I'm probably going to get a new Mac laptop sometime soon, but I think I'll wait for the new MacBooks to come out, sometime this year, I think, and see how they compare with this new Air. I was a bit disappointed with the new Air because I was expecting a more capable CPU, faster graphics, and even more RAM.
I have the 2017 MacBook. The biggest benefit was weight. If the MacBook is updated with smaller bezels, larger trackpad, longer battery life and TouchID it'll be a winner based on size and weight.
The MacBookAir is great but a bit too large and heavy for a mobile device.
I own one. Keyboard does seem better than my MacBook Pro which had so many keyboard issues Apple finally replaced it. And the larger trackpad is a mixed bag. I had to give up on the MacBook Pro as a tiny graze of the trackpad would delete things or move the cursor to a new place. Has happened only a few times so far with the new Air, but I had an Air years back and never had that.
Finally the fan. So far, for me, runs 100% of the time. Pretty loud. I have tried closing apps, etc, but now just try to tune it out.
I own one. Keyboard does seem better than my MacBook Pro which had so many keyboard issues Apple finally replaced it. And the larger trackpad is a mixed bag. I had to give up on the MacBook Pro as a tiny graze of the trackpad would delete things or move the cursor to a new place. Has happened only a few times so far with the new Air, but I had an Air years back and never had that.
Finally the fan. So far, for me, runs 100% of the time. Pretty loud. I have tried closing apps, etc, but now just try to tune it out.
I own one. Keyboard does seem better than my MacBook Pro which had so many keyboard issues Apple finally replaced it. And the larger trackpad is a mixed bag. I had to give up on the MacBook Pro as a tiny graze of the trackpad would delete things or move the cursor to a new place. Has happened only a few times so far with the new Air, but I had an Air years back and never had that.
Finally the fan. So far, for me, runs 100% of the time. Pretty loud. I have tried closing apps, etc, but now just try to tune it out.
I was wondering about this. Trackpads keep getting bigger, and I find myself more and more often having problems from brushing them accidentally. I generally use a mouse when I'm doing any serious work, but still.
Well, how about learn to use the new keyboard before put your “thoughts & comments” brainlessly? I actually wonder how many complains out there are truly helpful.
I own an Apple laptop. And since it gets very very hot in a certain location on the keyboard (presumably above where the CPU is) it's actually too hot to touch certain keys ("W", "E" keys). Therefore I won't buy more laptops, unless people who review laptops actually start measuring and reporting the heat problems. A second reason I will avoid laptops is that you gotta throw out the baby (the CPU) with the bathwater (the screen) when the screen starts to fade after 3 years (in my experience, although I'm a heavy user). So my plan to address these issues is to buy a Mac Pro this year. This will physically separate both my keyboard and screen from my CPU.
I own one. Keyboard does seem better than my MacBook Pro which had so many keyboard issues Apple finally replaced it. And the larger trackpad is a mixed bag. I had to give up on the MacBook Pro as a tiny graze of the trackpad would delete things or move the cursor to a new place. Has happened only a few times so far with the new Air, but I had an Air years back and never had that.
Finally the fan. So far, for me, runs 100% of the time. Pretty loud. I have tried closing apps, etc, but now just try to tune it out.
I was wondering about this. Trackpads keep getting bigger, and I find myself more and more often having problems from brushing them accidentally. I generally use a mouse when I'm doing any serious work, but still.
> For the hidden benefits, the T2 chip makes everything from the microphones and FaceTime camera to internal storage more secure and perform better. Have you checked about cameragate in new Air? The camera is absolutely awful and it is already discussed all over internet (but Apple still keeps its pokerface).
Finally the fan. So far, for me, runs 100% of the time. Pretty loud. I have tried closing apps, etc, but now just try to tune it out.
That's not normal. You can use Activity Monitor in the utilities folder to see what is causing the issue, there will be some process that's running over 100%. make sure you select "all processes" in the view menu and select the CPU button in the window. If the issue is with kernel task, then maybe SMC and PRAM resets might resolve, or there might be a 3rd-party extension that's loading up. Also if the issue is in a web browser, some websites are poorly designed or have crappy flash adverts that are causing the issue. I would also suggest installing iStat Menus, it's a great little app that allows you to see what's going on.
You forgot to mention the one feature that makes the new MacBook Air unuseable for many people.
The keyboard. It’s attrocious. It offers so little keytravel that it’s like typing on a flat surface. There is insufficient feedback to provide a satisfying typing experience. You need an external keyboard (with decent key travel) to make the MacBook Air a useful tool. Which defeats the whole purpose of thin and light.
Apple please replace these ridiculously flat, unresponsive keyboards! They are ruining your MacBook products.
My main beef with the MBA is the "new" butterfly keyboard. I will not buy any Mac sporting that keyboard. It's absolutely horrible to type with, notwithstanding other deficiencies. Apple has lost its mojo. BTW, butterfly keyboards are still failing even with the new membrane to keep out dust etc. I'm surprised Apple has not brought back the hockey puck mouse to accommodate the keyboard.
I really don’t understand why people equate key travel with a quality typing experience or responsiveness. I’m finding quite the opposite to the point where using someone’s previous gen keyboards as I did yesterday feels super odd and less preferable. I absolutely love the new keyboards.
I own one. Keyboard does seem better than my MacBook Pro which had so many keyboard issues Apple finally replaced it. And the larger trackpad is a mixed bag. I had to give up on the MacBook Pro as a tiny graze of the trackpad would delete things or move the cursor to a new place. Has happened only a few times so far with the new Air, but I had an Air years back and never had that.
Finally the fan. So far, for me, runs 100% of the time. Pretty loud. I have tried closing apps, etc, but now just try to tune it out.
If the fan is coming on during light use or no active use at all, you might wanna get it checked out. It should stay quiet unless under load.
I really don’t understand why people equate key travel with a quality typing experience or responsiveness. I’m finding quite the opposite to the point where using someone’s previous gen keyboards as I did yesterday feels super odd and less preferable. I absolutely love the new keyboards.
Because key travel is as important to typing as it is to playing on a piano. Sure, Steinway could make pianos with ultra shallow key travel but the experience would be horrible.
They keys on Apple’s butterfly keyboards feel more like buttons than keys. You click them rather than push them. There is no real feedback. Just a flat, finger numbing experience.
It’s such a shame because Apple used to make the best notebook keyboards in the business. But their obsession with thinness has turned an enjoyable typing experience into a pain - especially when typing anything longer than an email.
I really don’t understand why people equate key travel with a quality typing experience or responsiveness. I’m finding quite the opposite to the point where using someone’s previous gen keyboards as I did yesterday feels super odd and less preferable. I absolutely love the new keyboards.
Because key travel is as important to typing as it is to playing on a piano. Sure, Steinway could make pianos with ultra shallow key travel but the experience would be horrible.
They keys on Apple’s butterfly keyboards feel more like buttons than keys. You click them rather than push them. There is no real feedback. Just a flat, finger numbing experience.
It’s such a shame because Apple used to make the best notebook keyboards in the business. But their obsession with thinness has turned an enjoyable typing experience into a pain - especially when typing anything longer than an email.
Strongly disagree, as I type measurably faster on the new MBP keyboard. Also keys *are* buttons. Piano keys actually have physical properties that go with the fact they’re controlling giant hammers hitting strings, it’s not an apt analogy. The sense that “pushing” keys is somehow a requirement is false.
If your fingers are going numb, you’re obviously hitting the keyboard too hard and not adapting to the reduced need for force when typing.
I cant believe youve listed the keyboard as a plus. Ive seen the problems with lots of peoples butterfly keyboards, and the reports are now coming in that gen 3 is also problematic.
I really don’t understand why people equate key travel with a quality typing experience or responsiveness. I’m finding quite the opposite to the point where using someone’s previous gen keyboards as I did yesterday feels super odd and less preferable. I absolutely love the new keyboards.
Because key travel is as important to typing as it is to playing on a piano. Sure, Steinway could make pianos with ultra shallow key travel but the experience would be horrible.
They keys on Apple’s butterfly keyboards feel more like buttons than keys. You click them rather than push them. There is no real feedback. Just a flat, finger numbing experience.
It’s such a shame because Apple used to make the best notebook keyboards in the business. But their obsession with thinness has turned an enjoyable typing experience into a pain - especially when typing anything longer than an email.
Strongly disagree, as I type measurably faster on the new MBP keyboard. Also keys *are* buttons. Piano keys actually have physical properties that go with the fact they’re controlling giant hammers hitting strings, it’s not an apt analogy. The sense that “pushing” keys is somehow a requirement is false.
If your fingers are going numb, you’re obviously hitting the keyboard too hard and not adapting to the reduced need for force when typing.
I can prove the last part. It’s much better to go gentle in the long run, because you don’t need much force to actutate the key.
As for the “button” part, the metal dome beneath each keys are the same as those buttons inside an iPhone. They can provide a strong tactile feedback in a slim space, and lasts much longer than traditional rubber domes.
You forgot to mention the one feature that makes the new MacBook Air unuseable for many people.
The keyboard. It’s attrocious. It offers so little keytravel that it’s like typing on a flat surface. There is insufficient feedback to provide a satisfying typing experience. You need an external keyboard (with decent key travel) to make the MacBook Air a useful tool. Which defeats the whole purpose of thin and light.
Apple please replace these ridiculously flat, unresponsive keyboards! They are ruining your MacBook products.
My main beef with the MBA is the "new" butterfly keyboard. I will not buy any Mac sporting that keyboard. It's absolutely horrible to type with, notwithstanding other deficiencies. Apple has lost its mojo. BTW, butterfly keyboards are still failing even with the new membrane to keep out dust etc. I'm surprised Apple has not brought back the hockey puck mouse to accommodate the keyboard.
I really don’t understand why people equate key travel with a quality typing experience or responsiveness. I’m finding quite the opposite to the point where using someone’s previous gen keyboards as I did yesterday feels super odd and less preferable. I absolutely love the new keyboards.
From what I saw, most complaints can be summed up as “I can’t get use to it.” Of course everyone is different, some learn about new things fast, while others simply rejected. Same thing happened to those mechanical keyboard people when they tries out a scissor-based chiclet one.
I cant believe youve listed the keyboard as a plus. Ive seen the problems with lots of peoples butterfly keyboards, and the reports are now coming in that gen 3 is also problematic.
The problem for me is the pricing. For the CPU you get, with no upgrade available, and the price for a 1.5TB drive (which, I'm sorry, all MBs should come with at least 1TB now standard in storage), makes it a hard sell. I just wished it was priced better. Fine, for $1.5K I'll pay for it...if it had 16 gig and 1.5TB for that price.
I'm still on my late 2011 MBP. I did all the upgrades myself (1TB drive and 16 GB ram). It's starting to show it's age with the slow CPU, crap battery life, warping aluminum issue- but it's still going.
Comments
The MacBookAir is great but a bit too large and heavy for a mobile device.
I actually wonder how many complains out there are truly helpful.
Have you checked about cameragate in new Air? The camera is absolutely awful and it is already discussed all over internet (but Apple still keeps its pokerface).
Call AppleCare if you can't resolve it yourself.
It it does have active cooling, and the 7W processor is faster than the old 15W.
I really don’t understand why people equate key travel with a quality typing experience or responsiveness. I’m finding quite the opposite to the point where using someone’s previous gen keyboards as I did yesterday feels super odd and less preferable. I absolutely love the new keyboards.
They keys on Apple’s butterfly keyboards feel more like buttons than keys. You click them rather than push them. There is no real feedback. Just a flat, finger numbing experience.
It’s such a shame because Apple used to make the best notebook keyboards in the business. But their obsession with thinness has turned an enjoyable typing experience into a pain - especially when typing anything longer than an email.
If your fingers are going numb, you’re obviously hitting the keyboard too hard and not adapting to the reduced need for force when typing.
As for the “button” part, the metal dome beneath each keys are the same as those buttons inside an iPhone. They can provide a strong tactile feedback in a slim space, and lasts much longer than traditional rubber domes.
https://youtu.be/At-_QWp8GmE
For the CPU you get, with no upgrade available, and the price for a 1.5TB drive (which, I'm sorry, all MBs should come with at least 1TB now standard in storage), makes it a hard sell. I just wished it was priced better. Fine, for $1.5K I'll pay for it...if it had 16 gig and 1.5TB for that price.
I'm still on my late 2011 MBP.
I did all the upgrades myself (1TB drive and 16 GB ram).
It's starting to show it's age with the slow CPU, crap battery life, warping aluminum issue- but it's still going.