True story. I had a friend that interviewed for a hardware job at Apple that said they hinted at an ARM based macbook. At the time I was working on Mac OS hardware team and asked my bosses about ARM processor macbook coming down the pike and they looked at each other and abruptly became silent. This was back in 2011.
I rarely use the mechanism click. Tap to click is faster and more intuitive in many ways. I also prefer the two fingered tap for viewing options. Only problem is using Windows PCs at work. The laptops confuse me since they are button centric.
If removing fan does not impede performance of the CPU then great. More space for the battery!
In the majority of cases the fan will probably not be needed. My MBP Retina rarely uses the fan unless I'm using an intensive app. Other than that the fan is off.
Clearly Apple are emoting towards minimal moving parts and fully enclosed units. It is all good and will again set Apple apart from the crowd.
Ding ding ding! I believe you nailed it -- except the 13" MBP is here to stay; see below.
I wouldn't be so sure. Tim Cook is a reputed Logistician extraordinaire so I would expect he would look to reduce the number of screen sizes to maximize production efficiency, reduce parts inventory and costs, and thereby increase profit margins. However, I don't think he'd do it all at once; I think he would wait to see how well the 12" model is received.
This is all mute, of course, if the rumor turns out to be oxen droppings
There no technical handles or issues to make a Fanless Laptop. Get it low enough Clock speed Broadwell is there already.
The problem is.
It will be slow, definitely slower then previous gen Haswell if it were to go fanless.
GPU will suck, Graphics performance suffer quite heavily.
And finally, ALL ULP Intel chip are extra expensive. No way could Macbook Air continue to sell at this current price range, especially with the rumors Retina Display.
All in all, the rumors add up together dont make much sense.
Wrong, wrong and wrong...
iPhones and iPads ARM SOCs have the fastest GPUs around with power to spare. (Imagination Technologies Power VR)
This device will most certainly not use Intel Chips.
It will use ARM CPU and Power VR GPU and Flash for storage.
The keyboard and trackpad will be context sensitive on a sapphire glass slab.
It will run iOS with a modern laptop UI that borrows heavily from the iPad Air iOS 7 paradigm.
It will be 64 bit and super efficient and iCloud integrated.
An Arm A8 MacBook Air, very interesting idea... Great way to start the transition.
Hmmm…ARM chip? Maybe…A8? I'm very doubtful. Doesn't Apple customize the designs of their chips to max out performance? If Apple were to go ARM on this theoretical device, I think it would have a custom chip specifically built for it.
Normally I can't see a MacBook Air as some glorified iPad running iOS, but with the rumored impending release of Microsoft Office for iPad, maybe it would be possible.
My only misgiving with Macs going ARM is that Quicken for Mac is a horrible, embarrassingly shoddy app and there is no realistic alternative to Quicken for Windows. As it is, I use Fusion and Win7 exclusively to run Quicken and if that option disappears, I'd be up the creek.
iPhones and iPads ARM SOCs have the fastest GPUs around with power to spare. (Imagination Technologies Power VR)
This device will most certainly not use Intel Chips.
It will use ARM CPU and Power VR GPU and Flash for storage.
The keyboard and trackpad will be context sensitive on a sapphire glass slab.
It will run iOS with a modern laptop UI that borrows heavily from the iPad Air iOS 7 paradigm.
It will be 64 bit and super efficient and iCloud integrated.
It will run iOS applications that exist today.
You make some very interesting points and Apple has definitely filed many patents related to context sensitive keyboards and trackpads. Let's assume Apple makes a device close to what you're proposing. It surely won't belong to the Mac line-up and will be a new class of device with a new name. And it definitely fits in line with what Tim Cook was saying regarding new service and product categories for 2014.
Umm...tap to click? Seriously who uses the press-down-anywhere to click? They should have done away with the button a while ago. Tap + Gestures is all I need.
Try highlighting a sentence...you can only do it with press-down-click then drag your finger to highlight. If you double tap to click, it only highlights one word.
Don't do it Apple, you will make a lot of people really angry!
My only misgiving with Macs going ARM is that Quicken for Mac is a horrible, embarrassingly shoddy app and there is no realistic alternative to Quicken for Windows. As it is, I use Fusion and Win7 exclusively to run Quicken and if that option disappears, I'd be up the creek.
If it's going ARM, then I doubt it will be a Mac. Think new product category.
I remember reading about an apple patent related to the use of ionized air electrict, and magnetic fields to creat an air current without the need of fan... maybe they have perfected that technology and it is ready for deployment,
iPhones and iPads ARM SOCs have the fastest GPUs around with power to spare. (Imagination Technologies Power VR)
This is not true, the Adreno 330 in the AB/AC variants of the Snapdragon 800 SoC have higher graphical performance than the PowerVR 6 used in Apple's A7.
Because they automatically overclock at the prescence of a benchmark test, at least i read a lot of stories and posts refering to that in almost every non apple smartphone.
This is very interesting. Considering that both iOS and OS X share much of the same codebase and libraries, it is possible that this new MacBook computer runs an ARM processor. Apple has many years of experience transitioning OSs from one architecture to another (Motorola 68K to PowerPC to Intel), so it would not be unheard of for them to use an ARM processor in this notebook. I am very interested to see what this new machine will look lit, and it cold even be the "iPad Pro" that was predicted recently, although it is more reminiscent of a MacBook Air than an iPad...
However, Apple has given no indication that it will merge iOS and OS X any time soon, if ever. They haven't even activated full multi-tasking on iOS yet, probably because of power considerations and the relative limitations of ARM. I doubt that they would move away from Intel just yet, particularly when Intel's desktop and notebook-class processor designs are significantly more powerful than anything ARM has at the moment. It's the mobile device space where ARM has the advantage.
I'm not sure I'd rely on the HD4200 to power a Retina Display. Remember the complaints about the lag on the original 13" rMBP?
That post was to show the price difference between U and Y series.
If this rumour is to be believed, I would assume Apple would use Broadwell Y.
At the moment, the HD4400 in the Yoga 2 Pro is able to keep up with the 3200x1800 display, and I would imagine Broadwell Y's GPU to outperform the HD4400.
However, Apple has given no indication that it will merge iOS and OS X any time soon, if ever.
I really don't think anybody is saying merge the OS'es. Rather we re saying produce a Mac that can leo run iOS apps. Big difference!!!! They currently have everything to do this inlace with the iOS emulator running with Xcode. All they need to do is dress it up a bit and make it more transparent to the user.
They haven't even activated full multi-tasking on iOS yet, probably because of power considerations and the relative limitations of ARM.
Power isn't the big problem on a laptop. However it is also a mistake to refers to it as activated. Multi-Tasking works fine on iOS devices, it just isn't a user facility.
I doubt that they would move away from Intel just yet, particularly when Intel's desktop and notebook-class processor designs are significantly more powerful than anything ARM has at the moment. It's the mobile device space where ARM has the advantage.
And a laptop is what - a mobile device. As to performance that is an interesting can of worms to open. Modern operating systems and user apps currently can reasonably exploit four cores so If Apple can deliver four course at reasonable power levels many apps will fell fine performance wise. One only has to look at the latest iPads to see how functional apps can be when targeting ARM. With a laptop that ARM chip would be running at a higher clock rate, possibly much higher, and would likely be an significant upgrade from A7 in other ways.
Try highlighting a sentence...you can only do it with press-down-click then drag your finger to highlight. If you double tap to click, it only highlights one word.
Don't do it Apple, you will make a lot of people really angry!
More like it will just make you very angry. You can't speak for others...
It doesn't surprise me that this thread has erupted in intel codenames and specs.
Why would it surprise anyone to begin with?
This thread is speculating on the rumour of a fanless Macbook. The hardware required to make this rumour into a reality is something that's expected to be discussed.
Comments
Only problem is using Windows PCs at work. The laptops confuse me since they are button centric.
If removing fan does not impede performance of the CPU then great. More space for the battery!
In the majority of cases the fan will probably not be needed. My MBP Retina rarely uses the fan unless I'm using an intensive app. Other than that the fan is off.
Clearly Apple are emoting towards minimal moving parts and fully enclosed units. It is all good and will again set Apple apart from the crowd.
Ding ding ding! I believe you nailed it -- except the 13" MBP is here to stay; see below.
I wouldn't be so sure. Tim Cook is a reputed Logistician extraordinaire so I would expect he would look to reduce the number of screen sizes to maximize production efficiency, reduce parts inventory and costs, and thereby increase profit margins. However, I don't think he'd do it all at once; I think he would wait to see how well the 12" model is received.
This is all mute, of course, if the rumor turns out to be oxen droppings
There no technical handles or issues to make a Fanless Laptop. Get it low enough Clock speed Broadwell is there already.
The problem is.
It will be slow, definitely slower then previous gen Haswell if it were to go fanless.
GPU will suck, Graphics performance suffer quite heavily.
And finally, ALL ULP Intel chip are extra expensive. No way could Macbook Air continue to sell at this current price range, especially with the rumors Retina Display.
All in all, the rumors add up together dont make much sense.
Wrong, wrong and wrong...
iPhones and iPads ARM SOCs have the fastest GPUs around with power to spare. (Imagination Technologies Power VR)
This device will most certainly not use Intel Chips.
It will use ARM CPU and Power VR GPU and Flash for storage.
The keyboard and trackpad will be context sensitive on a sapphire glass slab.
It will run iOS with a modern laptop UI that borrows heavily from the iPad Air iOS 7 paradigm.
It will be 64 bit and super efficient and iCloud integrated.
It will run iOS applications that exist today.
An Arm A8 MacBook Air, very interesting idea... Great way to start the transition.
Hmmm…ARM chip? Maybe…A8? I'm very doubtful. Doesn't Apple customize the designs of their chips to max out performance? If Apple were to go ARM on this theoretical device, I think it would have a custom chip specifically built for it.
Normally I can't see a MacBook Air as some glorified iPad running iOS, but with the rumored impending release of Microsoft Office for iPad, maybe it would be possible.
My only misgiving with Macs going ARM is that Quicken for Mac is a horrible, embarrassingly shoddy app and there is no realistic alternative to Quicken for Windows. As it is, I use Fusion and Win7 exclusively to run Quicken and if that option disappears, I'd be up the creek.
Wrong, wrong and wrong...
iPhones and iPads ARM SOCs have the fastest GPUs around with power to spare. (Imagination Technologies Power VR)
This device will most certainly not use Intel Chips.
It will use ARM CPU and Power VR GPU and Flash for storage.
The keyboard and trackpad will be context sensitive on a sapphire glass slab.
It will run iOS with a modern laptop UI that borrows heavily from the iPad Air iOS 7 paradigm.
It will be 64 bit and super efficient and iCloud integrated.
It will run iOS applications that exist today.
You make some very interesting points and Apple has definitely filed many patents related to context sensitive keyboards and trackpads. Let's assume Apple makes a device close to what you're proposing. It surely won't belong to the Mac line-up and will be a new class of device with a new name. And it definitely fits in line with what Tim Cook was saying regarding new service and product categories for 2014.
Umm...tap to click? Seriously who uses the press-down-anywhere to click? They should have done away with the button a while ago. Tap + Gestures is all I need.
Try highlighting a sentence...you can only do it with press-down-click then drag your finger to highlight. If you double tap to click, it only highlights one word.
Don't do it Apple, you will make a lot of people really angry!
My only misgiving with Macs going ARM is that Quicken for Mac is a horrible, embarrassingly shoddy app and there is no realistic alternative to Quicken for Windows. As it is, I use Fusion and Win7 exclusively to run Quicken and if that option disappears, I'd be up the creek.
If it's going ARM, then I doubt it will be a Mac. Think new product category.
iPhones and iPads ARM SOCs have the fastest GPUs around with power to spare. (Imagination Technologies Power VR)
This is not true, the Adreno 330 in the AB/AC variants of the Snapdragon 800 SoC have higher graphical performance than the PowerVR 6 used in Apple's A7.
The current Haswell U series chip in the Macbook Air:
i5-4250U - $315
A fanless Haswell Y series chip:
i5-4300Y - $281
Source: Intel ARK
I'm not sure I'd rely on the HD4200 to power a Retina Display. Remember the complaints about the lag on the original 13" rMBP?
This is very interesting. Considering that both iOS and OS X share much of the same codebase and libraries, it is possible that this new MacBook computer runs an ARM processor. Apple has many years of experience transitioning OSs from one architecture to another (Motorola 68K to PowerPC to Intel), so it would not be unheard of for them to use an ARM processor in this notebook. I am very interested to see what this new machine will look lit, and it cold even be the "iPad Pro" that was predicted recently, although it is more reminiscent of a MacBook Air than an iPad...
However, Apple has given no indication that it will merge iOS and OS X any time soon, if ever. They haven't even activated full multi-tasking on iOS yet, probably because of power considerations and the relative limitations of ARM. I doubt that they would move away from Intel just yet, particularly when Intel's desktop and notebook-class processor designs are significantly more powerful than anything ARM has at the moment. It's the mobile device space where ARM has the advantage.
I'm not sure I'd rely on the HD4200 to power a Retina Display. Remember the complaints about the lag on the original 13" rMBP?
That post was to show the price difference between U and Y series.
If this rumour is to be believed, I would assume Apple would use Broadwell Y.
At the moment, the HD4400 in the Yoga 2 Pro is able to keep up with the 3200x1800 display, and I would imagine Broadwell Y's GPU to outperform the HD4400.
And a laptop is what - a mobile device. As to performance that is an interesting can of worms to open. Modern operating systems and user apps currently can reasonably exploit four cores so If Apple can deliver four course at reasonable power levels many apps will fell fine performance wise. One only has to look at the latest iPads to see how functional apps can be when targeting ARM. With a laptop that ARM chip would be running at a higher clock rate, possibly much higher, and would likely be an significant upgrade from A7 in other ways.
Try highlighting a sentence...you can only do it with press-down-click then drag your finger to highlight. If you double tap to click, it only highlights one word.
Don't do it Apple, you will make a lot of people really angry!
More like it will just make you very angry. You can't speak for others...
It doesn't surprise me that this thread has erupted in intel codenames and specs.
Why would it surprise anyone to begin with?
This thread is speculating on the rumour of a fanless Macbook. The hardware required to make this rumour into a reality is something that's expected to be discussed.
Don't forget the 2004 G5 with liquid cooling...
It still had fans.