Wait, I thought the ipad was going to kill notebook sales.
i am pretty sure that if you read the forums from when the MBA came out, what was actually going to happen was that the Air was the flop that was going to sink Apple...
Moskowitz sees the iCloud causing a reduction in storage requirements thus driving sales? iCloud doesn't reduce storage requirements at all. It facilitates synching data between your devices.
Still waiting for my 13" i5 MBA with the Thunderbolt port. Got the money socked away. Just in case anyone at Apple is paying attention!
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
The 13" MBA can hold up to 256GB and it wasn't too long ago the aluminium MacBook with 250GB and 2GB RAM as that much. I know a lot of people with PCs that don't come close to using that much capacity. Now add to that the increased usage of satellite computers such as tablets and smartphones. If Apple creates the iOS/ARM-based Home Server product I want I an see the MacBook Air pushing even further into the Mac cut. I'd even consider getting one then (assuming the battery life was significantly increased).
Yup, as long as I can get to my full Lightroom catalogs, etc. over that fast Thunderbolt port, 256GB flashdrive storage would be fine for those times when my MBA would be portable.
What I feel is missing from this whole ecosystem is a recognition that an OSX device, the Air etc, can be one of the satellite devices like an iOS device.
Currently, any OSX Mac behaves as if we are still in the old days when it would be the household's only computer and hold all content itself.
There's some syncing, but it's still syncing between vertically complete systems that each consider themselves your only computer.
I would get an Air, and be very happy with smaller storage if I knew I could have a light version of my main Mac's content, without having to manually manage it all.
An example would be for OSX iTunes to be taggable as a slave/mobile copy.
It would contain only content in playlists referenced to another iTunes installation against the same Apple ID and perhaps have some iCloud access too.
+1. I'm pretty happy with my MBA, but I would love to have a dual monitor 27" iMac for my main machine and the MBA as an accessory. I think this scenario will work itself out in the near future, but for now it's too much of a hassle for me. I would want to be able to pick up the MBA and run, with no worries about apps, documents, email, etc. being out of sync, with no effort on my part.
As someone else mentioned, get the ethernet -> USB adapter. Or are you saying you're not allowed wired ethernet either and need to have a 3G card or something?
OK! how silly of me to not think of that. I thought it would be just too much of a bottle neck to run ethernet through USB 2. So I never considered such a solution. Uh, thanks.
Interesting that Apple’s lowest-cost laptop (and nearly their lowest-cost Mac) is so well equipped, with a fast SSD. That makes it all the computer most people need (maybe with an external monitor and keyboard).
Quote:
Originally Posted by PXT
What I feel is missing from this whole ecosystem is a recognition that an OSX device, the Air etc, can be one of the satellite devices like an iOS device.
Currently, any OSX Mac behaves as if we are still in the old days when it would be the household's only computer and hold all content itself.
There's some syncing, but it's still syncing between vertically complete systems that each consider themselves your only computer.
I would get an Air, and be very happy with smaller storage if I knew I could have a light version of my main Mac's content, without having to manually manage it all.
An example would be for OSX iTunes to be taggable as a slave/mobile copy.
It would contain only content in playlists referenced to another iTunes installation against the same Apple ID and perhaps have some iCloud access too.
My dream setup, which is easy to do TODAY:
* All my most-used apps are on both machines
* All my FILES are on the Air
* My Air is on all day, screen off, as a file-server
* I sit at the iMac (with SSD there too!) and do my work on the big screen with the super processors—but reading my files off the “server” (Air). Slight network slowdown when opening a file, but not for launching apps or paging memory. So I’d never notice. It would be fast.
* Then, when I want to leave the house (or the room) I just grab the Air. My files are on it with no synching needed.
* Lesser-used files (and backups) can be on the wireless Time Capsule
Interesting that Apple’s lowest-cost laptop (and nearly their lowest-cost Mac) is so well equipped, with a fast SSD. That makes it all the computer most people need (maybe with an external monitor and keyboard).
My dream setup, which is easy to do TODAY:
* All my most-used apps are on both machines
* All my FILES are on the Air
* My Air is on all day, screen off, as a file-server
* I sit at the iMac (with SSD there too!) and do my work on the big screen with the super processors—but reading my files off the “server” (Air). Slight network slowdown when opening a file, but not for launching apps or paging memory. So I’d never notice. It would be fast.
* Then, when I want to leave the house (or the room) I just grab the Air. My files are on it with no synching needed.
* Lesser-used files (and backups) can be on the wireless Time Capsule
I think you're describing an interesting point there, that it is not necessarily the most powerful machine that gets to act as the hub/server.
I don't think iCloud is complete until it implements a personal cloud that lets us choose the roles of various devices based on a map of our hardware, software and content.
When Steve said that the new MBA was the "future of the notebook computer", I inferred that he was hinting at the direction the MBPs were going as well.
So my prediction is that the next overhaul of the MBP line will involve getting rid of the optical drive altogether, squishing the profile into that super-sleek wedge shape, and going all solid-state. If you're doing FCP/X, you obviously wouldn't be using internal storage, you'd be hooked into your Thunderbolt-powered RAID system. Same if you're a pro photographer or designer and need terabytes of storage. A single or dual 512 GB flash drive should be sufficient for local storage.
But what about installing software or rebuilding my system? The OS, from Lion and beyond would be provided on a USB key?the benefit of this over a DVD is that the USB key could be updated automatically, so if you do need to reformat your system and rebuild it, you can do it not with your two-year old system DVD that came with your Mac, but with the latest updated system, as your USB "boot" key would be automatically updated as part of your regular background software update (yes, duh, you have to plug it in if you want it to be updated). Then, when you rebuild your system, you're rebuilding it with the latest versions of Quicktime, Safari, iTunes, etc. rather than rebuilding from scratch.
Even third-party developers are increasingly offering their software as downloadable packages. I think the days of CD/DVD-based software distribution are fading away, and with that, the need for optical drives. If you're an old-timer and absolutely must have an optical drive for whatever reason, you can always buy a separate unit and plug it in.
But, I would love to see a super-thin, wedge-shaped 17" MBP with no moving parts, (save for the keyboard keys and the display hinge!) and a 10-hour battery. I would stand in line for one of those!
Laptop are supposed to be portable I never understood why would anyone buy a 15' machine which clearly is not portable..13" is good enough.
Why do people insist that everyone should have the same needs as they do?
I'm perfectly happy with my 17" MacBook Pro. It does everything I need at this point - and is eminently portable. But, then, I'm not some 90 pound weakling.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Superbass
Wait, I thought the ipad was going to kill notebook sales.
No one ever said that - it's just the same sort of trollish red herring statement that Mac bashers like to pretend they heard.
The iPad HAS had a very strong impact on netbook sales - which is where you'd expect it to be noticed. The data isn't clear, but it seems to have had some impact on notebook sales, as well (specifically cutting into PC notebook sales, not so much for Mac notebook sales).
But no one in their right mind ever said it would kill notebook sales.
Comments
Wait, I thought the ipad was going to kill notebook sales.
i am pretty sure that if you read the forums from when the MBA came out, what was actually going to happen was that the Air was the flop that was going to sink Apple...
The 13" MBA can hold up to 256GB and it wasn't too long ago the aluminium MacBook with 250GB and 2GB RAM as that much. I know a lot of people with PCs that don't come close to using that much capacity. Now add to that the increased usage of satellite computers such as tablets and smartphones. If Apple creates the iOS/ARM-based Home Server product I want I an see the MacBook Air pushing even further into the Mac cut. I'd even consider getting one then (assuming the battery life was significantly increased).
Yup, as long as I can get to my full Lightroom catalogs, etc. over that fast Thunderbolt port, 256GB flashdrive storage would be fine for those times when my MBA would be portable.
What I feel is missing from this whole ecosystem is a recognition that an OSX device, the Air etc, can be one of the satellite devices like an iOS device.
Currently, any OSX Mac behaves as if we are still in the old days when it would be the household's only computer and hold all content itself.
There's some syncing, but it's still syncing between vertically complete systems that each consider themselves your only computer.
I would get an Air, and be very happy with smaller storage if I knew I could have a light version of my main Mac's content, without having to manually manage it all.
An example would be for OSX iTunes to be taggable as a slave/mobile copy.
It would contain only content in playlists referenced to another iTunes installation against the same Apple ID and perhaps have some iCloud access too.
+1. I'm pretty happy with my MBA, but I would love to have a dual monitor 27" iMac for my main machine and the MBA as an accessory. I think this scenario will work itself out in the near future, but for now it's too much of a hassle for me. I would want to be able to pick up the MBA and run, with no worries about apps, documents, email, etc. being out of sync, with no effort on my part.
As someone else mentioned, get the ethernet -> USB adapter. Or are you saying you're not allowed wired ethernet either and need to have a 3G card or something?
OK! how silly of me to not think of that. I thought it would be just too much of a bottle neck to run ethernet through USB 2. So I never considered such a solution. Uh, thanks.
What I feel is missing from this whole ecosystem is a recognition that an OSX device, the Air etc, can be one of the satellite devices like an iOS device.
Currently, any OSX Mac behaves as if we are still in the old days when it would be the household's only computer and hold all content itself.
There's some syncing, but it's still syncing between vertically complete systems that each consider themselves your only computer.
I would get an Air, and be very happy with smaller storage if I knew I could have a light version of my main Mac's content, without having to manually manage it all.
An example would be for OSX iTunes to be taggable as a slave/mobile copy.
It would contain only content in playlists referenced to another iTunes installation against the same Apple ID and perhaps have some iCloud access too.
My dream setup, which is easy to do TODAY:
* All my most-used apps are on both machines
* All my FILES are on the Air
* My Air is on all day, screen off, as a file-server
* I sit at the iMac (with SSD there too!) and do my work on the big screen with the super processors—but reading my files off the “server” (Air). Slight network slowdown when opening a file, but not for launching apps or paging memory. So I’d never notice. It would be fast.
* Then, when I want to leave the house (or the room) I just grab the Air. My files are on it with no synching needed.
* Lesser-used files (and backups) can be on the wireless Time Capsule
Wait, I thought the ipad was going to kill notebook sales.
It has. Just the same way radio killed live concerts and TV killed radio. Just the same way VHS killed off the movie theaters.
My point is that you seem to buy into some sort of idea that new tech kills old tech instantly. It rarely does.
Interesting that Apple’s lowest-cost laptop (and nearly their lowest-cost Mac) is so well equipped, with a fast SSD. That makes it all the computer most people need (maybe with an external monitor and keyboard).
My dream setup, which is easy to do TODAY:
* All my most-used apps are on both machines
* All my FILES are on the Air
* My Air is on all day, screen off, as a file-server
* I sit at the iMac (with SSD there too!) and do my work on the big screen with the super processors—but reading my files off the “server” (Air). Slight network slowdown when opening a file, but not for launching apps or paging memory. So I’d never notice. It would be fast.
* Then, when I want to leave the house (or the room) I just grab the Air. My files are on it with no synching needed.
* Lesser-used files (and backups) can be on the wireless Time Capsule
I think you're describing an interesting point there, that it is not necessarily the most powerful machine that gets to act as the hub/server.
I don't think iCloud is complete until it implements a personal cloud that lets us choose the roles of various devices based on a map of our hardware, software and content.
I would absolutely love a 15" MBA. Unfortunately our IT folks don't allow WiFi in the lab's.
So no WiFi & no ethernet >> no access to the internet.
So for the time I will have to stick to my MBP 15"
My God! What kind backwards, draconian IT universe do you live in?!?!?
So my prediction is that the next overhaul of the MBP line will involve getting rid of the optical drive altogether, squishing the profile into that super-sleek wedge shape, and going all solid-state. If you're doing FCP/X, you obviously wouldn't be using internal storage, you'd be hooked into your Thunderbolt-powered RAID system. Same if you're a pro photographer or designer and need terabytes of storage. A single or dual 512 GB flash drive should be sufficient for local storage.
But what about installing software or rebuilding my system? The OS, from Lion and beyond would be provided on a USB key?the benefit of this over a DVD is that the USB key could be updated automatically, so if you do need to reformat your system and rebuild it, you can do it not with your two-year old system DVD that came with your Mac, but with the latest updated system, as your USB "boot" key would be automatically updated as part of your regular background software update (yes, duh, you have to plug it in if you want it to be updated). Then, when you rebuild your system, you're rebuilding it with the latest versions of Quicktime, Safari, iTunes, etc. rather than rebuilding from scratch.
Even third-party developers are increasingly offering their software as downloadable packages. I think the days of CD/DVD-based software distribution are fading away, and with that, the need for optical drives. If you're an old-timer and absolutely must have an optical drive for whatever reason, you can always buy a separate unit and plug it in.
But, I would love to see a super-thin, wedge-shaped 17" MBP with no moving parts, (save for the keyboard keys and the display hinge!) and a 10-hour battery. I would stand in line for one of those!
It has. Just the same way radio killed live concerts and TV killed radio. Just the same way VHS killed off the movie theaters.
My point is that you seem to buy into some sort of idea that new tech kills old tech instantly. It rarely does.
I'm fairly certain that Superbass was joking.
Laptop are supposed to be portable I never understood why would anyone buy a 15' machine which clearly is not portable..13" is good enough.
Except that the 15" MBP is quite portable. Not at all like some of the competitions' massive 15" and up laptops.
My God! What kind backwards, draconian IT universe do you live in?!?!?
Ironically, it's the University IT center.
They fear security breaches and so forth.
Laptop are supposed to be portable I never understood why would anyone buy a 15' machine which clearly is not portable..13" is good enough.
Why do people insist that everyone should have the same needs as they do?
I'm perfectly happy with my 17" MacBook Pro. It does everything I need at this point - and is eminently portable. But, then, I'm not some 90 pound weakling.
Wait, I thought the ipad was going to kill notebook sales.
No one ever said that - it's just the same sort of trollish red herring statement that Mac bashers like to pretend they heard.
The iPad HAS had a very strong impact on netbook sales - which is where you'd expect it to be noticed. The data isn't clear, but it seems to have had some impact on notebook sales, as well (specifically cutting into PC notebook sales, not so much for Mac notebook sales).
But no one in their right mind ever said it would kill notebook sales.