding. I can't even look at the horrible thing when I go into an Apple store. Seriously, very poor taste Apple! Can't they be bothered with it? It clearly showed that Tim Cook did not want to invest any money into R&D for it. It has no qualities going for it. No wow factor. NOTHING.

I do find it a little crazy that you are surprised how fast it is, surely any brand new computer with nothing clogging up its SSD or harddrive will be super fast? Hell, even my first 2009 MacBook was super fast for the first 2 years before it suddenly turned into a 100 year old senior citizen with a Mac OS update :'(
Also iMovie, Garageband are all very very basic under 10 year olds software. If you'd tried Adobe Premiere things may have not been so speedy or even FCPX although all Apple software seems to be nicely optimised.

Personally, i'm waiting for a new MacBook Pro 13" with Face ID and those sexy round bezels like my iPhone X and the new iPad Pro which I think is beautiful. Once you've experienced video on the ProMotion screen, everything else looks so incredibly wrong!
[doublepost=1553990645][/doublepost]

Do people really loved the 'Air' name??? The young people that i've known over the years on my worldly travels have ALWAYS aspired to the MacBook Pro name!

But not everybody needs the Pro, don't forget the Pro is for a specific type of person. The Macbook Air is a very popular machine, it has been since it was first introduced, people were asking for a new Air long before Apple introduced the 2018 Air. The confusion lies with the 12" model, it was introduced to replace the Macbook Air but it never happened, the Air continued to sell and the 12" Macbook remained expensive (this is what a number of Apple insiders and tech people have speculated about)

The 12" Macbook is more expensive than the Macbook Air, even tho the Air has a 13" display and is a little faster than the 12" Macbook. Apple didn't take the 12" Macbook and make it bigger, they took the Air and made it look more like a Macbook Pro, the Air still has its iconic wedge shape design. What was VERY interesting to me was in a recent interview Tim Cook stated that they eventually want to bring the price of the Macbook Air down. Something they have not been able to do with the 12" Macbook so far.

My comment about being surprised at the Air's speed, is more in relation to people hating on the processor in the Air. I have seen posts calling it underpowered and so on. That is clearly not the case. Obviously i couldn't load Adobe Premiere onto the Air in the Apple store, i simply had to work with what was there. Also i was going off my own workflow, i don't use Adobe Premiere, i much prefer Final Cut Pro X for video editing.
I agree that the Macbook Pro is a great laptop, but not everyone needs it, for example should i buy a Macbook Pro as a writer, someone who edits photos in Pixelmator and occasionally edits videos in Garageband or Final Cut Pro X? it seems a little overkill for me. The none touch bar Macbook Pro hasn't been updated sine 2017 so i wouldn't buy that version.

Yes people love the Air machine, when i was at university a few years back the Air was by far the most popular Mac in lecture halls and around university in general. People have been asking Apple to update the Air for a long time.

I personally was about to pull the trigger and buy a new Air (after the mistake i made with buying the Surface ) but with all the keyboard issues that have come to light and Apple finally issuing an apology, i think I will hold off until either Apple release a fix or a redesign for the keyboard.