MBA MUST be a "trick"

[tuneman07]

I have come to the conclusion that the MBA is some sort of tech showcase for Apple- it has to be. No one is talking about it though- anyone else thought this?
Love it or hate it the MBA simply doesn't have mass appeal, Apple cannot be depending on it as a mass seller but it is cool and uses some great engineering. So many people wait for Macworld it seems before buying a computer maybe Apple wanted to head fake people and put out something cool like the MBA that people wont want to buy so they can unload the MB/MBP before updating it? I want a Macbook but this seems like a bad time to buy because it just feels like the line is ready to be upgraded. It seems pretty obvious the MBA at least in its current form, cannot be the next step for apple.

 

[kashik]

The cost to create the MBA means it can't be a "head fake." I'm thinking the Air is just the first stepping stone in their future plan. I can't see the Air lasting as long as the MB or MBP line, but I do see a lot of products taking after it and being heavily influenced by the experience Apple will gain with it.

 

[ahaxton]

Personally I think the MacBook Air is how Apple envisions the future.
Sales figures will tell us how it appeals to people. I personally think its revolutionary and we will be see a whole lot more things this year from Apple relating to the wireless world.

 

[apachie2k]

The cost to create the MBA means it can't be a "head fake." I'm thinking the Air is just the first stepping stone in their future plan. I can't see the Air lasting as long as the MB or MBP line, but I do see a lot of products taking after it and being heavily influenced by the experience Apple will gain with it.

couldn't agree more... it really is what apple see's as the "future"

 

[wildthing1994]

Apple, is a leader, if not the leader in new products and introducing, and dropping new technology/products. Other companies wait to see 'what will apple do?' Which is a good thing, but does not lack its risk.

 

[kashik]

I personally think its revolutionary

Be careful, you're watering down the meaning of revolutionary when describing the Air.

Apple, is a leader, if not the leader in new products and introducing, and dropping new technology/products. Other companies wait to see 'what will apple do?' Which is a good thing, but does not lack its risk.

I would say Apple is the definition of a wait and see company. They take what has already been done and make it much much better.

 

[richard.mac]

i disagree. Apple thinks there is a market for a light, thin mac laptop with no optical drives, SSDs and smaller less powerful CPUs ATM. IMHO the macbook air will not be a popular, bang-for-you-buck notebook until the price of SSDs decreases.

i am interested to see what Apple will do with the air in the future. as the price decreases by time i personally think it will be a very popular notebook

 

[macduke]

I'm hoping that this was a stall for the MBP update. I was going to purchase whatever MBP update came out of Macworld, but I guess Apple had different plans. My alternate plan was to go ahead and buy anyway, but that multitouch is so neat, I know they will put that in the next version. I love it on my iPhone and would love it even more on my computer.

This sucks that Apple couldn't get it out for Macworld. The only question now is when would be a good time? I was looking at the Buyer's Guide and it says to wait...product updates soon. The Macbook Air wasn't going to be ready until 2 weeks after it was announced. I think Apple may have prioritized this as there weren't that many exciting things coming out of Macworld compared to last year. There would be no BOOM headline. Just a time capsule, iPhone/touch firmware, movie rentals and an update to the Macbook lines. Without the Air they wouldn't have grabbed as much attention. I'm sure now that the Air has been worked out they are working full bore to update the other Macbook lines.

Looking at past release dates in the early quarters of the year, in descending order we have June, April, January, January, April, January. All fall updates happened in September to November. In 2006, the MBP was updated 3 times, compared to only once in 2007. Given we are beyond January now (unless they pull something crazy), sometime before April seems most likely given the average number of days between updates has passed and their usual product schedule. I predict new MBP for my birthday in March. Here's to hoping...or perhaps dreaming?

 

[tuneman07]

I love the idea of getting rid of the opti drive etc... I think a lot of those things are going to be obsolete soon but it would be nice to improve something else as a result. For instance take these things out of the MB/MBP but maybe make it a lot faster, or bigger hard drives, or run cooler, or drop the price. A 600 dollar MB with no opti drive, ethernet, and a few less ports would be great for instance. I just really really REALLY hope the MB/MBP lines are updated soon so I can buy one. I was soooooo blown away when I first saw a MBP in the Apple store by how thin it was I would be so happy with that sleekness that the MBA just seems so over the top and unnecessary. I'm glad to see though that people are rumoring updates soon.

 

[heatmiser]

A 600 dollar MB with no opti drive, ethernet, and a few less ports would be great for instance. I just really really REALLY hope the MB/MBP lines are updated soon so I can buy one. .

The Macbook won't be updated until May, most likely. It was just updated in November. Apple's got no reason to mess with their six-month upgrade cycle.

 

[ahaxton]

I love the idea of getting rid of the opti drive etc... I think a lot of those things are going to be obsolete soon but it would be nice to improve something else as a result. For instance take these things out of the MB/MBP but maybe make it a lot faster, or bigger hard drives, or run cooler, or drop the price. A 600 dollar MB with no opti drive, ethernet, and a few less ports would be great for instance. I just really really REALLY hope the MB/MBP lines are updated soon so I can buy one. I was soooooo blown away when I first saw a MBP in the Apple store by how thin it was I would be so happy with that sleekness that the MBA just seems so over the top and unnecessary. I'm glad to see though that people are rumoring updates soon.

Isn't computer tech from the very beginning to now, about packing as much as you can into something as small as possible? The MBA is a testament to this. Special chip, motherboard etc.

 

[HLdan]

I would say Apple is the definition of a wait and see company. They take what has already been done and make it much much better.

Oh you mean like when Microsoft looked at OS X and then turned out Vista????

 

[synth3tik]

Wow that sounds like an Apple conspiracy.......

 

[HLdan]

The Macbook won't be updated until May, most likely. It was just updated in November. Apple's got no reason to mess with their six-month upgrade cycle.

Um, I don't think the 6 month rule should be taken into account anymore. The iMac and Mac Pro were both on a yearly update. I think people here should just buy now and stop with all of this ridiculousness of "I think I should wait, Apple may come out with something new".
Does it honestly matter? The upgrade will be modest at best and to top that off even if you luck out and get the latest and greatest Apple WILL replace your machine.
I have the 2.8 iMac and I love it but it's been out for a few months now and I know Apple will upgrade it and will I care? No, because mine runs really fast and it satisfies my work needs and no upgrade will be so significant that it will really matter.

 

[janitorC7]

I think that it has a market in the education market

Thoughts?

 

[meagain]

Tuneman - I bet it sells like crazy. Meet me back here 6 months from now.

 

[heatmiser]

Um, I don't think the 6 month rule should be taken into account anymore. The iMac and Mac Pro were both on a yearly update. I think people here should just buy now and stop with all of this ridiculousness of "I think I should wait, Apple may come out with something new".
Does it honestly matter? The upgrade will be modest at best and to top that off even if you luck out and get the latest and greatest Apple WILL replace your machine.
I have the 2.8 iMac and I love it but it's been out for a few months now and I know Apple will upgrade it and will I care? No, because mine runs really fast and it satisfies my work needs and no upgrade will be so significant that it will really matter.

Completely agree. While people are waiting, the rest of us are enjoying our computers. Trying to keep up with Apple (or any other tech company) is a losing game, as they're only going to keep releasing newer things. Just buy what you need, when you need, and use it until it no longer suits your needs!

 

[tuneman07]

Tuneman - I bet it sells like crazy. Meet me back here 6 months from now.

I don't see this thing selling like crazy at all. It will be interesting to see if it carves out a niche but I seriously doubt it becomes popular at that price. I don't think people are giving the MB/MBP enough credit. These are very thin computers which are very portable. People are already impressed with them -at least I was the first time I saw them a few months ago. How many people have ever handled a MB/MBP for the first time and said "boy this is a great computer but I wish it was thinner"? Add in the fact that the MBA loses some power, and several features and the MB becomes a no brainer over the MBA.

 

[heatmiser]

I don't see this thing selling like crazy at all. It will be interesting to see if it carves out a niche but I seriously doubt it becomes popular at that price. I don't think people are giving the MB/MBP enough credit. These are very thin computers which are very portable. People are already impressed with them -at least I was the first time I saw them a few months ago. How many people have ever handled a MB/MBP for the first time and said "boy this is a great computer but I wish it was thinner"? Add in the fact that the MBA loses some power, and several features and the MB becomes a no brainer over the MBA.

Agree with this. Both MB/Ps are already 1" thick, and far sleeker than the average PC laptop. When you've got Mac users calling the MBA overpriced and underpowered the way PC users refer to Macs in general, it strongly suggests this isn't going to appeal to nearly as broad a base of users (Mac or PC) as Apple's other laptops do. If anything, the MBA is a better advertisement for the MB than it ever will be for itself.

 

[ktbubster]

The MBA is indeed a breakthrough product for apple, by that I mean that it is what they will use to trickle features and ideas into the macbook pro and macbook lines as things become cheaper and chips become smaller. Sorta like a showcase for the future. Eventually it will dissapear as it integrates with the current lines or change completely depending on new tech and such. It's just really neat and cool... and handy for the on the go person with another computer. Business traveler perhaps. We'll see the trickle down effect as things get cheaper.

Anyway. I think the MBA is more of a feat for INTEL then anything. Full C2D chips at an ultraportable size. THAT is something that other companies are gonna want. The problem with other ultraportables is the 1.3ghz chips.. a 1.6 and 1.8 at that size is pretty impressive and it seems people are forgetting about that when they are complaining about the slower processor power.

This is quite a feat for intel as far as chips go. People should be impressed with that and see what it could mean for the future of the other laptops ... computers in general.

 

[LethalWolfe]

I think the MBA is the iMac of Apple laptops. The first iMac pretty much made everyone do a "WTF?" 'cause it had no floppy drive (CD-ROM only), no legacy ports (replaced by a pair of USB ports), and was an all in one design. Now in a world that is rapidly going wireless the MBA sheds almost all the cables we are used to seeing. The iMac (which was released in '98 coincidentally) forced users to change their computing habits just like the MBA will, but iMac survived (anyone miss their floppy drive, parallel port or PS/2 connection?) and I think the MBA will too. Will the MBA be as successful as the iMac? Odds are against it, but I think the shift to the computing experience the MBA is made for will happen.


Lethal

 

[Jiddick ExRex]

I think the MBA is the iMac of Apple laptops. The first iMac pretty much made everyone do a "WTF?" 'cause it had no floppy drive (CD-ROM only), no legacy ports (replaced by a pair of USB ports), and was an all in one design. Now in a world that is rapidly going wireless the MBA sheds almost all the cables we are used to seeing. The iMac (which was released in '98 coincidentally) forced users to change their computing habits just like the MBA will, but iMac survived (anyone miss their floppy drive, parallel port or PS/2 connection?) and I think the MBA will too. Will the MBA be as successful as the iMac? Odds are against it, but I think the shift to the computing experience the MBA is made for will happen.


Lethal

Interesting points, however flawed: the iMacs of the time was innovative because they contained 'new unsecure technology' such as only USB ports and cd-rom drives. The MBA has nothing of that kind. I would be following you if the MBA had a USB 3.0 making it a LOT more versatile but truth is, the ports it has are downright stripped-down and not a 'bold new unsecure technology move' at all.

I would have loved it if the MBA had a FW800/3200 or an USB 3.0 on the side, making it the ideal companion to what I envisioned a true innovation from Apple, the iMac/ultra portable dock.

 

[ben2umbc]

SSDs, LEDs, and THIN .....

The future is here. Yea, maybe its a showcase, but it does have mass appeal. Wait til the commercial runs 3 times during the Super Bowl (ya know, that big football game that a zillion people watch every year). Intel may have developed the specific chip for Apple, but now that they've done it once, they can do it again. Wait a year and see how what is on the market has shifted to mimic the Air, perhaps after Apple has sold 1 million units in the first 3 months or so. And showcase or not, I know you want to go into the Apple store and check it out just like the rest of us.

 

[MacsAttack]

i disagree. Apple thinks there is a market for a light, thin mac laptop with no optical drives, SSDs and smaller less powerful CPUs ATM.

Perhaps because of all the 12 inch PowerBook users who whine that the MacBook Pro is too big - but the MacBook isn't shiny enough for them. Well - they got what they were asking for...

Now the only question is how long before the MacBook Pro gets restyled to match. Apple didn't do it now because they don't want to distract people from the MBA. Sooner or later though...

 

[LethalWolfe]

Interesting points, however flawed: the iMacs of the time was innovative because they contained 'new unsecure technology' such as only USB ports and cd-rom drives. The MBA has nothing of that kind. I would be following you if the MBA had a USB 3.0 making it a LOT more versatile but truth is, the ports it has are downright stripped-down and not a 'bold new unsecure technology move' at all.

The bold move is wireless connectivity as the primary I/O. The MBA is a fully functioning laptop that exists at a time when it doesn't need to be physically connected to anything (except a wall to charge).


Lethal