Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID

#21

Post by cribbles » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 3:07 PM UTC

We're inching ever so gradually toward idlewords's 2016 piece "Benjamin Button Reviews The New MacBook Pro".[1]

[1] https://blog.pinboard.in/2016/10/benjamin_button_reviews_the...

Re: Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID

#22

Post by themihai » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 3:07 PM UTC

Nice... but still the same dual core? Shame!

Re: Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID

#23

Post by stakecounter » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 3:07 PM UTC

whywhywhywhy wrote: post #11

> the new model comes with the latest-generation edition of Apple's "butterfly" keyboard Maybe it was naive of me but I had high hopes Apple would use the Air refresh as an upgrade path for those of us who have decided they need a keyboard with more travel and reliability beyond a few months. (I use a 2017 butterfly keyboard today, never again)

Any info on whether the 2018 keyboard update fares much better [1]? I’m seriously considering buying this MBA, but I’m happy with the travel and durability on my 2011 MBA keyboard and primarily spooked by the butterfly keyboard complaints.

[1] https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/macbook-pro/#keyboard

Re: Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID

#24

Post by Splendor » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 3:09 PM UTC

rbanffy wrote: post #8

Splendor wrote: post #6

Aside from losing magsafe this is my perfect Mac.

The other day two MBPs were running out of battery during a meeting. We plugged one into the room charger and plugged the second one out of another USB-C port on the first one. I miss MagSafe, but USB-C is seriously cool.

USB-C is cool but there's no reason they couldn't make a MagSafe USB-C port.

Re: Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID

#25

Post by benrbray » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 3:09 PM UTC

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #17

So TouchID is good enough for laptop but they “just can’t” make a phone with it anymore huh? Rabble.

I never really understood fingerprint scanners on phones. Is it really more useful to you than e.g. a headphone jack?

Re: Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID

#26

Post by TazeTSchnitzel » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 3:10 PM UTC

themihai wrote: post #22

Nice... but still the same dual core? Shame!

They're constrained by TDP. The MacBook Air draws too little power (thus having good battery life!) for a quad-core CPU to make sense.

Re: Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID

#27

Post by FBISurveillance » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 3:11 PM UTC

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #14

xutopia wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait... you can charge a MBP with another MBP?

I dont know if that works, but a difficulty of USB-C has been the power profiles and who charges what and when. It’s weird, and I would think the potential would have to be way different between the two laptops but according to the spec it can work.

You can charge MacBooks from each other.

* First laptop you plug one end of USB C cable in will the the charger;

* Second laptop will be the one getting charged.

Re: Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID

#28

Post by gehsty » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 3:12 PM UTC

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #17

So TouchID is good enough for laptop but they “just can’t” make a phone with it anymore huh? Rabble.

I think Apple are clearly capable of making a phone with TouchID, they only want to make phones with FaceID.

I don't really understand why you'd want TouchID over FaceID, have you used an iPhone with FaceID longterm? I have had a X from day one, FaceID does have its short comings like having to pick it up to use it (or lean over your phone) but overall it is much better, and had use cases TouchID can't be used in - just getting out of the shower for instance.

I think Apple want screens on their laptops to be as thin as possible, they can fit in a camera for FaceTime, but cannot fit a FaceID sensor, hence why the laptop have TouchID and not FaceID.

Re: Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID

#29

Post by ascagnel_ » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 3:14 PM UTC

dogma1138 wrote: post #18

koolba wrote: post #2

Summarizing a bit: * Starting price of $1,199 * 13" display with trimmed bezels * 2.75 lbs * Higher resolution screen ("Over 4M pixels") * HD front facing camera * No Touch Bar (Yay!) * No USB ports (Boo!) Assuming it doesn't have any odd dust or logic board issues cropping up in the next couple months, I can see myself getting one of these.

And a Dual Core CPU for $1200, app compatibility aside the CPU in the new MBA might be arguably slower than the A12 bionic. It's literally going to be the same CPU as in the current 12" Macbooks with a slightly relaxed power envelope which now begs the question why is the Macbook Air even a separate product? at this point it brings nothing to the table other than being slightly larger and slightly cheaper version of…

I think Apple is rethinking its product matrix.

This new MBA is the entry-level system. The 12" MB is an upgrade option if you value thin/light/battery life -- the new "executive laptop". The MBP is an upgrade option if you need power or screen space.

Re: Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air with Retina Display, Touch ID

#30

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 3:15 PM UTC

xutopia wrote: post #10

rbanffy wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other day two MBPs were running out of battery during a meeting. We plugged one into the room charger and plugged the second one out of another USB-C port on the first one. I miss MagSafe, but USB-C is seriously cool.

Wait... you can charge a MBP with another MBP?

[deleted]