We all know that Apple pulled the backlit keyboards from the Macbook Airs, but why? Is there a technical reason for that? Was it done to save money? They should definitely reintroduce those kind of keyboards and put them into this next batch of Airs which are coming out soon.
They should definitely reintroduce those kind of keyboards and put them into this next batch of Airs which are coming out soon.
Steve's real genius is what he eliminates from his computers. Like floppy disks and lighted keyboards. Let the crappy windows machines have the specs, I'd rather have a great User Experience.
Some people get all happy when they read a long long long list of useless "features". The Rest Of Us get all happy when we buy an Apple product. Even if it doesn't have the "features" and the "specs", we like them better. Why? Because we know how much better it is.
Steve's real genius is what he eliminates from his computers. Like floppy disks and lighted keyboards. Let the crappy windows machines have the specs, I'd rather have a great User Experience.
I'm pretty sure that a lighted keyboard is a feature that most people would rather have than having a non lighted keyboard.
And speaking of things that need to get ditched, Apple should have ditched optical drives in their laptops years ago. They are a waste to most people and I can't even remember the last time I used the optical drive on my laptop.
I believe the new Air will only sport the Thunderbolt, and USB interface.
I always read about people who compare specs when it come to the Air. The truth of the matter is most people who buy the Air don't even max out the processor with tasks, they browse the web, write some documents, and send/receive emails. In return they get a lighter laptop and a 10 hrs battery life which equates to mega convenience. That is the selling point, not performance.
If you're looking to run Photoshop and FCP, then the MacBook Pro is your deal.
There is a lot of gray area between casual web/email/word processing and full-on Photoshop. For example, I don't need to be able to run PS on an MBA, but I do need Lightroom. If that can connect to a high-speed external RAID drive for my libraries, well, then so much the better.
FWIW, I would gladly trade FW800 for Thunderbolt once the TB drives and arrays actually start shipping...
THE MAIN reason to buy the MacBook Air 11.6-inch is NOT because it is cheaper, but because it is lighter and smaller. Apple should make an even lighter (400 to 600 g) and smaller (7-inch) MacBook Air.
Definitely, on the first point. People who are cost-driven (and need a Mac) would be better served by the MacBook, which has the same entry level price, has a lot more storage, and is easily upgradable after the fact. I've been lusting after the 11" Air for a while, and could see picking one up when they are refreshed. 13", not so much, because while the increase in pixels would be nice, it's not worth the size (footprint) tradeoff to me.
I don't agree that Apple should make a 7" Air, though. Whatever they could manage to shoehorn in there, CPU/graphics/RAM/storage/keyboard-wise, would be less of an all purpose computer and more of a companion device. I think the iPad already fills that need perfectly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
We all know that Apple pulled the backlit keyboards from the Macbook Airs, but why? Is there a technical reason for that? Was it done to save money? They should definitely reintroduce those kind of keyboards and put them into this next batch of Airs which are coming out soon.
My first guess was for battery life. I love the backlit keyboards on MBPs and PowerBooks. Moved down to a MacBook (for size reasons) for a couple years, from late 2007 until mid 2010, and missed it. But mostly only because, well, it just looks cool. As far as increased usability, I think it only makes a difference if you're in a dimly (or non) lit room and mostly using the trackpad for browsing, with the need to hit an occasional key or two. Well, that and locating the special control keys along the top row, but pretty much the only ones I use are the volume keys and the screen brightness keys, which are easy enough to commit to memory.
So while I think it would be nice to have the backlit keyboard reintroduced, I doubt I'd be willing to pay extra for it, and if it had any impact on battery life, I'd keep it turned off.
Enough portables already, when can I get a refreshed Mac Pro.
Schiller showed a slide showing 73% of unit sales are portables, leaving 23% for desktops class Macs. Looking only at desktop Macs I'd think the iMacs, then the Mac mini, and finally the Mac Pro bringing up the rear. I'm sure the Mac Pro is profitable, but the question is how profitable. If people aren't buying enough of them they mind find it's not worth their time and effort when they can put those resources to better use like they did with Xserve.
If you want a 10 hour battery life, get an Apple. That's the difference.
I want both, but I'll settle for 6 (real) hours of battery life, and a mid-range performance level *if* all that comes in the MBA form factor. Otherwise I'll just wait until the next MBP refresh and get a 13" MBP.
I'm not going to buy any generic Dell's, HP's, Acers or whatever other plastic crap on the market, I've been there, I've had those, I still have to put up with one at work all day, and I hate these laptops. I'd consider a Vaio, HP Envy or Samsung 9, if they had OS X on them and were significantly cheaper than a MacBook, but neither is the case.
One thing is for sure and that is that I'll never go back to Windows, or buy one of the zillions of run-of-mill 13-a-dozen plastic $600 shovelware laptops. You'll end up regretting buying one of these every time, and counting the days until you can justify to yourself replacing them within 2 years. Meanwhile my almost 3-year old alu MacBook is still chugging along nicely, it still looks brand new, and I still enjoy using it. Good laptop =/= cheap laptop.
Schiller showed a slide showing 73% of unit sales are portables, leaving 23% for desktops class Macs. Looking only at desktop Macs I'd think the iMacs, then the Mac mini, and finally the Mac Pro bringing up the rear. I'm sure the Mac Pro is profitable, but the question is how profitable. If people aren't buying enough of them they mind find it's not worth their time and effort when they can put those resources to better use like they did with Xserve.
What time period was that data derived from? Excluding the Air, a hot selling portable likely to be sold to someone that already has a desktop Mac, Apple's portable line was updated in February. Since then, people that might want to purchase a desktop have been waiting their turn. The iMacs were only recently refreshed and we are still waiting for the Mini and Mac Pro lines to be updated.
The iMacs are recent enough that their affect on sales, if any, might not even have been included in those stats.
Potentially, all that slide shows is that portables are selling well because they have been updated, and desktops aren't selling as well because people are waiting until new Thunderbolt equipped models are released.
While I wouldn't expect a completely refreshed desktop line to outsell their portables, it is obvious a refresh would result in a significant increase in desktop sales.
While I wouldn't expect a completely refreshed desktop line to outsell their portables, it is obvious a refresh would result in a significant increase in desktop sales.
-kpluck
Even if Apple were to release killer new desktop models, the majority of people won't be buying them. People are simply moving away from desktop machines, as only a small percentage of people actually need them, and fewer can afford them. Most people are not content creators, they are content consumers.
THE MAIN reason to buy the MacBook Air 11.6-inch is NOT because it is cheaper, but because it is lighter and smaller. Apple should make an even lighter (400 to 600 g) and smaller (7-inch) MacBook Air.
I agree. I really think there should be some models (or at least one) with such a size. For many of us, the factor of great mobility (small and light, and still a fullfledged machine) is of greatest importance.
Even if Apple were to release killer new desktop models, the majority of people won't be buying them. People are simply moving away from desktop machines, as only a small percentage of people actually need them, and fewer can afford them. Most people are not content creators, they are content consumers.
Well I'd like a new entry level Mac desktop similar to the old workhorse Sawtooth G4. My position now is that I think the Mini is too gimped in specs, the iMac has a screen I don't like and no upgradeable graphics card, and the Mac Pro is too bulky and expensive.
If you want a 10 hour battery life, get an Apple. That's the difference.
imo he is right to be concern with stats since he is upgrading from a 2008 MBP. And at some point stats do matter, especially when a company is still selling a 1.4 ghz core2duo CPU on a $1000+ PC in 2011. I understand such a slow CPU is a problem for many people that would want the great design of the Air if only it was more powerful.
Apple is long overdue for MBA and macmini upgrades.
Well I'd like a new entry level Mac desktop similar to the old workhorse Sawtooth G4. My position now is that I think the Mini is too gimped in specs, the iMac has a screen I don't like and no upgradeable graphics card, and the Mac Pro is too bulky and expensive.
Some people have been waiting for and wanting a machine like that for a long time. It's not for everybody, but I guess one option is hackintosh, if somebody is willing to go that route.
What time period was that data derived from? Excluding the Air, a hot selling portable likely to be sold to someone that already has a desktop Mac, Apple's portable line was updated in February. Since then, people that might want to purchase a desktop have been waiting their turn. The iMacs were only recently refreshed and we are still waiting for the Mini and Mac Pro lines to be updated.
The iMacs are recent enough that their affect on sales, if any, might not even have been included in those stats.
Potentially, all that slide shows is that portables are selling well because they have been updated, and desktops aren't selling as well because people are waiting until new Thunderbolt equipped models are released.
While I wouldn't expect a completely refreshed desktop line to outsell their portables, it is obvious a refresh would result in a significant increase in desktop sales.
-kpluck
Those sales figures Schiller used are probably for multiple quarters, to flatten out the impact of new products. My guess it would be TTM (Trailing Twelve Months) or last four completed quarters.
In any case, the takeaway here is that Mac notebooks outsell desktops by a three-to-one margin and that the downward decline of the desktop computer continues.
It is likely that there will be a market for for desktop PCs for the foreseeable future, but I think Apple notebooks will probably reach 85-90% of their total Mac sales in five years. By that time, the number of desktop SKUs will probably dwindle to five or six (2 iMacs, 1 Mac mini, 2-3 Mac Pros) down from the ten current SKUs.
THE MAIN reason to buy the MacBook Air 11.6-inch is NOT because it is cheaper, but because it is lighter and smaller. Apple should make an even lighter (400 to 600 g) and smaller (7-inch) MacBook Air.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mortenandersen
I agree. I really think there should be some models (or at least one) with such a size. For many of us, the factor of great mobility (small and light, and still a fullfledged machine) is of greatest importance.
Exactly. Great, for instance, for Keynote and PowerPoint presentations made on a true Mac (the iOS does not deliver!).
Comments
Enough portables already, when can I get a refreshed Mac Pro.
Oh, sorry. Go back to talking amongst yourselves.
-kpluck
They should definitely reintroduce those kind of keyboards and put them into this next batch of Airs which are coming out soon.
Steve's real genius is what he eliminates from his computers. Like floppy disks and lighted keyboards. Let the crappy windows machines have the specs, I'd rather have a great User Experience.
Some people get all happy when they read a long long long list of useless "features". The Rest Of Us get all happy when we buy an Apple product. Even if it doesn't have the "features" and the "specs", we like them better. Why? Because we know how much better it is.
Umm... the 2010 MBA doesn't get anything even CLOSE to 10 hours.
I don't know what you're doing, but I typically get 9+ hours on a charge on this 13" MBA.
That doesn't, obviously, include running video/flash/CPU-intensive tasks. Online web browsing, reading, light text work.
Steve's real genius is what he eliminates from his computers. Like floppy disks and lighted keyboards. Let the crappy windows machines have the specs, I'd rather have a great User Experience.
I'm pretty sure that a lighted keyboard is a feature that most people would rather have than having a non lighted keyboard.
And speaking of things that need to get ditched, Apple should have ditched optical drives in their laptops years ago. They are a waste to most people and I can't even remember the last time I used the optical drive on my laptop.
I believe the new Air will only sport the Thunderbolt, and USB interface.
I always read about people who compare specs when it come to the Air. The truth of the matter is most people who buy the Air don't even max out the processor with tasks, they browse the web, write some documents, and send/receive emails. In return they get a lighter laptop and a 10 hrs battery life which equates to mega convenience. That is the selling point, not performance.
If you're looking to run Photoshop and FCP, then the MacBook Pro is your deal.
There is a lot of gray area between casual web/email/word processing and full-on Photoshop. For example, I don't need to be able to run PS on an MBA, but I do need Lightroom. If that can connect to a high-speed external RAID drive for my libraries, well, then so much the better.
FWIW, I would gladly trade FW800 for Thunderbolt once the TB drives and arrays actually start shipping...
THE MAIN reason to buy the MacBook Air 11.6-inch is NOT because it is cheaper, but because it is lighter and smaller. Apple should make an even lighter (400 to 600 g) and smaller (7-inch) MacBook Air.
Definitely, on the first point. People who are cost-driven (and need a Mac) would be better served by the MacBook, which has the same entry level price, has a lot more storage, and is easily upgradable after the fact. I've been lusting after the 11" Air for a while, and could see picking one up when they are refreshed. 13", not so much, because while the increase in pixels would be nice, it's not worth the size (footprint) tradeoff to me.
I don't agree that Apple should make a 7" Air, though. Whatever they could manage to shoehorn in there, CPU/graphics/RAM/storage/keyboard-wise, would be less of an all purpose computer and more of a companion device. I think the iPad already fills that need perfectly.
We all know that Apple pulled the backlit keyboards from the Macbook Airs, but why? Is there a technical reason for that? Was it done to save money? They should definitely reintroduce those kind of keyboards and put them into this next batch of Airs which are coming out soon.
My first guess was for battery life. I love the backlit keyboards on MBPs and PowerBooks. Moved down to a MacBook (for size reasons) for a couple years, from late 2007 until mid 2010, and missed it. But mostly only because, well, it just looks cool. As far as increased usability, I think it only makes a difference if you're in a dimly (or non) lit room and mostly using the trackpad for browsing, with the need to hit an occasional key or two. Well, that and locating the special control keys along the top row, but pretty much the only ones I use are the volume keys and the screen brightness keys, which are easy enough to commit to memory.
So while I think it would be nice to have the backlit keyboard reintroduced, I doubt I'd be willing to pay extra for it, and if it had any impact on battery life, I'd keep it turned off.
Enough portables already, when can I get a refreshed Mac Pro.
Schiller showed a slide showing 73% of unit sales are portables, leaving 23% for desktops class Macs. Looking only at desktop Macs I'd think the iMacs, then the Mac mini, and finally the Mac Pro bringing up the rear. I'm sure the Mac Pro is profitable, but the question is how profitable. If people aren't buying enough of them they mind find it's not worth their time and effort when they can put those resources to better use like they did with Xserve.
If you want specs, get a Dell.
If you want a 10 hour battery life, get an Apple. That's the difference.
I want both, but I'll settle for 6 (real) hours of battery life, and a mid-range performance level *if* all that comes in the MBA form factor. Otherwise I'll just wait until the next MBP refresh and get a 13" MBP.
I'm not going to buy any generic Dell's, HP's, Acers or whatever other plastic crap on the market, I've been there, I've had those, I still have to put up with one at work all day, and I hate these laptops. I'd consider a Vaio, HP Envy or Samsung 9, if they had OS X on them and were significantly cheaper than a MacBook, but neither is the case.
One thing is for sure and that is that I'll never go back to Windows, or buy one of the zillions of run-of-mill 13-a-dozen plastic $600 shovelware laptops. You'll end up regretting buying one of these every time, and counting the days until you can justify to yourself replacing them within 2 years. Meanwhile my almost 3-year old alu MacBook is still chugging along nicely, it still looks brand new, and I still enjoy using it. Good laptop =/= cheap laptop.
Schiller showed a slide showing 73% of unit sales are portables, leaving 23% for desktops class Macs. Looking only at desktop Macs I'd think the iMacs, then the Mac mini, and finally the Mac Pro bringing up the rear. I'm sure the Mac Pro is profitable, but the question is how profitable. If people aren't buying enough of them they mind find it's not worth their time and effort when they can put those resources to better use like they did with Xserve.
What time period was that data derived from? Excluding the Air, a hot selling portable likely to be sold to someone that already has a desktop Mac, Apple's portable line was updated in February. Since then, people that might want to purchase a desktop have been waiting their turn. The iMacs were only recently refreshed and we are still waiting for the Mini and Mac Pro lines to be updated.
The iMacs are recent enough that their affect on sales, if any, might not even have been included in those stats.
Potentially, all that slide shows is that portables are selling well because they have been updated, and desktops aren't selling as well because people are waiting until new Thunderbolt equipped models are released.
While I wouldn't expect a completely refreshed desktop line to outsell their portables, it is obvious a refresh would result in a significant increase in desktop sales.
-kpluck
No, Apple should make 15" MBA with gorgeous screen.
This would be nice.
While I wouldn't expect a completely refreshed desktop line to outsell their portables, it is obvious a refresh would result in a significant increase in desktop sales.
-kpluck
Even if Apple were to release killer new desktop models, the majority of people won't be buying them. People are simply moving away from desktop machines, as only a small percentage of people actually need them, and fewer can afford them. Most people are not content creators, they are content consumers.
THE MAIN reason to buy the MacBook Air 11.6-inch is NOT because it is cheaper, but because it is lighter and smaller. Apple should make an even lighter (400 to 600 g) and smaller (7-inch) MacBook Air.
I agree. I really think there should be some models (or at least one) with such a size. For many of us, the factor of great mobility (small and light, and still a fullfledged machine) is of greatest importance.
Even if Apple were to release killer new desktop models, the majority of people won't be buying them. People are simply moving away from desktop machines, as only a small percentage of people actually need them, and fewer can afford them. Most people are not content creators, they are content consumers.
Well I'd like a new entry level Mac desktop similar to the old workhorse Sawtooth G4. My position now is that I think the Mini is too gimped in specs, the iMac has a screen I don't like and no upgradeable graphics card, and the Mac Pro is too bulky and expensive.
If you want specs, get a Dell.
If you want a 10 hour battery life, get an Apple. That's the difference.
imo he is right to be concern with stats since he is upgrading from a 2008 MBP. And at some point stats do matter, especially when a company is still selling a 1.4 ghz core2duo CPU on a $1000+ PC in 2011. I understand such a slow CPU is a problem for many people that would want the great design of the Air if only it was more powerful.
Apple is long overdue for MBA and macmini upgrades.
Well I'd like a new entry level Mac desktop similar to the old workhorse Sawtooth G4. My position now is that I think the Mini is too gimped in specs, the iMac has a screen I don't like and no upgradeable graphics card, and the Mac Pro is too bulky and expensive.
Some people have been waiting for and wanting a machine like that for a long time. It's not for everybody, but I guess one option is hackintosh, if somebody is willing to go that route.
What time period was that data derived from? Excluding the Air, a hot selling portable likely to be sold to someone that already has a desktop Mac, Apple's portable line was updated in February. Since then, people that might want to purchase a desktop have been waiting their turn. The iMacs were only recently refreshed and we are still waiting for the Mini and Mac Pro lines to be updated.
The iMacs are recent enough that their affect on sales, if any, might not even have been included in those stats.
Potentially, all that slide shows is that portables are selling well because they have been updated, and desktops aren't selling as well because people are waiting until new Thunderbolt equipped models are released.
While I wouldn't expect a completely refreshed desktop line to outsell their portables, it is obvious a refresh would result in a significant increase in desktop sales.
-kpluck
Those sales figures Schiller used are probably for multiple quarters, to flatten out the impact of new products. My guess it would be TTM (Trailing Twelve Months) or last four completed quarters.
In any case, the takeaway here is that Mac notebooks outsell desktops by a three-to-one margin and that the downward decline of the desktop computer continues.
It is likely that there will be a market for for desktop PCs for the foreseeable future, but I think Apple notebooks will probably reach 85-90% of their total Mac sales in five years. By that time, the number of desktop SKUs will probably dwindle to five or six (2 iMacs, 1 Mac mini, 2-3 Mac Pros) down from the ten current SKUs.
THE MAIN reason to buy the MacBook Air 11.6-inch is NOT because it is cheaper, but because it is lighter and smaller. Apple should make an even lighter (400 to 600 g) and smaller (7-inch) MacBook Air.
I agree. I really think there should be some models (or at least one) with such a size. For many of us, the factor of great mobility (small and light, and still a fullfledged machine) is of greatest importance.
Exactly. Great, for instance, for Keynote and PowerPoint presentations made on a true Mac (the iOS does not deliver!).