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Posts tagged with "macbook air"

Report: New MacBook Air In Late June

Rumored to be getting an update this week as part numbers surfaced online suggested Apple was planning to release new products on Wednesday, the much anticipated new MacBook Air models were replaced by unlocked iPhones today, but sources believe they’re still on track for a late June release with 380,000 - 400,000 initial shipments. As reported by Reuters quoting the Economic Daily newspaper, Apple is expected to sell new MacBook Air units in late June, with shipments of the old line and new models reaching 460,000 units this month.

As supplies dwindle worldwide and the new Airs are increasingly rumored to be refreshed in June or July, little is known about the actual specifications of the new machines. It seems fairly obvious that Apple would implement Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt technology as seen in the latest MacBook Pro and iMac updates, but there are no details on the CPUs Apple would go for in the Airs. A report from May indicated Intel was working on new ULV (ultra-low voltage) processors that would be a perfect fit for the Air, but sources haven’t corroborated the rumor since then.

It is believed, however, that the MacBook Air is becoming Apple’s crown jewel when it comes to promoting the Mac, and so the new Air would require a significant spec bump to be able to run OS X Lion smoothly.

The MacBook Air is Apple’s New Crown Jewel

Everywhere you look on Apple’s new Lion page, the MacBook Air is decisively front and center. From the gestures video to screenshots detailing the new features in Apple’s upcoming OS, Steve Jobs and company are decidedly proud of their thinnest Mac yet. AppleInsider reported that Apple would build 400k revitalized MacBook Airs this month (stuffed with Sandy-Bridge processors) after 1 million of them shipped in the first quarter; Phill Schiller at last Monday’s WWDC 2011 keynote went so far as to cite the MacBook Air for Apple’s continuing success. “It’s beautiful, it’s thin, it’s light, it’s fast… The whole PC industry wants to copy it.”

According to AppleInsider, Wall Street analyst Chris Whitmore of Deutsche Bank predicts that if 1.5 million MacBook Airs were shipped per quarter based on current estimates, that the MacBook Air would make up half of Apple’s notebook business. He predicts that many new customers are waiting for the latest technology such as Thunderbolt, Sandy-Bridge processors, and Lion to hit the laptops before consumers upgrade from their current setups.

Darrell Etherington from GigaOM wrote a piece on Lion’s hardware requirements, suggesting that the animation heavy interface would require the latest technology such as an SSD, core i-series processor, and lots of RAM to use comfortably. With Lion taking advantage of gestures on newer trackpads, and requiring the latest technology to use comfortably, he makes the case that the MacBook Air, boasting at an affordable price point, beautiful design, and fast tech, is the perfect candidate for consumers as they purchase new machines.

The MacBook represents Apple’s past; it’s a well-designed traditional notebook that provides users looking for an alternative to Windows laptops with a solid, high-quality, OS X-based alternative. But the MacBook Air represents Apple’s future. It’s a slim, lightweight device with a futuristic design aesthetic, but more importantly, it’s a perfect partner for OS X Lion and iCloud, and like Apple said at its WWDC keynote, iCloud is the new center of the Apple universe.

New MacBook Airs could be coming as soon as Wednesday as Apple’s back to school promotions kick off, but that rumor was later redacted as part numbers matched a series of unlocked iPhones instead of the new laptops. A June or July release is still predicted as MacBook Air supplies dwindle, and there even might be a Mac Mini and Mac Pro refresh to accompany the updated laptops.

Whitmore writes that Mac sales generally spike after a new OS update, and in combination with refreshed MacBook Airs, could fuel a very good summer for Apple. At its heart, however, Apple sees the MacBook Air as the driver of innovation - it is no longer the MacBook Pro or the iMac Apple wants you to think of, but their tapered and lightweight notebooks.

“In two years time, if not less, when you think ‘Mac,’ you’ll think about the MacBook Air first and foremost. And that’s by design, as Apple continues to have outsized influence in the changing definition of personal computing.” I tend to agree with Etherington. Today, the future of the MacBook starts with the MacBook Air.

[Sources: GigaOM, AppleInsider]

New MacBook Airs Coming On Wednesday? [Updated]

Following the screenshots detailing Nuance integration in iOS 5 through Apple internal settings, Chronic Wire reports new MacBook Airs may be coming out on Wednesday. Chronic had a good track record in the past pinpointing various Apple rumors and he seems certain the new line will launch this week, on June 15th. However, he didn’t post any tech specs of the new machines – though it looks fairly obvious that Apple will implement Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt technology like in the iMac and MacBook Pro 2011 refreshes. Several reports in the past months pointed at Apple aiming at a June-July release for the popular ultra-thin laptops.

Meanwhile, 9to5mac also claims Apple will we holding retail store overnights on Tuesday for a Wednesday product launch, but they couldn’t confirm what the product could be. They don’t believe it’s the new MacBook Air family like Chronic Wire does, but it could be considering recent speculation.

We have since heard from a source that there are still some current generation MacBook Airs shipping to retail stores across the world into the next couple of weeks. Because of our own independent information, we doubt a new MacBook Air launch for Wednesday. It does make sense though based on the scheduled retail overnight.

Other products recently rumored for an update would be the Mac Pro Server, Mac mini server and Time Capsule/AirPort Extreme stations, which several bloggers believed would be unveiled by Apple at WWDC.

Update: Chronic Wire now reports Back to School promo material will be put in place during the retail overnights on Tuesday, with a launch on Wednesday alongside the new Airs. The Back to School 2011 promo was initially believed to be set for a WWDC announcement with possibility for students to get the usual iPod touch with the purchase of a new Mac, or a discount off a new iPad 2.

Update #2: MacRumors initially posted part numbers of what they claimed to be the four models supposed to become available this week. In a tweet, they later confirmed the numbers were for unlocked iPhones. Currently, Apple offers four MacBook Air models with 64 GB and 128 GB SSD options for the 11-inch, 128 GB and 256 GB for the 13-inch.

MacBook Air Supplies Dwindle, June Or July Refresh Imminent

We’ve previously reported on rumors of a June or July refresh for the MacBook Air and it looks like that time frame is firming up. 9to5 Mac today reported on reports they received in which supplies and shipments for the MacBook Air are constrained – a typical pattern ahead of product refreshes.

The refresh is likely to be minor with a specification bump and inclusion of Thunderbolt ports that have so far made it on to the MacBook Pro and iMac lines earlier this year. Similarly, Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors are also expected to make it into the refreshed MacBook Air, reports from two weeks ago suggest that Intel is working on ULV (ultra-low voltage) i5 and i7 processors, which would be perfect for the Air.

Prices for the current MacBook Air seem to reinforce an imminent update, with the refurbished models selling for only $829 on Apple’s website and Best Buy selling the base model for only $938.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

Rumor: Apple Testing A5-powered MacBook Air

According to a new report by Japanese blog Macotakara, Apple is testing internally a new version of the MacBook Air powered by an ARM-based A5 processor and Thunderbolt connectivity. The website reports the machine is made by Quanta Computer, and this speculation comes amidst rumors of a MacBook Air refresh featuring Intel’s Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt set for a June or July launch.

According to this source who saw live A5 MacBook Air actually, this test machine performed better than expected.

Though it’s not clear which Mac OS X or iOS is pre-installed on this A5 MacBook Air, iOS seems to have difficulty to use features of Thunderbolt without Finder. And even if Mac OS X is installed, developer should spend time to support A5 on Universal Binary Applications. As considering these situation, this A5 MacBook Air seems to be made just for experiment.

The shift to an ARM architecture on OS X would require Apple to rewrite parts of the operating system (though iOS, derived from OS X, runs on ARM chips) and, most of all, third-party developers to update their applications to be universal binaries capable of running both on Intel and ARM CPUs. This would be a resource and time consuming process according to many, similarly to when developers had to switch from PowerPC to Intel years ago, though a recent report claimed that Apple was willing to implement ARM on the desktop, perhaps also offering converting tools and other utilities to make the transition easier. Still, Macotakara seems to suggest this alleged A5-powered Air is being tested as an experiment, which, if true, wouldn’t come out at least until next year; the website correctly pinpointed many of the iPad 2 hardware and design features in the past months, offering credible mockups of the device ahead of its launch.

Twelve South’s BookBook Case Now Available for MacBook Air

We love Twelve South’s Mac and iOS accessories, they make some of the most beautiful third-party accessories for Apple devices. We’ve previously talked about the Compass mobile stand, the BookArc for iPad and MacBook Air. Today we’re showing you the BookBook for MacBook Air.

Twelve South’s new BookBook case was designed for the MacBook Air (11 & 13-inch 2nd Gen). The genuine leather case is only 13.5 ounces and has two hardback covers with reinforced corners and a tough spine for impact protection. The inside of the case is lined with a velvet-like soft padded interior as well. Read more

MacBook Air SSD upgrade provides big storage, mixed speed results→

MacBook Air SSD upgrade provides big storage, mixed speed result

Once the storage upgrade was installed, we found the added capacity to be a blessing, but our performance results were unexpectedly mixed. The marketing materials for the Mercury Aura Pro Express claim that the drives offer up to 68 percent faster performance than the stock flash storage. In order to see such a vast a difference between the MacBook Air’s flash storage and the Mercury Aura Pro Express, we had to use automated tests that task the MacBook Air in ways that most people wouldn’t use an ultra-portable.

In conclusion, the only reason you’d need to buy a Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD is for additional storage, and not necessarily for the advertised performance benefit. The upshot is that the SSD is ridiculously simple to replace (OWC includes a pentalobe screwdriver with the purchase). While expensive, OWC sells 320 GB and 480 GB capacity drives that cost $1,096.99 and $1,499.99 respectively. This is on top of an already pricey MacBook Air purchase, and unless you really need those extra gigabytes, I don’t know if the cost of entry is justified. Where OWC’s solution might have the advantage, however, is in longevity. The company claims that their SSD solution maintain their write speeds over a prolonged period of time thanks to their wear-leveling technologies. OWC’s Mercury Aura Pro Express SSDs are one of the only upgrades you can pimp your MacBook Air out with, but before you make that purchase, I’d consider reading James Galbraith’s in depth review for all the hard numbers.

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Intel Working On New ULV Sandy Bridge Processors Apple Could Use in MacBook Airs

CPU World reports (via MacRumors) that Intel is working on a series of new Core i5 and Core i7 ULV (ultra-low voltage) processors based on the Sandy Bridge architecture which, offering improved speed and graphics performances over the previous-gen Arrandale CPUs, might be a suitable choice for Apple in the next generation of MacBook Air models. The three new processors, Core i5-2557M, Core i7-2637M and Core i7-2677M, increase clock speed from 1.4 GHz and 1.6 GHz to 1.7 GHz and 1.8 GHz, with turbo boost frequencies set at 2.8 GHz and 2.9 GHz. With increased speeds, performances and the same 17 Watt thermal envelope, the new CPUs might as well end up being used by Apple in the MacBook Airs rumored to receive a Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt update in June or July.

Two forthcoming Core i7 ULV dual-core processors, i7-2637M and i7-2677M, have 1.7 and 1.8 GHz base, and 2.8 GHz and 2.9 GHz Turbo Boost frequencies. This is 200 MHz higher than the frequencies of their predecessors, Core i7-2617M and i7-2657M. Default clock rate of the HD 3000 graphics on new chips stays the same, 350 MHz, although the maximum turbo frequency is increased to 1.2 GHz. The microprocessors boast 4 MB level 3 cache, and support HyperThreading and Vpro technologies. It is interesting to note that, despite of having lower processor number, the Intel i7-2637M SKU will be faster than the i7-2657M.

Low power consumption and speed are obviously factors Apple considers when selecting the processor to implement in thin and lightweight machines like the MacBook Airs. Whilst no release date has been announced by Intel yet, Apple usually gets components from Intel earlier than other companies, leading to speculation that the upcoming Air refresh may include the update Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs. Several reports in the past months indicated was working on a new version of the MBA line, last updated in October 2010, featuring Thunderbolt connectivity and faster processors following recent hardware changes to the MacBook Pros and iMacs.

New MacBook Airs Coming In June / July

A new report from Digitimes seems to corroborate rumors we’ve heard in the past weeks about a MacBook Air refresh this summer, featuring Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt technology:

The Taiwan-based supply chain for Apple products will begin shipments of new 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch MacBook Air models featuring Sandy Bridge platform and Thunderbolt interface in late May for launch in June or July, according to makers in the supply chain. While Apple’s PR representatives in Taiwan have neither confirmed nor responded to the report, it has long been understood that Apple always keeps silent about its new products not yet launched, the sources emphasized.

Earlier reports about the new MacBook Airs (last updated in October at the Back to the Mac event) suggested production would start later this month for a June release. Cnet was first to report in February the MacBook Airs would receive an upgrade; there’s a lot of anticipation when it comes to the MacBook Airs thanks to their super-thin design, native SSD and screen resolution, with analysts claiming the line could become a $2.2 billion annual business for Apple.