The thing about the latest Air is that it is quite a lot better than the Core2Duo 13" MacBook Pros that so many of us have been using for a couple of years. So, yes, a large number of potential customers don't need the power of a MacBook Pro including many existing MacBook Pro users.
Well yeah the new AIRs improve upon earlier models, are you really that surprised? However I can flip this around and just as easily say that many users can't accept the limitations of the AIRs.
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For MacBook Pro users like myself, who are ready to replace 2-3-year old machines with something new, it puts us in a bit of a quandary. Do we go for the MacBook Air safe in the knowledge that it is a considerable upgrade versus existing MBP hardware, or do we wait for a revised macBook Pro to come along?
That is up to the user. I can say personally that AIR limitations like storage and CPU capability currently frustrate me. If they are no problem for you then that is great.
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With processing power now being less of an issue than it was, the form factor of the 13" Air is mighty compelling.
This is what I object to, the AIRs are still limited as far as processing power goes. People seem to confuse responsiveness with computational power. Personally I won't accept anything less than 4 cores in my next machine. My experience on my current machine tells me that anything less would be a mistake.
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So is the SSD drive. So is the better screen resolution. Which begs the question what do we really need in the next generation MacBook Pro?
More cores, more RAM and more graphics processing power. This doesn't discount that the current AIRs are an excellent value and are all that many need. Rather it highlights that many can't accept the machines limitations.
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I would love an early 2011 15" MacBook Pro in a 13" MacBook enclosure. But that isn't going to happen until Ivy Bridge shrinks the chipset sufficiently for it to fit such a footprint.
I'm certain that it could be done right now with Sandy Bridge. In fact I was a bit shocked that the last 13" MBP update was so conservative.
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I also need a 500 Gb hard drive that doesn't cost the national debt of a small South American country. That's also wishful thinking until the 20 nm process comes on line and prices drop.
Go to the smaller process geometries for flash and reliability goes out the window. So until that is fixed no high capacity drives at a decent price. This is the primary reason I want future MBP to be hybrid machines with support for blade storage plus a traditional hard drive.
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I also want a discrete GPU or a much better on-board intel GPU. The latter is also a big ask at this time. So, all in all, we are constrained by current technology. This may not stop Apple junking the ODD. Doing so will save weight and reduce costs for a machine based on existing internal components minus the DVD drive.
So what you are saying is that the AIRs really don't do it for you.
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Apple may well introduce a new MacBook Pro with a smaller form factor because customer perception of packaging benefits will make it worthwhile for them to do so. However, what is not clear to me is whether waiting for Ivy Bridge may allow them to produce a much thinner machine than they could do with existing Core i7 motherboards?
It depends upon how Apple sees the MBP evolution and what future user needs may be. Just remember IB is just part of the MBP.
When do you think a 500 Gb SSD will be a BTO option for the MBA?
Apple use Toshiba and Samsung drives and Toshiba are switching to 19nm NAND. I expected the MBA refresh to coincide with it for lower cost and more storage as they were supposed to be shipping in the 2nd half of 2011 but it doesn't seem like this has happened yet. Samsung have just started shipping 512GB parts to OEMs:
That's the next iteration of the models Apple uses. This can be introduced into the lineup without a major refresh at any time. It will likely cost $800 for that drive but obviously in a machine that uses SSD exclusively, it can be factored into the price and offered as a $400 upgrade.
Thanks for that. Interesting and informative. When do you think a 500 Gb SSD will be a BTO option for the MBA?
The higher density chips have real problems which might make them less appealing to Apple. I've heard things that indicate that it has been taking Apple much longer to validate the recent chips. If true that could indicate that flash chips at the smaller feature sizes arent meeting Apples quality standards.
Of course larger notebooks imply more room so they could always switch to larger cards with more flash chips on them. This actually isn't that bad of an idea because the price of flash drops regularly. Traditionally the MBPs have had more volume so this shouldn't be a limitation. Remember 8GBs of flash doesn't cost much at all, (talking volume purchases here) the problem becomes one of placing them all on a board so drive makers tend to use higher density "chips" I put chips in "" because what you see as a chip on a PC board might actually be a stack of wafers.
In any event I see $300 as a lot of money for a 250GB flash module. Especially if is just a delta over the cost of 128GB. On the AIRs they charge $300 extra for 128GB of flash. That is pretty stiff but likely reflects the need to use higher density chips and of course make a stiff profit for Apple.
So at this point I have no idea when the AIRs will have a 512GB option. The chips are available but it could be an issue of cost or reliability. Frankly I don't really think Apple cares about the cost, as long as they can make a profit, so I suspect that they are concentrating on reliability right now.
Honestly for a boot/application storage module I'd be happy with 300GB, 250GB is just to thin for my needs. In any event this message doesn't really answer your question but it does offer up a different perspective. Then you have the reality that Apple might look at the AIRs as low end machines and put the larger SSDs in the MBPs. There are so many factors at work here that giving you a fixed answer is just guess work.
Comments
Thanks for that. Interesting and informative. When do you think a 500 Gb SSD will be a BTO option for the MBA?
@Marvin and Wizard 69
The thing about the latest Air is that it is quite a lot better than the Core2Duo 13" MacBook Pros that so many of us have been using for a couple of years. So, yes, a large number of potential customers don't need the power of a MacBook Pro including many existing MacBook Pro users.
Well yeah the new AIRs improve upon earlier models, are you really that surprised? However I can flip this around and just as easily say that many users can't accept the limitations of the AIRs.
For MacBook Pro users like myself, who are ready to replace 2-3-year old machines with something new, it puts us in a bit of a quandary. Do we go for the MacBook Air safe in the knowledge that it is a considerable upgrade versus existing MBP hardware, or do we wait for a revised macBook Pro to come along?
That is up to the user. I can say personally that AIR limitations like storage and CPU capability currently frustrate me. If they are no problem for you then that is great.
With processing power now being less of an issue than it was, the form factor of the 13" Air is mighty compelling.
This is what I object to, the AIRs are still limited as far as processing power goes. People seem to confuse responsiveness with computational power. Personally I won't accept anything less than 4 cores in my next machine. My experience on my current machine tells me that anything less would be a mistake.
So is the SSD drive. So is the better screen resolution. Which begs the question what do we really need in the next generation MacBook Pro?
More cores, more RAM and more graphics processing power. This doesn't discount that the current AIRs are an excellent value and are all that many need. Rather it highlights that many can't accept the machines limitations.
I would love an early 2011 15" MacBook Pro in a 13" MacBook enclosure. But that isn't going to happen until Ivy Bridge shrinks the chipset sufficiently for it to fit such a footprint.
I'm certain that it could be done right now with Sandy Bridge. In fact I was a bit shocked that the last 13" MBP update was so conservative.
I also need a 500 Gb hard drive that doesn't cost the national debt of a small South American country. That's also wishful thinking until the 20 nm process comes on line and prices drop.
Go to the smaller process geometries for flash and reliability goes out the window. So until that is fixed no high capacity drives at a decent price. This is the primary reason I want future MBP to be hybrid machines with support for blade storage plus a traditional hard drive.
I also want a discrete GPU or a much better on-board intel GPU. The latter is also a big ask at this time. So, all in all, we are constrained by current technology. This may not stop Apple junking the ODD. Doing so will save weight and reduce costs for a machine based on existing internal components minus the DVD drive.
So what you are saying is that the AIRs really don't do it for you.
Apple may well introduce a new MacBook Pro with a smaller form factor because customer perception of packaging benefits will make it worthwhile for them to do so. However, what is not clear to me is whether waiting for Ivy Bridge may allow them to produce a much thinner machine than they could do with existing Core i7 motherboards?
It depends upon how Apple sees the MBP evolution and what future user needs may be. Just remember IB is just part of the MBP.
When do you think a 500 Gb SSD will be a BTO option for the MBA?
Apple use Toshiba and Samsung drives and Toshiba are switching to 19nm NAND. I expected the MBA refresh to coincide with it for lower cost and more storage as they were supposed to be shipping in the 2nd half of 2011 but it doesn't seem like this has happened yet. Samsung have just started shipping 512GB parts to OEMs:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4606/s...2gb-capacities
That's the next iteration of the models Apple uses. This can be introduced into the lineup without a major refresh at any time. It will likely cost $800 for that drive but obviously in a machine that uses SSD exclusively, it can be factored into the price and offered as a $400 upgrade.
[@Marvin
Thanks for that. Interesting and informative. When do you think a 500 Gb SSD will be a BTO option for the MBA?
The higher density chips have real problems which might make them less appealing to Apple. I've heard things that indicate that it has been taking Apple much longer to validate the recent chips. If true that could indicate that flash chips at the smaller feature sizes arent meeting Apples quality standards.
Of course larger notebooks imply more room so they could always switch to larger cards with more flash chips on them. This actually isn't that bad of an idea because the price of flash drops regularly. Traditionally the MBPs have had more volume so this shouldn't be a limitation. Remember 8GBs of flash doesn't cost much at all, (talking volume purchases here) the problem becomes one of placing them all on a board so drive makers tend to use higher density "chips" I put chips in "" because what you see as a chip on a PC board might actually be a stack of wafers.
In any event I see $300 as a lot of money for a 250GB flash module. Especially if is just a delta over the cost of 128GB. On the AIRs they charge $300 extra for 128GB of flash. That is pretty stiff but likely reflects the need to use higher density chips and of course make a stiff profit for Apple.
So at this point I have no idea when the AIRs will have a 512GB option. The chips are available but it could be an issue of cost or reliability. Frankly I don't really think Apple cares about the cost, as long as they can make a profit, so I suspect that they are concentrating on reliability right now.
Honestly for a boot/application storage module I'd be happy with 300GB, 250GB is just to thin for my needs. In any event this message doesn't really answer your question but it does offer up a different perspective. Then you have the reality that Apple might look at the AIRs as low end machines and put the larger SSDs in the MBPs. There are so many factors at work here that giving you a fixed answer is just guess work.