End of MBA???

[DarioK]

Hey guys,

With all these rumors about a supposed Apple tablet coming out next year and the last revision of the MBA not being so, as it were, great... Do you think that if a Tablet or something similar is launched next year would it spell the end of the MacBook Air?

 

[thegoldenmackid]

No. They will still keep the Air. Especially if it is a tablet. Dell has the Adamo and the Mini 10.

 

[GeekGirl*]

I think the Rev.C will be the last Air.

 

[jmoore5196]

Well, I'm not sure why you'd view the Rev C as "not being so, as it were, great," but I actually foresee the MB disappearing and the MBP evolving into much more of an MBA-like machine. Optical drives are going the way of floppies, so the need to lug around a five-pound laptop won't be as pressing a year or so down the road. The MBA is probably here to stay, in one iteration or another.

 

[GoCubsGo]

No but thanks for playing.

 

[macjonny1]

Well, I'm not sure why you'd view the Rev C as "not being so, as it were, great," but I actually foresee the MB disappearing and the MBP evolving into much more of an MBA-like machine. Optical drives are going the way of floppies, so the need to lug around a five-pound laptop won't be as pressing a year or so down the road. The MBA is probably here to stay, in one iteration or another.

As long as movies come on optical media, optical drives aren't going anywhere.

 

[Mactagonist]

As long as movies come on optical media, optical drives aren't going anywhere.

Heard of this little product called iTunes before?

 

[sushi]

Gut feeling is that the MBA will be around for quite a while.

It has been updated a few times. As SSD prices decrease and capacities increase, I think that we'll see more of a demand in the future.

 

[mykoljay]

My guess is that all notebooks will be be Macbook air size (at least thin wise) within 2-3 years. So the MBA will probably just become the 'Macbook'.

 

[jdechko]

Heard of this little product called iTunes before?

Yes, we have. And while it's nice to be able to rent a movie from your computer on demand from iTunes, far more people have DVD players than have iTunes+Broadband. We aren't saying that DVD's will be around forever, nor that digital distribution isn't the new hotness. We just aren't there yet.

 

[McGilli]

Yes, we have. And while it's nice to be able to rent a movie from your computer on demand from iTunes, far more people have DVD players than have iTunes+Broadband. We aren't saying that DVD's will be around forever, nor that digital distribution isn't the new hotness. We just aren't there yet.

I kinda agree with Mactagonist about itunes only....

I mean - why doesn't the Apple TV have an optical drive if Apple wants there device to be the center of the home theater? As usual they are pushing things their way.... towards online distribution.

MBA was just the beginning of no optical drive-less computers.... Everyone can buy an external drive if they really need it.

I mean - if this October - Apple announces every new laptop has no internal optical drive - what will people do - switch to windows pc's? some sure - but no the loyal mac gadgety techie types like me. We'll be all for it. include more media card slots and i am happy.

 

[esdunbar]

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I used my optical drive for anything other than ripping my DVD's to AppleTV format. Now that I finally finished ripping them, I have no clue what I'd use the optical for? I buy my software, music, movies, etc. online. All back up is done vie USB. File sharing is done via USB, bluetooth, or Mobileme. I WISH I could get my optical out of my MBP and slim it down a bit.

People complain about no optical in the Air, but can't tell you what they need one for (spare me those of you who use yours every single day for some weird reason, you're not the norm). Then people complain about not being able to swap the battery on the fly, but they maybe do it once a year, if that, they typically have never purchased a spare battery in the past (again, spare me traveler who does it twice a week, you aren't the majority either...besides, go buy and external battery). I just don't understand some folks.

 

[Gruber]

In the long run, optical drives are going to disappear, but I would not hold my breath. CD sales may be declining, but they are still relevant, and while video rentals will inevitably become an online business, they are still mainly bound to DVDs.

While I would personally prefer to get my Macbook sans optical drives, I do not reflect the majority of buyers. The majority wants to watch DVDs during commutes, or in bed.

The future of the Air will not depend on strategic ideas, but mainly on commercial success. If Apple finds out that replacing broken hinges costs more than the hassle of putting the relatively few devices that are actually being sold on the shelves, they will scrap it. As they did with a lot of nice products in the past, such as the Newton, the Cube and the 12in Powerbook.

As it is, the MBA accounts for a small fraction of all Apple hardware sales. After serving as a testbed for new batteries and casings, updates have been conservative.

My personal bet: The main Macbook line will keep their spindles at least for most of 2010. The Macbooks will retain their cubic appearance for a while, too.

 

[Scottsdale]

In the long run, optical drives are going to disappear, but I would not hold my breath. CD sales may be declining, but they are still relevant, and while video rentals will inevitably become an online business, they are still mainly bound to DVDs.

While I would personally prefer to get my Macbook sans optical drives, I do not reflect the majority of buyers. The majority wants to watch DVDs during commutes, or in bed.

The future of the Air will not depend on strategic ideas, but mainly on commercial success. If Apple finds out that replacing broken hinges costs more than the hassle of putting the relatively few devices that are actually being sold on the shelves, they will scrap it. As they did with a lot of nice products in the past, such as the Newton, the Cube and the 12in Powerbook.

As it is, the MBA accounts for a small fraction of all Apple hardware sales. After serving as a testbed for new batteries and casings, updates have been conservative.

My personal bet: The main Macbook line will keep their spindles at least for most of 2010. The Macbooks will retain their cubic appearance for a while, too.

I don't think the success of the MBA depends on how much it costs to repair a few hinges. There really have not been that many reports of it.

More likely, that Apple has tarnished the MBA's image by selling the original MBA with such a terrible component mixture. Most people I knew that bought an original MBA were on to something else within a year. The original MBA's failure cost Apple far more than a few hinges replaced.

It's the thinking of overheating and poor performance that has ruined the MBA's reputation not a few hinges.

The MBA will succeed if Apple wants it to succeed. It will take closing the gap between it and the MBP. With only 2 GB of RAM, and inferior component makeup, Apple will need to make the MBA more relevant to ensure its success. 2.13 GHz would be acceptable, if the MBA had 4 GB of RAM and 256 GB drive space. People also want the glass buttonless trackpad...

Some cannot fathom no optical drive and one USB port. Then again, others of us welcome the aesthetics and wireless capabilities of the MBA... I suspect the iTablet device takes a lot of the MBA sales from those using the MBA as a secondary device... for those of us who use the MBA as our primary Mac, the MBA will continue to thrive.

We will see how it all plays out, but I feel an improved MBA with 4 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD is the sweet spot that keeps sales up from more "business" type pros.

 

[jdechko]

I am one of those people who use my optical drive for ripping CD's and DVD's mainly, and I'll continue to use a desktop when I need to do those tasks.

But the interesting thing is that I was explaining to a friend why I wanted an Air. He asked why, citing the lack of an optical drive. I pretty much said to him that I would be able to create a complete set of reinstallation media using nothing but a USB thumb drive. Immediately, both he and I understood that at least for me, I don't need the drive anymore.

I guess that perhaps the 2 oddest things about the Rev C Air are the lack of 4GB RAM and the absence of the glass trackpad (which may have to do with physical space). I really think that with the exception of those 2 things, the Air is built out of the best available components.*

*Yes, the screen quality sucks, but I'm not aware of any higher resolution and/or OLED 13.3" screens ready for mass consumption at a reasonable price.

Also, Scottsdale, I think you hit it on the head. The price/performance of the original Air created many of the misconceptions people still carry about the Air. If Apple could have a do-over, I think that the Rev B was the machine Apple wanted to release as the Revision A.

 

[GeekGirl*]

I am one of those people who use my optical drive for ripping CD's and DVD's mainly, and I'll continue to use a desktop when I need to do those tasks.

But the interesting thing is that I was explaining to a friend why I wanted an Air. He asked why, citing the lack of an optical drive. I pretty much said to him that I would be able to create a complete set of reinstallation media using nothing but a USB thumb drive. Immediately, both he and I understood that at least for me, I don't need the drive anymore.

I guess that perhaps the 2 oddest things about the Rev C Air are the lack of 4GB RAM and the absence of the glass trackpad (which may have to do with physical space). I really think that with the exception of those 2 things, the Air is built out of the best available components.*



*Yes, the screen quality sucks, but I'm not aware of any higher resolution and/or OLED 13.3" screens ready for mass consumption at a reasonable price.

Also, Scottsdale, I think you hit it on the head. The price/performance of the original Air created many of the misconceptions people still carry about the Air. If Apple could have a do-over, I think that the Rev B was the machine Apple wanted to release as the Revision A.

Funny I came from a rev.B back to a rev.A the B was full of lines and the display was very bad my A is perfect as it gets .