Apple to begin production of Thunderbolt MacBook Airs next month

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  • Reply 41 of 214
    mtpamtpa Posts: 3member
    I did say "Now, it is possible that moving to the on die GPU and away from the nvidia 320m chipset to an Intel chipset could safe enough power to make up the difference in TDP of the CPUs. It looks like the 320m is likely around 12 watts TDP."
  • Reply 42 of 214
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Feynman View Post


    I would hope we would see a new iMac along with the new MacBook Air's. Surely Apple would not just ask their staff to hold off on vacations just for a revised MacBook AIr with Thunderbolt.



    I am with you - I am needing a new iMac bad but keep hoping the Sandy Bridge/Thunderbolt version is just around the corner. Unfortunately I do think Apple might deny off time for the Air since it has been so Hot - they want to raise the heat again and announcing the iMac at the same time would certainly take away from some of the shebang (even though they are definitely aimed at different users). Heres still hoping for those iMacs though "real soon now".
  • Reply 43 of 214
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kpluck View Post


    There is a problem with this idea. If you call Apple support, one of their first troubleshooting questions is asking you if you have 3rd party memory. Unfortunately, regardless if that is the problem, 3rd party memory is often blamed for problems.



    I would only upgrade memory after purchase on a machine where you can easily put the original memory back in. Otherwise, you could have problems getting support/warranty down the road.



    -kpluck



    I recently had a 3rd-party memory issue, but due to the way it occurred I didn?t think to check the RAM. Took my MBP to the Genius Bar. They neither cared about the RAM ? which you can change without voiding your warranty, as well as your HDD/SSD) ?*or about my OptiBay drive which doesn?t allow me to meddle with the ODD. They got me up and running quickly.
  • Reply 44 of 214
    I have close to two thousand set aside to upgrade my Black Macbook, which reaches 3 years old in August. However, I am not sure whether I want an Air, a Pro, or whether I even need an upgrade at this point since I am carrying the iPad most of my day. It is the fine line between the iPad and the Air that is really confusing me. If I have a computer almost as light and small as my iPad, which one do I carry? With the Macbook it is a no-brainer, but if I owned an air. . . . . .. . .



    With the possibility of a new iMac on the horizon as well, my money might be better spent on one of those since my home 17 inch iMac is a white one with the original Intel Core Duo. Trouble is that upgrading this machine requires buying new furniture because the hutch we keep it in cannot handle a bigger screen without getting out the Dremmel tool



    I have to say that had the 11 inch air sported an SD card I probably would have not through twice about one, but then I started to look at specs and weight. It is surprising how much heavier 4-5lb computer feels next to a 2-3lb computer, but as a certified iPad carrier I would probably still lean toward a fully loaded 13 inch pro. Maybe even 15 inch so I can get the special screen!



    Choices, Choices, Choices!
  • Reply 45 of 214
    shevshev Posts: 84member
    facetime HD camera,

    backlit keyboard,

    sandy bridge,

    thunderbolt,

    same price,



    then I'm in.
  • Reply 46 of 214
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mcarling View Post


    Apple just made 4GB an option -- and only on the 13" MBA. The 11" MBA is stuck at 2GB.



    My 11" MacBook Air with 4GB of RAM respectfully disagrees with you.
  • Reply 47 of 214
    i386i386 Posts: 91member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by markb View Post


    I am a photographer...you can smile all you want but Aperture really uses all four cores and needs 8 Gb ram when you are working with RAW files. I would love the MBA but would have to be quad core with 8 GB ram and 500+ Gb drive....not likely to happen so i will just have to "lug" the MBP



    I'm a photographer too! woo ha I don't edit on my MBP 15" just use it to dump images and review them in Aperture. This 4 year old MBP works fine with 5DMkII raw files - ok a wee bit slow but it works. I have Mac Pro 8 core XEON mother, back at base to do the real work. Unless maybe you're a press photag well then you wouldn't be shooting in Raw, I can't see the reason to want such specs.



    Anyway I welcome a SB i5 CPU on the new 11" Mac, it means I can bring more lens on my travels. Let's hope they have 256Gb option on the 11".
  • Reply 48 of 214
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    In a report shared with AppleInsider last week, Kuo also noted that production of Apple's legacy white MacBook model has been on a steady decline since the start of the year, with shipments falling 10% and 50% in February and March, respectively. As such, it's likely that Apple will similarly need to make some form of announcement regarding the future of this offering sometime in the coming months.



    It should be noted that the plastic MacBook is considered Apple's K-12 model. Most ordering of these units (educated guess) takes place shortly before and after the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year. It isn't surprising that both production and orders of these units is extremely slow at the beginning of the calendar year in Jan-Feb-March.
  • Reply 49 of 214
    By rushing the shipment of the Thuunderbolt MacBook Airs, Apple is telling us that the iPad 2 is not adequate for all of our computing work. I have been saying that a personal computer, and this include laptop, is required to do real work. Although the iPad 2 is a fine computing device that can accomplish many computing tasks. The iPad 2 is also a hot commodity that sells well. You can even get a free iPad 2 on my homepage if you follow certain conditions.
  • Reply 50 of 214
    For everyone complaining about the "limited" size of the SSD's on the Airs: Really? Do you really cart around 500-1000GB of photos with you to work on? How many can you work on while you're "on the go" anyways? Sheesh. Learn to use "the cloud" and store things either on a home server that you can access remotely, or a service like Dropbox or something.
  • Reply 51 of 214
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Those RAW photos fill up space quite fast. It's even more pronounced for AVCHD hi-def video.



    For most business users, the NAND flash memory storage is quite adequate.
  • Reply 52 of 214
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    Macbook Air (Thunderbolt) connected to Quad Core Thunderbolt iMac = Winning



    Looks like Charlie Sheen has hacked into Murch's AI account.



    On a serious note I'm so ready for these. I can't wait for them to be released.
  • Reply 53 of 214
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Mods: does the reporting spam button still work?
  • Reply 54 of 214
    If they are bsing a lot of the architecture and drivers etc on the new 13" MBP I really hope they get the wi-fi/battery/overheating issues sorted before release.



    I'm talking from experience here, I've just downgraded my 2011 MBP i5 to the 2.66 Intel as I couldn't take it any more. Way too man problems. Sniff a flash site and the fan is flat out for ten minutes. That just isn't good enough.
  • Reply 55 of 214
    ssquirrelssquirrel Posts: 1,196member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Goldenclaw View Post


    It should be noted that the plastic MacBook is considered Apple's K-12 model. Most ordering of these units (educated guess) takes place shortly before and after the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year. It isn't surprising that both production and orders of these units is extremely slow at the beginning of the calendar year in Jan-Feb-March.



    That is the only scenario I can see the white plastic MacBook surviving. Make it the new eBook and move it to educational-only status. I can see it w/a low end SB chip as being a very compelling educational option, but they would need to drop the price 1-200 to make it worth not picking up an MBA instead. Not to mention that Apple has been positioning the iPad for school sales more recently. If it survives at all tho, educational sales seem like the most likely
  • Reply 56 of 214
    aiolosaiolos Posts: 228member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by markb View Post


    I am a photographer...you can smile all you want but Aperture really uses all four cores and needs 8 Gb ram when you are working with RAW files. I would love the MBA but would have to be quad core with 8 GB ram and 500+ Gb drive....not likely to happen so i will just have to "lug" the MBP



    This is exactly the reason I want to finally upgrade my '06 MBP.



    Except I'll just get a new 13" Air to replace my MBP and then get an iMac for photo editing/movies. Or I could just build a $600 windows tower to use Lightroom in, except I crave OSX. Hackintosh tower anyone?



    That would be winning
  • Reply 57 of 214
    bigpicsbigpics Posts: 1,397member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by travelguy View Post


    A 15inch Macbook Air would be a wonderful addition to the Apple lineup.



    I'm firmly of the opinion next year's Ivy Bridge MBP's are going to ditch the on-board optical and take some design cues from the Airs (while maintaining higher performance, storage, etc.), i.e., they'll lose some bulk and weight while maybe gaining even longer battery life.



    I still also see the possibility of a hybrid 64/128 GB SSD + 512/1024 HDD config as a temporary 2012 bridge to more affordable large SSD's (512 GB and up) in 2013, while providing SSD speed access to, e.g., the OS, disk cache, most recently used files, programs, etc. Snappy (!) performance + sufficient onboard storage for pro needs. A kludge, but done right, a semi-elegant kludge if that's not a contradiction in terms.



    A 15" MBP that accomplishes the above while losing a pound is likely to be my main machine for several years, but a 15" Air that I could use for a year and sell for a nice price would tide me over until then (either '012 or '13, depending on how capable it is) quite nicely.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lafe View Post


    Please, Apple. Please, please, please bring back the keyboard backlighting when the Air is refreshed. PLEASE!



    Pretty with sugar on top! (PS: how much significant power does this require?)



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by markb View Post


    I am a photographer...you can smile all you want but Aperture really uses all four cores and needs 8 Gb ram when you are working with RAW files. I would love the MBA but would have to be quad core with 8 GB ram and 500+ Gb drive....not likely to happen so i will just have to "lug" the MBP



    Hopefully we will have that and a pound less to lug!



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    I don't have an air (have a clunky old 13" mbp ) but playing on friends' airs I gotta agree that there is nothing slow about them (only tried the 13"). Photoshop and FCP performance may not be good enough for dedicated pro level work but anyone looking for an air to be the primary machine for that kind of work is not thinking straight. I don't think the air is niche at all. In fact, the regular mbp is becoming niche. My guess is that a 15mba is on its way.



    Hoping the 15" Air - if in the offing will arrive with sufficient frame rigidity in that form factor. Any engineers out there who can comment on this??



    And haven't seen any speculation on the price point. The 13" MBA AND the 13" MBP start at $1199 and the current 15" MBP at $1799. So a 15" Air would likely be.... ...$1399? $1499? $1599? More? I would def be in at the lowest of these, but conflicted as they got closer to the MBP's price.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SSquirrel View Post


    I don't expect the white Macbook to last the rest of the year. I think it has run it's course and Apple will expect anyone who wants a "low end" OSX system to pick up an Air. The MBA and iPad cover an amazingly wide variety of people's full needs.



    Don't think Apple's about to quit offering a sub-$1K notebook with an optical yet. Some of the masses aren't ready to give up CD-R's and DVD's, so this would leave a hole in their line up. Especially if the Pro line also dumps the drives. And some power users on a budget still have legitimate needs for 'em.



    So they might a) keep the specs as is and drop the price - there's no R&D involved after all and the older parts are getting cheaper - and/or b) take to offering a new SKU in a 2011 vintage MBP 13" shell when the new pros arrive. They've certainly paid for the "production experience" in making those and with slightly lower specs all round (but still above today's whitebook) could bring it in at that price next year.



    Or maybe optical equipped Mac notebooks ARE going the way of the buggy whip...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    You forget that the Geforce 320M inside the MacBook Air also requires some power, and the new MacBook Airs aren't going to have a separate chip for graphics. The 320M itself uses about 12W (I assume less for the 11" since it's likely downclocked), so these chips should fit in nicely without any drop in battery life. In fact, these are likely to be MUCH more efficient, since Nehalem/Sandy Bridge CPUs have power-gating, letting the CPU turn off one of the cores if it's not needed.



    How will this (relying on the built-in Intel graphics) affect graphics performance?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shev View Post


    facetime HD camera,

    backlit keyboard,

    sandy bridge,

    thunderbolt,

    same price,



    then I'm in.



    Dunno about the backlit (which I want too), but a reasonable wish list IMHO.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Mods: does the reporting spam button still work?



    I just reported "samlogo's" "free iPad on my site" as well....
  • Reply 58 of 214
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mcarling View Post


    Apple just made 4GB an option -- and only on the 13" MBA. The 11" MBA is stuck at 2GB. The most I'm hoping for in terms of RAM is that 4GB becomes standard on the 13" MBA (and hopefully a new 15" MBA) and an option on the 11" MBA. An 8GB MBA may still be a few years away.



    You can get up to 4GB with both the 11" and 13" Airs (and have been able to since they were released back in October). The only caveat is that you must specify this at the time of purchase as it's soldered to the board.
  • Reply 59 of 214
    boeyc15boeyc15 Posts: 986member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by travelguy View Post


    The option of putting in up to 8gb of RAM would be nice. A 15inch Macbook Air would be a wonderful addition to the Apple lineup.



    15" macbook air/with i7, 6 gig, and TB... that thing would sell like... like..., like really fast. I would consider it. Right now Im thinking an Thinkpad 220... but it doesnt have the TB.



    Ohhh and DONT FORGET THE LIGHTED KEYBOARD... mien gott, was eine katastrophe. Too dramatic?
  • Reply 60 of 214
    mcarlingmcarling Posts: 1,106member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bancho View Post


    You can get up to 4GB with both the 11" and 13" Airs (and have been able to since they were released back in October). The only caveat is that you must specify this at the time of purchase as it's soldered to the board.



    I happily stand corrected. I should have checked the current online configuration options before posting.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SmileyDude View Post


    My 11" MacBook Air with 4GB of RAM respectfully disagrees with you.



    My memory is fallible, but I remember trying to configure 4GB back in October and being able to do so only with the 13" model.
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