Apple working on high-end MacBook Air, bringing back SD card slot and more to the MacBook Pro range

[Redaktion]

2021 is going to be a big year for fans of Apple's Macs as the company sets down the path of reengineering many of its designs around its super efficient, yet powerful Apple silicon chips. Bloomberg reports that Apple is working on a new high-end MacBook Air while the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will see the return of a built-in SD card reader.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-working-on-high-end-MacBook-Air-bringing-back-SD-card-slot-and-more-to-the-MacBook-Pro-range.516443.0.html

[Dorby]

I just hope Apple keeps the current base MacBook Air at $999. I don't use Apple products, but this model is such a good value to recommend for people looking to buy the best traditional clamshell ultrabook under 1k.

[Nerd]

I just hope Apple keeps the current base MacBook Air at $999. I don't use Apple products, but this model is such a good value to recommend for people looking to buy the best traditional clamshell ultrabook under 1k.

Nah... $999 is way too much. Didn't they go for $700 at some point?
I recon the design direction too was way more solid then... Compared to this Globohomo galore they engaged in circa 2013.

[Dorby]

I just hope Apple keeps the current base MacBook Air at $999. I don't use Apple products, but this model is such a good value to recommend for people looking to buy the best traditional clamshell ultrabook under 1k.

Nah... $999 is way too much. Didn't they go for $700 at some point?
I recon the design direction too was way more solid then... Compared to this Globohomo galore they engaged in circa 2013.

$999 will get you a mid-range Windows ultrabook with 16GB of ram that will perform similarly to the 8GB base Air.
HP Envy, Lenovo Ideapad/Yoga 7, Asus ZenBook (non-flagships), and lower-tier business laptops are some popular choices in this category.

And, none of these laptops come close to the MacBook Air's Speakers, Touchpad, Display (100% P3 is still reserved for high-end), Performance and sometimes even build quality. Not to mention Apple still has the most globally available service out of all laptop manufacturers.

So, if you don't need high-performance, touchscreen, 2-in-1 Pen, or Windows 10, then yes the base model MacBook is currently the best value in the market for 90% of people.

[kek]

I just hope Apple keeps the current base MacBook Air at $999. I don't use Apple products, but this model is such a good value to recommend for people looking to buy the best traditional clamshell ultrabook under 1k.

Nah... $999 is way too much. Didn't they go for $700 at some point?
I recon the design direction too was way more solid then... Compared to this Globohomo galore they engaged in circa 2013.

$999 will get you a mid-range Windows ultrabook with 16GB of ram that will perform similarly to the 8GB base Air.
HP Envy, Lenovo Ideapad/Yoga 7, Asus ZenBook (non-flagships), and lower-tier business laptops are some popular choices in this category.

And, none of these laptops come close to the MacBook Air's Speakers, Touchpad, Display (100% P3 is still reserved for high-end), Performance and sometimes even build quality. Not to mention Apple still has the most globally available service out of all laptop manufacturers.

So, if you don't need high-performance, touchscreen, 2-in-1 Pen, or Windows 10, then yes the base model MacBook is currently the best value in the market for 90% of people.

If someone is looking for a basic clamshell laptop, no one will care about all those extra benefits that you mention the Air has. And if you add up Apple Care, then the price point is lost. Apple has and will always be a boutique company.

[_MT_]

Not to mention Apple still has the most globally available service out of all laptop manufacturers.

What in the world do you mean by that? I think service is exactly the thing where Apple lacks the most compared to traditional enterprise brands like Dell or HP. Exactly how many Apple Stores are in the entire EU? I live in a city with about two million people in its metropolitan area and we have exactly zero Apple Stores. I would have to travel hundreds of kilometres and cross into another country if I wanted to visit an Apple Store. That doesn't bear comparison with NBD service all the big players offer (especially for the business lines and business customers).

[Zodd]

Lot of trolls in this thread.

[Astar]

I just hope Apple keeps the current base MacBook Air at $999. I don't use Apple products, but this model is such a good value to recommend for people looking to buy the best traditional clamshell ultrabook under 1k.

$999 will get you a mid-range Windows ultrabook with 16GB of ram that will perform similarly to the 8GB base Air.
HP Envy, Lenovo Ideapad/Yoga 7, Asus ZenBook (non-flagships), and lower-tier business laptops are some popular choices in this category.

And, none of these laptops come close to the MacBook Air's Speakers, Touchpad, Display (100% P3 is still reserved for high-end), Performance and sometimes even build quality. Not to mention Apple still has the most globally available service out of all laptop manufacturers.

So, if you don't need high-performance, touchscreen, 2-in-1 Pen, or Windows 10, then yes the base model MacBook is currently the best value in the market for 90% of people.

That's the height of stupidity even by Mac-tard & i-Sheep standards.

"$999 will get you a mid-range Windows ultrabook with 16GB of ram... "
- WRONG! $999 will get you a huge choice of so many mid to mid-upper Windows devices which will outperform any Mac, M1 or not. Heard of AMD CPUs, dumb dumb?
- Touchscreen, 2-in-1 convertibles like the Surface or similar can replace both your Mac AND iPad, which is far greater value and performance.
- You can get slim ultrabooks with really powerful 8C16T AMD Ryzen CPU monsters. Not that CrApple-ist i-Sheep like you would know what choice means.
- The Windows software ecosystem is what 90%++ of the population love and depend on for leisure, gaming or work. Something pathetic single digit % market share Mac users can't benefit from nor understand. You even have to jump through hoops & hurdles like Boot Camp, having to reboot all the time to switch between OS. Oh... not to mention having to PURCHASE at EXTRA COST a Windows 10 license!
- 16GB goes so much further with Windows hardware & software. Given how websites are so multimedia intensive with graphics and video, Mac users with 8GB RAM will crawl once you open too many browser tabs and windows.
- 8GB of RAM is a turd fest reserved for ONLY budget/entry level Windows devices. Yet CrApple tries to pass off the 8GB MacBook Air as some premuim thing for i-Diots like you lot.
- You're stupid to think that CrApple has anywhere near as many service centres as Lenovo (largest PC maker in the world) given that CrApple has less than 10% of the global market share. Don't think you will do very well in the business world given your lack of understanding of P&L or economics.


"If you don't need high performance... "
- same old excuse by i-sheep with all the caveats for their limitations. CrApple M1 chips are not capable of high performance. That is the biggest lie and misconception. Already the real world comments have come in about how it struggles with CPU intensive tasks and will throttle.
- M1 chips are ARM chips - tuned for power efficiency in the 5W-15W sweet spot - which is why CrApple only cherry picks the "performance-per-watt" metric and long battery life BS, coincidentally against crap Intel CPUs. Much like typical ARM claims, geddit?
- AMD CPUs for instance are tuned for 15W (laptop) to 200++W (servers). Which means that laptops can be pushed to TDP ranges that will put the M1 to sham.
- For a more like for like comparison, I have the Lenovo Yoga 14S, none-touch screen. For its price of about US$880 in China, or comfortably less than US$999 even if you factor in global shipping & transport costs, it has a superior 2.8K 100% sRGB screen with same brightness, same weight virtually (at less than 1.4kg), Windows Hello IR/TOF cam AND the star of the show - a CPU beast that is the powerful Ryzen 4800H 8C16T, far out-performing any current Intel or CrApple M1 chip. It can run at 15W or less in eco mode or push up to 54W or more with the dual heatpipe/fan cooling. which can allow it sustain heavy workloads indefinitely. That is a level of performance that will melt the M1, or else throttle it to the point of it being next to useless.
- Oh... BTW... not forgetting the Lenovo service centres worldwide.


But all that is the reason why real productivity work is done on Windows overwhelmingly worldwide. Choice of hardware and software! Its the CrApple fan girls who don't know and don't bother to find out about the choices available. 

- See the real world reviews showing the performance benchmarks where AMD Zen 2 (not even the latest Zen 3, mind you) crushes the M1 or Intel at: https://youtu.be/-VLbbw7FuZw

[Dorby]

Not to mention Apple still has the most globally available service out of all laptop manufacturers.

What in the world do you mean by that? I think service is exactly the thing where Apple lacks the most compared to traditional enterprise brands like Dell or HP. Exactly how many Apple Stores are in the entire EU? I live in a city with about two million people in its metropolitan area and we have exactly zero Apple Stores. I would have to travel hundreds of kilometres and cross into another country if I wanted to visit an Apple Store. That doesn't bear comparison with NBD service all the big players offer (especially for the business lines and business customers).

You're right of course, but generally speaking those 4 business laptop OEMs are just absent in a lot of places in the world where I've traveled, including East Asia, South America, South Asia, etc. We both know that North America and China generally has the best support, and consumer laptops can't be even configured with premium support in most regions.

At least in the EU, you have a easier option to send a laptop in for repair to a nearby city or even country, if an OEM service center is absent where you live. Whereas Apple genius bar is pretty much in any nearby mall's electronics corner in these continents I mentioned, and at least has one shop in a more populated city.

Also if you travel a lot like I have, electronics and laptop global warranty with business laptops are often very nominal. Meaning even if you buy the 4 year package - Premium Service + On-Site Repair + ADP(Accidental Damage Coverage) + Global Warranty - for an extra $500+, it will very often depend heavily on what country's regional branch holds up the said warranty.

Which is why I assume the general consensus in tech community is that  Apple deals their MacBook's premium support better "overall" for the general public, than the majority of other laptop OEMs.

[Dorby]

@kek
Yes that's exactly my point. Apple is already very reliable, with both software and hardware, so I would personally not get Apple Care and just get the $999 MacBook.
And with that $999, you're paying the premium for better hardware that people who actually care about better user-experience will want to have, as well as the luxury of an in-house ARM chip that currently outperforms the competition.

I understand very well that many people don't care about the bells and whistles, and just want a cheap clamshell laptop. Well, that group has plenty of options other than the MacBook.
But then there are people who do want the best technology, who happen to be looking for a clamshell ultrabook, for whom the Air is a good choice.

[Dorby]

@Astar
I'm going to assume you didn't read my post, so read again.

The currently available 2020 Lenovo ThinkBook "Yoga 14s" has a 15W Intel processor, not AMD, so you should stop talking out of your a**.
Whatever laptop you're really using under $1k (if you actually have one), does not hold a candle to MacBook Air's hardware.
That's because Apple spends billions every year to acquire small specialized firms and the best engineers in respective fields, just to be able to improve one minor, miniscule aspect of their already solid hardware technology.

At this point, numerous tests have already settled that both Intel and AMD's equivalent ultrabook chips are substantially behind the M1 in unplugged real-world laptop tests, in which their performance disparity actually matters for end users.