Ondrej Holzman Perhaps even a little smiling in today's press release that Apple issued regarding the introduction of the new generation of 12-inch MacBooks, sentence at its conclusion. The MacBook Air also received a very minor update.
"Apple today also made 8GB of memory standard across all configurations of the 13-inch MacBook Air," cost in a report that otherwise broadly describes the smaller MacBook.
[su_pullquote align=”left”]Even if it was only a so-called entry-model, it would deserve more care.[/su_pullquote]It is a fact that even this news probably did not deserve more attention, because it is an almost negligible change. Yes, double the RAM in the basic configuration is certainly pleasing, if only because you don't have to pay extra for it, but on the other hand, it's not enough.
On the one hand, there is the question of why the 11-inch MacBook Air didn't get such an improvement, when 8GB of RAM is already taken for granted in the computer world, but above all, such a small thing can hardly save the MacBook Air as such.
Tim Cook and co. with this move they practically only confirm that the life of the MacBook Air hangs in the balance. Improvements in the form of higher basic memory only artificially keep it alive, but you cannot keep a machine with a design from 2010 and a very poor display by today's standards on breathing apparatus forever.
The MacBook Air took everything that made it famous, the twelve-inch MacBook, i.e. mobility with compact dimensions and a somewhat visionary appearance, and the MacBook Pro is attacking it from the other side. Above all, the performance and display is somewhere else, and if it's Apple he is really planning big changes, Air will be written off for good.
Not that the MacBook Air hasn't found its fans yet. It is a fact that it is the cheapest way to enter the world of Apple notebooks, but even if it was really just an entry-model, it would deserve much more care.
I have been using the MacBook Air 13″ every day since I bought it in 2011 and it will be with me for a few more years. Just last week I invested USD100 and replaced his battery, which was already running at 40 percent capacity. Otherwise, it is still perfect and for daily internet, e-mails, movies, etc. it is still sufficient even with 4GB of RAM. Even after five years, the keyboard is still first-class even for typing longer things (mainly it still has a large Enter and separate directional arrows). The weight is problem-free and I will not change a flawless piece just because of the retina. Considering the resolution of the movies I watch, a resolution higher than 1440×900 wouldn't help anyway, since the source file is already compressed.
I have a MacBook Air 11,6″, also from 2011, but I wouldn't trade it for a new MB. 4 GB of RAM does not limit me yet, the processor is a 1,8 GHz i7 and the range of inputs is incomparably better. Also - would I even connect my external Thunderbolt SSD to the MB? I'm afraid not. At the same time, he is doing an incredible amount of work on his MBA.
MacBook Air 11.6″ has no competition in terms of price / performance / mobility. I have a 2014 model with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD and with a standard i5@1.4GHz. I have no problem with performance even when virtualizing Windows, Linux, etc. I connect everything I need AT THE SAME TIME and at the same time (when I'm in action longer) I can still charge INDEPENDENTLY. And the despised MagSafe has already saved me a few times. The only thing I would (occasionally) appreciate is a slightly higher display resolution (at least in portrait), but that's a negligible percentage of cases. I kind of expected the new MB to be something like Air with Retina. Unfortunately, Apple knows best what we need... ;) We'll see what happens next... Even if Apple "kills" Aira, mine will definitely have a very long life ahead... ;)
I see it on the release of another Macbook with 14 inches and to expand the offer to include variants with 128GB (due to the lower price) and gradually the Macbook Air will begin to end ... These discussions are here and will continue ... The performance of the new Macbook will be equal and then it will be the same and better device than the Air now.
The much-vaunted Magsafe connector is great... But these laptops don't expect to be charged during the day. You just come to the office, work all day, and in the evening put it on the charger like a mobile phone.
USB-C has one significant advantage that many people still don't see... And that's the ability to transfer images and data while recharging at the same time. Accessory manufacturers know this very well. Already at CES there were the first monitors with a built-in power supply and a dock with connectors ... so if I really thought about coming to the office and "plugging" the macbook to the monitor, I don't have to connect anything else. Everything will be ready in the monitor.
Which will make my job easier one day. Today I come to the office and I have to connect the power supply, USB hub, work flash drive and Monitor. The same when I get home.
For example, I wouldn't mind USB-C at all, but only if there are enough compatible accessories. Even Apple doesn't have a monitor with USB-C yet, and I don't take the adapter - another thing to carry around and keep an eye on so I don't lose it. I need to connect an external HDD, SLR camera, graphics tablet.
I consider Macbook (Air) primarily as something mobile - just because of the weight and battery. I don't work in an office at all, rather I'm on the road a lot and need to work in cafes, hotels, airports or on a plane where there is no external monitor. And I think a lot of other people feel the same way.
You wouldn't even be able to take the reduction. Apple doesn't have a Thunderbolt adapter for the 12″ MacBook, so if you don't even connect the famous Apple display for 30 to that laptop, you'll still have trouble with TB drives. Sad.
This is the thing I expected the new update to bring... but unfortunately not yet :-) maybe in a year :-D
"I'll come to the office, poke the monitor"... And what about us who travel most of the time (customer support, presentations, etc.) and reject Apple monitors on principle (they're overpriced, shiny, uncalibrable, ...)? And being dependent on a single universal connector isn't much glory either. What's the point of mobility if I have to lug around a bag full of reducers and other gadgets to connect to something in the real world? :D
I didn't mean an Apple monitor :-) new monitors supporting USB-C will also be endowed with this functionality :-) And being dependent on one connector is not glory now, but it determines the direction. The people with the CD drive in Air had the same opinion ... how can they work with it ... everything is always on DVD and CD .... Year after year, and everyone lives happily without it :-) Currently there are flash drives, external drives with USB-C :-) You don't even need a bag full of adapters... one adapter for classic USB and HDMI is enough. You don't need more these days.
I also need... An Ethernet adapter for example... And I really don't want to carry a monitor with me because of that... And a single USB port of any kind means having at least a hub... Etc, etc... I think the new MacBook is great for (mobile) content consumers, or dog lovers and (presenting) creatives... And also a great study of what the MacBook Pro will look like one day... ;)
Yes, the way you write it will make more sense, but it doesn't currently apply. Accessories do not exist, are overpriced, or not fully functional. USB-C cables from some manufacturers are ridiculous and can fry anything, so today it is for those who want something super mobile and possibly with an external drive for Wifi.
For me, even with that stupid display, the Air clearly wins, it will be on sale for 25k. The bigger display makes me feel better and the portable one is completely comfortable. It's true that I mostly carry it around the apartment, it's been a long time since I took my iPad on the road ;-).
I can already see how the MacBook will keep my virtual machine on the battery all day :-)
Nothing wrong with that, I should probably buy a different type of Apple device, but I'm no longer interested in hauling a 2kg 15" monster when a 1kg 13" one can do the same (after all, I travel quite a bit). Likewise, the monitor is a nice thing, but as others write here, if you are traveling or don't know where you will be tomorrow, it is useless, the 13" air is optimal for me, not only because it can handle what I need, but because it also has "more ports". I usually have 2x USB connected, headphones without needing to purchase and carry various "expansion adapters" from USB-C.
PS: On the one hand, it doesn't make sense to keep the Air next to the existing MacBook, but on the other hand, it has happened several times in the history of Apple that it looked like this, but in the end it turned out completely differently, I would be surprised and by the time I buy another NTB so I think that the possibilities will also be somewhere else :-)
The nice journey of the Macbook Air from the position of a luxury laptop for the wealthy to the position of the cheapest laptop for everyone...
I don't think it will be that fast with the end of Air. It is the most widespread book among apple users and will be here for several years. Similarly, the end of the Mac Mini has long been rumored and is still being sold. The new MacBook 12 is certainly interesting, but for most users there is not much reason to switch to it from something that works without problems and will continue to work for some time.
I see it pretty much the same way. Mainly, I think that the MacBook 12″ is not selling as well as Apple imagined or expected. The Air is actually outdated only because of the display, which many people don't really care about. So Apple won't just cancel it because apparently it's still selling well, so they simply can't afford it. In my opinion, the 11″ variant may disappear over time, but the 13″ will be here for a long time.
If I were to lose the Pro right now, I would quickly reach for anything other than the Air. I had a 13″ 2011, and I remember it very fondly. An absolute gem in the price/mobility/performance ratio. A hard worker that lasted even 10 hours on the battery when used sparingly, and on the other hand, when needed, he could advisely flood under the boiler and I rendered a lot of visualizations on it.
I think that the authors here do not realize that for many people the display is a completely inferior matter and what other advantage does the MacBook 12″ have against the 11″ or 13″ Air? Mobility? Like the 0,2kg difference or how much? Design? Is it "new"? Making the Air with retina and a minor facelift would be the best thing Apple could do.
11″ Air replaces my iPad. It's small and light, so I take it with me everywhere. I would only exchange it for an 11″ iPad with a full-fledged OS X system :-)