It really isn't something you can argue about. AIRs are very snappy for the majority of users simply because very few users are running apps that are CPU bound for any length of time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Logisticaldron
It doesn't just look faster, it is faster. That SSD isn't an illusion of the drive being faster than a HDD, it is absolutely faster.
They are faster for many users but they are a very long way from being absolutely faster.
Quote:
If the small form factor ultra low voltage CPUs they are using now aren't powerful enough for your needs why expect the next generation MBAs to be powerful enough for your needs, especially when you haven't stated what those needs are?
That is pretty simple isn't it? Think about it the processor and GPU are now a couple of generations old. All Apple really needs is for intel to release, in volume, a suitable Sandy Bridge derived chip. Given the process shrinks and architecture improvements we could see very strong performance increases across all AIR models.
Considering what we are seeing with the 13" MBP, performance delta wise, it would be smart to wait if one is not in a rush.
It doesn't just look faster, it is faster. That SSD isn't an illusion of the drive being faster than a HDD, it is absolutely faster.
I had the original HD MBA and upgraded to the SSD model a year later. The difference in speed was incredible. Just upgraded again to the 11" MBA and love it. It starts up, launches apps and saves faster than my MacPro at work. I am really considering installing an SSD into the MacPro after seeing it in action on the Air.
Wow, what an utterly horrendous sounding device. No, they shouldn't. Do some of you just spout random shit without actually taking 30 seconds to think about it 1st? Apple would be out of business with suggestions like this. Full OS X on a 5-7 in screen? Really? At what resolution?? A 5-7' physical keyboard? Apple has made it clear they won't produce anything that uses a less than full size keyboard, which makes sense. Your described device just sounds like a nightmare to actually use, which is why UMPCs died a quick and violent death.
It seems that you did not get it. It is NOT to work on the device. Just make the presentation on a standard Mac, move it to the pocketable Mac via USB PenDrive and use the pocketable Mac for the videopresentation with a USB-based wireless remote control. That is! Instead of carrying 2 kg of laptop and accessories, you just carry 400 to 600 g (or so) on your pocket. For people giving lots of videopresentations, that is fantastic.
Excuse me, but I just don't see how backlit keyboards are so important... My MBP 15 has one and my wife's new MBA 13 doesn't (BEST designed laptop I have EVER used) yet I can't see ANY difference when using the two keyboards. But then, I am a "touch typist".... I don't look at the keys while I type.
Way back in the dark ages before "computers" and desktop publishing I learned how to type on those strange things called "typewriters", and God help you if you tried to use them while looking at the keys! You either typed at less than 5 words a minute or you had a metal rats nest of keys to contend with... you HAD to learn where the "home keys" are (that's what those bumps are for on the H and J keys BTW).
Is there some secret advantage to a keyboard with backlighting that I have missed?? Other than amusing my cats? Try typing all day long on it, and eventually you too will know where the darn keys are without looking, and will be able to type in the shadows!
PS: Please don't take the sarcasm above personally, i am obviously having a bad day... must be an overdose of inappropriate technology. My most sincere apologies...
No offense taken. I have just become used to it when typing late at night, and the times I turned it off, it was harder sometimes to find the keys. I also have my brightness turned way down to conserve battery.
If Air is an adjective, why did you capitalize it? Shouldn't you be saying "MacBook air" if air is merely an adjective? The only reason to capitalize it is if it is part of the name.
The term MacBook Air is a proper noun (a name) and the s goes at the end. I can't believe this was actually debated.
More important, the Macbook Air, amongst others, is an Apple trademark.
Quote:
Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, MacBook Air, iPad, Multi-Touch, MacBook, FaceTime, iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes, Time Capsule, MobileMe, iDisk, iPod, Snow Leopard, iLife, iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Apple Store and SuperDrive are trademarks of Apple.*
Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Power Mac, iMac, iSight, iTunes, iPhoto, SuperDrive, AirPort, FireWire, iLife, Apple Store and AirPort Express are trademarks of Apple.?
Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iBookstore, iPad, iBooks, iPhone and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple.**
The real issue is that, by the time most people that have a MBA with only 2GB realize they might not have enough memory, it's too late to fix the problem. If RAM on the MBA were upgradeable, I wouldn't have as much of an issue with the 2GB default.
If and when that happens, I'll sell the computer and buy another one. It's not the big deal many make it out to be.
I want a MacBook Air but I'll wait til the first revision to have a Thunderbolt port. I need to be able to access decent video files, ProRes and bigger (not edit them especially, just deal with media) and the idea of having to buy an MBP just to get that is stopping me in my tracks. So please. Thunderbolt on the Air, soon!
Don't worry. The next generation will have a Tbolt port. And bigger SSDs, and a higher resolution screen and a sim slot for 4G. And quad core processors and a longer battery life.
My first two MBAs had the backlit keyboard, the new 11" doesn't. Most of the time I have no problem without it, but there are times when I wish it had it. Not really a problem, though.
The real issue is that, by the time most people that have a MBA with only 2GB realize they might not have enough memory, it's too late to fix the problem. If RAM on the MBA were upgradeable, I wouldn't have as much of an issue with the 2GB default.
---
If and when that happens, I'll sell the computer and buy another one. It's not the big deal many make it out to be.
---
Have never not had enough RAM on my Airs. MacsBooks Airs. Or whatever.
The ultimate Keynote and PowerPoint presentation tool!
That is where iPad 2 comes in. I don't know about pocketable though, thats what an iPhone is for. but iPad handles Keynote and PowerPoint very well. The entire iWork bundle is incredible on the iPad.
Not that I think Apple will do it, but IMO the whitebook is more suited for a lower price like 799.
Apple already sells a portable computing device in that price range, aka the iPad. As the iPad gains horsepower and more useful apps, the need for an $800 laptop simply isn't there. And while the base MacBook Air is likely going to remain in around its current price range, it will get progressively faster and as it does, will become enough computer for a progressively larger segment.
As a result, the whitebook will be rendered pointless.
The interesting question is, will the MacBook Pros become so capable that they will effectively render the use of Mac Pros pointless for so many that Apple will simply stop making them. Already the MacBook Pros are comparable in performance to top-end Apple desktops of a recent vintage. Thunderbolt further opens up possibilities by providing some rather impressive connectivity options and affordability is certainly there. Also making it more likely that in time laptops will take over is that solid-state drives promise speed that would not be possible with older technology.
And what of Apple's other desktop offerings, i.e. the Mini and the iMac.
What I see happening is that there will be less distinguishing the Air and Pro laptops as we move along with additional performance being the main difference between models. The Mac Pro will be retired. No idea what is in store for the other desktop offerings.
I thought the latest MBPs were going to be more like the MBA. Boy was I wrong. So I picked up a brand new 2010 model MBP at a discount. No way I'm having Intel-only graphics in my Mac ever, ever again. And an SSD will make the most difference for me as opposed to 2x CPU power... I think.
That may be true for some small percentage of MBA owners, but it's a colossal overstatement to use that broad brush to paint "most MacBook Air uses" that way.
The real issue is that, by the time most people that have a MBA with only 2GB realize they might not have enough memory, it's too late to fix the problem. If RAM on the MBA were upgradeable, I wouldn't have as much of an issue with the 2GB default.
It's unlikely that any one with any sense to them would buy a MBA to do the sort of heavy lifting that would make the included base RAM inadequate.
If you need more than 2GB, what you also need is more computer than the MBA. In other words, you really should be looking at a MacBook Pro, all of which come in base form with 4GB of RAM.
The base 13" MacBook Pro is less expensive than the base 13" Air, so if specific performance needs are the issue, clearly the Air is not the way to go. If a capable machine with excellent portability is what you want, then the Air makes sense. But if you need more horsepower, it's not the bang-for-the-buck choice even within the Apple range.
In short, if you find after the fact that 2GB of RAM is causing a problem, you probably shouldn't have bought an Air in the first place.
I'm pretty sure my next computer will be a Sandy Bridge ULV MBA with 4GB RAM, probably 13".
Yes, I know the onboard video will be comparatively sucky, but I don't care. It'll be a nice machine for Safari / Pages / MS Office / FileMaker Pro / Ruby web development / MAME.
Also, props to my current MacBook 2,1 (2006), which still feels nice to use. It's the first time that I've had a computer hold up so well for 5 years, despite my regular regimen of abuse
Exactly same situation for me. I have a 2006 Macbook 2,1 and plan on upgrading to a Sandy Bridge MBA when/if that comes out... Amazing that in the 4+ years I've had this laptop that it does everything I need nearly as good as everything out there... With 3GB of ram and an SSD in this Macbook, new computers aren't really that big of an upgrade....
We all know the A5 is a modified version of the A9. No different then what Apple did with the A8 when they modified it to their A4, a modified version of the ARM Cortex A8 "Hummingbird".
Now that we?ve gotten you to admit that much, now you can go back and realize that my comment about Cortex-A9 is correct and your comment about Apple will never ever ever ever ever use any Cortex-A9 designs from ARM is wrong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bergermeister
I had the original HD MBA and upgraded to the SSD model a year later. The difference in speed was incredible. Just upgraded again to the 11" MBA and love it. It starts up, launches apps and saves faster than my MacPro at work. I am really considering installing an SSD into the MacPro after seeing it in action on the Air.
I can?t wait until they add those mini-PCIe SSD cards to to the other MBPs. As much as i like the MBA it will likely never fit my needs so long as a notebook is my primary computer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nvidia2008
I thought the latest MBPs were going to be more like the MBA. Boy was I wrong. So I picked up a brand new 2010 model MBP at a discount. No way I'm having Intel-only graphics in my Mac ever, ever again. And an SSD will make the most difference for me as opposed to 2x CPU power... I think.
I?m sure it will once they give it a make over. I think the only external change for these new MBPs are making the DisplayPort icon into a Thunderbolt icon.
If you produce a decent product at a realistic price, it'll sell.
Compare this to the first generation MacBook Air ? I think it's clear that Apple got the pricing wrong on that...
And yet their competitors were selling at higher prices and getting even less profit. Funny how sybit was wrong after 3.5 years of technology evolution having a positive effect. Maybe you should look into the component costs before asserting that Apple was jut being greedy with the original MBA price. How much was the original unibody case to build 4 years ago? How much was a 1.8" 64GB SSD 4 years ago compared to the 64GB SSD ard Apple has made for the new MBAs? You see where I'm going with this?
You can turn the keyboard illumination off in System Preferences> Keyboard.
The dealbreaker wasn?t having an illuminated keyboard he couldn?t turn off, the dealbreaker was the new MBAs not having an illuminated keyboard at all.
Comments
It doesn't just look faster, it is faster. That SSD isn't an illusion of the drive being faster than a HDD, it is absolutely faster.
They are faster for many users but they are a very long way from being absolutely faster.
If the small form factor ultra low voltage CPUs they are using now aren't powerful enough for your needs why expect the next generation MBAs to be powerful enough for your needs, especially when you haven't stated what those needs are?
That is pretty simple isn't it? Think about it the processor and GPU are now a couple of generations old. All Apple really needs is for intel to release, in volume, a suitable Sandy Bridge derived chip. Given the process shrinks and architecture improvements we could see very strong performance increases across all AIR models.
Considering what we are seeing with the 13" MBP, performance delta wise, it would be smart to wait if one is not in a rush.
It doesn't just look faster, it is faster. That SSD isn't an illusion of the drive being faster than a HDD, it is absolutely faster.
I had the original HD MBA and upgraded to the SSD model a year later. The difference in speed was incredible. Just upgraded again to the 11" MBA and love it. It starts up, launches apps and saves faster than my MacPro at work. I am really considering installing an SSD into the MacPro after seeing it in action on the Air.
Wow, what an utterly horrendous sounding device. No, they shouldn't. Do some of you just spout random shit without actually taking 30 seconds to think about it 1st? Apple would be out of business with suggestions like this. Full OS X on a 5-7 in screen? Really? At what resolution?? A 5-7' physical keyboard? Apple has made it clear they won't produce anything that uses a less than full size keyboard, which makes sense. Your described device just sounds like a nightmare to actually use, which is why UMPCs died a quick and violent death.
It seems that you did not get it. It is NOT to work on the device. Just make the presentation on a standard Mac, move it to the pocketable Mac via USB PenDrive and use the pocketable Mac for the videopresentation with a USB-based wireless remote control. That is! Instead of carrying 2 kg of laptop and accessories, you just carry 400 to 600 g (or so) on your pocket. For people giving lots of videopresentations, that is fantastic.
Excuse me, but I just don't see how backlit keyboards are so important... My MBP 15 has one and my wife's new MBA 13 doesn't (BEST designed laptop I have EVER used) yet I can't see ANY difference when using the two keyboards. But then, I am a "touch typist".... I don't look at the keys while I type.
Way back in the dark ages before "computers" and desktop publishing I learned how to type on those strange things called "typewriters", and God help you if you tried to use them while looking at the keys! You either typed at less than 5 words a minute or you had a metal rats nest of keys to contend with... you HAD to learn where the "home keys" are (that's what those bumps are for on the H and J keys BTW).
Is there some secret advantage to a keyboard with backlighting that I have missed?? Other than amusing my cats? Try typing all day long on it, and eventually you too will know where the darn keys are without looking, and will be able to type in the shadows!
PS: Please don't take the sarcasm above personally, i am obviously having a bad day... must be an overdose of inappropriate technology. My most sincere apologies...
No offense taken. I have just become used to it when typing late at night, and the times I turned it off, it was harder sometimes to find the keys. I also have my brightness turned way down to conserve battery.
If Air is an adjective, why did you capitalize it? Shouldn't you be saying "MacBook air" if air is merely an adjective? The only reason to capitalize it is if it is part of the name.
The term MacBook Air is a proper noun (a name) and the s goes at the end. I can't believe this was actually debated.
More important, the Macbook Air, amongst others, is an Apple trademark.
Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, MacBook Air, iPad, Multi-Touch, MacBook, FaceTime, iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes, Time Capsule, MobileMe, iDisk, iPod, Snow Leopard, iLife, iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Apple Store and SuperDrive are trademarks of Apple.*
Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Power Mac, iMac, iSight, iTunes, iPhoto, SuperDrive, AirPort, FireWire, iLife, Apple Store and AirPort Express are trademarks of Apple.?
Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iBookstore, iPad, iBooks, iPhone and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple.**
* http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/10/20mba.html
? http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/oct/12imac.html
** http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011...ndomhouse.html
The real issue is that, by the time most people that have a MBA with only 2GB realize they might not have enough memory, it's too late to fix the problem. If RAM on the MBA were upgradeable, I wouldn't have as much of an issue with the 2GB default.
If and when that happens, I'll sell the computer and buy another one. It's not the big deal many make it out to be.
I want a MacBook Air but I'll wait til the first revision to have a Thunderbolt port. I need to be able to access decent video files, ProRes and bigger (not edit them especially, just deal with media) and the idea of having to buy an MBP just to get that is stopping me in my tracks. So please. Thunderbolt on the Air, soon!
Don't worry. The next generation will have a Tbolt port. And bigger SSDs, and a higher resolution screen and a sim slot for 4G. And quad core processors and a longer battery life.
The real issue is that, by the time most people that have a MBA with only 2GB realize they might not have enough memory, it's too late to fix the problem. If RAM on the MBA were upgradeable, I wouldn't have as much of an issue with the 2GB default.
---
If and when that happens, I'll sell the computer and buy another one. It's not the big deal many make it out to be.
---
Have never not had enough RAM on my Airs. MacsBooks Airs. Or whatever.
Apple should make a really portable MacBook Air:
- 400 to 600 g.
- 5 to 7-inch screen.
- Pocketable.
The ultimate Keynote and PowerPoint presentation tool!
That is where iPad 2 comes in. I don't know about pocketable though, thats what an iPhone is for. but iPad handles Keynote and PowerPoint very well. The entire iWork bundle is incredible on the iPad.
Not that I think Apple will do it, but IMO the whitebook is more suited for a lower price like 799.
Apple already sells a portable computing device in that price range, aka the iPad. As the iPad gains horsepower and more useful apps, the need for an $800 laptop simply isn't there. And while the base MacBook Air is likely going to remain in around its current price range, it will get progressively faster and as it does, will become enough computer for a progressively larger segment.
As a result, the whitebook will be rendered pointless.
The interesting question is, will the MacBook Pros become so capable that they will effectively render the use of Mac Pros pointless for so many that Apple will simply stop making them. Already the MacBook Pros are comparable in performance to top-end Apple desktops of a recent vintage. Thunderbolt further opens up possibilities by providing some rather impressive connectivity options and affordability is certainly there. Also making it more likely that in time laptops will take over is that solid-state drives promise speed that would not be possible with older technology.
And what of Apple's other desktop offerings, i.e. the Mini and the iMac.
What I see happening is that there will be less distinguishing the Air and Pro laptops as we move along with additional performance being the main difference between models. The Mac Pro will be retired. No idea what is in store for the other desktop offerings.
That may be true for some small percentage of MBA owners, but it's a colossal overstatement to use that broad brush to paint "most MacBook Air uses" that way.
The real issue is that, by the time most people that have a MBA with only 2GB realize they might not have enough memory, it's too late to fix the problem. If RAM on the MBA were upgradeable, I wouldn't have as much of an issue with the 2GB default.
It's unlikely that any one with any sense to them would buy a MBA to do the sort of heavy lifting that would make the included base RAM inadequate.
If you need more than 2GB, what you also need is more computer than the MBA. In other words, you really should be looking at a MacBook Pro, all of which come in base form with 4GB of RAM.
The base 13" MacBook Pro is less expensive than the base 13" Air, so if specific performance needs are the issue, clearly the Air is not the way to go. If a capable machine with excellent portability is what you want, then the Air makes sense. But if you need more horsepower, it's not the bang-for-the-buck choice even within the Apple range.
In short, if you find after the fact that 2GB of RAM is causing a problem, you probably shouldn't have bought an Air in the first place.
Yup yup yup yup yup
I'm pretty sure my next computer will be a Sandy Bridge ULV MBA with 4GB RAM, probably 13".
Yes, I know the onboard video will be comparatively sucky, but I don't care. It'll be a nice machine for Safari / Pages / MS Office / FileMaker Pro / Ruby web development / MAME.
Also, props to my current MacBook 2,1 (2006), which still feels nice to use. It's the first time that I've had a computer hold up so well for 5 years, despite my regular regimen of abuse
Exactly same situation for me. I have a 2006 Macbook 2,1 and plan on upgrading to a Sandy Bridge MBA when/if that comes out... Amazing that in the 4+ years I've had this laptop that it does everything I need nearly as good as everything out there... With 3GB of ram and an SSD in this Macbook, new computers aren't really that big of an upgrade....
We all know the A5 is a modified version of the A9. No different then what Apple did with the A8 when they modified it to their A4, a modified version of the ARM Cortex A8 "Hummingbird".
Now that we?ve gotten you to admit that much, now you can go back and realize that my comment about Cortex-A9 is correct and your comment about Apple will never ever ever ever ever use any Cortex-A9 designs from ARM is wrong.
I had the original HD MBA and upgraded to the SSD model a year later. The difference in speed was incredible. Just upgraded again to the 11" MBA and love it. It starts up, launches apps and saves faster than my MacPro at work. I am really considering installing an SSD into the MacPro after seeing it in action on the Air.
I can?t wait until they add those mini-PCIe SSD cards to to the other MBPs. As much as i like the MBA it will likely never fit my needs so long as a notebook is my primary computer.
I thought the latest MBPs were going to be more like the MBA. Boy was I wrong. So I picked up a brand new 2010 model MBP at a discount. No way I'm having Intel-only graphics in my Mac ever, ever again. And an SSD will make the most difference for me as opposed to 2x CPU power... I think.
I?m sure it will once they give it a make over. I think the only external change for these new MBPs are making the DisplayPort icon into a Thunderbolt icon.
If you produce a decent product at a realistic price, it'll sell.
Compare this to the first generation MacBook Air ? I think it's clear that Apple got the pricing wrong on that...
I have had a few friends purchase and they love them. Lighted keyboard was a deal breaker for me.
You can turn the keyboard illumination off in System Preferences> Keyboard.
Well, what do you know?
If you produce a decent product at a realistic price, it'll sell.
Compare this to the first generation MacBook Air ? I think it's clear that Apple got the pricing wrong on that...
And yet their competitors were selling at higher prices and getting even less profit. Funny how sybit was wrong after 3.5 years of technology evolution having a positive effect. Maybe you should look into the component costs before asserting that Apple was jut being greedy with the original MBA price. How much was the original unibody case to build 4 years ago? How much was a 1.8" 64GB SSD 4 years ago compared to the 64GB SSD ard Apple has made for the new MBAs? You see where I'm going with this?
You can turn the keyboard illumination off in System Preferences> Keyboard.
The dealbreaker wasn?t having an illuminated keyboard he couldn?t turn off, the dealbreaker was the new MBAs not having an illuminated keyboard at all.