MacBook Air update with lower price expected from Apple in September

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 100
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    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.



    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.



    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



    The biggest failure of the MBA?s technology isn?t its power, it?s the battery life. What mobile chip from AMD will offer the same performance with better power efficiency? If there is one, that is the only reason I can see Apple moving to AMD from Intel for a highly mobile machine.



    In fact, I can see Apple using Atom or porting Mac OS X to ARM before I see Apple using AMD in their notebooks at this point.



    If Intel can?t even handle the supply and demand on its new chips I don?t see AMD being able to handle a fraction of that without a large amount of cash from Apple to ensure exclusivity of new chips and an extra being setup, all of which we would likely have heard about in some form by now.
  • Reply 42 of 100
    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.



    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.



    Mine is the original from February 2008. My wife's, a 128G SSD is a year old and my mother-in-law's is about 2 years old. All professionals, writers, browsers, iPhoto'ers, iTunes users, Office users, eMailers, etc. etc. My 80G hard drive still has 40G available.



    Not everybody is a power user. All 3 of us had PowerBooks, MacBookPros, etc. Now we're all eminently happy with our 13" screens, full sized keyboards and 3 pounds. The lack of of additional ports makes no difference whatsoever. I stream Netflix movies to mine or download from iTunes. And as for speed, the one with the ssd is fast, very fast.
  • Reply 43 of 100
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Joe hs View Post


    That would also be rather heavy compared to aluminum.



    As a 25+ year USAF Structural Engineer, I have to say... No, No It Would Not



    Example:http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921644667494
  • Reply 44 of 100
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    As a 25+ year USAF Structural Engineer, I have to say... No, No It Would Not



    Example:http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921644667494



    You’re right, CF would be lighter, but weight isn’t the issue I have with CF notebooks, it’s the rigidity compared to aluminium of comparable thinness. Add in a milled aluminum chassis capacity able to include thicker stress points at joints and whatnot, and I think Apple’s choice makes much more sense than the CF notebooks I’ve seen thus far.
  • Reply 45 of 100
    rkrickrkrick Posts: 66member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    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.



    I would say there is a remote possiblility considering that Intels new chip architecture makes it impossible to use nVidia graphics on board so they end up having to use Intels crappy IGP. Also seems they may be in discussions with AMD for the future if this link has any merit.

    http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...amd_chips.html
  • Reply 46 of 100
    postulantpostulant Posts: 1,272member
    I love my MacBook Air, but the battery falls short as does its memory. I welcome 4 GB with open arms...
  • Reply 47 of 100
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fonts View Post


    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.



    ? If it's dead, you charge it.

    ? If it won't hold a proper charge then you get a new battery free of charge from Apple.

    ? If the battery isn't adequate for your needs you determine that by reading the specs before buying it.



    Quote:

    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.



    Yeah, that makes sense. Because the volume they need out of the gate from Intel has no barring on supply. why don't you check Intel's price sheet to see that prices per 1ku aren't changing between the time a CPU is officially released ad the time Apple releases all new macs with upgraded specs.



    As long as Apple controls the higher-end of the market and has a limited product line using very few chips there is no way Apple an compete with other vendors having BTO high-end PCs with new Intel chips. It's logistics and common sense, not a conspiracy.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RKRick View Post


    I would say there is a remote possiblility considering that Intels new chip architecture makes it impossible to use nVidia graphics on board so they end up having to use Intels crappy IGP. Also seems they may be in discussions with AMD for the future if this link has any merit.

    http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...amd_chips.html



    But what AMD chips offer similar performance at equal or equal or less heat, power usage and chip size compared to the CULVs now used and the Core-i7s presumably used in the next MBA?
  • Reply 48 of 100
    I'm up for the new MBA...to replace my current original MacBook...which I will sell on Craig's List for $200. If nothing else, I'm willing to pay for twice the bat. life, instant on and something a lot lighter to carry around than my MacBook!



    Will Craig's LIst my original 20" intel iMac, my 42" HDTV, DVD player, my AppleTV and get a new 27" iMac...which I will use to watch the odd DVD from RedBox.



    Canceling my Cable.....'F' the commercials and the $120/mo cable bill! They are leaches!



    Will wait for the new iPad 3Gs with FaceTime camera.



    Sold my 3Gs iPhone for $200 and waiting for my iPhone 4 ($199) to be delivered Aug. 31st...presently using an old LG dumb phone. What a POS...I feel like it's 1995. I remember coveting the Motorola V60's. Ughhhhh! (Sellyouroldiphone.com) Done it twice and had a check in 5 days!



    Craig's Listed my Leopard OSX, iLife '06, iWork, '06 for $40



    Craig's Listed my Snow Leopard OSX, iLife '09, iWork, '09 for $50



    Craig's Listed my Ext. HD and will use the 'cloud' and my MobileMe iDisk...loving DropBox though!



    Craig's Listed my Mophie Juice pack for my 3Gs for $25



    Will Craig's List my Airport Extreme 'G' for $25 and get a Airport Express!



    Craig's Listed my QuickBooks Business Edition SW for $40 and not replace....who wants to be an accountant? Ughhhhhh!



    With a 27" iMac, a new MBA, a new iPad and a new iPhone 4, a lot of overlap, to be sure, but it will be the best!



    Will now have to get a silver Prius instead of a white one since all my Mac stuff will now be silver and not white! F the oil companies, they are leaches, too!



    Any thoughts (be nice!)



    Best





    PS. Already have the Magic Touch Pad and loving it! Just like when I got the new keyboard took a few days to dig it! But really recommend both! Selling my Mighty Mouse and Magic Mouse on Craig's List
  • Reply 49 of 100
    bigpicsbigpics Posts: 1,397member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jm6032 View Post


    Personally, I don't see a merging of these two OS's anytime soon, or possibly ever. They're used in devices serving two different demographics (or purposes, I have Macs and MacBook Pro's as well as an iPad).



    I belive that if a push exists to bring Mac OS to smaller devices, that is what will happen. And vice versa, I believe that if a push exists to put iOS in larger devices, that will happen. However, these devices won't be the same devices because they serve totally different purposes. They will differentiate on appearance, size, performance, I/O, and I'm guessing other features I can't think of right now.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post




    As others have stated. iOS on a notebook doesn?t make any sense right now. Maybe at some point enough of the work down to make Mac OS X efficient enough for iOS will make its way back to the Mac, like QuickTime X did for the engine, but nothing that will be overtly noticeable to the user.



    Feature sets can converge over time and can add cross-over versions of new and existing functions without merging the OS's - which I agree won't happen soon if ever. The purposes served by manipulating bits and showing the output on a screen are not "totally different," e.g., Keynote on an iPad and Skype video calls on a Mac. And of course, listening to music, watching videos, etc., ad infinitum. And Apple thinks long-term about evolving the most integrated ecosystem in the biz.
  • Reply 50 of 100
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    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.



    Thank you. This is exactly what I would use a MBA for. Also, what are the memory requirements for Windows 7? Most dual-booters will have to migrate to that, eventually. And what about the future? 10.6 required Intel processors; what will be required for 10.7? 10.8?
  • Reply 51 of 100
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    The biggest failure of the MBA?s technology isn?t its power, it?s the battery life.



    Well obviously I don't agree. It is the sum of the parts with battery life only a small part of the equation.

    Quote:

    What mobile chip from AMD will offer the same performance with better power efficiency?



    It has been mentioned many times it is the coming Fusion line up.

    Quote:

    If there is one, that is the only reason I can see Apple moving to AMD from Intel for a highly mobile machine.



    The far better GPU integration is far more important.

    Quote:



    In fact, I can see Apple using Atom or porting Mac OS X to ARM before I see Apple using AMD in their notebooks at this point.



    Then you really don't understand what AMD has coming. Intel and ARM won't have competitive products.

    Quote:



    If Intel can?t even handle the supply and demand on its new chips I don?t see AMD being able to handle a fraction of that without a large amount of cash from Apple to ensure exclusivity of new chips and an extra being setup, all of which we would likely have heard about in some form by now.



    All the better reason for an alternative supplier!!! If nothing else this gets Apple out of Intels production problems. Plus it gives Apple a chance to enter new markets such as netbooks.





    Dave
  • Reply 52 of 100
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    The biggest failure of the MBA?s technology isn?t its power, it?s the battery life.



    Well obviously I don't agree. It is the sum of the parts with battery life only a small part of the equation.

    Quote:

    What mobile chip from AMD will offer the same performance with better power efficiency?



    It has been mentioned many times it is the coming Fusion line up.

    Quote:

    If there is one, that is the only reason I can see Apple moving to AMD from Intel for a highly mobile machine.



    The far better GPU integration is far more important.

    Quote:



    In fact, I can see Apple using Atom or porting Mac OS X to ARM before I see Apple using AMD in their notebooks at this point.



    Then you really don't understand what AMD has coming. Intel and ARM won't have competitive products.

    Quote:



    If Intel can?t even handle the supply and demand on its new chips I don?t see AMD being able to handle a fraction of that without a large amount of cash from Apple to ensure exclusivity of new chips and an extra being setup, all of which we would likely have heard about in some form by now.



    All the better reason for an alternative supplier!!! If nothing else this gets Apple out of Intels production problems. Plus it gives Apple a chance to enter new markets such as netbooks.





    Dave
  • Reply 53 of 100
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    It isn't what AMD has today but what is coming in the next few months.



    And you know AMD will have enough chips to fill Apple?s needs in a few months?



    Quote:

    Well obviously I don't agree. It is the sum of the parts with battery life only a small part of the equation.



    We?re talking about a MBA, not a MBP or Mac Pro. Having a super-most-awesomest GPU doesn?t make sense for the MBA intended audience.



    Quote:

    It has been mentioned many times it is the coming Fusion line up.



    I?ve read plenty of the architecture and so far it?s all been conjecture and assumptions, not hard proof that Fusion will trump what Intel is doing in the Ultra-Low Voltage sector, muchless the other areas of the mobile market.



    Quote:

    The far better GPU integration is far more important.



    You really think the MBA needs a better GPU for running Office and Safari than it does a longer lasting battery. Come on! If you really think that then you are not the MBA?s market for this device.



    Quote:

    Then you really don't understand what AMD has coming. Intel and ARM won't have competitive products.



    I don?t care if it?s the 2nd coming of Christ, until I see some hard proof it?s all just speculation. I?ve seen Intel?s product line up tested and retested, I haven?t seen any Fusion chips beat Intel?s CULVs in performance per watt. If you have some links please post them.



    Quote:

    All the better reason for an alternative supplier!!! If nothing else this gets Apple out of Intels production problems. Plus it gives Apple a chance to enter new markets such as netbooks.



    If Intel can?t supply chips then AMD certainly can?t. AS I stated, if Apple was planning to move their Mac line to AMD then we?d likely know about it one way or another. The only think AMD can offer right now is in the desktops and as any good company will do they will constantly negotiate will all competitors regardless of how happy they are with their current supplier in order to gain leverage in negotiations. Any talks with them could just be about ATI. How long have these AMD ?rumours? been going on for?



    I don?t see Apple going for the netbook market directly. There profits don?t look good at all. How well have they done since the iPad came out? I saw one report that showed they pretty much stagnated by February, but that could simply be an after the holidays result. We?ll see better results soon, I?m sure.



    It?s one thing to have a desire, it?s another thing to think it has to be true simply because you wish it.



    Quote:

    Dave



    Why do people add their name to their post a 2nd time?
  • Reply 54 of 100
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DOSbox-gamer View Post


    Thank you. This is exactly what I would use a MBA for. Also, what are the memory requirements for Windows 7? Most dual-booters will have to migrate to that, eventually. And what about the future? 10.6 required Intel processors; what will be required for 10.7? 10.8?



    XP does run really well on my 1st-gen MBA so long as you turn off all the eye-candy for maximum performance. I'm sure it runs much better on the more current MBA's with NVidia and SSD drives.



    I don't dual-boot into XP. I simply run XP side-by-side OSX and I have never had issues with it. Version 3.1.0 of VMware Fusion works incredibly well and added a nice performance boost.



    Fusion recommended 512MB for XP which I know is not accurate. I set it at 1GB since I need the other 1GB to run OSX and I assign one CPU to the virtual XP. It's not the speed-demon it could be if I were running it through bootcamp but I don't use XP for anything other than one single development tool that only works on Windows. Nothing more.



    I'm doubt Windows 7 could run adequately on my 1st-gen MBA. It just does not have the horsepower nor the memory requirements I myself believe it needs. Win7 does work great on my i7 iMac though. That's where the extra memory would really help out.



    The MBA is a fantastic laptop for the mobile business user. I just ignore those that say smack about it because they obviously have needs that go beyond this model. I know many very happy MBA users and I recommend them to anyone asking about mine but with an asterisk so that they know this is not a desktop-replacement or a high-horsepower machine. It's worked great for me.
  • Reply 55 of 100
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    And you know AMD will have enough chips to fill Apple?s needs in a few months?



    This means nothing because Intel hasn't been able to supply all their customers. Apple needs options so that it can deliver products in a timely manner.

    Quote:



    We?re talking about a MBA, not a MBP or Mac Pro. Having a super-most-awesomest GPU doesn?t make sense for the MBA intended audience.



    And just who is talking about a MBP here? We are talking more about a significantly better GPU than what Intel integrates into its parts.

    Quote:





    I?ve read plenty of the architecture and so far it?s all been conjecture and assumptions, not hard proof that Fusion will trump what Intel is doing in the Ultra-Low Voltage sector, muchless the other areas of the mobile market.



    of course we don't know all the specifics. It is however the concept that is appealing. Even AMD itself has indicated that the first few Fusion products won't rwalize all their goals. The question is if a netbook Mac Book or AIR replacement comes out next month whos processor would you want in it? Intels new ATOM or One of AMDs new Fusion chips? I'm just leaning towards the AMD solution as it seems to be the better engineered device.

    Quote:



    You really think the MBA needs a better GPU for running Office and Safari than it does a longer lasting battery. Come on! If you really think that then you are not the MBA?s market for this device.



    That is BS and i think you know it. The GPU is an integral part of Mac OS these days. It is so important that Apple gave up on Intels integrated graphics.



    Even if that wasn't the case you still have the concept of getting the best value possible for your dollar or power budget. If you have two options available with one giving you x more performance per watt why not go with the better performing option. In a nut shell AMD offers viable Integrated GPU performance.

    Quote:





    I don?t care if it?s the 2nd coming of Christ, until I see some hard proof it?s all just speculation. I?ve seen Intel?s product line up tested and retested, I haven?t seen any Fusion chips beat Intel?s CULVs in performance per watt. If you have some links please post them.





    If Intel can?t supply chips then AMD certainly can?t. AS I stated, if Apple was planning to move their Mac line to AMD then we?d likely know about it one way or another.



    Actually we wouldn't know about it. Further no body is talking about moving the entire line to AMD. We are simply talking about going to AMD where they might offer up a better overall value. Netbooks might be the place for that to happen.

    Quote:

    The only think AMD can offer right now is in the desktops and as any good company will do they will constantly negotiate will all competitors regardless of how happy they are with their current supplier in order to gain leverage in negotiations. Any talks with them could just be about ATI. How long have these AMD ?rumours? been going on for?



    I don?t see Apple going for the netbook market directly. There profits don?t look good at all. How well have they done since the iPad came out? I saw one report that showed they pretty much stagnated by February, but that could simply be an after the holidays result. We?ll see better results soon, I?m sure.



    It?s one thing to have a desire, it?s another thing to think it has to be true simply because you wish it.



    All we are really talking about here is the potential use of AMD hardware in future Apple products. I'm not wishing for anything actually because i'm not even in the laptop market right now and might never be in the Netbook market. However in general i'm very interested in microelectronics and the coming System on Chip (SoC) revolution.



    Now we can argue about what the performance of AMDs SoC offerings will be. As you have pointed out it is all guess work and speculation right now. What is hard to dismiss is that AMD has an obvious advantage over Intel right now. Intel simply can't offer up the same capabilities on a single piece of silicon.

    Quote:



    Why do people add their name to their post a 2nd time?









    Dave. - so that you know who I'am.





    PS

    Sorry about the double post IOS 4.0 really sucks.
  • Reply 56 of 100
    chiachia Posts: 713member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by columbus View Post


    First iOS notebook??



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iLikeBananas View Post


    I can't wait for a iOS laptop. It'll come (just when)



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BuzzMega View Post


    Two Words: Air Touch.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTel View Post


    My theory is the Macbook Air will be reborn and as the AirBook or iAir with iOS 4.1 and not OSX anymore.



    You people should research your products and get more clued up, an iOS notebook already exists.



    It's an iPad with a bluetooth keyboard or the keyboard dock.
  • Reply 57 of 100
    I think everyone's looking for too much here, which will cause the inevitable gloomy response after Apple actually holds the event. This a product refresh - nothing more.



    You guys are "creating" new products that we have no evidence of. All of a sudden - without warning - you think Apple has cooked up a new iOS AirTouch that will appear in September. Don't you think we would have seen a leak or two about some related components? Geesh. Apple isn't exactly the air-tight vault it once was.



    Anyway, I've actually been thinking about buying an Air as a replacement for my older MacBook. I'll hold out until the fall now to see if these price drop rumors are accurate.
  • Reply 58 of 100
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cliphord View Post


    I think everyone's looking for too much here, which will cause the inevitable gloomy response after Apple actually holds the event. This a product refresh - nothing more.



    You guys are "creating" new products that we have no evidence of. All of a sudden - without warning - you think Apple has cooked up a new iOS AirTouch that will appear in September. Don't you think we would have seen a leak or two about some related components? Geesh. Apple isn't exactly the air-tight vault it once was.



    Anyway, I've actually been thinking about buying an Air as a replacement for my older MacBook. I'll hold out until the fall now to see if these price drop rumors are accurate.



    LOL That is the way of things. People seem to expect Apple to bend the laws of physics to their will, but Apple is partly to blame when they refer to their products as ?magical?.
  • Reply 59 of 100
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gxcad View Post


    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...



    i say do away with the air and redo the 13 mbp. come to some wonderful crossbreeding between the 2!
  • Reply 60 of 100
    srangersranger Posts: 473member
    1-2 USB ports, Ethernet port built in, displayport out and 4gb of ram and I would buy one....
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