sirozha

I believe that the quad-core i3 CPU in this Mac Mini has only four threads instead of eight threads; that is there’s only one thread per core. Please confirm that.

If this is the case, the multi-threading performance of this i3 CPU should be inferior to the multithreading performance of the 2012 Mac Mini’s quad-core i7, which has eight threads (two threads per core).  

rogifan_new said:

dunks said:

rogifan_new said:

$1199 Ouch. So what’s the point of the retina MacBook now? No mention of it on stage yet so I assume it’s just getting a spec bump unless Apple is killing it?

The retina MacBook (US$1299) is only more expensive because pricing starts with a 256GB SSD, whereas the MacBook Air (US$1199) pricing starts with a 128GB SSD.

Apple could have easily offered a 128GB retina MacBook at the (US$1199). I think Apple intentionally withheld a 128GB MacBook so the 13.3 inch retina Air could launch at the lowest price point, fulfilling the 'Air' promise.

In reality the 13.3 inch retina Air is being strategically massaged into a non-entry-level price bracket.

The legacy Air ($999) received no update marking it as end-of-life. When that goes what is being called the new Air will functionally be a 13 inch retina MacBook. The 12 inch MacBook model has a smaller display, slower processor, fewer ports, and no Touch ID. A price drop is the only thing holding it back from being the entry-level laptop.

I see the MacBook being Apple’s first ARM laptop. Disappointing though that the current MacBook didn’t get a price cut. If you look at the top graphic on the Mac section of Apple’s website they list the MacBook first, then the Air, then the Pro. Based on that graphic you’d think the MacBook would be the cheapest option.

I agree with your expectation that the MacBook will go ARM next year. The MacBook Air will remain the low-end choice in the Intel camp for now. How will Apple position Intel-based laptops vs ARM-based laptops and differentiate the two lines? I think the only way to make such a differentiation is to combine the iPad Pro and the MacBook into one ARM-based hybrid device. I can tell you that this device would be amazing for education and would destroy Windows and Chrome computers in education. There is still a place for true Intel-Based macOS computers (both desktops and laptops), but there's now enough room on the market for an Apple hybrid device whose interface can adapt to both touch (when used in the tablet mode) and to pointing device (mouse/trackpad) when used in the external keyboard mode. 

IMHO, today's lower-spec and smaller-screen iPad Pro will be branded just the iPad. Today's higher-spec and larger-screen iPad Pro will be combined with the MacBook into an ARM-based hybrid device. Today's (vintage 2018)  MacBook Air will continue to live as a lower-end Intel-based MacBook for some time now. The MacBook Pro line will jettison the dual-core option, as it is almost identical to the MacBook Air.

The MacBook Pro line will consist of quad-core, six-core, and even higher-core options that will start at $1,999 (for the lowest-spec 13" configuration) and will go up, whereas the MacBook Air will be capped at $1,899 in its highest-spec configuration (dual-core, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD). 

The new hybrid MacBook/iPad Pro device will start at $999 (for a 64MB or 128MB non-LTE) version and will go up from there. The highest-spec configuration of this ARM-based hybrid device with 1TB of storage and with LTE will be capped at $1,999 as long as Apple continues to maintain Intel-based laptops. 

The iPad (iOS-only version) with LTE will be capped at $999, whereas the non-LTE lower-spec version will start at $499. 

IMHO, the late 2018 MacBook Air is an improvement over both the previous generation MacBook Air and the current generation MacBook spec-wise. However, the price is ridiculous. This is not a professional-level laptop; for one, the CPU only has two cores. The specs that I would consider for myself are 512 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM. The late 2018 MacBook Air costs $1800 in this configuration. I can get a mid-2015 15" MacBook Pro with quad core i7 CPU, 1TB of SSD and 15 GB of RAM for that price. So, three and a half years later, the 15" mid-2015 MacBook Pro is still the best option if you are interested in getting the best portable Mac under $2000.

Mike Wuerthele said:

dick applebaum said:

Mike Wuerthele said:

This is an important topic to discuss. However, we do have rules for a reason. If you're going to participate in this thread, new user or old, read the commenting guidelines linked at the bottom of every page.

While we're loosening the political restrictions for this thread, and this thread alone for now, this thread will be strictly moderated for other infractions. Be respectful.

I am pleased that AI sees the value in open discussion of topics such as this!  To my mind, there are many rumors and not enough facts to reach a conclusion -- so discussion helps.

I hope that AI will open similar articles/discussion threads of other current topics.  

The migration caravan/convey situation is one topic I'd like to see discussed... There has to be a better way to resolve this than:

• just allowing it to happen
• hope that it doesn't happen
• ignoring it

Peoples' lives, well-being, rights and consciences are at stake!

There is precisely zero connection to Apple in regards to the caravan, so I wouldn't expect an editorial about it.

I beg to disagree. I saw a bunch of smart phones owned by the members of the caravan. I'm sure some of them own iPhones. There's a clear connection there. One undeniable question is, Will the iPhones carried by these Central American migrants be serviced in the US Apple Stores? If they are, does it mean that Apple became a Sanctuary Corporation? If they aren’t, does it mean that Apple is a Bigoted Corporation? Should half of us all throw our iPhones in the garbage in either of these two scenarios materializes? I think we need an editorial on this. 

Even though I condemn a brutal murder of any human being not directly involved in harming civilians, and so by this standard I condemn the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it's important to note here that he was not a freedom-loving journalist who purely wanted to report truthfully on the current events. 

Jamal Khashoggi met the same kind of death that he wished on others. He has always been an ardent supporter of extremism (as extremism as perceived by the western standards). Starting from the recently surfaced picture of him standing with mujahideen holding a grenade launcher and continuing throughout his "journalistic" career, Jamal Khashoggi did not meet an Islamic extremist that he didn't love. He supported all major Muslim extremist movements in the Middle East, including Al Qaida, Hamas, their parent Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, Hizbollah, etc. He was virulently anti-Israel and wished for as well as spoke and wrote about his vision for the elimination of the State of Israel though an armed struggle. In other words, he had wished on the Israeli civilians the same death that he faced from the hands of the Saudi leadership. 

Whether a critic of the current Saudi Crown Prince or not, Jamal Khashoggi was a promoter of extremism in the Middle East and throughout the world. On the other hand, MBS, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, showed himself as a progressive leader compared to other members of the Saudi Royal Court. In fact, in the past year or so, there have been several editorials published in governmental Saudi newspapers that spoke of Israel in a positive way, which had been unheard of in the entire history of the Arab world, starting from the times of the Muslim prophet. The very fact that MBS and Jared Kushner conder(ed) each other close friends is unprecedented, given that one is an heir apparent to the Saudi Royal Throne and the other is the most competent adviser in the US President's close circle while being an Orthodox Jew. The fact that a Saudi Royal - a Muslim Arab - and and Orthodox Jew so close to the US President can call each other close friends is unprecedented and has a potential of completely changing the dynamic of the Middle East and finally bring about peace to the Arab Israeli conflict. 

It's hard to imagine that MBS wasn't involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, but IMHO, Mr. Khashoggi got to taste his own medicine in an extremely brutal way, which was the same way he wished death on Israelis. I do not condone the way he was handled at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, but it would have brought me nothing but satisfaction to have seen Mr. Khashoggi having his Green Card revoked for extremism and being thrown (alive) out of the United States. 

MBS uses the same customary methods for eliminating his enemies as the methods used in Saudi Arabia to deal with the enemies. In this particular situation, the victim was not on the side of progress or peace but rather on the side of extremism. The method of dealing with the victim cannot be condoned, but that doesn't eliminate the fact that the victim was not innocent. Mr. Khashoggi was not an innocent man, and I'm not sure how he was able to receive permanent residency in the US. On the other hand, it has been rumored that the Saudis have been cooperating with Israelis under a common threat from Iran for many years now. Even though this could have been discounted as a rumor in the past, it has recently become obvious that the Israelis, the Saudis, and the Americans have been working for several years now on a comprehensive plan to bring about an end to the Arab Israeli conflict and to create peace in the Middle East as well as to form a coalition against the Iranian threats. This effort spearheaded by MBS must be supported, and the murder of an extremist at the hands of the Saudi hit team (most likely sent by MBS) should not derail a historic effort that is currently under way. If this opportunity is let pass, there may not be another chance for peace in the Middle East for centuries.