MacBook Air update with lower price expected from Apple in September

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 100
    christophbchristophb Posts: 1,482member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Vatdoro View Post


    I wonder if they would use flash memory for the hard drive. Would 64GB or 128GB of flash memory be cheaper than an SSD?



    SSD is FLASH. Is your thought having like a "high-speed" USB style thumbdrive technology for storage?
  • Reply 22 of 100
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ChristophB View Post


    SSD is FLASH. Is your thought having like a "high-speed" USB style thumbdrive technology for storage?



    He might be referring to on-board NAND v. an SATA connected SSD.



    Personally, I can?t even see Apple going that route with a Mac without burning more than few bridges unless they make it something like 16GB built-in and an HDD or SSD for your user accounts and other data. This would yield a very system. I can start up 20 apps from a cold boot in 15 seconds with my SSD and would imagine on-baord NAND would knock off a few more seconds.
  • Reply 23 of 100
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Vatdoro View Post


    I wonder if they would use flash memory for the hard drive. Would 64GB or 128GB of flash memory be cheaper than an SSD?



    SSDs are made from flash memory so im not sure what you are talking about here. Apple could put the controller and flash on a PC board to save space butin the end it is still an SSD. In a nut shell SSDs are flash, a controller and algorithms all wrapped up in a neat package.







    Dave
  • Reply 24 of 100
    sendmesendme Posts: 567member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "We are not yet clear on all the specs, but supply chain checks suggest that unit shipments o the new Air products could far exceed the current Air, which we believe could suggest lower starting prices," Bachman wrote. "We project 2.9 million total notebooks in the September quarter, which we believe is reasonable."

    .









    I guess this means that the netbook will finally die the death it deserves. Everybody who wants a small, light computer will buy the Air.
  • Reply 25 of 100
    sendmesendme Posts: 567member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DOSbox-gamer View Post


    The system memory is fixed and cannot be increased. 2GB is insufficient for today's multi-tasking. 4GB or bust.



    OSX uses a lot less RAM than you might be used to. 2 Gigs is plenty for most people. That is why Apple gives you 2 gigs instead of 4.



    The vast majority of people get a better user experience, and if you think that you are one of the very, very few who simply cannot survive without 4 gigs of RAM, then the solution is simple: Buy a MBP.
  • Reply 26 of 100
    sendmesendme Posts: 567member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mcarling View Post


    There is no excuse for the MacBook Air to have less than 4GB.



    Apple always emphasizes the whole User Experience, and with the AIR, it is the slimmest, thinnest, lightest notebook computer on the market. Apple will not sacrifice its core values of design in order to add unnecessary specs. Some people will think that a number is the be all and end all of the User Experience, but believe me, the thinness is unique and delightful to behold.
  • Reply 27 of 100
    mactelmactel Posts: 1,275member
    I'm still believing that Apple might pull a surprise and shock everyone. They plan to introduce a MacBook Air in September. If true, then that would coincide with iOS 4.1 coming out for the iPad and other iDevices. My theory is the Macbook Air will be reborn and as the AirBook or iAir with iOS 4.1 and not OSX anymore.
  • Reply 28 of 100
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    I know people don't like to hear this but AIR is likely seen as a flop at Apple. However the concept has some merit so a refactored AIR is a good possibility.



    Number on it won't be an iOS device as that would be almost certain death for the product. Mac users woild have no use for such a laptop and iOS is currently to limited for such a platform.



    Appple is currently at a dead end as far as suitable Intel hardware goes. Thus i'm kinda hoping that the platform adopts one or more of AMDs new Fusion processors. They seem to have the best potential these days for this class hardware. Especially when some of Intels offerings like the i3 offer zip improvements with respect to Core 2. Intel might move some competitive hardware forward to address this but i'd really like to see Apple play AMD against Intel.



    Also the issue of ports has to be brought up, one silly little USB port is not good enough, further that trap door has to go. The minimal would be two (2) USB ports along with Ethernet and the other suspects. I only mention Ethernet again after suffering through really bad WiFi at a hotel again this weekend. In case you want to point it out NO an adapter isn't the solution, especially when an Ethernet port is free on many chipsets.



    I concur with others here 4GB of RAM should be the minimal these days. That simply based on economics, though for my usage is not a big factor.



    Storage on these ultra compacts is always an issue. SSD are the right way to go for reliability and low power but terrible for space usage. Thus i'm hoping Apple goes the same route many netbook makers took and adopts the use of PCI-Express cards for storage. These should be even faster than SATA drives and very thin.



    After having my MBP 15" for close to two years now I've learned a few things. One is the importance of USB ports. The other is the need for big disk drives these days. As such I'm not sure I'd ever be a potential AIR customer as it is to difficult to stuff enough storage into the box.





    Dave
  • Reply 29 of 100
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTel View Post


    I'm still believing that Apple might pull a surprise and shock everyone. They plan to introduce a MacBook Air in September. If true, then that would coincide with iOS 4.1 coming out for the iPad and other iDevices. My theory is the Macbook Air will be reborn and as the AirBook or iAir with iOS 4.1 and not OSX anymore.



    I?m not following you on this one. iOS has no known provisions for a trackpad/mouse pointer or Aqua GUI so I?d have to think your saying it would be a touchscreen interface using CocoaTouch on hte display with a physical keyboard below?



    And it wouldn?t be able to run any Mac apps, just iPad and iPhone apps that won?t look or function right, most of which would have to be turned to portrait mode with a keyboard sticking off to the side? Would the keyboard fold around back? If iPhone apps look horrid on a 9.7? iPad wouldn?t they look even worse on a machine that has traditionally been 13??



    What about being about being able to plug in a HDD to its USB port, Ethernet, and other things that iOS currently doesn?t have any code for? Will there be another App Store for this iAir machine? Won?t this size and machine type interfere with the iPad and convolute the product line?
  • Reply 30 of 100
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    I know people don't like to hear this but AIR is likely seen as a flop at Apple. However the concept has some merit so a refactored AIR is a good possibility.



    Number on it won't be an iOS device as that would be almost certain death for the product. Mac users woild have no use for such a laptop and iOS is currently to limited for such a platform.



    Appple is currently at a dead end as far as suitable Intel hardware goes. Thus i'm kinda hoping that the platform adopts one or more of AMDs new Fusion processors. They seem to have the best potential these days for this class hardware. Especially when some of Intels offerings like the i3 offer zip improvements with respect to Core 2. Intel might move some competitive hardware forward to address this but i'd really like to see Apple play AMD against Intel.



    Also the issue of ports has to be brought up, one silly little USB port is not good enough, further that trap door has to go. The minimal would be two (2) USB ports along with Ethernet and the other suspects. I only mention Ethernet again after suffering through really bad WiFi at a hotel again this weekend. In case you want to point it out NO an adapter isn't the solution, especially when an Ethernet port is free on many chipsets.



    I concur with others here 4GB of RAM should be the minimal these days. That simply based on economics, though for my usage is not a big factor.



    Storage on these ultra compacts is always an issue. SSD are the right way to go for reliability and low power but terrible for space usage. Thus i'm hoping Apple goes the same route many netbook makers took and adopts the use of PCI-Express cards for storage. These should be even faster than SATA drives and very thin.



    After having my MBP 15" for close to two years now I've learned a few things. One is the importance of USB ports. The other is the need for big disk drives these days. As such I'm not sure I'd ever be a potential AIR customer as it is to difficult to stuff enough storage into the box.





    Dave



    I agree with most of your post, but I don?t think AMD is even a possibility. The biggest question I have is the IGP it will use. To save power and space they may go with IntelHD, which I can see as being adequate for it?s intended market, though I know it will update many on this forum to no end.
  • Reply 31 of 100
    dagamer34dagamer34 Posts: 494member
    Oy, the MacBook Air is a flop by Apple's standards. It's not wildly successful because it doesn't make much sense. Trading 2 lbs of weight for performance, battery life, flexibility, and a optical drive while ALSO being cheaper just makes me scratch my head as to why someone would purchase a MacBook Air.



    Regardless, the fact that it hasn't been updated in so long makes me wonder if Apple's put it on the backburner. At the very least, since there hasn't been a price drop on it in a year, they must be making quite a bit more on them now than they were a year ago. This is one of the "problems" I have with Apple's fixed pricing.



    Anyway, I'm just venting my reasons as to why I never recommend purchasing one to any of my friends. I'm sure the MBA fits someone's needs out there (though I would still question their needs). I'd more than happily recommend a MacBook or MacBook Pro to someone though.
  • Reply 32 of 100
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    Oy, the MacBook Air is a flop by Apple's standards. It's not wildly successful because it doesn't make much sense. Trading 2 lbs of weight for performance, battery life, flexibility, and a optical drive while ALSO being cheaper just makes me scratch my head as to why someone would purchase a MacBook Air.



    Yet despite all that, it’s cherished by those it was designed for and copied by every major vendor, almost to a tee, expect there versions ended up being more expensive in most cases.



    Quote:

    Anyway, I'm just venting my reasons as to why I never recommend purchasing one to any of my friends. I'm sure the MBA fits someone's needs out there (though I would still question their needs). I'd more than happily recommend a MacBook or MacBook Pro to someone though.



    Two people I know who love their MBA. One has a Mac Pro with a 30” ACD, the other with an iMac at home. Both travel for work from time-to-time and prefer to take a small and portable machine with them instead of their desktops. It’s lighter and smaller — id est, it’s easier to travel with than a MB or MBP — and they simply don’t need that kind of power or storage since it’s only a short term machine. A netbook, even one running OSx86, isn’t an option because they need to do real work on this machine which means copious amounts of typing so a full-sized notebook keyboard is a must. An iPad might work in some regards, if it’s mainly for consumption, but for any productivity apps like iWork/Office it’s still not a replacement for a proper machine with a desktop OS.
  • Reply 33 of 100
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SendMe View Post


    Apple always emphasizes the whole User Experience, and with the AIR, it is the slimmest, thinnest, lightest notebook computer on the market. Apple will not sacrifice its core values of design in order to add unnecessary specs. Some people will think that a number is the be all and end all of the User Experience, but believe me, the thinness is unique and delightful to behold.





    I've seen a lot of stupid responses to the request for more RAM in this thread but yours is the biggest heap of garbage yet.



    First RAM technology continues to move forward to higher densities, more RAM does not imply a thicker AIR. It does imply the use of new tech as opposed to cheap but far older tech.



    Second; on systems like these a large array of RAM can be of a bigger advantage than you might realize. You have to remember that these machines are already at a disadvantage due to the slower processors employed. More RAM means fewer cycles spent reloading that RAM saving power and at the same time increasing performance.



    Third; Apple screwed up in the first place focusing to much on design and not enough on function. AIRs failure in the market is directly related to trying to appease people like you that don't have a value system that is rational. The vast majority of Apples customers expect reasonable value for money expended, something AIR could never live up to. It is not art it is a laptop.





    In any event I'd expect Apple to address issues of salability on any AIR replacement offered up. Such a platform done right could actually replace the Mac Book in the lineup. In effect a Mac Book without the optical drive.







    Dave
  • Reply 34 of 100
    foobarfoobar Posts: 107member
    Click-wheel-less iPod nano? I bet that's what those square displays are for!

    Still, it wolud be sad to see the current design go.
  • Reply 35 of 100
    postulantpostulant Posts: 1,272member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    ... makes me scratch my head as to why someone would purchase a MacBook Air.





    Anyway, I'm just venting my reasons as to why I never recommend purchasing one to any of my friends. I'm sure the MBA fits someone's needs out there (though I would still question their needs). I'd more than happily recommend a MacBook or MacBook Pro to someone though.



    Wtf??... Since when, as a society, have we only purchased what we absolutely needed? I purchased a Macbook Air because I wanted one, not because I "needed" it.



    You have got to be kidding.
  • Reply 36 of 100
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    The reason is simple being tied to Intel puts Apple into a bad position. In essences they are forced to follow Intels marketing and maket manipulation practices.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I agree with most of your post, but I don?t think AMD is even a possibility.



    I wonder why you even say this? AMD seems to have a bad rep in this forum even though they developed the 64 bit architecture the Mac currently runs on. Plus the Fusion architecture has a lot of promise and would jive very VERY well with Apples Grand Central Dispatch and OpenCL. Fusion has the potential to work better with Mac OS than any other OS.

    Quote:

    The biggest question I have is the IGP it will use. To save power and space they may go with IntelHD, which I can see as being adequate for it?s intended market, though I know it will update many on this forum to no end.



    This is the whole problem with Intel and is why i think it would be reasonable to look at AMD for a better solution. Not that the first Fusions will be all that great but even a little bit of OpenCL support and generally better graphics will go a long way to making a viable platform.



    Lets say for example that at least one of these new machines is to play in the netbook category, that is ATOM based hardware. Go with AMDs Bobcat based Fusion and you get similar processor performance along with a much better GPU. What is not to like? People have to remember this is an entirely new generation of hardware from AMD and is argurably an excellent competitor to all of Intels ATOM chips. Plus the Fusion concept is extendable from the sub netbook categories up to laptops and small desktops.



    More than anything else though i don't want Apples designs stuck on Intel hardware. It is there blatant market manipulation that sucks here.





    Dave
  • Reply 37 of 100
    gxcadgxcad Posts: 120member
    I personally think the current air is too similar to the 13 inch Macbook Pro but with less power, less features, less battery life, old design trackpad, higher price tag, less less less less. the one and ONLY benefit is weight, which I understand people may like, but I think they should try to differentiate it by making it ~11.6 inches like a previous rumor suggested, and make it ONLY SSD. This would reduce the footprint, still barely accomodate a full size keyboard if engineered that way, and definitely reduce weight and thickness (with an all SSD approach certainly, since the design would not have to be built to accomodate a 1.8 inch drive, and the SSD could even be embedded into the mobo along with everything else).



    Infact, I predicted and continue to predict Apple will make the Air a full SSD system and further reduce thickness since I first saw the original air.



    I TOTALLY AGREE that the next air would be way better with 4gb RAM and is borderline necessary considering the way Apple markets the air in their lineup. They really try hard to make it almost as powerful as the low end Macbook Pro's but with ultra low power and space saving parts. Not saying they have been successful though...
  • Reply 38 of 100
    fontsfonts Posts: 5member
    nothing but problems with macbook air I had - sold on craigslist

    I know several people that have them with dead batteries and it is a complete hassle.



    BTW what Apple has done for years as a strategy is to delay models with new cpu's , etc., until price comes down due to volume. easy to see on i3,i5,i7 stuff. they wait until volume curve from pc ramps and then the get good price. then make a lot more profit.
  • Reply 39 of 100
    coolcatcoolcat Posts: 156member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BuzzMega View Post


    Two Words: Air Touch.



    Two Words: Not Happening
  • Reply 40 of 100
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    To those harping about the MBA not needing more than 2GB of ram, while that may be technically true for OSX on such a mobile laptop, I use my 1st gen MBA with VMWare/XP and it's the XP OS that I would use the extra ram for. It runs pretty well with 2GB but with all the patches that cone down, the requirements slowly add up.



    My 2 cents.
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