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It is starting to look like the MacBook Air may not get processor/PCIe Flash refresh, and if that's the case, I'm going to be very upset - that laptop is perfec

It is starting to look like the MacBook Air may not get processor/PCIe Flash refresh, and if that's the case, I'm going to be very upset - that laptop is perfect in almost every conceivable way for me. I am very much not interested in the MacBook, despite wanting to like it. The weird keyboard, smaller screen, Mobile/slower Processor, 2 hours less battery life, Just a single port; other than being lighter, zero value and they are charging an extra $300 for it. Note - The Retina screen, despite a lot of A/B testing by me, is not anything I really care about. I get, and respect, the desire to move everything to USB-C, and I'm willing to take the hit with dongles to help move things forward - but couldn't we do that on the MacBook Air? I know, everyone will say, "MacBook Pro" - but, once again, I don't care about the Retina, and the MacBook air is a monster of a system, awesome processing power - I'm running 31 Apps right now on my MBair, including two Virtual Machines (one of them Windows), full office suite, Aperture - and it's not even spinning up the fans. The MacBook released today is a less useful system for me in almost every way than the MacBook Air released three years ago.

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
> they are charging an extra $300 for it. The MacBook comes with a base configuration of 256GB SSD and 8GiB of RAM. The MacBook Air comes with a 128GB SSD and 4GiB of RAM (Edit: came with. Apparently this year they finally upped them to 8GiB RAM, so the price difference may have widened.). For the MacBook Air 13" and MacBook Pro 13" upgraded to 256GB SSD and 8GiB of RAM, the price is closer IIRC. (I'd check, but Apple's website is amusingly broken right now.)
- ghshephard 11y ago
  Thanks - I've been trying to click on the "Buy" button for the last 45 minutes for the MacBook and 13" MacBook Air to get some pricing details. No Luck. So - pricing may not be that far off then, but, of course, it means that if you want a $999 Mac laptop, you'll need to go with an outdated processor.
- masklinn 11y ago
  FWIW the 13" Air was updated to 8GB RAM standard (non-upgradable). The 11" remains at 4 (upgradable to 8)
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
  The website works again now, so I can finally look up the current prices: MacBook with 8GiB RAM, 256GB SSD: $1,299 (base model) MacBook Air 13" with 8GiB RAM, 256GB SSD: $1,199 (upgrade from 8GiB RAM, 128GB SSD $999 model) MacBook Pro 13" with 8GiB RAM, 256GB SSD: $1,499 (upgrade from 8GiB RAM, 128GB SSD $1,299 model) So the MacBook is somewhere between MacBook Air and MacBook Pro pricing, $100 pricier than a comparable Air in terms of RAM and SSD, $200 cheaper than the Pro. Interesting. In their default configurations, the MacBook has an m3, the Air a low-clockrate i5, the Pro a high-clockrate i5. On the other hand, the Air does not have Retina, while the Pro and MacBook do.
  - ghshephard 11y ago
    Thanks - I've been doing the same thing. Here was my ask back in 2012 when I was waiting for a new laptop from Apple (this is my "Now I will Upgrade" point): 500+ Gigabyte SSD, 16 Gigabyte Memory, 7 Hour Battery, 2880x1800 13" Air w/802.11ac (500 megabit WiFi) - $1200 Back then, I thought that system would land in Spring/Summer 2014. Things have certainly slowed down - at least they got the Battery life in a good place. So, here is what we are looking at with the MacBook 2304 x 1440 pixels. (12" IPS Retina) 10 Hours Battery 8 GiB Memory 512 GB SSD 802.11 ac 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core m7, Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz $1749 You can save a bit of money ($150) by going with the 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m5, Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz - so, base price $1599. (You could save another $300 by dropping down to a 1.1GHZ, and only 256 GB SSD @ $1299, but I drive my system pretty hard on the CPU, and it seems like the Turbo to 2.7 GHz + 512 GB SSD is worth $300) I'm trying to figure out if I can hold out another year. I kinda want the 13" display. I use this screen for everything, and real-estate is precious, but I don't know if it's a deal killer - particularly as it supports the same scaled resolution as my MBair (1440x900) - and my close up eyesight is awesome. Might have to see what the Terminal looks like in scaled resolution. I'm not a big fan of the mobile processors on this box, but everyone says it's ok. Be interesting to see how VMware holds up with Windows/OpenBSD. 8 GiB/memory, turns out to be fine. Apple isn't increasing it because you really don't need more with OS X on a non pro system - so I'm dropping 16 GiB from my wishlist. It looks like this may be the end of the line for the MacBook Air (other than a memory bump for the 13" up to 8 GB for the same $999 price) - Given that Retina probably isn't that big a deal, I'm almost considering the 2015 Broadwell MacBook Air just as a holder for my older Laptop. I can go light on the CPU and probably still come out ahead of the MacBook, even with the pre-skylake architecture. Take good care of it for three years (it won't be my daily driver) - and there will still be probably 50% of it's value when I finally upgrade to my "final" system (or at least something I hold onto for six or so years). $1199 MBAir gets me 1.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz, 8GiB, 256 GB PCI-e SSD, 12 Hours Battery. I may just wait for Anandtech/GeekBench to review this gear to see how the Skylake m5 1.2 GHz compares with the Core i5 1.6 GHz before making a decision...
crb 11y ago
My money is on the retina MacBook Pro getting smaller, and maybe cheaper, such that it will fill the needs currently filled by the Air.
- ghshephard 11y ago
  The problem is the retina - zero value for me, sucks battery, makes it more expensive. The MBair was the perfect machine.
  - wdmeldon 11y ago
    This surprises me. I was extremely skeptical of thee whole retina thing before I got a chance to use it. Now I can't see myself ever buying something with less pixel density.
    - vvhn 11y ago
      what sold me on retina was the Terminal :). I mean yeah websites and stuff look nice too but the terminal.app is where I live.
      - Philipp__ 11y ago
        Try iTerm 2 (v2.9 or v3beta) and you will change your home :)
        marrone12 11y ago
        I might be in the minority, but there is nothing I prefer about iTerm2 vs terminal.app. In fact, I think text color representation is much more accurate in terminal. And I don't need window-paning / split screening since I do all of that in Emacs anyways.
        Philipp__ 11y ago
        That's odd since I find iTerm2 much better looking in terms of color representation. Plus TrueColor support in nvim look amazing. BadWolf theme never, nowhere, looked better...
schuke 11y ago
As much as I love the Air, it's an absolute shame they won't let it have an IPS screen. This is the single reason I won't buy another Air. The Air has got everything else right and I have no problem with the resolution. But it stinks when everything washes out when I just want to lean back and relax a bit.
- JoshTriplett 11y ago
  Or they could skip the IPS screen and put in an OLED screen, like the latest X1 Carbon. (Unfortunate that only the X1 Carbon convertible tablet has OLED, not the lighter non-convertible.)
danieldk 11y ago
I am very much not interested in the MacBook, despite wanting to like it. The weird keyboard, smaller screen, Mobile/slower Processor, 2 hours less battery life, Just a single port; other than being lighter, zero value and they are charging an extra $300 for it. I moved from a 13" MacBook Air (Core i7, 8GB RAM) to a MacBook 12". I absolutely love it, it's much lighter, the keyboard is great once you get used to this, I prefer retina, and not having fans is great as well. Force touch is a nice gimmick, but I haven't used it much. The Core M CPU is not a problem for me in practice. Since buying the Air I have been doing more and more deep learning and anything without a CUDA GPU won't be practical anyway. So I work on a server with an nVidia Tesla card. For all may daily work and most development, the Core M holds up absolutely fine.
- tedmiston 11y ago
  > the keyboard is great once you get used to this I tried the keyboard but after a decade of using MacBook chiclet keys, the abbreviated keystroke was frustrating.
  - coldtea 11y ago
    Tried for an hour, or for 2 weeks though? There's a difference.
    - dopamean 11y ago
      Wouldn't you have to buy one to try it out for two weeks?
      - coldtea 11y ago
        Can always rent one, try the one your spouse uses, borrow one from a friend, etc. Even buy and then sell, slightly used, for mostly the same amount of money 2 weeks later. Heck, can even buy it and then return it for a refund, no questions asked, in some countries.
- douche 11y ago
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
IkmoIkmo 11y ago
I definitely could get used to the Macbook, but they need to bring out a 14 inch version in 2017, with the same thin bezels that makes its footprint as large as the a 13 inch MBA. The battery life will go up, space for a bigger keyboard, and there'll be space for a second USB port or even a third. All of that, at the current price (with the current price dropping for the 12 inch by $200), 720p cam and a new and improved 2017 processor, is a really decent package I'd be happy to buy, and good value if you can live with the depth of the keyboard. But right now, no way I'd buy the MB. That should be possible, 2 years after the MB 12', in 2017. Who knows. I'm mostly reminded of the MBA when it first came out. It was $1800 back then, and that was with some pretty shitty options. e.g. you had a regular HD, if you wanted an SSD it was $1k extra, or $2.8k in total, and you'd only have a 64gb SSD. And if you wanted a CPU upgrade (because the MBA was slower than the regular Macbook), you'd $300 extra, or $3.1k total, and it was still slower btw. And look how far the MBA has come! I think I'm really going to like the MB, but usually first gen just isn't good value. Today? Well we've got a MBA and MBP at home, no way I'm getting the MB or trading with it. Give it 1-2 generations though and I'm sure that'll change for me.
- ant6n 11y ago
  Yeah, I really like the idea of a fanless laptop that's basically just a battery; but give me a bigger screen, a real keyboard, and more than one single port.
  - AnonymousPlanet 11y ago
    What do you mean by "real keyboard"?
    - ant6n 11y ago
      I find the new Macbook with it's 'scissor' keys simply doesn't have enough travel to type comfortably, it's like tapping on a hard surface.

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago

> they are charging an extra $300 for it. The MacBook comes with a base configuration of 256GB SSD and 8GiB of RAM. The MacBook Air comes with a 128GB SSD and 4GiB of RAM (Edit: came with. Apparently this year they finally upped them to 8GiB RAM, so the price difference may have widened.). For the MacBook Air 13" and MacBook Pro 13" upgraded to 256GB SSD and 8GiB of RAM, the price is closer IIRC. (I'd check, but Apple's website is amusingly broken right now.)

ghshephard 11y ago
Thanks - I've been trying to click on the "Buy" button for the last 45 minutes for the MacBook and 13" MacBook Air to get some pricing details. No Luck. So - pricing may not be that far off then, but, of course, it means that if you want a $999 Mac laptop, you'll need to go with an outdated processor.
masklinn 11y ago
FWIW the 13" Air was updated to 8GB RAM standard (non-upgradable). The 11" remains at 4 (upgradable to 8)
TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
The website works again now, so I can finally look up the current prices: MacBook with 8GiB RAM, 256GB SSD: $1,299 (base model) MacBook Air 13" with 8GiB RAM, 256GB SSD: $1,199 (upgrade from 8GiB RAM, 128GB SSD $999 model) MacBook Pro 13" with 8GiB RAM, 256GB SSD: $1,499 (upgrade from 8GiB RAM, 128GB SSD $1,299 model) So the MacBook is somewhere between MacBook Air and MacBook Pro pricing, $100 pricier than a comparable Air in terms of RAM and SSD, $200 cheaper than the Pro. Interesting. In their default configurations, the MacBook has an m3, the Air a low-clockrate i5, the Pro a high-clockrate i5. On the other hand, the Air does not have Retina, while the Pro and MacBook do.
- ghshephard 11y ago
  Thanks - I've been doing the same thing. Here was my ask back in 2012 when I was waiting for a new laptop from Apple (this is my "Now I will Upgrade" point): 500+ Gigabyte SSD, 16 Gigabyte Memory, 7 Hour Battery, 2880x1800 13" Air w/802.11ac (500 megabit WiFi) - $1200 Back then, I thought that system would land in Spring/Summer 2014. Things have certainly slowed down - at least they got the Battery life in a good place. So, here is what we are looking at with the MacBook 2304 x 1440 pixels. (12" IPS Retina) 10 Hours Battery 8 GiB Memory 512 GB SSD 802.11 ac 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core m7, Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz $1749 You can save a bit of money ($150) by going with the 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m5, Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz - so, base price $1599. (You could save another $300 by dropping down to a 1.1GHZ, and only 256 GB SSD @ $1299, but I drive my system pretty hard on the CPU, and it seems like the Turbo to 2.7 GHz + 512 GB SSD is worth $300) I'm trying to figure out if I can hold out another year. I kinda want the 13" display. I use this screen for everything, and real-estate is precious, but I don't know if it's a deal killer - particularly as it supports the same scaled resolution as my MBair (1440x900) - and my close up eyesight is awesome. Might have to see what the Terminal looks like in scaled resolution. I'm not a big fan of the mobile processors on this box, but everyone says it's ok. Be interesting to see how VMware holds up with Windows/OpenBSD. 8 GiB/memory, turns out to be fine. Apple isn't increasing it because you really don't need more with OS X on a non pro system - so I'm dropping 16 GiB from my wishlist. It looks like this may be the end of the line for the MacBook Air (other than a memory bump for the 13" up to 8 GB for the same $999 price) - Given that Retina probably isn't that big a deal, I'm almost considering the 2015 Broadwell MacBook Air just as a holder for my older Laptop. I can go light on the CPU and probably still come out ahead of the MacBook, even with the pre-skylake architecture. Take good care of it for three years (it won't be my daily driver) - and there will still be probably 50% of it's value when I finally upgrade to my "final" system (or at least something I hold onto for six or so years). $1199 MBAir gets me 1.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz, 8GiB, 256 GB PCI-e SSD, 12 Hours Battery. I may just wait for Anandtech/GeekBench to review this gear to see how the Skylake m5 1.2 GHz compares with the Core i5 1.6 GHz before making a decision...

crb 11y ago

My money is on the retina MacBook Pro getting smaller, and maybe cheaper, such that it will fill the needs currently filled by the Air.

ghshephard 11y ago
The problem is the retina - zero value for me, sucks battery, makes it more expensive. The MBair was the perfect machine.
- wdmeldon 11y ago
  This surprises me. I was extremely skeptical of thee whole retina thing before I got a chance to use it. Now I can't see myself ever buying something with less pixel density.
  - vvhn 11y ago
    what sold me on retina was the Terminal :). I mean yeah websites and stuff look nice too but the terminal.app is where I live.
    - Philipp__ 11y ago
      Try iTerm 2 (v2.9 or v3beta) and you will change your home :)
      - marrone12 11y ago
        I might be in the minority, but there is nothing I prefer about iTerm2 vs terminal.app. In fact, I think text color representation is much more accurate in terminal. And I don't need window-paning / split screening since I do all of that in Emacs anyways.
        Philipp__ 11y ago
        That's odd since I find iTerm2 much better looking in terms of color representation. Plus TrueColor support in nvim look amazing. BadWolf theme never, nowhere, looked better...

schuke 11y ago

As much as I love the Air, it's an absolute shame they won't let it have an IPS screen. This is the single reason I won't buy another Air. The Air has got everything else right and I have no problem with the resolution. But it stinks when everything washes out when I just want to lean back and relax a bit.

JoshTriplett 11y ago
Or they could skip the IPS screen and put in an OLED screen, like the latest X1 Carbon. (Unfortunate that only the X1 Carbon convertible tablet has OLED, not the lighter non-convertible.)

danieldk 11y ago

I am very much not interested in the MacBook, despite wanting to like it. The weird keyboard, smaller screen, Mobile/slower Processor, 2 hours less battery life, Just a single port; other than being lighter, zero value and they are charging an extra $300 for it. I moved from a 13" MacBook Air (Core i7, 8GB RAM) to a MacBook 12". I absolutely love it, it's much lighter, the keyboard is great once you get used to this, I prefer retina, and not having fans is great as well. Force touch is a nice gimmick, but I haven't used it much. The Core M CPU is not a problem for me in practice. Since buying the Air I have been doing more and more deep learning and anything without a CUDA GPU won't be practical anyway. So I work on a server with an nVidia Tesla card. For all may daily work and most development, the Core M holds up absolutely fine.

tedmiston 11y ago
> the keyboard is great once you get used to this I tried the keyboard but after a decade of using MacBook chiclet keys, the abbreviated keystroke was frustrating.
- coldtea 11y ago
  Tried for an hour, or for 2 weeks though? There's a difference.
  - dopamean 11y ago
    Wouldn't you have to buy one to try it out for two weeks?
    - coldtea 11y ago
      Can always rent one, try the one your spouse uses, borrow one from a friend, etc. Even buy and then sell, slightly used, for mostly the same amount of money 2 weeks later. Heck, can even buy it and then return it for a refund, no questions asked, in some countries.
douche 11y ago

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

IkmoIkmo 11y ago

I definitely could get used to the Macbook, but they need to bring out a 14 inch version in 2017, with the same thin bezels that makes its footprint as large as the a 13 inch MBA. The battery life will go up, space for a bigger keyboard, and there'll be space for a second USB port or even a third. All of that, at the current price (with the current price dropping for the 12 inch by $200), 720p cam and a new and improved 2017 processor, is a really decent package I'd be happy to buy, and good value if you can live with the depth of the keyboard. But right now, no way I'd buy the MB. That should be possible, 2 years after the MB 12', in 2017. Who knows. I'm mostly reminded of the MBA when it first came out. It was $1800 back then, and that was with some pretty shitty options. e.g. you had a regular HD, if you wanted an SSD it was $1k extra, or $2.8k in total, and you'd only have a 64gb SSD. And if you wanted a CPU upgrade (because the MBA was slower than the regular Macbook), you'd $300 extra, or $3.1k total, and it was still slower btw. And look how far the MBA has come! I think I'm really going to like the MB, but usually first gen just isn't good value. Today? Well we've got a MBA and MBP at home, no way I'm getting the MB or trading with it. Give it 1-2 generations though and I'm sure that'll change for me.

ant6n 11y ago
Yeah, I really like the idea of a fanless laptop that's basically just a battery; but give me a bigger screen, a real keyboard, and more than one single port.
- AnonymousPlanet 11y ago
  What do you mean by "real keyboard"?
  - ant6n 11y ago
    I find the new Macbook with it's 'scissor' keys simply doesn't have enough travel to type comfortably, it's like tapping on a hard surface.