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Apple releases new MacBook Airs with Thunderbolt, backlit keyboards - Page 2

post #41 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

There was never a 15" Air. These are ultra portable models.

He's just whining about something that will never exist. Pay him no heed.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #42 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:15am
I am running the developer preview of Lion downloaded from a torrent. When I try to download the new version it says I can't because the version i have is newer than the OS available for download. if i delete my current version i have no operating system. In fact when i try to delete it to the trash i get a message saying it can't be done.

How do I do this?
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post #43 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bryanl View Post

I actually would like 12GB or 16GB. 8GB isn't really enough for me anymore.


you have no page outs. how can you claim you need more RAM when you aren't even overworking what you got?

i was being sarcastic about apple and the 4gig btw....
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post #44 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

Amusing that your government charges 10% import duties and 20% VAT. Every time I go to London, I'm shocked at how high pricing is for all electronics (and food, and well, pretty much everything else).

But that's London prices. A lot more expensive than the rest of the UK. Next time you should do a bit of exploring; it's a small island we inhabit, but rich in history!

You're right though, and this has become the "why no verizon?" UK users like to repeat ad nauseum despite many wise folk explaining the obvious. If it was up to Apple, I'm sure they'd oblige! Lion, for example, is priced closer to the exchange rate.


Re: MacBook Airs: Now being the proud owner of the only generation MBAs without a Backlit Keyboard hurts a little.

Has anyone noticed the keyboard's changed?!

No eject button anymore.
Makes space to put volume in the right place (no more volume down one notch instead of mute!)
Has redesigned mission control key instead of Exposé
New "Home"/Apps key replaces Dashboard (poor Dashboard )

And the specs and all that look rather cool too. Not sure entirely necessary given MacBook Pro prices, but still nice for those that like to have a bigger engine.
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post #45 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by grilla View Post

I am running the developer preview of Lion downloaded from a torrent. When I try to download the new version it says I can't because the version i have is newer than the OS available for download. if i delete my current version i have no operating system. In fact when i try to delete it to the trash i get a message saying it can't be done.

How do I do this?

I'm not sure about AppleInsider's policy in this, but I'm pretty sure most people would agree that Google, not here, is the place for that kind of information.
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post #46 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:20am
.....
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post #47 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:27am
Well, either way, bought a 13" "Ultimate" with the i7 processor. Hopefully it'll be fast enough for my needs.

Surprising that this thread hasn't blown up yet considering that the rumormill threads always do..
MBA 13" i7/4GB/256GB

C2D MBP 2.33GHZ/2 Gig/120 Gig/256MB
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MBA 13" i7/4GB/256GB

C2D MBP 2.33GHZ/2 Gig/120 Gig/256MB
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post #48 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:29am
Quote:
Thunderbolt can easily be adapted to support legacy connections such as FireWire and Gigabit Ethernet.

Is that actually true today? Can one go out and buy either a Thunderbolt -> FireWire cable or adaptor or hub? I ask because I sold off my 2010 Macbook Air a few weeks ago due to the fact that it did not have a FW port on it. I actually need one in order to use a legacy medium format digital back that only has a Firewire connection to connect it to a computer for tethered photo shoots.

If it is possible to go Thunderbolt to FW, I'll pick up the new MBA, otherwise it's most likely going to be a MBP for me.
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post #49 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

Amusing that your government charges 10% import duties and 20% VAT. Every time I go to London, I'm shocked at how high pricing is for all electronics (and food, and well, pretty much everything else).

Yes, but that's as much due to the weak dollar as VAT and import duties.
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post #50 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by grilla View Post

I am running the developer preview of Lion downloaded from a torrent. When I try to download the new version it says I can't because the version i have is newer than the OS available for download. if i delete my current version i have no operating system. In fact when i try to delete it to the trash i get a message saying it can't be done.

How do I do this?

Maybe not steal software, kid. How about that?

Wipe your machine and install Snow Leopard. Then buy it again.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #51 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheTroupe View Post

Can you get one without Lion?

Nope. If you have legacy PowerPC software (which is the only reason I could think of to actively not want Lion over Snow Leopard) you may want to pick up a refurb of an older model now.
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post #52 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bryanl View Post

I actually would like 12GB or 16GB. 8GB isn't really enough for me anymore.


Actually, according to your screenshot, 8GB is plenty.
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post #53 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walney View Post

If you run the numbers ... 14% more that Apple is charging.

...perhaps that's another reason why 32% of all Apple's non-US stores are in the UK.

Fair, but thy have no reason to decrease the price, remember when people complained in the UK about the price of CD music/albums compared to the US? No longer an issue. Apple's economics are probably very intelligently calculated, not just randomly inflated out of greed, they probably surmise that it would either drop their margin too low, including expenses, or it would not significantly increase unit sales. Despite being a software giant, most of their earnings depend on hardware. Amazon don't really care about hardware, they just want to provide access to their walled garden; this is claimed of Apple, but financials show otherwise.
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post #54 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by grilla View Post

I am running the developer preview of Lion downloaded from a torrent. When I try to download the new version it says I can't because the version i have is newer than the OS available for download. if i delete my current version i have no operating system. In fact when i try to delete it to the trash i get a message saying it can't be done.

How do I do this?

Don't download from torrents anymore. You can't delete the OS your machine is running. This isn't Windows.

You will have to start from a different drive, and do a new install. But first, backup all your data, and everything you need. Then you might have to wipe the drive and start over. There is likely a way to go into terminal and change the date, but it's dangerous. Sometimes putting a retail version over a beta doesn't work, and who knows with a torrent copy? Anything can happen.
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post #55 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TimmyDax View Post

But that's London prices. A lot more expensive than the rest of the UK. Next time you should do a bit of exploring; it's a small island we inhabit, but rich in history!

You're right though, and this has become the "why no verizon?" UK users like to repeat ad nauseum despite many wise folk explaining the obvious. If it was up to Apple, I'm sure they'd oblige! Lion, for example, is priced closer to the exchange rate.


Re: MacBook Airs: Now being the proud owner of the only generation MBAs without a Backlit Keyboard hurts a little.

Has anyone noticed the keyboard's changed?!

No eject button anymore.
Makes space to put volume in the right place (no more volume down one notch instead of mute!)
Has redesigned mission control key instead of Exposé
New "Home"/Apps key replaces Dashboard (poor Dashboard )

And the specs and all that look rather cool too. Not sure entirely necessary given MacBook Pro prices, but still nice for those that like to have a bigger engine.

No eject button? Well, they're really discouraging the optical drive. I guess it will just have to be dragged to the trash.

I do enjoy going to the audio show. Last one I went to was in September in Milton Keynes.
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post #56 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walney View Post

Only partially correct - there is no import duty. (Don't take my word for it: http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-im...etails/353109/)

If you run the numbers of importation from China and zero shipping (...China is a lot nearer to the UK than the US, so surely no additional shipping charges...), and you get a total cost of £743. I also have a bit of a problem with the 'cost of doing business' argument. While I accept that it might be higher than the US, it surely isn't higher than other EU countries like Germany & France (and you should have seen the anomalies between the UK and France & Germany the iPad launched).

It also amazes me that other companies (like Amazon) don't seem to be afflicted to the same degree by the same 'higher cost of doing business' issue. Take the Kindle 3G: $189 in the US. Run it through Her Majesty's Government calculator and you get a cost of £140.59 including VAT and all duties (of 3.7%). And the actual cost from Amazon in the UK? £152 - 8% more, rather than the 14% more that Apple is charging.

...perhaps that's another reason why 32% of all Apple's non-US stores are in the UK.

According to what I was told there, the UK charges 10% import duty for products not assembled there, or from parts made in the EU.

I found pricing for almost everything to be much higher. For example, I bought an AtHome device for my daughters' iPhone for her dorm. It cost £99. The same model here costs $99. I saw the same disparity with many goods. A Samsung Tv, don't remember the model, that costs $849 here, cost £879 there.

Even restaurants were at least 30% higher. That's for chains that are in the USA and there, and food in other restaurants.

As far as the Kindle goes, last year, I saw the Wifi version advertised all over for £139. But Amazon is widely assumed to be making no money on the Kindle, and possibly subsidizing it slightly.
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post #57 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

No eject button? Well, they're really discouraging the optical drive. I guess it will just have to be dragged to the trash.

Open Apple+E also works.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #58 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by anon7979 View Post

Is that actually true today? Can one go out and buy either a Thunderbolt -> FireWire cable or adaptor or hub? I ask because I sold off my 2010 Macbook Air a few weeks ago due to the fact that it did not have a FW port on it. I actually need one in order to use a legacy medium format digital back that only has a Firewire connection to connect it to a computer for tethered photo shoots.

If it is possible to go Thunderbolt to FW, I'll pick up the new MBA, otherwise it's most likely going to be a MBP for me.

I was amazed upon reading that. But the store only has a USb to Ethernet adapter cable.

Hopefully, we'll see more soon.
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post #59 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by screamingfist View Post

you have no page outs. how can you claim you need more RAM when you aren't even overworking what you got?

i was being sarcastic about apple and the 4gig btw....

There are no page outs because I have recently rebooted.
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post #60 of 119
7/20/11 at 7:59am
Bah. None of the stores in the Toronto area have the new hardware yet. I immediately ordered online but I am hoping the stores get it before the weekend.
The Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted.
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The Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted.
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post #61 of 119
7/20/11 at 8:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

Open Apple+E also works.

I never do that so I forget.
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post #62 of 119
7/20/11 at 8:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

Open Apple+E also works.

Open Apple does not exist (pun intentional)
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post #63 of 119
7/20/11 at 8:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

I do enjoy going to the audio show. Last one I went to was in September in Milton Keynes.

Not exactly rich in history!
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post #64 of 119
7/20/11 at 8:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

According to what I was told there, the UK charges 10% import duty for products not assembled there, or from parts made in the EU.

Whoever told you doesn't have a very good knowledge of UK/EU tax law. Import duty is the same across the whole EU and it never applies to importation of items made in another part of the EU. In the case of personal computers imported from outside the EU, there is no import duty payable.

Corporate tax is much lower in the UK than the US, employer's payroll tax is probably no higher in the UK than the US. Maybe Apple is subsidising the shrinking middle class you have over there in America with its expensive UK/EU pricing compared with the US?
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post #65 of 119
7/20/11 at 8:47am
.....
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post #66 of 119
7/20/11 at 8:59am
I compared what you get from the i7 cpu and the standard i5.. it's not much..

All the information I gathered was from this intel page: http://ark.intel.com/compare/54617,54620

Differences the i7 has over the i5:
100mhz on stock clock speed.
200mhz on turbo clock speed.
1mb l3 cache
1 bus/core ratio (which I think is not too relevant, as it's linked to the clock speed)

So if you want to upgrade to the i7, but to do that you must go from the 1299 to the 1599 then get the $100 upgrade to the i7 to make the total cost 1699. Even if it includes the extra 128gb hdd. I don't think it's worth the additional $400 cost.

However this is my opinion, and not everybody is the same.
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post #67 of 119
7/20/11 at 9:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TimmyDax View Post

Not exactly rich in history!

The hotel the show was held in, Whittlebury Hall, was very nice.
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post #68 of 119
7/20/11 at 9:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhombus View Post

Whoever told you doesn't have a very good knowledge of UK/EU tax law. Import duty is the same across the whole EU and it never applies to importation of items made in another part of the EU. In the case of personal computers imported from outside the EU, there is no import duty payable.

Corporate tax is much lower in the UK than the US, employer's payroll tax is probably no higher in the UK than the US. Maybe Apple is subsidising the shrinking middle class you have over there in America with its expensive UK/EU pricing compared with the US?

Imsaid that it doesn't apply for stuff from the EU.

But you're nuts. Despite what you may think, out of jealousy, no doubt, you're still much poorer over there, and will continue to be.
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post #69 of 119
7/20/11 at 9:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by grilla View Post

I am running the developer preview of Lion downloaded from a torrent. When I try to download the new version it says I can't because the version i have is newer than the OS available for download. if i delete my current version i have no operating system. In fact when i try to delete it to the trash i get a message saying it can't be done.

How do I do this?

Ha Ha!
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post #70 of 119
7/20/11 at 9:20am
I've placed my order for the 13 inch with the 1.8GHz Core i7

However.....

My order says:

1.8GHz Core i5!!! What is going on? There is no 1.8GHz Core i5!
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post #71 of 119
7/20/11 at 9:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by amiga_tone View Post

I've placed my order for the 13 inch with the 1.8GHz Core i7

However.....

My order says:

1.8GHz Core i5!!! What is going on? There is no 1.8GHz Core i5!

Okay, I contacted Apple Support and apparently there is a bug with their ordering system where it is displaying the Corei5 instead of the Core i7. The CPU is still being delivered as the Core i7.
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post #72 of 119
7/20/11 at 9:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dcorban View Post

Bah. None of the stores in the Toronto area have the new hardware yet. I immediately ordered online but I am hoping the stores get it before the weekend.

It was quoted as not being available until Thursday in the stores.
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post #73 of 119
7/20/11 at 9:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

Open Apple+E also works.

Wow, that's a blast from the past. Even back in the 90's, I only ever heard a couple people say "Open" before Apple. I guess if you're super-legacy, there was a difference between the open and closed apple keys on the Mac 512, Plus and SE. But there's really been no reason to use an "Open" prefix since at least the era of the New World ROM, as the left and right keys became equivalent. And it's been called "Command" since that time too. Then the apple logo went away entirely about 5 years ago.

Thus, odds are good that a significant % of readers had no idea what you meant by "Open Apple" at all.
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post #74 of 119
7/20/11 at 9:36am
This is a very minor issue to most I know, and I looked for it but could not find it among the options, but do you know if there will be available an anti-glare matte screen on the display of the new MBA? Thanks.
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post #75 of 119
7/20/11 at 9:49am
Anyone else find it goofy that the Thunderbolt port isn't next to the MagSafe on these new models? The "ultimate docking station" looks kind of silly with wires coming out of both sides of the machine. Would look much cleaner if those ports had swapped positions.
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post #76 of 119
7/20/11 at 10:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by anon7979 View Post

Is that actually true today? Can one go out and buy either a Thunderbolt -> FireWire cable or adaptor or hub? I ask because I sold off my 2010 Macbook Air a few weeks ago due to the fact that it did not have a FW port on it. I actually need one in order to use a legacy medium format digital back that only has a Firewire connection to connect it to a computer for tethered photo shoots.

If it is possible to go Thunderbolt to FW, I'll pick up the new MBA, otherwise it's most likely going to be a MBP for me.

Yes, but it is called the Thunderbolt equipped Apple display. It has wired Ethernet, firewire, usb, audio....
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post #77 of 119
7/20/11 at 10:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aiolos View Post

Actually, good news!

I chatted with an Apple Rep who says it DOES have a FaceTime HD camera.

It's on the product page, but only under the Thunderbolt I/O paragraph. Guess they forgot to update the page. I expect it'll be changed in a couple days.

I think this is in reference to the new Thunderbolt-equipped 27" display. The 27" display comes equipped with a HD Facetime camera, not the Air.
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post #78 of 119
7/20/11 at 11:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by melgross View Post

Amusing that your government charges 10% import duties and 20% VAT. Every time I go to London, I'm shocked at how high pricing is for all electronics (and food, and well, pretty much everything else).

import duties on computers is 0 % in the UK. But you are right that VAT is now 20 % and we have stronger consumer laws and other things that make doing business in the UK more expensive.
it's = it is / it has, its = belonging to it.
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it's = it is / it has, its = belonging to it.
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post #79 of 119
7/20/11 at 11:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocNo42 View Post

People still have to look at keyboards? Hmph...

Do even half of the PC notebooks out there have backlit keyboards? This is what, one of two Apple models that doesn't? And for it's size and battery capacity, I can easily see them ditching a luxury feature like a backlit keyboard.

It's a machine of trade offs. If you want it all, head over to the MacBook Pro.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post

Was a stupid move to remove it anyway. Yet a good portion of the people here on these boards backed the move

Now those same people will probably be praising the move to bring it back

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post #80 of 119
7/20/11 at 11:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by krisk View Post

I compared what you get from the i7 cpu and the standard i5.. it's not much..

All the information I gathered was from this intel page: http://ark.intel.com/compare/54617,54620

Differences the i7 has over the i5:
100mhz on stock clock speed.
200mhz on turbo clock speed.
1mb l3 cache
1 bus/core ratio (which I think is not too relevant, as it's linked to the clock speed)

So if you want to upgrade to the i7, but to do that you must go from the 1299 to the 1599 then get the $100 upgrade to the i7 to make the total cost 1699. Even if it includes the extra 128gb hdd. I don't think it's worth the additional $400 cost.

However this is my opinion, and not everybody is the same.


The i7 also has hyperthreading which allows it to simulate 8 cores vs 4 for i5. However this will improve the performance of only those apps that use multipke threads.
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