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Argh... I can't talk about the Macbook Air without getting angry. Angry at Apple's direction. I bought the second generation MBA (the first good one) in 2011.
by cletus 9y ago
Argh... I can't talk about the Macbook Air without getting angry. Angry at Apple's direction.
I bought the second generation MBA (the first good one) in 2011. It was a fantastic laptop. It was pretty much the right compromise of power vs weight vs cost. I loved how you could get a pretty darn usable Macbook for (eventually) like $1200.
For the first couple of years other manufacturers just couldn't compete with that much hardware for that price.
But then it got a bit long in the tooth. I, like many, was waiting for a screen upgrade (particularly to a retina screen). Other manufacturers were increasingly producing better hardware and smaller bezel displays. Yet no update from Apple (after about 2015 or so).
And then... the Macbook came out, which spelt the end for the MBA (a 12" MB and 11/13" MBAs were too many SKUs for Apple). And the MB was a terrible compromise. One port (also for power!). Terrible keyboard. Horrible performance.
And now we have Macbook Pros that have:
- Removed the super-useful Magsafe connector
- Added a stupid touchbar no one cares about
- Used a much worse keyboard and trackpad to save like 0.5mm in width; and
- Cost 2x+ as much.
Thanks for that, Apple.
All I wanted was an updated Macbook Air.
- beefsack 9y agoWhen you tie yourself to a single manufacturer then you're going to be disappointed very often. It's impossible for one manufacturer to have the perfect product for everyone.
- epistasis 9y agoThis is a true statement, but how does it relate to what the other poster wrote? Wishing for Apple to do a better job has nothing to being tied to a single manufacturer.
- igravious 9y agoBecause of the very truth of the statement. It is highly improbable and most unrealistic for a single entity to satisfy the wishes of all people at all times. Therefore tying oneself to a single manufacturer is inevitably in the long run going to result in disappointment. Wouldn't you agree?
- macintux 9y agoDisappointment is inevitable no matter your hardware/software poison of choice.
- epistasis 9y agoI'm not sure you read my comment. I had already agreed with you in general. I was asking for you to connect your comment to the one which you had replied. As it is it's just a completely out of the blue, like stating "many people enjoy French fries" or something.
- rconti 9y agoNo, because that hardware company is also the exclusive beneficiary of the software company. If it was just about hardware, I'd consider other options.
- Maert 9y agoWhich type of software you work with that exists solely on Mac and no other platform?
- paws 9y agoI also had the 2011 MBA and loved it. What disappoints me even further since 2016, separate from the laptop regression is how badly Apple dropped the ball on the monitor side. The previous gen Thunderbolt display doubled as a lovely hub for Ethernet/audio in&out/traditional USB ports/Firewire/Thunderbolt. Convenient way to restore all the usual ports to the svelte MBA, and bonus, all on a PCI bus (i.e. fast). Enter the LG 5k: the panel itself is fine, but the enclosure is butt ugly, costs more, and has none of the above.[1] It won't charge things when a laptop isn't connected.[2] Years later, finally we got power and video on one cable...but the monitor is a 3rd party sub standard mess, and good luck if WiFi devices are nearby. [3] [1] https://9to5mac.com/guides/thunderbolt-display/ https://9to5mac.com/guides/thunderbolt-display/ [2] https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/reviews/HKN62B/A/lg-ultrafine-5k-display https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/reviews/HKN62B/A/lg-ultrafine-... [3] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/01/apple-lg-5k-display-issues/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/01/apple-lg-5k-display-...
- verisimilitude 9y agoYou've set the stage for how strikingly bad this current situation is: the keyboards in all new Macbook & Macbook Pros do not work as keyboards (the keys fail when they should not). The way to fix this is to make the laptops thicker so there is room for keys that work. Apple will not increase thickness. So... when will the keyboards be usable again?
- p10_user 9y agoWhen they remove the keyboard entirely and replace it with a giant trackpad with a keyboard section. They will do this when they can make the trackpad sensitive enough to do so.
- siquick 9y agoHad a MBA for 5 years and it was the best computer I'd ever had by a mile. A couple of months ago I upgraded to the MBP without the touch bar ($700AUD just didnt seem like good value to get something i'd never use). Fair to say that it's a significant upgrade and using the MBA now feels like a real step down.
- petercooper 9y agoRemoved the super-useful Magsafe connector Just one data point, I'm very happy with how this worked out. Unlike Apple's terrible huge proprietary chargers, I now have portable battery packs and cheaper USB-C chargers all over the place that charge both my phone and MacBook Pro, and, best of all, they can go on both sides depending on where I'm sitting. The cables slide out pretty easy so MagSafe isn't even needed IMHO. I am hugely happy with the new MBP, with having to blast the keyboard with air occasionally being the only irritation.
- ProfessorLayton 9y agoI agree. I consider not having to buy $89 (after tax) chargers from apple a huge win, being able to charge from either side of the laptop is yet another bonus. I did like the magnetic connector though.
- coldtea 9y ago>* I consider not having to buy $89 (after tax) chargers from apple a huge win* It can also be a huge, "my laptop just got fried because of a BS el-cheapo charger" loss. https://www.theverge.com/2016/2/4/10916264/usb-c-russian-roulette-power-cords https://www.theverge.com/2016/2/4/10916264/usb-c-russian-rou... https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-usb-c-chargers-whats-safe-whats-dangerous/ https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-usb-c-chargers-whats-safe... https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/30/amazon-clamps-down-dangerous-usb-c-cables https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/30/amazon-cl... Don't give up on those Apple or Belkin charge cables just yet...
- xanderstrike 9y ago> I now have portable battery packs and cheaper USB-C chargers all over the place that charge both my phone and MacBook Pro This isn't true if you buy both an Apple phone and computer, you have to get an Android. Just more evidence of Apple's backwards and confused direction as of late.
- jsjohnst 9y ago
- thought_alarm 9y ago> For the first couple of years other manufacturers just couldn't compete with that much hardware for that price. Exactly. But today the world is full of cheap MacBook Air knockoffs. The challenge now, as it was then, is how does Apple leverage its manufacturing strengths to produce a laptop that no one else can at the same price? The answer is the new MacBook and MacBook Pros. A success in the sense that no one else can produce such laptops. A failure in that few would want to. The MacBook knockoffs look like better machines.
- gumby 9y agoI love my MB — it’s a great Emacs machine. I never plug anything in except power, and it’s faster than all sorts of earlier machines I’ve used. I even got used to the keyboard. But...the goddamned keyboard has failed twice. In fact my mb is at Apple being replaced right now. Warranty, sure, but I can’t write much code on this iPad!
- tomcam 9y agoDitto to everything you said. Just bought a $4,000 MacBook Pro and seethed with resentment.
- dkonofalski 9y ago>- Removed the super-useful Magsafe connector >- Added a stupid touchbar no one cares about >- Used a much worse keyboard and trackpad to save like 0.5mm in width; I have 2 of the new Touch Bar MBPs (one for work and one for personal) and those 3 things are something that sold me on the computer after I had purchased it. I had no intention of using the TouchBar and felt like they didn't need to mess with the MagSafe or the keyboard and yet all 3 of these things have won me over. The TouchBar is amazing to me and something that I use regularly (made even better by BetterTouchTool). Being able to scrub through media while still having hands on the keyboard and then switching immediately to editing tools is a godsend for me. The USB-C connector is a much better option, in my opinion, than MagSafe was (even though I really liked MagSafe) simply because it's not a proprietary connector and it's not limited to charging. I'll happily give up a dedicated port for charging when I don't have to buy chargers from Apple and the port doubles as an I/O port. In hindsight, MagSafe was convenient when laptops weighed and ton and could easily get pulled down by the standard laptop charger plug. I've had all different laptops for years now and can count on one hand the number of times MagSafe would have saved me a slight bit of trouble. As for the trackpad and keyboard, I much prefer the feel of the new keyboard and I can't tell a difference between the trackpads simply because I prefer the larger trackpad. The "click" feels exactly the same in day-to-day use. The keyboard feels much more stable and even to me and I don't find the travel to be greater to one side of a key or another so it always feels like a solid press. Maybe it's just me but I love the new Macbook Pros. I'd love to see an updated MBA with a Retina display instead of the 12" Macbook but I have no complaints about the Pro line at all and I'm a professional media creator and developer.
- rconti 9y agoAs much as I feel like USB-C has been a huge fiasco on my new Touchbar MBP (way more work than I expected), you're right about Magsafe. I tripped on it and flung my 2011 Air onto the floor. No damage, but it's getting pointless, and anyway, those magsafe2-1 converters are useless -- I've bought 5, they all fail.
- deepGem 9y agoOne disadvantage of magsafe is that siting cross legged and working on your lap is a hassle. The magnet disengages very easily. However I would rather have magsafe than see my 15 inch pro flying in the air when my 4yo trips over the charging cable :)
- toomanybeersies 9y agoI like the change to USB-C charging. I found magsafe to be annoying because I'd constantly knock it out.
- rubicon33 9y agoI sometimes get frustrated by the fact that to do iOS development I have to buy an way over priced laptop that has a laundry list of "design flaws", when there are far faster and more practical windows and even linux laptops on the market. If it weren't for the fact that I do some iOS development, I would have ditched the Apple laptop/desktop scene by now.
- m_mueller 9y agoHere's what I'll do to solve your problem: I'll buy a maxed out 2015 MBP 13''. Using 2012 one for a couple years now at work, and it's one of the best laptops I ever had. If Apple doesn't wake up I'll switch to Windows once Microsoft has properly figured out integration with the new linux subsystem.
- exidy 9y agoI used a mid-2013 MBA as my main work machine for 4 years and loved it. I also hoped for an updated MBA. But what would an updated MBA look like? Let's keep the 13.3 inch screen and full size keyboard, and: * Upgrade the screen to a retina display * Shrink those old-fashioned bezels * Integrated GPU only is fine * Update the 2 USB ports to USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 with power delivery * Current generation CPU * Keep the weight about the same We've just built the 2-port MacBook Pro. (w/out touchbar). It's slightly less wide and deep than the MBA, thinner overall than the MBA's thickest point and a mere 20 grams heavier. Of course it is somewhat more expensive than the MBA, but you cannot expect upgraded technology for free. tl;dr Apple did an "upgraded MBA" when they bifurcated the MBP line, and nobody noticed.