Is This the New $999 MacBook Air?

[Michael Knutson]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/10/18/macbook-air-refresh-to-tout-8-10-hour-battery-cost-only-999/' target='_blank'>http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010...-cost-only-999/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"A&nbsp;</em><a href="http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/10/17/is-this-the-new-macbook-air-both-11-6-and-13-3-inch-models-coming-next-week/"><em>refresh of the now aged MacBook Air line</em></a><em>&nbsp;is almost a foregone conclusion at this point, with Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Back to the Mac&rdquo; event scheduled to take place later this week. Now, more purported specs are making the rounds by way of&nbsp;</em><em>Cult of Mac</em><em>, and they definitely look appealing."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1287431612.usr17748.jpg" /></p><p>The rumors are swirling today. Speculation is rife that both 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch models will be announced by Apple, with the smaller lighter, netbook-sized model starting at $999, and, the best news to me, both will support more memory, at least 4GB (that 2GB limit in the current models has kept an MBA out of my office). Other speculation is that some of the hardware quirks (annoyances) will be gone, like the angled power connector (replaced by a magsafe connector), and that battery life will effectively be doubled to 8-10 hours. I guess that Apple has seen that the iPad (and tablets in general) are not totally killing the netbook market, and have decided to try to get in on the action. With Office 2011 (with Outlook) for the Mac available in another week, this may become *the* work travel computer for me.</p>

[Jason Dunn]

I guess that Apple has seen that the iPad (and tablets in general) are not totally killing the netbook market, and have decided to try to get in on the action. With Office 2011 (with Outlook) for the Mac available in another week, this may become *the* work travel computer for me.</p>

But can you really call something that costs $999+ a "netbook"? The whole point of affordable, task-focused computing is...well...mostly the price tag. :)

[Michael Knutson]

I agree, Apple would probably never call it a netbook, even though it fits the form factor for larger models. As for price, my rule of thumb is that Apple products cost ~2x that of an equivalent (or close) Windows computer. So, it's close to my Thinkpad x100e that was slightly over $500.

[crimsonsky]

So now that it's out, are you getting one?

[Dyvim]

Can't wait for a hands on with an 11" model on my next visit to an Apple store to see how it feels. Sadly (from a geek's perspective), I have an almost brand new 13" MBP, so no need or incentive to get an Air. Curious to see how well these new models will appeal to consumers.

[Jason Dunn]

Bizarrely, I'm finding myself QUITE tempted by the 13.3" Air with 4 GB of RAM and the 256 MB SSD...and I'd put Windows 7 on it and wrap it in a DecalGirl skin so there's no trace of Apple anywhere. :D

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

It's not really a netbook either, with the CPU being quite a bit better than the Atom. Always need to count the Apple Tax in.

[Michael Knutson]

So now that it's out, are you getting one?

yes, ordered the 64GB 11.6-inch model last night (20 Oct), but upped the RAM to 4GB.

[crimsonsky]

Of course, my MacBook Pro is only about 4 months old. A classic case of the computer I really wanted coming out after I buy one! It would have been a perfect replacement for my erstwhile 12" Powerbook (long dead). So it goes... :rolleyes: