New MBA

[Eug]

I'm in the same boat. No Retina Air-like machine = no care.

13" MBP is too heavy.
13" MBA has the "wrong" screen resolution and a mediocre quality screen, and it's a bit slow too.

 

[TreVader]

There will NEVER be a Retina Air, you can just stop watching every single future announcement because it's not gonna happen.



The whole point of the Air is battery life and lightness. An IPS adds weight and increases power usage substantially, therefore they will never add one.

 

[gus6464]

There will NEVER be a Retina Air, you can just stop watching every single future announcement because it's not gonna happen.



The whole point of the Air is battery life and lightness. An IPS adds weight and increases power usage substantially, therefore they will never add one.

^This^

If anything it *might* and I mean *might* get a 1080p screen someday but that's it. People who buy Airs want stupid amounts of battery life which btw nothing out there can touch without having battery slices or added weight.

 

[smackababy]

I am not one of those "omg the rMBP, at a whole half pound heavier, is too much for my girly arms to handle" crowd, so the 13" MBA is in a really bad place IMO. For a few bucks more you get a much better laptop.

I do agree the air won't get a retina screen though. That would put it even closer to the rMBP, thus making it even worse of a position. A slightly lighter, far less powerful laptop? No thanks.

 

[Tegeril]

They had painted trim pieces, but otherwise I think most of the metal shell was titanium

I went to check, found multiple sources stating it was actually made of titanium.

 

[TheStu]

I went to check, found multiple sources stating it was actually made of titanium.

You get right down to it, the white paint on the trim probably was also made from Ti.

 

[boomhower]

Pretty blah upgrade but until they can get the battery tech to the point to support the power needed for retina we can't expect a whole lot more.

 

[Kaido]

Because that difference is honestly significant, picking at straws, what's 200 grams if you genuinely want a Mac and a retina display in the 13" form factor. ^_^

As I mentioned, it's a lot - the Air feels substantially different in your hand than the rMBP. Sure they're close, but have you played with an iPad Air? HUGE difference over the older (heavier) iPad models. Yes, it's getting into somewhat nit-picky territory, but we're talking thousand-dollar-plus machines here, so these decisions are important :biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

Four times the pixels and twice the CPU performance is a pretty big difference too.

Only if you want a mobile workstation. I think we hit a plateau with dual-core processors & SSD's...that's "good enough" territory for 98% of the users out there. I have a select few apps that I really like for OSX (such as The Hit List) which would be wonderful on a super-lightweight Air, but that I don't really want to spend the extra money on for a Pro & don't want the extra weight to just grab it easily. So partly it's money, and partly it's accessibility.

I'm really enjoying my Chromebook. The Haswell Acers are ridiculously good machines, and I get by with web apps & RDP. I can't say I'd jump on a Retina Air at this point, although it'd be awfully compelling

 

[Kaido]

I am not one of those "omg the rMBP, at a whole half pound heavier, is too much for my girly arms to handle" crowd, so the 13" MBA is in a really bad place IMO. For a few bucks more you get a much better laptop.

Don't make me throw my fedora at you

 

[jpiniero]

There will NEVER be a Retina Air, you can just stop watching every single future announcement because it's not gonna happen.

It's going to happen, and soon. They'll just throw in a lower TDP processor (enough to go fanless) to help compensate.

 

[Eug]

I know they were called TiBooks, but was the case material actually made of titanium?

Yes it was made of titanium.

I know they were painted because the paint did wear or chip off...

As mentioned, it was painted.

There will NEVER be a Retina Air, you can just stop watching every single future announcement because it's not gonna happen.

The whole point of the Air is battery life and lightness. An IPS adds weight and increases power usage substantially, therefore they will never add one.

There will be an Air-like MacBook that's Retina. I'm guessing 2014 actually. I don't care if it's called a MacBook or Air or Pro or Ralph. If it's faster than the current Airs with a good quality Retina screen, and lighter than the Pros, it will sell extremely well.

If anything it *might* and I mean *might* get a 1080p screen someday but that's it. People who buy Airs want stupid amounts of battery life which btw nothing out there can touch without having battery slices or added weight.

The battery life of the 11" Air isn't awesome. It's the same as the 13" Pro.

The problem with the Airs is they've got at best mediocre screens. The viewing angles aren't even as good as my 2009 non-Retina Pro. It's really noticeable.

 

[Koing]

The rMBA sure as hell can't be more expensive than the current MBA even with it's retina screen.

The bezel! Why can't they be thinner on the rMBP?!

Koing

 

[Zink]

Retina Air is for sure happening, you can read about the display technology that will let them cut power consumption in the article linked. LTPS or an improved IGZO display will allow a Retina Air display to use half the power a current gen rMBP screen uses. That is low enough power for an Air but more interestingly would mean that the rMPB could have runtimes or weight comparable to the current Air 13. This would make the the already very similar Air and rMBP even closer. It would make sense if the new Air was more iPad like than the current Air to help distance itself from the future rMBP 13 models. It would be really great if Anand did some actual power measurements on the current gen Air and rMBP 13 so we could compare with the new tech when it comes out. Seeings as there was no Haswell rMBP 13 review I guess they don't have the time.
http://www.displaymate.com/Tablet_ShootOut_3.htm

If you look at the mainboards for the iPad -> MPA -> rMBP you can see at each jump there is a significant increase in the amount of space taken up by the power regulation circuitry. There is also a hidden increase in PCB traces dedicated to power. I would be very happy if the Retina Air moves farther in the iPad direction by taking a hit on thunderbolt, speakers and non-removable components. The benefit from this would be better weight and/or battery life.

If you look at the teardowns you can also see the how huge the Air 13 speakers are compared to the rMBP 13. In my testing the rMBP 13 speakers were even louder than the rMBP 15 speakers so there is room to save space by shrinking the Air speakers and probably reducing SQ a bit. At least for me, speakers are just a backup. I'd rather have better battery life than waste space on laptop speakers that are still too tiny to ever produce decent audio. This is the philosophy that most phones and tablets take and they outsell the models that waste space on bigger front facing speakers. You can also see the huge amount of unused space in the tapered front of the air that should be removed by using a less tapered design. I'd imagine this would be necessary if they're dropping down to a 12" screen with reduced bezels as there won't be so much space to leave empty.

 

[TreVader]

There will be an Air-like MacBook that's Retina. I'm guessing 2014 actually. I don't care if it's called a MacBook or Air or Pro or Ralph. If it's faster than the current Airs with a good quality Retina screen, and lighter than the Pros, it will sell extremely well.

They will change the resolution but it will never be IPS like the MBP. That pane of glass is an easy 150 grams, and that along with the extra cooling for the higher clocked processor is why the 13" MBP is heavier.

If you want IPS, buy the 13" MBP. Apple isn't going to compromise weight to satisfy the tiny niche of customers who care that much about resolution (enough to compromise weight).


TL : DR THERE WILL NEVER BE A RETINA MBA

 

[Zink]

They will change the resolution but it will never be IPS like the MBP. That pane of glass is an easy 150 grams, and that along with the extra cooling for the higher clocked processor is why the 13" MBP is heavier.

If you want IPS, buy the 13" MBP. Apple isn't going to compromise weight to satisfy the tiny niche of customers who care that much about resolution (enough to compromise weight).


TL : DR THERE WILL NEVER BE A RETINA MBA

The iPad Air uses a glass screen. The glass is so thin you can see it flex when you touch it lightly. I'm hoping the next Air has a bonded glass display, the iPad Air doesn't but I don't see why it wouldn't work with thinner glass than the rMBP.

Most tablets and phones use IPS displays and last year Amazon moved LTPS IPS up to 8.9 inches in the Fire HDX 8.9. I'm hoping Apple uses the same technology at 12". If they are really pushing the boundary of LTPS technology that is helps explanation why the Retina Air will be 12" instead of just upgrading the 11 and 13" models

 

[TreVader]

Those are all touchscreens, Apple won't release an ips MBA

 

[Eug]

That's a very common misconception amongst followers of Apple product lines. Based on historical precedents, they say Apple will never do something, until they do.

The market has been evolving. People are increasingly no longer satisfied with crappy screens, at least at the higher price points. At the same time, higher quality screens and higher resolution screens are dropping in both price and weight.

Very lightweight Retina laptops are a natural evolution. It's not a matter of if as they WILL be released. It's just a matter of when, but I predict 2014. The iPad Air serves as an example of where trends are going.

As long as the Airs are this crappy, and as long as the Pros are as heavy as they are, I am not buying. As for the name for a new light Retina product, Air or not, who cares?

 

[dma0991]

I regard the MBA to be the most ideal choice for my next laptop. IMO I feel it even bests the Sony Vaio Pro because Windows never made any strides in improving the usability of the touch pad like Apple did and instead went with the clunky touchscreen on a laptop idea.

If its so good, why am I not getting it yet? The screen has always been a deal breaker, and it has been that way for the past few MBA generations. It is unfathomable to get a TN panel at that premium price. They only had to make it to an IPS with similar or slightly higher resolution and I'm sold. Retina display is an added bonus, if battery life remained the same or improved slightly.

 

[Rakehellion]

I am not one of those "omg the rMBP, at a whole half pound heavier, is too much for my girly arms to handle" crowd, so the 13" MBA is in a really bad place IMO. For a few bucks more you get a much better laptop.

I do agree the air won't get a retina screen though. That would put it even closer to the rMBP, thus making it even worse of a position. A slightly lighter, far less powerful laptop? No thanks.

I'm still using a 13" non-retina, which is heavier than the 15" retina. Kids these days are so spoiled.

Though I'd probably want an 11" Air as a second machine for every day travel.

 

[Rakehellion]

Pretty blah upgrade but until they can get the battery tech to the point to support the power needed for retina we can't expect a whole lot more.

Battery tech? More like display tech. If you have more power, chances are you're going to spend that on a faster CPU and longer battery life, not waste it on a high-res display.

 

[Eug]

Battery tech? More like display tech. If you have more power, chances are you're going to spend that on a faster CPU and longer battery life, not waste it on a high-res display.

The market has been moving away from uber fast CPUs for some time now, and it makes sense because they are largely unnecessary. Meanwhile, long life tablets have been getting good retina screens while getting lighter at the same time.

I'm still using a 13" non-retina, which is heavier than the 15" retina. Kids these days are so spoiled.

Though I'd probably want an 11" Air as a second machine for every day travel.

I too have a 13" non-Retina and really hate the weight. However it seems you're not enamoured with it either, considering you want a "travel" laptop.

 

[Rakehellion]

The MacBook Air is pretty far from having an "uber fast" CPU so that's an area that could stand improvement. In fact, every device on the market with a retina display has a best-in-class CPU already.

Ideally I'd want something smaller than 11" that I could keep in my pocket so I can use Xcode on the train.

 

[Koing]

That's a very common misconception amongst followers of Apple product lines. Based on historical precedents, they say Apple will never do something, until they do.

The market has been evolving. People are increasingly no longer satisfied with crappy screens, at least at the higher price points. At the same time, higher quality screens and higher resolution screens are dropping in both price and weight.

Very lightweight Retina laptops are a natural evolution. It's not a matter of if as they WILL be released. It's just a matter of when, but I predict 2014. The iPad Air serves as an example of where trends are going.

As long as the Airs are this crappy, and as long as the Pros are as heavy as they are, I am not buying. As for the name for a new light Retina product, Air or not, who cares?

It'll be interesting if it is released in 2014. But if they do it can't be more expensive than the current MBA's.

I'm still using a 13" non-retina, which is heavier than the 15" retina. Kids these days are so spoiled.

Though I'd probably want an 11" Air as a second machine for every day travel.

I'm rolling with a white unibody MacBook from 2008 as well. Funny that it's heavier than the 15 rMBP and get about 1/3 of the battery life! It has 4GB (Only 3GB is accessible?!) and a 256GB SSD though. It doesn't feel too heavy but I don't carry it in a bag often though.

Koing

 

[Kaido]

Those are all touchscreens, Apple won't release an ips MBA

I bet that will be the next stage - Pro's get touchscreen, or passive 3D, or multiple cameras for a gesture interface like the leaked Amazon phone, and then the Air's will get a non-touchscreen/3D/whatever Retina screen. Trickle down.