Apple aren't working on a 15" MacBook Air. They're dropping the optical drive from all their laptops. By next year, optical drives will be an optional extra and the "Air" model will be absorbed back into the MacBook line.
I think you are on the right track....imagine this laptop lineup:- 2 Aluminum MacBooks (current config's), 3 MBA's (10" or 11", 13" and 15"-no drives) and 3 MacBook pro's (current config's-with drives)
Steve would love us to get rid of CD's and DVD's....I never use them! The complete MBA line would move a lot of people to Steve's way of thinking.
<< A Chinese-language blog with a debatable track record claims Apple is working on a 15-inch MacBook Air with more information to come in the "second half" of this year. >>
It's not a future MacBook Air 15-inch....it is the upcoming iTablet with touch-screen and audible command technologies that Apple has been experimenting with for 3 years. It will be coming out in the summer of 2009. It is also Steve Job's "swan-song" presentation for when he returns after his health break for an official passing of the torch to Mr. Cook in late 2009. With at least 12 products in the pipe waiting to come put (5 hardware and 7 software) Apple looks good...post-Jobs. BEsides he will still sit as the Chairman of the Board.
no way, who would buy a MBA 15" which would cost a million times more than a mbp and has less ports and less usability :S there is hardly any difference between the MB and the MBA in portability already, cause weight really isnt much of an issue with laptops now a days, its basically the same as carrying another file or text book
the perfect setup would be something like, a MBP 15' or 17' running as a main computer, (i would say imac but a MBP has more/similar processing power than an imac and isnt desktop bound) and then some sort of tablet/small notebook that i could carry to classes and lectures which would run a sort of stripped down version of OS X. then you could link it to your main set up and sync notes, files, pictures seemlessly and then following that it could be also used as a graphics tablet is it was touchscreen ..... maybe that is too much to ask for but really i dont think anyone needs a 15" MBA with less usability than a MBP
Apple aren't working on a 15" MacBook Air. They're dropping the optical drive from all their laptops. By next year, optical drives will be an optional extra and the "Air" model will be absorbed back into the MacBook line.
Now that is plausible, although I doubt it will happen by next year. Flash is going to be really cheap next year, and it will probably wipe out HDDs and optical drives in a couple years. And for all those "What about Blu-Ray" people out there, why buy a Blu-Ray disk if you get a smaller flash drive with the same data? The content industry just needs to standardize on a card format that can be added to computers and DVD players.
I suspect that we could soon see a 15" Mb it would be a logical extension to the line.
To those of you looking to make a hacintosh I would recommend a Dell Mini9. I just threw up in my mouth a little at recomending a dell. Check out this forum http://mydellmini.com/forum/mac-os-x-f23.html they have created a simple reliable install method that uses a retail leopard disk. Everything works and works well including the built in card reader. Due to the nature of the install you can even do updates just like on a real mac. So for around 550 dollars I got a 9 inch led screen 64 gb ssd and 2gb ram with bluetooth and a 1.3mp camera. Although there are cheaper versions with less specs available. And this little baby flies when doing all the basic stuff. Is this machine good for Photoshop? I doubt it but I bought mine as a 3rd machine but like it so much I always take it with me and use it almost exclusively.
I would absolutely LOVE to have a 15" Air. If they boost the processor, introduce it at the current price point and drop the price of the smaller current model, they'd sell a lot MORE Airs.
Signed,
Old Fart Used To Larger Monitors & Trying To Avoid Eye Strain
I'll take one 15" Air, one iPhone Nano, and one sasquatch egg please.
(And anything else you have that doesn't exist and wouldn't make sense if it did.)
Hah, true, though a 15" MacBook Pro sans internal disc drive (in addition to a nearly as likely long lasting non-removable battery like the 17" MBP) is inevitable.
When that happens they certainly would resemble 15" Airs, even if they kept all their ports, expansion slot, and name.
I don't see Apple dropping internal disc drives from their laptops for at least another year or so.
no way, who would buy a MBA 15" which would cost a million times more than a mbp and has less ports and less usability :S
I would, assuming it is not "a million times" more expensive. Sure there's a premium for thinness and I'll pay it, within reason. I want an Air but its screen is too small. A 15" Air? I'm there. Not sure why all of you are putting this great idea down.
On the basis this sounds a slightly unlikely, puzzling and difficult to comprehend addition to the Mac Family then I'd say this pretty likely.
It's also an addition which people on Mac forums are the hardly demanding or clamouring for (unlike the NetBook and the cheap mini tower. This makes it all the more likely.
For Apple ultra-portable means thin and light, not small. Because in Apple's eyes means unusable keyboard and unusable screen. When they said the MacBook AIr was a no-compromise ultra portable, they weren't talking about the ports and the battery, they were talking about the screen and keyboard.
I could imagine for photographers on location it would be really useful to have such a compact machine with a beautiful big, high definition screen and an generous battery. If Snow Leopard paired with the next Final Cut Studio make a big difference to performance then it might start to appeal of those into digital video as well. There's nothing to say a 15" Air couldn't have Firewire 800/3200 (as there would be room for a bigger flap).
If people want a 15" MacBook but don't want to pay for the Pro then (provided it is priced in between the two) the 15" Air may also be tempting. Of course a 15" Air earns Apple bigger margins than a 15" MacBook, so it's another win for Cupertino.
So yes, now it makes no sense, but it would be typical Apple. A lot depends on the execution as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ktappe
I would, assuming it is not "a million times" more expensive. Sure there's a premium for thinness and I'll pay it, within reason. I want an Air but its screen is too small. A 15" Air? I'm there. Not sure why all of you are putting this great idea down.
To further back up your arguement, the 13" Air sits firmly between the MacBook and the Pro.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdaddyp
I suspect that we could soon see a 15" Mb it would be a logical extension to the line.
To those of you looking to make a hacintosh I would recommend a Dell Mini9. I just threw up in my mouth a little at recomending a dell. Check out this forum http://mydellmini.com/forum/mac-os-x-f23.html they have created a simple reliable install method that uses a retail leopard disk. Everything works and works well
From aforementioned forum:
Quote:
- MemoryStick support (completely lacking)
(porting from linux might be the right way)
- Bluetooth not activated upon startup
- false keyboard input on wakeup from sleep
(adding resume code to ApplePS2Controller.kext?)
- Fn+8 causes a blank screen (or a corrupt display on external display)
(simply disabling the function might just be fine)
Sounds like a dream.
Personal Sidenote:
I'd rather Apple scrapped the MacBook/MacBook Pro division and offered a variety of screen sizes in a variety of configurations. Making consumers stump up for the Pro just for the screen size is less than ideal. Similarly professionals may want a powerful package (with a good screen) in a smaller footprint than that provided by the 15" MacBook Pro. The Air would still have its place of course, as it does today.
no way, who would buy a MBA 15" which would cost a million times more than a mbp and has less ports and less usability :S there is hardly any difference between the MB and the MBA in portability already, cause weight really isnt much of an issue with laptops now a days, its basically the same as carrying another file or text book
A good portion of the 13" MacBook Air's expensive is due to its use of custom, miniaturized processors from Intel and 1.8" HDDs/SSDs, none of which benefit from the economies of scale full-size parts do.
With a 15" model, they could probably use a full-size processor and perhaps a 2.5" HDD. With no need to include an internal SuperDrive or removable battery, the end result could very well be less expensive than the 15" MacBook Pro.
But I'm not suggesting Apple will release such a thing alongside the current 15" MacBook Pro. It'd make more sense to replace it than compete against it.
All of which supports the idea is that this is a bogus rumour. If you want a 15" get the still very thin, light and lovely MBP. I am sure there is a market for an even thinner and sexier 15" MBA but that MUST be a small market indeed. Specially at the premium price the MBA commands. Unless we are all wrong and the Air is in fact Apple's best selling laptop! I am much more inclined to believe in a 10" MBA (read netbook - no idea about specs). Only a few weeks ago I thought the idea totally unlikely but given the recent obsession with the netbooks, and Amazon's sales figures it now seems like it may happen.
Lies. MBP is expensive and WAAAAY too powerful if all you are doing is checking email/surfing the web but want a 15" screen. I know plenty of people who would buy a 15" mbp.
A good portion of the 13" MacBook Air's expensive is due to its use of custom, miniaturized processors from Intel and 1.8" HDDs/SSDs, none of which benefit from the economies of scale full-size parts do.
The Air no longer uses a custom part. That was temporary, for the first model.
1.8" drives are mass produced; they are used in iPod classics, for example.
The Air could actually be a bit cheaper now. It's probably a very profitable model.
As I've mentioned here before, you can fit a 14.1" OLED screen on the Air and change nothing except the width of the bezel. It would look awesome.
There is no way to fit a 15" screen with any technology. The machine would need to be slightly bigger (about 0.6" wider). I wouldn't rule this out; I don't know why people are so sure it's a bad idea.
I have an Air and I did not buy it for the portability. I just love the design, and I don't need Firewire or a DVD drive on the road. Also, I like the non-glass bezel.
MBP is expensive and WAAAAY too powerful if all you are doing is checking email/surfing the web but want a 15" screen.
But the MBA is also way too expensive if this is all you are doing.
Who wants to pay more for a machine so you can do less? This is the problem with the MBA.
It does less than a Macbook so it needs to cost less than a Macbook. This is why netbooks are starting to push the Macbook down on the top best-selling laptops on Amazon. The MBA isn't even in the picture.
A huge number of people are actually very happy running a 1.6GHz Atom laptop just as people were happy running a few hundred MHz G3 or G4 a few years ago.
The more that technology progresses, the harder it will be for Apple to sell £1000 machines when other manufacturers are willing to sell all people need for a fraction of that.
When low end processors match Core 2 Duo and handle HD video, Apple will have to rethink its strategy if it wants to be a computer manufacturer targeted to home users. Maybe it doesn't want this. Perhaps the high end is the new goal; the business users, the enthusiasts, the people who want to have the fastest machines available and are willing to pay for it.
Comments
Apple aren't working on a 15" MacBook Air. They're dropping the optical drive from all their laptops. By next year, optical drives will be an optional extra and the "Air" model will be absorbed back into the MacBook line.
I think you are on the right track....imagine this laptop lineup:- 2 Aluminum MacBooks (current config's), 3 MBA's (10" or 11", 13" and 15"-no drives) and 3 MacBook pro's (current config's-with drives)
Steve would love us to get rid of CD's and DVD's....I never use them! The complete MBA line would move a lot of people to Steve's way of thinking.
Best wishes, Mr. Jobs!
It's not a future MacBook Air 15-inch....it is the upcoming iTablet with touch-screen and audible command technologies that Apple has been experimenting with for 3 years. It will be coming out in the summer of 2009. It is also Steve Job's "swan-song" presentation for when he returns after his health break for an official passing of the torch to Mr. Cook in late 2009. With at least 12 products in the pipe waiting to come put (5 hardware and 7 software) Apple looks good...post-Jobs. BEsides he will still sit as the Chairman of the Board.
I think an 11" MBA makes more sense.
Agreed. If they made a 10" or 11" version, I'd likely buy one. Definitely sounds better than the new Vaio ultraportable.
the perfect setup would be something like, a MBP 15' or 17' running as a main computer, (i would say imac but a MBP has more/similar processing power than an imac and isnt desktop bound) and then some sort of tablet/small notebook that i could carry to classes and lectures which would run a sort of stripped down version of OS X. then you could link it to your main set up and sync notes, files, pictures seemlessly and then following that it could be also used as a graphics tablet is it was touchscreen ..... maybe that is too much to ask for but really i dont think anyone needs a 15" MBA with less usability than a MBP
Apple aren't working on a 15" MacBook Air. They're dropping the optical drive from all their laptops. By next year, optical drives will be an optional extra and the "Air" model will be absorbed back into the MacBook line.
Now that is plausible, although I doubt it will happen by next year. Flash is going to be really cheap next year, and it will probably wipe out HDDs and optical drives in a couple years. And for all those "What about Blu-Ray" people out there, why buy a Blu-Ray disk if you get a smaller flash drive with the same data? The content industry just needs to standardize on a card format that can be added to computers and DVD players.
To those of you looking to make a hacintosh I would recommend a Dell Mini9. I just threw up in my mouth a little at recomending a dell.
Jim
Signed,
Old Fart Used To Larger Monitors & Trying To Avoid Eye Strain
(And anything else you have that doesn't exist and wouldn't make sense if it did.)
I'll take one 15" Air, one iPhone Nano, and one sasquatch egg please.
(And anything else you have that doesn't exist and wouldn't make sense if it did.)
Hah, true, though a 15" MacBook Pro sans internal disc drive (in addition to a nearly as likely long lasting non-removable battery like the 17" MBP) is inevitable.
When that happens they certainly would resemble 15" Airs, even if they kept all their ports, expansion slot, and name.
I don't see Apple dropping internal disc drives from their laptops for at least another year or so.
no way, who would buy a MBA 15" which would cost a million times more than a mbp and has less ports and less usability :S
I would, assuming it is not "a million times" more expensive. Sure there's a premium for thinness and I'll pay it, within reason. I want an Air but its screen is too small. A 15" Air? I'm there. Not sure why all of you are putting this great idea down.
It's also an addition which people on Mac forums are the hardly demanding or clamouring for (unlike the NetBook and the cheap mini tower. This makes it all the more likely.
For Apple ultra-portable means thin and light, not small. Because in Apple's eyes means unusable keyboard and unusable screen. When they said the MacBook AIr was a no-compromise ultra portable, they weren't talking about the ports and the battery, they were talking about the screen and keyboard.
I could imagine for photographers on location it would be really useful to have such a compact machine with a beautiful big, high definition screen and an generous battery. If Snow Leopard paired with the next Final Cut Studio make a big difference to performance then it might start to appeal of those into digital video as well. There's nothing to say a 15" Air couldn't have Firewire 800/3200 (as there would be room for a bigger flap).
If people want a 15" MacBook but don't want to pay for the Pro then (provided it is priced in between the two) the 15" Air may also be tempting. Of course a 15" Air earns Apple bigger margins than a 15" MacBook, so it's another win for Cupertino.
So yes, now it makes no sense, but it would be typical Apple. A lot depends on the execution as well.
I would, assuming it is not "a million times" more expensive. Sure there's a premium for thinness and I'll pay it, within reason. I want an Air but its screen is too small. A 15" Air? I'm there. Not sure why all of you are putting this great idea down.
To further back up your arguement, the 13" Air sits firmly between the MacBook and the Pro.
I suspect that we could soon see a 15" Mb it would be a logical extension to the line.
To those of you looking to make a hacintosh I would recommend a Dell Mini9. I just threw up in my mouth a little at recomending a dell.
From aforementioned forum:
- MemoryStick support (completely lacking)
(porting from linux might be the right way)
- Bluetooth not activated upon startup
- false keyboard input on wakeup from sleep
(adding resume code to ApplePS2Controller.kext?)
- Fn+8 causes a blank screen (or a corrupt display on external display)
(simply disabling the function might just be fine)
Sounds like a dream.
Personal Sidenote:
I'd rather Apple scrapped the MacBook/MacBook Pro division and offered a variety of screen sizes in a variety of configurations. Making consumers stump up for the Pro just for the screen size is less than ideal. Similarly professionals may want a powerful package (with a good screen) in a smaller footprint than that provided by the 15" MacBook Pro. The Air would still have its place of course, as it does today.
no way, who would buy a MBA 15" which would cost a million times more than a mbp and has less ports and less usability :S there is hardly any difference between the MB and the MBA in portability already, cause weight really isnt much of an issue with laptops now a days, its basically the same as carrying another file or text book
A good portion of the 13" MacBook Air's expensive is due to its use of custom, miniaturized processors from Intel and 1.8" HDDs/SSDs, none of which benefit from the economies of scale full-size parts do.
With a 15" model, they could probably use a full-size processor and perhaps a 2.5" HDD. With no need to include an internal SuperDrive or removable battery, the end result could very well be less expensive than the 15" MacBook Pro.
But I'm not suggesting Apple will release such a thing alongside the current 15" MacBook Pro. It'd make more sense to replace it than compete against it.
All of which supports the idea is that this is a bogus rumour. If you want a 15" get the still very thin, light and lovely MBP. I am sure there is a market for an even thinner and sexier 15" MBA but that MUST be a small market indeed. Specially at the premium price the MBA commands. Unless we are all wrong and the Air is in fact Apple's best selling laptop! I am much more inclined to believe in a 10" MBA (read netbook - no idea about specs). Only a few weeks ago I thought the idea totally unlikely but given the recent obsession with the netbooks, and Amazon's sales figures it now seems like it may happen.
Lies. MBP is expensive and WAAAAY too powerful if all you are doing is checking email/surfing the web but want a 15" screen. I know plenty of people who would buy a 15" mbp.
A good portion of the 13" MacBook Air's expensive is due to its use of custom, miniaturized processors from Intel and 1.8" HDDs/SSDs, none of which benefit from the economies of scale full-size parts do.
The Air no longer uses a custom part. That was temporary, for the first model.
1.8" drives are mass produced; they are used in iPod classics, for example.
The Air could actually be a bit cheaper now. It's probably a very profitable model.
As I've mentioned here before, you can fit a 14.1" OLED screen on the Air and change nothing except the width of the bezel. It would look awesome.
There is no way to fit a 15" screen with any technology. The machine would need to be slightly bigger (about 0.6" wider). I wouldn't rule this out; I don't know why people are so sure it's a bad idea.
I have an Air and I did not buy it for the portability. I just love the design, and I don't need Firewire or a DVD drive on the road. Also, I like the non-glass bezel.
The Air no longer uses a custom part. That was temporary, for the first model.
Not according to Apple:
http://www.apple.com/macbookair/features.html
1.8" drives are mass produced; they are used in iPod classics, for example.
Even so, from what I understand, you're going to pay more per GB for 1.8" drives compared to the far more widespread 2.5" drives.
MBP is expensive and WAAAAY too powerful if all you are doing is checking email/surfing the web but want a 15" screen.
But the MBA is also way too expensive if this is all you are doing.
Who wants to pay more for a machine so you can do less? This is the problem with the MBA.
It does less than a Macbook so it needs to cost less than a Macbook. This is why netbooks are starting to push the Macbook down on the top best-selling laptops on Amazon. The MBA isn't even in the picture.
A huge number of people are actually very happy running a 1.6GHz Atom laptop just as people were happy running a few hundred MHz G3 or G4 a few years ago.
The more that technology progresses, the harder it will be for Apple to sell £1000 machines when other manufacturers are willing to sell all people need for a fraction of that.
When low end processors match Core 2 Duo and handle HD video, Apple will have to rethink its strategy if it wants to be a computer manufacturer targeted to home users. Maybe it doesn't want this. Perhaps the high end is the new goal; the business users, the enthusiasts, the people who want to have the fastest machines available and are willing to pay for it.