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The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

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Re: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

#21

Post by rconti »

xoa wrote: post #15

So I did a search in the article for the word "inflation" and found no hits, but I think it's something that the tech world is going to have to start getting used to after decades in the steep part of a S-curve that let it defy the normal. In most of the developed world at least inflation is generally quite low, but it's not zero (nor is zero or worse deflation a healthy sign). For electronics there has been a long t…

This was my thought too; even though the article is from a pro-Apple site, the author wasn't trying to make any excuses, he just laid out the facts. He didn't bother trying to address WHY one would try to raise ASP; margin is obviously one reason, but simply keeping up with inflation is another.

Re: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

#22

Post by charlesju »

Hamuko wrote: post #17
utopcell wrote: post #13

Not sure I agree that the Macbook is "an inferior machine at a higher price". At 12", it is the only <13" offering currently.

What do you gain with picking a 12-inch display over a 13.3-inch display?

As someone that loves his Macbook, I thought I'd give some context for my decision to buy the Macbook and why I'd still probably the Macbook if I had to choose again today.

It really comes down to two things

1. Weight

2. Tolerable Performance

The Macbook I have has a 1.4 GHz Core i7 and 16 GB of ram. Very rarely do I feel that I have issues with the daily things I need to do with the mac, which are some light programming/scripting/SQL and even hums when I have to do spreadsheets and manage multiple websites.

Given the performance is very good by real life standards, the weight is really the big issue to consider.

This is a considerable amount of difference between 2.03lbs and 2.75lbs. That's 35% lighter, that's a huge percentage when you have to drag your laptop around everywhere with you. I would gladly pay up to $1000 for that weight cut because of how much better my quality of life is with a smaller and more portable Macbook.

For me, I need to have my computer with me everywhere I go: dinner, hiking, vacations, etc. Having it do everything I want in a reasonable performance threshold and being 35% lighter, the Macbook is still by far the superior product.

Re: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

#23

Post by rconti »

pier25 wrote: post #12
PhantomGremlin wrote: post #4

The article is wrong when it says: Absolutely nobody who knows anything about Macs – or computers of any kind – is going to recommend that they buy the old model. Two things better on the old model: keyboard and MagSafe. I'm glad I own an older Macbook Pro Retina. I'd always have "keyboard anxiety" with any of the new models: is this the day my keyboard fails? And: do I dare take my laptop outside? Will airborne dust…

I bought a 2017 MBA for $800 a couple of months back for my wife and, with all its faults, I think it's a better deal than the new 2018 MBA. Other than the outdated display, performance is perfectly adequate, and battery/trackpad/keyboard/SSD speed/ports are still doing great.

I'm split. I have a 2011 Air that I rarely use. The 4MB of RAM and slower CPU is the major problem with it; screen resolution is a distant third. I keep thinking of buying the most modern USB-A-and-SD-card-reader-equipped AirI can find, because it truly is the best machine I've owned. On the other hand, new and shiny! And I almost never use the SD card reader or USB port, it's just nice to have. And the keyboard is fantastic.

Re: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

#24

Post by gok »

akshayB wrote: post #14

Apple have created a mess by providing multiple options between Airs and Pros. If you upgrade the RAM to 16GB on Air it surpasses the base model of Pro and similarly other storage options. At that point you should rather buy a Pro over Air because the only major difference is size. Lot of this is totally confusing for non-technical folks and they might just end-up making a wrong purchase.

Note that the Pros have meaningfully faster CPUs/GPUs than the Airs at every configuration.

Re: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

#25

Post by akshayB »

gok wrote: post #24
akshayB wrote: post #14

Apple have created a mess by providing multiple options between Airs and Pros. If you upgrade the RAM to 16GB on Air it surpasses the base model of Pro and similarly other storage options. At that point you should rather buy a Pro over Air because the only major difference is size. Lot of this is totally confusing for non-technical folks and they might just end-up making a wrong purchase.

Note that the Pros have meaningfully faster CPUs/GPUs than the Airs at every configuration.

plus ports and peripherals too

Re: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

#26

Post by rconti »

Interesting theory about the iPhone X being "obviously different" than the lower end iPhones last year, and how it would immediately signal if you had the 'latest' device or not. I suppose that's somewhat inarguable in terms of the iPhone ecosystem, particularly when powered on, but my favorite thing about my X last year (and especially now) is how anonymous it is. With a generic black quad lock case on a black phone, sitting face-up on a table, literally all you can see is black, and a tiny slit for an earpiece. If you look REALLY closely you can see the camera next to the earpiece. There's no home button to say "this is an iPhone", or advertise whether it's a touchID home button or an even older physical home button. It could be absolutely anything. The only real giveaway is when it's on, or if you put it face down; the stacked cameras were fairly distinctive.

I mean, I certainly didn't choose it over some other phone merely because WASN'T flashy, but I'm a lot happier buying something that doesn't advertise itself.

Re: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

#27

Post by gumby »

Hamuko wrote: post #17
utopcell wrote: post #13

Not sure I agree that the Macbook is "an inferior machine at a higher price". At 12", it is the only <13" offering currently.

What do you gain with picking a 12-inch display over a 13.3-inch display?

It’s so tiny it’s practically the size of an iPad. If you travel a lot this can be a huge deal. I did a ton of development on one and it was great, but I had a beefier machine for visualizations and big compiles. Still, the tiny 12” is my go-to computer, small disk notwithstanding.

It also appears anecdotally that the smaller screen is more popular in Asia than in US/EU (for both Mac and Windows).

Re: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

#28

Post by SyneRyder »

rectang wrote: post #16
pier25 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and keyboard I'm also waiting for new keyboards but I fear it will take a couple of years. I imagine a new keyboard means a complete redesign, and considering the new MBPs were released in late 2016 I doubt we will see new models before 2020. Apple used to release new Mac models ever 2-3 years but the Mac line is not a priority anymore (it's only 10% of Apple's revenue).

Weren't the keyboard reliability issues largely addressed with the addition of membranes which keep out debris? Or is it a change of feel that you're hoping for?

Anecdata, but I've heard of people with the 3rd-gen keyboards with the membranes having the same problems.

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2018/10/16/the-2018-macbook-keyboard...

https://twitter.com/arno_app/status/1056943680249061383

Re: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

#29

Post by mbell »

akshayB wrote: post #14

Apple have created a mess by providing multiple options between Airs and Pros. If you upgrade the RAM to 16GB on Air it surpasses the base model of Pro and similarly other storage options. At that point you should rather buy a Pro over Air because the only major difference is size. Lot of this is totally confusing for non-technical folks and they might just end-up making a wrong purchase.

You're largely ignoring the primary differentiator in these machines, the power class of the CPU/GPU.

If you use the base model in each category, set all the machines at 256GB disk and 16GB of ram and use geekbench cpu numbers as a performance metric, you get the table below. Also geekebench is a pretty short test, I would guess that the core-m / y-series models will fall further behind under sustained loads. I don't think this is a particularly bad spread of options.

  2017 Macbook                  - 1.2Ghz dual, 3.0Ghz T  - $1499   GBS:3740 GBM:6835

  2018 Macbook Air*             - 1.6Ghz dual, 3.6Ghz T  - $1599   GBS:4189 GBM:7896

  2017 Macbook Pro 13 (non-TB)  - 2.3Ghz dual, 3.6Ghz T  - $1699   GBS:4333 GBM:9440

  2018 Macbook Pro 13 (TB-quad) - 2.3Ghz quad, 3.6Ghz T  - $1999   GBS:4643 GBM:16540
[*] For the 2018 Macbook Air I'm using geekbench numbers for the higher end 7th gen Y-series CPU as I can't find any benchmarks for the i5-8210Y so this should be considered an estimate.

Re: The 2018 MacBook Air is the iPhone X’s ASP strategy all over again

#30

Post by monocasa »

yoz-y wrote: post #19
Hamuko wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you gain with picking a 12-inch display over a 13.3-inch display?

Is this a trick question? If you are in the market for a smaller than 13” computer then that’s that.

I have a GPD pocket I carry around, so Macs aren't the only one.
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