It wouldn't be as portable since it would need a bigger battery to achieve the same battery life. The hypothetical MacBook Air you are describing is essentially the Dell XPS 13. That weighs in at 2.6-2.8lbs depending on whether it has a touchscreen. Even assuming it would be closer to 2.6lbs since Apple doesn't use touchscreens on Macs, that is still 30% heavier than the rMB.
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Why is APPL so obsessed with banishing Ports?
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It wouldn't be as portable since it would need a bigger battery to achieve the same battery life. The hypothetical MacBook Air you are describing is essentially the Dell XPS 13. That weighs in at 2.6-2.8lbs depending on whether it has a touchscreen. Even assuming it would be closer to 2.6lbs since Apple doesn't use touchscreens on Macs, that is still 30% heavier than the rMB.
What determines "as portable?" What is the threshold?
Is portability directly equivalent to weight and footprint, or is the fact that I have desk space enough for either and a slot in my bag that could fit either laptop mean they are just "as portable" as one another? Is the fact that I can lift each notebook with the same amount of ease mean they are "as portable" as one another?
I genuinely would like to hear opinions on this. Use the current MBA 13'' vs the rMB, and not anything hypothetical in question.
It won't coexist in the long term; like as not the Air will fall into obsolesce, remaining as Apple`s entry level budget Mac portable. until pricing or the market accepts pricing of the MacBook as entry level. Apple will continue to develop the Retina MacBook much the same as the Air to be the pinnacle of ultraportables. Like to or loath it the the Air`s fate is obvious, not if, rather when...
Q-6
I agree with you. Regardless of which name is used, it's silly in my opinion to have two ultrabook options, but to each their own. I don't knock anyone who is enjoying their rMB - in fact I have even enjoyed reading some of the positive stories and have let some users know that I have liked reading what they have to say about it.
I personally think that the way it was mapped out in the past - having a entry level Macintosh notebook (white macbook), an ultrabook, and a "pro" notebook was able to reach a wider audience, but I suppose if this is true then it would still be the way it is done.
For me it's weight, footprint, and thinness. I had an 11.6" MBA, then a 13" rMBP, and now the rMB. To me the rMB is the best combination. My Mac is my home PC, and I use an HP notebook for work. I have a Tumi messenger bag with a padded inner pocket. My rMP fits neatly inside the pocket, while my work PC is in a sleeve in the main compartment. I could also do that with the 11.6" MBA, but not the 13" MBA or rMBP. Plus, with 2 PCs, ever ounce counts. I travel a lot, so it's not uncommon for me to have both my Mac and PC with me.
Actually, that's how it's positioned now. The MacBook Air is now the entry level Mac notebook (and arguably the entry level Mac). The MacBook is the ultrabook, and the MacBook Pro is the "pro" notebook.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
For me, if I do not notice the difference in weight when carrying, and have equal space for either both in use and traveling then I consider them "as portable" as one another. In other words, it's relative.
Not necessarily. I realize the MacBook Air is now considered entry level simply due to a price point, but what I meant was when they had the original MacBook - it was user-upgradable, fairly light with a nice form factor and used polycarbonate instead of aluminum.
What I am getting at is if that were expanded upon over the years - maybe with using more durable materials than glossy plastic but not quite aluminum, keeping upgradability and offering modern components with a more modern aesthetic appeal, it would be a better option for a Windows fence sitter as opposed to a baseline, non-serviceable soldered ultrabook.
Are you a first-year philosophy student by any chance?
No. My son has BA in philosophy.
You clearly don't use IT in a professional setting or don't deal in sensitive data? You'd have to be nuts to use Google Drive or Dropbox for anything even remotely sensitive.
Because, without exception, wired connections are faster, more reliable, more secure, require less configuration, consume less power and don't require peripherals with batteries.
I agree as at times Apple`s range of portables has been rather limited to say the vey least. I don't see Apple rebranding the Air, I do see them quietly maintaining the Air, equally in the background. No one has numbers, however the Air has to be one of, if not the most popular portable Apple has ever produced, and I don't see Apple killing that off anytime soon.
The release of the Retina MacBook caught us all off balance, as the majority were expecting a new ultraportable under the "Air" brand. For me the introduction of rMB and updates to the 13" & 15" MBP, clearly paving the way for the Air as "entry level" MacBook & MacBook Pro will remain as premium portables, with differing roles and limited crossover features to ensure they do not compete against one another, a point the 13" Air & 13" Retina MBP are at right now.
Another consideration is that Apple will come under strong pressure in the PC space, due to Windows 10 launching and the plethora of available hardware coming with Skylake. With this in mind pricing on the Air may well reduce to help keep Apple "in the fight" as let`s face it Apple has plenty of room for manoeuvre with their margins.
Ultimately only Apple knows, we can only surmise...
Q-6
Understandable, but I must state that I am not trying to get into a debate on what Apple will or will not do. What I have been posting about are my opinions on what is currently offered and on each specific model.
I am not for or against the rMB, MBA, or rMBP. I am for computing as a whole. I know what I like, use, find sensible, and find productive. I also know what is not for me. I share my opinions openly regardless. If you get enjoyment out of what you are using, then by all means. I won't knock it even if my opinion of the product is negative. I know this may be hard for some people to understand, on how to have a negative opinion on the specifics of a product but a positive reception to someone's enjoyment out of it, but I am a quirky individual. I like conversation and debating in the name of anyone getting useful information out of it.
You will be need one of these then, unless your running an older Mac portable or the 13" classic...
Strangely they are also available for USB C...
And your point was...
Q-6
Yes, it matters to me, I've pointed out as much. The size and weight difference is negligible, especially considering what was sacrificed in terms of connectivity for the price difference.
I don't disagree. The reason these two Macs co-exist at the moment is because of the price disparity. The MBA is the only MacBook you can buy for under $1,000. I also think the MBA is not long for this world. It likely will not ever see a retina display update. In many ways this feels like Apple's first aluminum MacBook which removed the FireWire port. In less than 8 months, the FW port was back in the MacBook, and the aluminum rebranded as the 13" MacBook Pro - the experiment had seemingly failed. The Air became the progressive port-light alternative. Ironic that the Air now represents the "old school", actually gaining ports during its evolution and reversing its place with the MacBook in terms of price. It remains to be seen whether Apple will stick to their guns this time. But they seem to realize they maybe jumped a little further ahead than the average customer so as to kill the MBA immediately. I just don't know what they attempt to achieve with it as it stands. It's hard for me to believe that the same people who are the market for the new MacBook, wouldn't also first buy a much less expensive iPad if they didn't absolutely need to run OS X or Windows. In which case they might not also buy an iPad, considering the price of the rMB. Seems to me the last thing the iPad needs is more market cannibalism.
Next year, I can see them discontinuing the MBA, introducing a larger MacBook with more ports for the same price, and dropping the price of the 12". So you'll pay for ports and screen size if you need them. And I reiterate my position that the 1/8" audio jack is ancient and irrelevant to the wireless only crowd that is going to buy the rMB. The better use is for a redundant port that allows for greater expansion as needed. If you're going to plug in real headphones, and outboard DAC will be far superior to what Apple can fit on their tiny logic board, saving them room in the process so they can make the rMB even smaller!
Perhaps I've had a long day, but does this not contradict itself?
I read the remainder of your post, and while I understand where you are coming from, it's obviously hard to say what will happen. (emphasis on obviously)
I do agree that the audio jack is quite irrelevant.
This MacBook is not designed for people with those needs.
I have a friend who only uses an iPad. However, there is no way to get wired Ethernet into one, since Apple refuses to support it. Therefore, it's absolutely useless in some environments. Many corporations maintain their wifi network on a different subnet from the hard wired network, so the iPad is prevented from accessing certain internal connections. But the real kicker is there are some installations that don't offer wifi connectivity at all. As a result my friend found the iPad totally useless in some situations. At least this MacBook has the option of an Ethernet dongle. And however inconvenient, it does offer the ability to attach a hard drive.
Not sure how it contradicts itself. The MBA costs less than the rMB, yet it has more ports, despite being roughly the same size and weight. It doesn't make any sense to me that they haven't significantly reduced the rMB's size, yet have stripped it of all but one port and are charging significantly more to buy into one.
Yes I know the specs of the rMB are greater than the $899 MBA, but that's not the point. Why not just offer a rMB with the same specs as the $899 MBA then and discontinue it? Because then what you're losing would be obvious, with the Retina display the only major improvement.
Is a very good question, as on current pricing we would be looking at a $999 4Gb, 128Gb rMB, which I would rather have thought would literally fly off the shelf`s, my only conclusion is to differentiate the rMB as a "premium" product, while the Air remains as the entry level Mac. Apple all about margins, no doubt they believe that they can work both ends of the ultraportable spectrum, especially if the base Air drops in price, and in the process feeding of the onslaught form W10.
Q-6
What you are making a case for and describing is IMHO exactly what the redesigned 2016 rMBP line is going to be. Only difference will be you're much more likely to get TB3/USB-C ports instead of USB-A, HDMI, mDP, or SDXC.
The MBA is not long for this world, I am afraid.
It seems to me that the USB-C port is the polarising issue here, for you in particular. With my MBA, I needed two dongles to achieve wired networking and an external display. I couldn't use them simultaneously because the 11" MBA only had one TB port. The rMB on the other hand - I also have two dongles, one for wired networking and one for an external display. I also can't use them simultaneously, but that is nothing new or a compromise that I didn't have to make before. I actually have gained an extra USB-A port in the trade, going for an RJ45 adapter that also has 3 USB-A ports that is only a cm longer than Apple's older TB-Ethernet adapter.
So I don't get how you hold so hard to the more ports as a huge differentiation? Honest question. For me the HUGE advantages of the rMB over the MBA are:
- Screen
- Fanless (equally as important as the amazing screen, it is like night and day, not having the fan noise and the heat - didn't actually think it would be that big a deal, but it just is.)
- Form factor (the numbers don't do it - hold the rMB in your hand, live with it for travel a bit, and the 11" MBA actually does feel like a pig in comparison - its the whole package together, thinner, lighter, smaller footprint, bigger screen - put it all together and it is pretty significant.)
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As the owner of another ultra-light laptop, the Surface Pro 3, I can tell you with certainty that there is a market for laptops that are smaller and lighter than where devices like this are now. My biggest wishes for the SP4? Thinner, lighter, and fanless. Pretty much everything the MacBook is although in a different form factor. As others have stated here, I'll often be traveling with both my SP3 for work, and my MacBook for myself. Shedding every ounce matters.
I used to be the type that traveled with a big powerful laptop and every accessory I could possibly need in my travel kit. As a result, I was weighed down substantially with my luggage. It's not that it wasn't doable, it's just that I've since discovered the amazing freedom of traveling extremely light. Everything in my bag gets scrutinized every trip, and it it's not fully justified it stays home. A 2lb laptop with a shared lightweight power brick, compared to a 3lb one with a full sized brick is a substantial difference in my mind.
Absolutely; I travel internationally for work purpose, and even when I am "in country" I generally travel internally from the field locations to the "office" for technical & business meeting. I frequently travel with two Mac`s as being a consultant any hardware failure I am on my own, no IT support etc. I have done this in the past with two 15" MBP`s and it`s a killer as everything adds up the weight. Now I am down to a high end 13" rMBP and a 12" rMB, for the internal meetings I can simply leave the bulk of the gear at the "field" location and travel as light as possible, with only the rMB. Anyone who flies frequently will likely attest to the same, as frankly air travel these days is a Royal PIA.
Q-6
I'm aware of this. Otherwise it wouldn't be happening. It is more appealing to the majority.
In your opinion. I would rather have more functionality and carry something that is 3lbs as opposed to 2lbs. It's not much of a difference at all to me in terms of portability, but a world of difference in practicality. I've explained this.
Fair enough, but we aren't discussing a mobile workstation vs ultrabook really. In any case if that is relative to you, I guess it technically applies.
I disagree, but not saying your wrong. Your experiences are your own and I accept that. It's the same to me in terms of physical ease and space management.