New Macbook Air this year? Arrandale to be released Q4

[jdechko]

Guys don't rip me a new one here... A high-end MBA with 256GB SSD and Arrandale sounds great, but I'd love to see a low-end Air option with Nvidia Ion or CULV chipset. Since a lot of us use the MBA as a second computer for travel, battery life is paramount. And with Ion they can drop the price and still keep those juicy Apple margins. This would be a great business laptop and maybe even light photo editing as the Ion has the same 9400M as the current models.

The SSD they're using has to be way less costly now than when they started using them. I don't know if a low cost MBA is ready to replace the old Polycarb Macbook yet, but I'd say we're getting close.

The big hurdle is still the price... with a raft of ~3lb CULV Windows laptops on the horizon, let's hope Apple is planning on offering something remotely competitive.

Apple isn't interested in the low-end market. It can't compete on price and can't make up in volume what it loses in revenue. Having said that, what about the oft-rumored tablet? It may end up filling the niche for a second computer at a better price point than the Air. And based on speculation, I'd say 3lbs would be high for this device.

 

[Ping Guo]

Apple isn't interested in the low-end market. It can't compete on price and can't make up in volume what it loses in revenue. Having said that, what about the oft-rumored tablet? It may end up filling the niche for a second computer at a better price point than the Air. And based on speculation, I'd say 3lbs would be high for this device.

They're not interested in the low-margin market.

I'm not suggesting Apple attempt to compete with $300 netbooks, but there are a great many users who value battery life and lower weight over performance, especially when they have a powerful desktop at home. Why do netbooks sell so well? Is it just because they're cheap? That's surely part of it, but people also love a laptop that's light enough to throw in a bag without worrying about the weight. Lenovo, Sony and Toshiba make lightweight laptops with ULV chipsets, and I wouldn't call any of them low-end.

A CULV MBA with NVIDIA graphics could offer some compelling features; it would produce less heat and offer greater battery life, as well as being cheaper. I could see an MBA priced the same as a base 13" MBP being a great alternative for those who don't need the power of the MBP. This is a nascent market with affluent consumers who find netbooks too flimsy and screens too small, but who still want something lightweight with decent power.

The possibility of a tablet replacing a laptop has been discussed a lot, and frankly I don't think it makes any sense from a usability standpoint. A touchscreen replacing a keyboard and touchpad? Running a hopped-up iPhone OS? So how do I use it on my lap? On a table?

Need to use Aperture and edit HD video? Buy a MBP. I think Apple has big plans for the MBA in the next couple of years, and not necessarily adding only faster, hotter chipsets and more RAM.

 

[jdechko]

Ping Guo, I think I pretty much agree with what you've said, although I don't think the market is as big as you think it is. Assuming the tablet pans out, in terms of portable computing you have (from smallest & least powerful to largest & most powerful)

iPhone > (Tablet) > Air > 13" MBP > 15/17" MBP

Apple has no interest in a sub-$500 computer market, and hasn't competed in the low-end, low-margin territory. If the tablet weren't so hot of a rumor right now, I'd say that there would be a possibility to the CULV MB "Air" type computer you propose (aka: an Apple Netbook). The other products in Apple's portable mix do an excellent job of filling nearly every gap in a line (save the low end, where we've already established that Apple doesn't want to compete). With the tablet, the market expansion possibilities for the Air/MB on the low(er) end grow even smaller. It's being pinched from all sides to fit into it's niche (and the Air, as an ultraportable, is a niche product).

I think the Tablet is a real product that we will see sometime next month (pure speculation) and it will be something like what you're speculating (CULV/Nvidia). There's also the docking station patent to consider for dealing with some of your usability concerns.

Sorry if I'm not clear. I've gone back and added/reworded stuff, so it may not read extremely clear.

 

[Scottsdale]

In the future, I am ok with a Ultra Low Voltage MBA that focuses on portability, as long as the current MBA form factor ends up being the MacBook. I think that future is very likely actually. The MBA seems to be powerful enough that half buy it as their primary Mac, like me. The other half use it as a secondary Mac. I see the MacBook's future as the current MBA role to be a primary Mac for those who want to focus on portability but need power too. The 2+ GHz CPU, 4 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD would suffice for the non-Pro Mac user (all plausible very soon) yet focus on wireless and digital downloads.

An ultra low voltage thinner MBA with 10" display could focus as a secondary Mac, but would still be priced at $1000+ no matter what. It's not going to compete on price with a netbook.

The problem I see is that the tablet WILL become a secondary or personal tech device for Pros making an ULV CPU smaller thinner MBA POINTLESS!

I guess it all depends on the rumored Tablet!

 

[h1d]

There is a dramatic difference, and it is mostly due to the 9400M. So much so that the Rev A with SSD is bested by the Rev B with HDD; that's no small feat.

GPU makes no difference for light use, SSD vs HDD does for almost all operations.