Ondrej Holzman Apple introduced several new and big products on Wednesday. The first product I will buy with the apple logo after the September keynote, but it won't be one of them. Paradoxically, it will be a machine, actually a whole category, which was not discussed at all yesterday. It will be a MacBook Pro with a Retina display.
"My wait for a computer with a Retina display is finally over," I exclaimed after yesterday's two-hour presentation at which they were introduced new iPhones, Fourth generation Apple TV or large iPad Pro. The question is whether it was a triumphant shout or just a sad statement of fact.
Although yesterday there was no talk about Apple computers at all, I have acquired one conviction with regard to other introduced news - the end of the MacBook Air is coming. The Californian giant's once pioneering notebook and showcase is being increasingly pressured by other products across the entire Apple portfolio, and it's possible that it won't be long before it is crushed for good.
The ubiquitous Retina is missing
Since 2010, when Apple first showed the world the so-called Retina display in the iPhone 4, in which the pixel density is so high that the user does not have a chance to see individual pixels during normal observation, fine displays permeate all Apple products.
As soon as it was even remotely possible (due to hardware or price, for example), Apple usually didn't hesitate to put a Retina display into a new product right away. That's why today we can find it in Watch, iPhones, iPod touch, iPads, MacBook Pro, new MacBook and iMac. In Apple's current offer, we can find only two products that have a display that does not meet current standards: Thunderbolt Display and MacBook Air.
While the Thunderbolt Display is a bit of a chapter in itself and for Apple, after all, rather a peripheral matter, the absence of Retina in the MacBook Air is literally glaring and hardly accidental. If they wanted in Cupertino, the MacBook Air has long since had a similarly fine screen as its more powerful counterpart, the MacBook Pro.
On the contrary, it seems that at Apple, with the computer that brought him fame and amazement in the faces of fans more than seven years ago, and which became a model for other manufacturers for many years, what a perfect laptop should look like, they stop counting. The latest hardware innovations from his workshop attack directly the chamber of the MacBook Air – we are talking about the 12-inch MacBook and the iPad Pro introduced yesterday. And finally, the aforementioned MacBook Pro is already a direct competitor today.
MacBook Air has practically nothing to offer anymore
At first glance, it might seem that the mentioned products are not so related, but the opposite is true. The 12-inch MacBook is exactly what the MacBook Air used to be – pioneering, visionary and sexy – and although it still doesn't quite match its performance today, it is sufficient for most common activities and offers a major advantage over the Air – the Retina display.
MacBook Pro is no longer the robust computer that appeals to the most demanding users requiring maximum performance. While significantly more powerful and capable, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is only a (often negligible) two blankets heavier and is the same thickness as the Air at its thickest point. And again, it has a fundamental advantage over it – the Retina display.
Last but not least, the MacBook Air is also attacked by a completely different product category. Most people haven't yet been able to completely replace a computer with the iPad Air, but with the nearly 13-inch iPad Pro, Apple is clearly showing where it sees the future, and with its giant tablet, it's aiming for productivity and content creation. Until now, this has been almost exclusively the responsibility of computers.
However, the iPad Pro is already powerful enough to easily handle even the most demanding tasks, such as 4K video processing, and thanks to the large display, which is practically the same size as the MacBook Air, it will also offer comfort for efficient work. Together with with the Pencil stylus and the Smart Keyboard the iPad Pro is definitely a productivity tool that can handle much of what the MacBook Air does. Only with the difference that you have to work in iOS, not OS X. And again, it has a major advantage over the MacBook Air – the Retina display.
Back to the simpler menu
Now, if a person were to buy a new, let's say productive, machine from Apple, there are few factors that would convince him to buy a MacBook Air. In fact, we may find none at all. The only argument could be the price, but if we are buying a product for tens of thousands of crowns, a few thousand does not play such a role anymore. Especially when we get a lot more for a not so big extra fee.
Such a logical reasoning crystallized in me in recent months. I've been waiting for months for Apple to release a MacBook Air with a Retina display, until today I came to the conclusion that it might never happen again. New MacBook still not enough for me in its first generation, the need for a full-fledged OS X excludes the new iPad Pro, so my next work tool will be a MacBook Pro with a Retina display.
The end of the MacBook Air, which we certainly cannot expect immediately, but rather gradually in the following years, would also make sense from the point of view of Apple's offer. There would remain two clearly separated and clear categories between laptops and tablets.
Basic MacBook for regular users and MacBook Pro for those who require more performance. And in addition to the basic iPad (mini and Air), designed mainly for content consumption, and the iPad Pro, which approaches computers with its capabilities, but remains faithful to tablet values.
Mac for only az with a new processor. Otherwise, it's a waste of money
Oh yeah. and Or until the next one. Or wait for the successor of the successor…..
The MacBook Air is the only thing I use from Apple. The only one I want. When I read that article, it's like Apple is telling me that I'm not wanted :D
Someone paid for an article that makes sense from his point of view, but not from our point of view, you don't have to be bad because of that ;-).
Take a look at what I have written, it should please you ;-).
If the MacBook Air doesn't get retina at the next keynote, then I would write articles like this. I think they haven't boosted sales of the new 12k so far. I have an Air mid 11 2012 and I'm so satisfied that I don't even have to buy new ones, so I'm waiting for the retina. If they make a Macbook 11 Pro or something else 11, I will think about it, but the 13 is already big and unnecessary for me. If Air goes "down the drain" and doesn't get an update, I'll definitely buy the last most powerful Air 11, which will definitely last me until the end.)
I don't want to make judgments here, but I personally think that if you don't use the Macbook Pro to the fullest (graphic design, photo editing, etc.), then the retina is pretty useless. But I agree that it is a real spectacle for the eyes. As a daily user of Air, I know why and for what work I bought it :) I also feel from the article that I am not fully "cool" and will be spent in the name of retina :D
I'm already so used to Retina that when I look at the Air and see the same things as on the Retina, the Air's display seems pretty dull :) And the Pro doesn't have such a performance that it's useless...
Retina is not useless. It is far less tiring for the eyes than the display on the MBA.
What do you need a MacBook Pro for, Ondrej? If you're not doing anything demanding, I don't see why you should buy it. Notebooks should be mobile and storable. The battery degrades over time, so if someone clearly does not need to have such performance with them, it is better to buy a desktop for home. I need to go to the new retina MacBook.
MacBook Pro not mobile and storable? The author himself writes "two extra blankets and thickness like Air at the thickest point"...
Well, compared to the equally expensive MacBook, it is a heavy brick. Play with it for a while and you will look at it differently.
If a person wants something lighter and less powerful than the Pro, why not buy a new MacBook? Unlike Air, it also has retina.
I have a 13″ MBP 2014 and I don't think it's mobile and storable. And in terms of performance, the PRO is somewhere else than the MacBook. So if you want to do a little work on it (more than tapping in pages) and some game (in addition, the retina is a nice glutton), then I don't see a problem with PROček at all. I also thought about MBA for a while, but the quality of the display and non-retina convinced me and I am completely satisfied.
PS: if I compare it to NTB, which I used to have for school or work, they were only heavy games :D
I've played with the Ais Pro retina and I have to say that it's quite a big difference. I didn't use them for a long time, but the split is really big. There is no doubt that there is a performance difference, but several users described how they work with graphic editors, editors, etc. no problem at all.
Ondro, that's exactly why I bought the Pro with Retina, I willingly waited until the New Mac and Pro with force touch were presented, and I waited for the Pro Retina 2014 discount... That was a different course. I told him that the presentation of the New Macbook definitely put AiR on a kind of rut... As other readers write here, if AiR had Retina, it is already at home, but the New Mac and iPad Pro yesterday clearly indicated that we are in for something that is seriously eye-popping ...This is the end of one of the most beautiful notebooks ever...For Apple, the costs of AiR will be an item for a while, which they will clearly put it in the hands of... Even so, the customer will have a huge choice, of course according to Apple, I will only release one notebook for work there - Pro and one for "content consumption" New. I also use an iPad mini 2 at work, and I was hoping that there would be some extension for iPads, unfortunately 9.1 is only for Pro. I don't have retina on my iMac, and I don't miss it at all.
Basic Macbook for casual users? That's a good forum :)
I have exactly the same thing, but personally I'm waiting for a model with Skylike processors. In my opinion, they will be thinner due to power consumption, they will have better batteries due to new technology and new keyboards and 3D touch trackpads.
I think the MacBook Air will be able to end when the price of the new MacBook drops to today's level of the Air. The iPad Pro cannot really replace it. It may be big and powerful, but even the sprawling iOS 9 can't match the versatile and open OS X.
But the price of the Mac Book will never drop to the level of the Air. Year after year, the products are the same or more expensive. In principle, the MacBook, which has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, cannot be the same as the Air. Plus I have Retina.
Well, he should still grow a little. 12 inches is still not enough... And there should be at least two USB-C ports - to charge yourself and maybe the iPhone.
This is exactly the schizophrenia of Apple. I just can't choose. Air 11 has a sister. It's too small for work. The Air 13 costs a lot like the Pro 13 Retina, if you upgrade it a bit. But Pro is too much for my work. iPads, even Air or Pro, have an incomplete system. I don't like the keyboard on the iPad Pro. The concept of the Lenovo Yoga would suit me. The iPad Pro with a keyboard probably won't hold on your knees like a classic notebook. In the end, the Yoga 3 14 inch will probably win for me. The touch control is sometimes nice and the normal keyboard too. A full-fledged OS is also good, and sometimes tablet applications are enough. I really like Win 10 in this. Unfortunately, there are not enough apps for that. Well, we will see.
I think that if you would wait, someone (Logitech, etc.) will make an aluminum keyboard for the iPad, which will have some joint for it. Or at least something similar will appear on kickstarter.
I wish this outdated shop an end. iPad pro is cheaper and better.
I have been waiting for the end of the macbook air since they introduced the macbook with retina. In two years, the macbook with retina will cost 999 usd, the better version will be 1199 usd, and the macbook pro with retina will start at 1399 usd. Macbook air no longer makes any sense.
Gentlemen, I am a supporter of laptop mobility, and the MacBook Air can fit in places where the PRO definitely can't, despite the fact that it is just as thick in one single place - but it means that I simply can't put it where I need it (for example, I don't need it on the plane put over the head, but I'll put it in the front seat between the clocks just like that). A DESKTOP is definitely for work - it was and always will be, 27" - a laptop doesn't have that. If someone needs a mobile workstation, then that is probably the only reason to go for the PRO. The smallest macbook has one huge disadvantage – its apple doesn't light up, some of you probably don't understand, but for many people this means a complete loss of exclusivity, but apple is not electronics in the true sense of the word, it's design and prestige in one + it has a number of other disadvantages. I can say for myself that whether AIR will be with retina or not, I am a customer, I think it has an application, but it's just a question of how it is with the customer in reality, if it's not just about money and a lot of people don't choose everything in one - part mobility, part workstation and part everything - then PRO is number one. It's the same with cars, I have exactly 3 - there is no perfection in one thing, but it's all about money, so I believe that the finish line will be more meat, as usual :-)
Here she is really a moron, a poser, a frikulin and a buffoon. Only a mentally retarded person can blame the laptop for not having the logo on and I can't brag about my Apple for miles. Another Anton, except that this time he is not from Poland but from the Czech Republic.
It seems to me that you have the problem. Longest comments about anything.
please.. stop cursing. why aren't you able to write at least something to the point? I will ask another question.. how to use HW (phone, computer, etc.). What do you use it for and how much is it? Try to think about the fact that there are people who simply prove to earn more money (maybe even just lucky) and long for something that really offers a lot of benefits that the competition can't. Try to imagine a user who can't do ANYTHING.. he just wants a phone on which he is NOT able to destroy anything (SW) and according to my many years of experience, it is iOS and thus the iPhone board that offers this. While android phones have more mpix and more gb and more direct for everything possible, the user I'm writing about (and there are most of them) wants something that works for two or three years without user INTERVENTION and he just uses games, writing sms, photos, fb , etc. etc. etc.. but in the meantime you are not saying anything professionally. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the competition (personal experience). so try not to insult the applist in sheep and metrosexual because you are really only lowering your person to the level of a Brno fighter who envies everything around you.. and I hope you are NOT... so back to the topic.. Macbook air is used by a woman and it is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT problem-free machine, even when it is disassembled enough. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that thanks to the new USBc it will be more complicated.. maybe there will be other versions. we'll see. Have a nice day everyone
I am a little over 40. I myself bought an iPhone for a friend for the reason you describe. I am a person who can buy any mobile phone and any computer. I can't say the same about cars. I guess I'm not quite an iPhone fan. I like to fiddle with my mobile and I like to set things up and try different things. I was just reacting to the fact that the thing that bothers someone the most on a Macbook is that the logo doesn't light up. I haven't heard something so superficial in a long time. I have nothing against Apple. I will probably buy a Macbook for my girlfriend. I myself was thinking about MBP, but after years with Ubuntu, I liked Win10 and I will probably try to stay with this platform for a while. I see quite good potential in her. Most of the people discussing here write sensibly. Perhaps only Anton and a couple like him are absolute demented people here, who divide people according to brands.
Cool. Thanks for the advice post. I develop games for all platforms and thus use defacto all systems. I have quite an overview of everything here. I can say that osx suited me best, followed by win7. We all perceive differently ;). And that's great. I will try W10 in May depending on the problem with ms and its updates. Otherwise, the fact that one of the people writes nonsense still means that the rest of us are not normal. For example, all my friends have been using Apple for years (music / gfx) and I can't say that any of them are metrosexual or cocky. They just liked the environment of the system and when the iPhone and iOS arrived, so did the connectivity. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. ;)
It's incomprehensible how a 40-year-old man can write something like that (comment before this) and now pretend that nothing happened .. I'm 25 years old and it never occurred to me to deal with such stupidity as what type of person owns such and such a brand of phone or NB, in this day and age Everyone can buy as many phones as they want (if not new, at least used) and for example, the West - I always say that only those who really want one don't have an iPhone, because they give them out there with packages almost for free... the lesson is don't judge people just by the phone they own - for some, it really doesn't matter what was added to their pausal..
I'll give you a chobolstan.. you "Czech" brat!!! I apologize to normal Czechs.. I like Czech, but I had to respond to this :)
Now I read your nonsense once more. You can't really think that owning an Apple product will guarantee or increase your prestige. Do you ever look at those people who own an iPhone. Designated metro and homosexual or stupid blondes. Normal almost no one. At least here in Brno.
"Designed subways and homosexuals or stupid blondes." Nice cliché too. Well, at least there in Brno.
Unfortunately, she's a mare, but the truth is. I really laugh very often in the salt pan when I see those hosannas. Often, when I see a guy in green clothes with even funnier hair and funny glasses, I guess whether he has an iPhone or not. So in 90 percent of the cases, it really pulls out the iPhone. It is funny.
It can be seen that you have a real problem with this. For me, let everyone use what they want.
That's for sure, but then someone like Anton appears here, and he starts calling everyone who doesn't have the most expensive Apple products poor and those who have Android, for example, super poor. Even people who, for example, buy an iPad mini, are peasants for it, and they don't have socks on the iP6 plus (see the discussion about the iPad Pro). Then someone like James Deans comes along and claims that the MacBook's biggest flaw is the logo not lighting up. Absolutely insane. That's why I stand by the fact that most users of apple products in our country are mental retards who judge others by brands. Sure, a lot of people, especially in the West, really have a job and don't do anything like judging by brands. Unfortunately, the countries of the former Eastern Bloc are behind the monkeys for a hundred years, and here people are simply judged by brands. It's just that if you don't wear that ass in a "premium" brand, you're not high enough. At our university, they don't even have the biggest capacities in the field of cars. They just don't deal with it, just like cell phones or clothes. It is below their discernment. Pants are just pants, watches are just watches, and cell phones are just cell phones. Non-essential daily necessities.
I know a lot of normal people who have an iPhone... and a lot of them are also from Brno. After all, you are not so superficial to judge by the brand of the phone.
so you got me For
a) look at my photo and my face.. I have an iphone and I'm not really metrosexual
b) the blonde didn't write either...
c) Brno is full of people who don't see everything around them, but everyone digs into the streets.
d) buy what you want but don't insult MY PERSON by writing "NORMAL ALMOST NOBODY"..
as soon as you make a product like the iPhone and sell it for 70 million a year, you can start grinding your demented voices. Until then, learn and dance with your feet while the adults are having fun :). I wish you success in debugging your Android system :)
I consider Ps apple to be expensive but COMPLETE HW/SW that helped me to perform better in my field. I definitely don't use it as a DESIGN piece for dating... it doesn't even work very well when filming :)
I have a MacBook AIR 13″ Late 2010 with a fast SSD drive - but 2 GB of memory is no longer enough for me... Would you like a semi AIR with retina touch screen or an iPAD PRO with mouse support? I can't move without a mouse at work!
The mouse can also be connected to the iPad using JB.
An interesting thought, but it has a few mistakes ;-).
iPad pro is definitely not a replacement for iPad - at least because of the OS ;-).
A new 12″ MacBook costs 40k and has absolutely no peripherals (it can’t even charge and have something connected – without a ton of nasty cables) – then.
MacBook Pro starts at 40k, exactly the same as 12″ friends, so also quite expensive, if you don't need it for work, what did you get the money for.
In other words, MacBook Air is perfect for such home users!
1. PRICE – I bought it a month after it was released and it cost me a little over 25k!!!
2. PRICE - in short, it's a decent entry ticket to MAC OS, and that's what Apple definitely needs, because it's assumed that eventually people will stay with MAC OS.
3. PRICE – For those 25k there is no competition even at MS with that design and excellent OS!
4. PRICE – I have already seen Mac Air in several events in Elektroword and it was already under 24k.
5. You can do something on 13″, but I probably wouldn't want to on 12″.
6. Smaller resolution is ideal, because Air might not be able to tighten it well - I also play games on it, so it's cool.
7. It is incredibly compact, I always put it in a full backpack for the weekend when I need it, because those few millimeters of width are nothing ;-).
8. It really lasts the stated 12 hours on a charge, which is usually enough for the whole weekend, when I don't play a lot of games.
Comparing MBA with iPP seems completely out of line to me.
Crap.
MB Air is now the only full system ultraportable laptop.
What good is the performance of the iPad Pro if there are no professional applications for it?
(no, doodling il draw is not really illustrator).
It has full utilization and extensibility.
(Somehow I don't see the point of an ultraportable laptop where I have to have an adapter to be able to charge it and at the same time stick a usb flash drive in it).
Macbook Air is still the best travel advice machine. I'm used to the 11,6" and I can handle absolutely everything on it, it fits perfectly everywhere, has enough power (i7/1,8) and lasts a long time on the battery. I've been driving it for over 4 years and I don't feel like it needs to be replaced. Even at home, he took up the work of the main full-fledged computer. Retina still causes problems in applications today, I'm used to working everywhere on computers without retina, so I don't miss anything like that in MBA. A new Macbook is a nice thing, but it's like going to the cinema to see a 3D movie with one eye glued shut. This is just a supplement to some other computer or a limited solution. MBA is a pro against him. The iPad Pro is a very nice thing and I would buy it. I would just need an advisory keyboard on the display - to be able to insert fixed spaces in the text, which iPads can't do until now. Then any office software (Pages, Word) is of no use to you - without an external keyboard you can't even write an advisory business letter, a record of a meeting, etc. It's like the Macbook - nice, but don't stick the presentation on a flash drive, that's me I can't. Not even the contract in Word, sorry. Otherwise, I do a lot of things on the iPad (I have limited the use of the laptop enough) and I also have a flash drive (i-FlashDrive) in it, born from the Macbook. She wasn't busy, but suddenly there are a lot of things to do...
Retina does not cause problems, OS X is the best tuned OS for HI DPI display. Windows does not support HIDPI.
In addition, there are only a small number of non-updated applications that look weirder on RETINA, but can be used, but at the same time they do not suffer from ailments like Windows applications at increased DPI.
So I understand that the Air 11 suits you, but the retina is currently TOP.
It should be tuned because it runs on them. But you don't need an OS to work, but applications on it and with them are unfortunately sometimes a problem. And there are not a small number of them - you really like it. :-) And it's nice that the retina is TOP, but that's not the point here. Someone can also say that the Mercedes S class is TOP, but someone else won't buy it because they won't take the wardrobe with them, someone won't get to their forest cabin with it. It's just that TOP is of no use to you here. In short, someone prefers the mobility and dimensions of the MBA, the normal resolution is enough for them (they don't have others at work on all machines with Wokny anyway) and at home they connect the machine to a large Thunderbolt display and are laughed at.
I'm not kidding at all, after switching from the original macbook to the retina, I only have 2 applications left that don't look great on the retina. But both are satisfactorily usable, and there are functionally similar substitutes for both, which display them perfectly correctly on the retina. Windows software that displays incorrectly at higher dpi is a bunch. On OS X, there is a minimum of applications and these are exclusively applications from the times of Tiger, Leopard and, exceptionally, Snow Leopard. All current versions of applications are displayed coquettishly on the retina.
It is true that all currently available software is tuned. Moreover, everyone who switches from Air to Retina doesn't want to go back and can't praise it.
You are simply excusing your own shortcomings here, which you are hiding behind a problem that does not actually exist.
What you describe was only partially valid at the time of the release of the first retina, sometime at the beginning of 13, and only for a temporary period. I sometimes hear similar complaints from Windows users who saw the Mac from the expressway.
It's better if you don't mystify here, and most of what you wrote is exactly the opposite.
When you have no long-term experience with something, then it seems silly to comment on it, because any interested person will immediately know that you do not know what you are writing about.
You defend yourself awkwardly, Gogo is absolutely right. Praise your retina, you perceive the flaws well, but you don't admit them, so you haven't come to terms with them yet. It's really sad after all these years. But what you've done, Gogo is obviously playfully pocketing you with her MBA, and I'm not surprised at all, because I'm not blinded like you. And I have almost ten years of experience with various "softs", so you have nothing to make excuses for. ;-)
Everything is beautiful on Retina, nothing on Air :) development is development. And it's hard to argue that the inferior and older Air should be better than the new and more powerful Pro. :)
To this day, I haven't felt the slightest need to have Retina. What is it good for?
From the beginning, neither did I. In 2010, I had an iPhone 3Gs and I bought an iPod Touch for my sister Vanocum, at that time I mean the first version with Retina. I used it for about a week before I sent it to the Czech Republic, and during that time I hardly touched my iPhone. When I picked it up again after a week, I almost wanted to cry because everything was blurry and out of focus (and slowly, but the display was not to blame).
I don't agree with the comparison between the MBA and the iPad, I don't care how big the iPad is or how powerful it is - it won't replace a classic MAC or PC. I have an iPad 2, and it will only serve as a companion for some game, and that really only exceptionally.
While the Macbook Air has replaced my desktop PC and laptop, at home I connect 1 USB, 1 Display port, a charger and go.. I can handle everything.. From programming with a local web server to playing Mafia 2 (yes, the performance would be suitable here, but when it's not, it's not..
As for the new Macbook, it is a completely useless tinsel for me, the keyboard is really hard to use even though the overall size of the machine would be suitable - except for the unnecessary thinness, which is useless.
I'm looking at a Macbook Pro with retina, but even that probably can't replace an 11-inch Macbook Air (yes, I'm not using a 13-inch, but an 11-inch and that's all).
There is nothing better than an 11-inch machine that you can easily carry in a "micro" case, open while traveling by bus or on a plane.
In addition, you can get a decent second-hand machine for a good price, and when I get one (like I've been lucky twice already) - it warms my heart more than going with a box from a store :)
I guess I'm not "sheep" enough - and that's a good thing.
My speech. Perhaps I wouldn't bash the iPad so much - Macbook and iPad are different devices and each has its own merits. There are things that a Macbook can handle better, and others that an iPad can do better.