Where Are The New MacBook Airs?

[jyl]

Apple just introduced the new MacBook Pros. They look great. But this post isn't about the MBP.

What I'm upset about is - no new MacBook Airs!? The MBAs are really long in the tooth, and need a refresh.

Anyone think Apple is planning to drop the MBA? That seems like it would be a big mistake. The MBA is every kid's first Mac. It is light, affordable, durable. I bought my kids MBAs for high school and for freshman year in college. I might have bought the college kid a 13" MBP, but I sure wouldn't have put a $1300 MBP in the high school freshman's backpack. And I don't care who makes it, whether Apple or LeNovo, a tablet isn't a laptop replacement.

[RANDY P]

I don't see the point of an Air if the MBP is damn near that size. On the other end you have the Macbook.

I'm debating on a fully loaded macbook or a Top model Pro13" with every middle option (updated ram and chip) and big HDD.

About $800 difference.

[RANDY P]

PS why not a last years model from Apple? Works just as well as the others?

[Gogar]

How about a new Mac mini?

Or just discontinue it and stop teasing everyone.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The newest 15" MBP (I have one) is pretty damn thin - almost as thin as the first generation Air (probably in large part due to using a fully solid state drive and advances in battery technology). I bought to replace my beloved 2011 17" MBP and despite the slightly smaller screen, the resolution more than makes up for it and the feel is night-and-day different. The 17" MBP was pretty sleek when I got it and the new 15" makes it look like a 200 pound brick.

I never really understood the MacBook Airs personally. The iPads can do everything they can, often better.

[stomachmonkey]

No secret the Air might be discontinued.

As noted the newer offerings encroached on it's niche and with the arrival of iPad Pros there really was no place for the Air in the product mix.

[jyl]

It's the price. Who is going to buy a $1300 MBP for a high school freshman or middle schooler?

iPad Pro is absolutely not a replacement for a Mac. Not yet. MacOS apps and iOS apps are too different. The form factor and input methods and file system are too different. Especially in K-12: if the teacher and the other kids use Macs and PCs, sending your kid to school with a tablet is dumb.

The 11" MacBook Air is (was) the perfect first laptop for a kid. Inexpensive, small, light, fits in a book bag, battery lasts all day.

I guess where I'm coming from is: doesn't Apple want kids to have an entry into the Mac world that costs less than $1K?. Does Apple want every kid's first laptop to be a PC?

If I were Apple, I would have dropped the 13" MacBook Air and refreshed the 11" MacBook Air. Constrain the specs to keep the 11" MBA an inexpensive lower-end machine, so it doesn't conflict with the "executive road warrior" 12" MacBook. Although, to be honest, the MacBook seems superfluous now that the 13" MBP is as thin and light as it is.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by jyl

It's the price. Who is going to buy a $1300 MBP for a high school freshman or middle schooler?

iPad Pro is absolutely not a replacement for a Mac. Not yet. MacOS apps and iOS apps are too different. The form factor and input methods and file system are too different. Especially in K-12: if the teacher and the other kids use Macs and PCs, sending your kid to school with a tablet is dumb.

The 11" MacBook Air is (was) the perfect first laptop for a kid. Inexpensive, small, light, fits in a book bag, battery lasts all day.

I guess where I'm coming from is: doesn't Apple want kids to have an entry into the Mac world that costs less than $1K?. Does Apple want every kid's first laptop to be a PC?

If I were Apple, I would have dropped the 13" MacBook Air and refreshed the 11" MacBook Air. Constrain the specs to keep the 11" MBA an inexpensive lower-end machine, so it doesn't conflict with the "executive road warrior" 12" MacBook. Although, to be honest, the MacBook seems superfluous now that the 13" MBP is as thin and light as it is.

Schools are using Chromebooks.

Dirt cheap.

[jyl]

I'm not taking about institutional purchases by schools. Yes, ChromeBooks dominate there because they are very cheap. iPads failed because, well, my opinion is because tablets aren't actually very good for student uses.

I'm talking about what parents buy for their kids. Most parents don't buy their kids ChromeBooks for obvious reasons (most parents have never heard of them, don't use ChromeOS themselves, don't assume the kid is constantly in WiFi zones).

Most parents want to buy their kids something like what they, the parents, would use.
A PC or a Mac.

If you were Apple, wouldn't you want kids to start out using macOS instead of Windows or ChromeOS?

[Arizona_928]

I think the 13" is more popular then you think. Especially with college students.

[wdfifteen]

I heard the new Macbooks have no USB ports and no SD card slot - true?

[stealthn]

I have a MB Air and love it, I would buy the latest one if this one evr craps out but it's rock solid. My only complaint is I've filled up the harddrive with music and picture, but for someone who uses a laptop every day you can't beat the weight and battery life.

Yes I want a new one but give me 16G of RAM ans a 1TB SSD drive.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Chrome books are made by google. That's all I need to know. I'll never own one nor would I let my kids use one. EVERYTHING with Google is about data collection, storage, analysis and resale. I deliberately keep myself off their grid as much as possible and employ a few tools to help mess up digital footprint trails. I figure the longer that kids can be kept out of google's databases the better. With all things there is a cost and I have a suspicion that with the chrome books it's unfettered streams of data collection about your kids' computer use habits and internet use in particular going straight into google's big database of info. to sell to whoever wants it. There's no upside to this as I see it - kind of like facebook.

Yes, I realize that we're all going to be profiled to some extent but I believe in not giving "big data" an easy one inch to deliberately make it as difficult and as expensive as possible for them to collect information on me. I'm certainly not going to sell out my kids' privacy to save a few bucks on a laptop.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Chrome books are made by google. That's all I need to know. I'll never own one nor would I let my kids use one. EVERYTHING with Google is about data collection, storage, analysis and resale. I deliberately keep myself off their grid as much as possible and employ a few tools to help mess up digital footprint trails. I figure the longer that kids can be kept out of google's databases the better. Wish all things there is a cost and I have a suspicion that with the chrome books it's unfettered streams of data collection about your kids' computer use habits and internet use in particular going straight into google's big database of info. to sell to whoever wants it. There's no upside to this as I see it - kind of like facebook.

Yes, I realize that we're all going to be profiled to some extent but I believe in not giving "big data" an easy one inch to deliberately make it as difficult and as expensive as possible for them to collect information on me. I'm certainly not going to sell out my kids' privacy to save a few bucks on a laptop.

it's gonna be buggy as hell, like most things google.

I bought an android 60 days ago to replace my Iphone 6-

Now I remember why I bought the Iphone in the 1st place- Android is a buggy POS, I got triggered.

bit the bullet and bought a Iphone 7 Plus to replace it. On it's way.

No more Google stuff except Gmail.

[nota]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I heard the new Macbooks have no USB ports and no SD card slot - true?

USB/C is combined with the new T/3 ports

they have several USB/c-T/3ports but need a dongle to convert to old style usb/1/2/3 device or dvi/hmdi/video display
very fast ports but need adapters to use any older devices

yes no card slots at all

[masraum]

Originally Posted by jyl

The 11" MacBook Air is (was) the perfect first laptop for a kid. Inexpensive, small, light, fits in a book bag, battery lasts all day.

If I were Apple, I would have dropped the 13" MacBook Air and refreshed the 11" MacBook Air. Constrain the specs to keep the 11" MBA an inexpensive lower-end machine, so it doesn't conflict with the "executive road warrior" 12" MacBook. Although, to be honest, the MacBook seems superfluous now that the 13" MBP is as thin and light as it is.

Originally Posted by stealthn

I have a MB Air and love it, I would buy the latest one if this one evr craps out but it's rock solid.

My wife has an 11" MBA and loves it. She's all about the small and light. This is her first Apple/MAC, but I think she's going on 10-15 years of 11" or smaller laptop ownership.

[gprsh924]

Its expensive. It would be tough to not get a Macbook at this point.

I got a MBP around Christmas last year. Paid $1149 for one that is very similarly spec'd to the current $1499 version.