Product Reviews Net » macbook air http://www.product-reviews.net Information on the latest gadgets, technology, news and product reviews Sat, 26 May 2012 11:39:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 New lower price for MacBook Air in late 2012 http://www.product-reviews.net/2012/05/08/new-lower-price-for-macbook-air-in-late-2012/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-lower-price-for-macbook-air-in-late-2012 http://www.product-reviews.net/2012/05/08/new-lower-price-for-macbook-air-in-late-2012/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 20:14:15 +0000 Daniel Chubb http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=150290 Reporting news on the latest products is pretty good fun and keeps you informed on the latest advancements, but there is nothing like having some real hands-on time to give you that extra insight and know how a product really works. I’ve had plenty of time with the first generation MacBook Air and also the later models, which has allowed us to see the improvements first hand and also how the price has dropped over time.

Hearing that a new MacBook Air could release in late 2012 is pretty interesting, especially considering its supposed to come with a new lower price, which is always welcomed when you think how much we paid for our first MacBook Air with SSD (around £1,800 in the UK). Prices have dropped a lot since Apple made the SSD standard and not an option as it was when we first got our hands on one.

How does a new $799 MacBook Air sound to you? This price is much cheaper than the first-gen models, and if these sources are correct it should land somewhere in the 3rd quarter of 2012. Intel is pushing ultrabooks aggressively and hopes to bring the price below $700 in the second half of this year, although some analysts believe the sales will not start to increase dramatically until the launch of Windows 8.

The top end Apple MacBook Air is currently priced at $1,599 and includes a 256GB SSD, and while we expect the rumored lower priced MacBook Air to include a smaller SSD it could still cause problems for ultrabooks.

Would you rather a new $799 MacBook Air than an ultrabook at the same price?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2012/05/08/new-lower-price-for-macbook-air-in-late-2012/feed/ 0 Talk of new 2012 MacBook Air screen size http://www.product-reviews.net/2012/03/01/talk-of-new-2012-macbook-air-screen-size/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=talk-of-new-2012-macbook-air-screen-size http://www.product-reviews.net/2012/03/01/talk-of-new-2012-macbook-air-screen-size/#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:36:53 +0000 Gary Johnson http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=149260 Earlier this week all the attention turned to the announcement of next week’s iPad 3 event, but as always with Apple we get a constant stream of rumors regarding the company’s other product lines. Only yesterday we told you about a possible MacBook Pro redesign coming shortly, which was followed by talk of a mini iPad 3. Now we have news of a new MacBook Air screen size may be on the cards.

It is thought the new 2012 range of MacBook Air’s could be arriving pretty soon, and may come shortly after the release of the iPad 3. Now according to an article on DigiTimes a new 14-inch MacBook Air may be introduced to meet the huge demand in the Asian market.

Industry reports have suggested that Apple is looking to make a big push into grabbing a share of the lucrative Asian PC market. It is this region that makes up the biggest amount of PC sales, along with ranking number one for Apple’s iPhone range.

Consumers in the region are said to love the 14-inch screen size and if Apple is bringing out a MacBook Air of that size, production is likely to be already underway if there is to be a release shortly after the iPad 3 is launched.

Many industry analysts believe such a move is in response to the upcoming threat that will be offered by the upcoming Windows 8 operating system. This is thought to coincide with the next generation of Ultrabooks, which is thought to pose a serious threat to Apple’s market share.

But in Apple’s favor will be the upcoming release of the next Mac operating system OS X Mountain Lion, which will bring the iOS experience even closer to that of the Mac. Would you purchase a 14-inch MacBook Air?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2012/03/01/talk-of-new-2012-macbook-air-screen-size/feed/ 0 New 2012 Macbook Pro, Macbook Air expected to release in May http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/12/07/new-2012-macbook-pro-macbook-air-expected-to-release-in-may/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-2012-macbook-pro-macbook-air-expected-to-release-in-may http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/12/07/new-2012-macbook-pro-macbook-air-expected-to-release-in-may/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:53:16 +0000 Alan Ng http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=146113 If you are looking to pick up a new Macbook Pro or Macbook Air computer from Apple next year, you’ll be interested to know that we now have an update on when the new upgraded models are scheduled to arrive.

Previous reports highlighted a release for both devices sometime during March 2012, but a fresh article published by Apple Insider cites leaked information from Intel that the new models could be arriving during May of next year instead.

The leaked information from Intel comes in the form of a 2012 roadmap obtained by VR-Zone, which claims that the new Macbook Pro and Macbook Air models will both be upgraded with new Intel Ivy Bridge processors, which will replace the Sandy Bridge chips which feature in current models.

One potential configuration option for the new Macbook Pro could see the device fitted with a 2.9GHz quad-core Core i7-3920XM processor, which would come equipped with Intel’s new HD Graphics 4000 architecture. For the Macbook Air models, consumers could be given processor options which include Intel’s new i7-3820QM and i7-3720QM chips.

Additional information over at Apple Insider reports that Apple may decide to return to NVIDIA graphics for their next Macbook Pro and Macbook Air models. If true, this will allow the new models to run high-end PC games with a decent level of performance, so it will be a welcome move if Apple decides to press forward.

One thing that isn’t likely to change with the new models is price though, as you can expect to see Apple’s new models some in at the same price as current models – a good thing obviously, since prices on Apple’s store now are not exactly cheap.

How interested are you in picking up a new Macbook Pro or Macbook Air next year? Does the thought of an upgrade to brand new Intel Ivy Bridge processors excite you?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/12/07/new-2012-macbook-pro-macbook-air-expected-to-release-in-may/feed/ 4 2012 Macbook Air: New 15-inch rumors and price cut possibility http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/28/2012-macbook-air-new-15-inch-rumors-and-price-cut-possibility/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2012-macbook-air-new-15-inch-rumors-and-price-cut-possibility http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/28/2012-macbook-air-new-15-inch-rumors-and-price-cut-possibility/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:47:19 +0000 Alan Ng http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=145751 We have some additional information on the 2012 15-inch Macbook Air rumors to share with you now, as it is now looking very likely that Apple will add a larger 15-inch model to their popular Macbook Air lineup when previously a 13-inch was the biggest capacity available.

The latest we told you on the 15-inch Macbook Air, is that Apple are planning to release it during the first few months of 2012. A fresh report published by Digitimes has back up this information, stating that a production on a new ‘ultra-thin’ Macbook Air has already begun and that it will come with brand new hardware components, one of which is likely to be Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processors.

Another aspect of the Digitimes report also revealed that Apple may be planning to issue a price cut to existing Macbook Airs, in order to shift some of their stock before their new model arrives next year. The minimum price right now stands at $999 for the 11-inch 64GB Air, which only comes with 2GB of RAM. Another $100 slashed off that price will be welcome with consumers we feel and a price cut to current models may have a reflection of the price of Apple’s incoming 15-inch model as well, since the company usually like to release new products with the exact same price as previous models – the iPhone 4S a prime example.

Is a new 15-inch Macbook Air really top of the wish list for Apple fans though? The 13-inch Macbook Air feels great as it is, as the combination of display screen size along with the weight is perfect for many consumers. A 15-inch Macbook Air may threaten to spoil that ‘portable’ feeling that one gets with the Macbook Air, especially if the new size adds considerable weight to the Air. Then again, we’re hearing constant rumors that this new 15-inch will be ‘ultra-thin’, so perhaps Apple are spending their time making sure that their new product eliminates such fears.

If you are a current owner of a 11-inch or 13-inch Macbook Air, let us know your thoughts on the imminent arrival of a new 15-inch model. Do you think it is really needed, or are you happy with the current size that Apple offers?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/28/2012-macbook-air-new-15-inch-rumors-and-price-cut-possibility/feed/ 2 15-inch Macbook Air 2012: New release rumors and price expectations http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/21/15-inch-macbook-air-2012-new-release-rumors-and-price-expectations/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=15-inch-macbook-air-2012-new-release-rumors-and-price-expectations http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/21/15-inch-macbook-air-2012-new-release-rumors-and-price-expectations/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:38:15 +0000 Alan Ng http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=145400 We have yet more details on the rumored 15-inch Macbook Air to share with you now, as we have heard that Apple actually planned to release the 15-inch Macbook Air in 2010 when refreshing the 11 and 13-inch models, but had a change of mind at the last minute.

We recently told you about strong rumors pointing to a new Macbook Air coming out during the early stages of 2012, but new details uncovered reveals that the 15-inch Macbook Air could have arrived much sooner, had it not been for one troubling factor.

An article published by 9to5Mac explains how the decision to can the 15-inch Air for a 2010 release ultimately came down to the build quality of the hinges which hold the body and display screen together. These hinges were apparently the same hinges that featured on the 11-inch and 13-inch Macbook Air models, but Apple were having trouble getting the hinges to fully support the 15-inch Air as the hinges were having problems supporting the weight of a bigger display.

As a result, Apple apparently scrapped the idea and decided to completely redesign a new hinge for the 15-inch, a model which now seems likely to release in the first few months of 2012. Consumers have become used to the 13-inch Macbook Air being the biggest size available, so the availability of a new 15-inch will certainly make things interesting – both from a design point of view and of course financially.

Currently, the 13-inch sells for $1299 on the Apple Store, but the introduction of a 15-inch model could push the premium Air close to the $2000 mark, which would see it fall in line with the similarly-priced 15-inch Macbook Pro. Rumors are suggesting though that new Macbook Air models will be upgraded with Intel Ivy Bridge processors and even more battery life. If it comes with an even thinner design, we have a feeling that many consumers won’t mind splashing out for this.

What are your thoughts on Apple’s upcoming 15-inch Macbook Air – would you buy one if it came in around $2000 with upgraded hardware specs? We’ll inform you when we hear more details.

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/21/15-inch-macbook-air-2012-new-release-rumors-and-price-expectations/feed/ 2 New 15-inch Macbook release date clues for 2012 – Pro or Air desired? http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/15/new-15-inch-macbook-release-date-clues-for-2012-pro-or-air-desired/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-15-inch-macbook-release-date-clues-for-2012-pro-or-air-desired http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/15/new-15-inch-macbook-release-date-clues-for-2012-pro-or-air-desired/#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:50:03 +0000 Alan Ng http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=145076 We have some exciting new rumors to share for all you Apple lovers out there, as we’re hearing that Apple may drop their next major Macbook update during the early months of 2012, with a release possibly coming in March.

Those of you who currently own a Macbook Air should pay particular attention to these latest rumors as it has been claimed that Apple are planning to unleash a ‘ultra-thin’ 15-inch Macbook which could be even thinner than the Air.

The news has surfaced in a fresh report from Digitimes, as component suppliers are apparently preparing to ship parts for the unannounced device at the end of this month. One vital piece of information that hasn’t been disclosed in the article though, is whether this will be a new Macbook Pro or Macbook Air.

Considering that Apple has just given their Pro lineup a quiet refresh, we are hoping that this update will affect their Air notebooks, and consumers will have a brand new, even thinner model to consider buying by the time March 2012 comes around. This story can probably be linked to this article we wrote at the end of October which first dropped hints about Apple’s new 15-inch Macbook. There we told you about how the components for the new model were being ‘tested’, but now it seems like it has reached the shipping phase already if the new rumors are to be believed.

Since then, we have heard that Apple may even be planning to upgrade all of their existing product lineup in 2012, which obviously includes the likes of the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad aside from the Macbook Pro and Air models. If we presume that Apple are releasing a new Macbook in March though, what would you like it to be? – An ultra-thin Macbook Air or an ultra-thin Macbook Pro?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/15/new-15-inch-macbook-release-date-clues-for-2012-pro-or-air-desired/feed/ 1 Fake Macbook Air: 2012 China model for $500 may tempt you http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/01/fake-macbook-air-2012-china-model-for-500-may-tempt-you/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fake-macbook-air-2012-china-model-for-500-may-tempt-you http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/01/fake-macbook-air-2012-china-model-for-500-may-tempt-you/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:46:10 +0000 Alan Ng http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=144138 We recently informed you about a possible new update to Apple’s Macbook Air lineup sometime in 2012, but just take a look at this. China’s Shenzhen district has once again managed to come up with an Apple clone, this time with a almost perfect replica of Apple’s Macbook Air.

We told you back in June how the Apple iPad was the subject of similar clones, most notably China’s iPed which gained considerable media attention, but Shenzhen’s latest effort really takes clones to another level, and actually – it doesn’t look too bad in the whole scale of things.

Of course, we would take Apple’s official model over any fake clone any day as you simply can’t compare, but for those consumers that really can’t afford to pay $1000+ for one, this model which is available to buy at half the price may simply be too good to turn down.

China’s knockoff Macbook Air will be available to buy at somepoint in November, according to M.I.C Gadget, and it will come in at around $470 USD as well. As for the important specs, it is meant to be packing a 1.8GHz Intel Atom D525 CPU with GMA 3150 graphics, a 13.3-inch 1366×768 LED display, a 32GB SSD with 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage capacities available as well. You’ll also get 2GB of RAM which is upgradable to 4GB , two USB 2.0 ports, a SD card slot, and also a HDMI port.

Here’s the inevitable downside to the clone though – it reportedly ships with Windows XP. Although it promises a boot up time of around 18 seconds, consumers are not going to want to show this off to anyone with such an outdated OS. If it can be manually updated with OS X Lion though, that’s a different story obviously.

For those of you wondering about battery life, it’s said to offer around 3.5 hours – which is not amazing by any means, but definitely not a disaster. What are your thoughts on this clone, are any of you tempted to buy it? Since I’m close to the Shenzhen district, I’ll see if I can get hold of one for closer examination for you guys. More pictures available at M.I.C Gadget.

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/11/01/fake-macbook-air-2012-china-model-for-500-may-tempt-you/feed/ 2 New Macbook: Thinnest New Air or next-gen Pro release http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/10/31/new-15-inch-macbook-2012-thinnest-new-air-or-next-gen-pro-release/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-15-inch-macbook-2012-thinnest-new-air-or-next-gen-pro-release http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/10/31/new-15-inch-macbook-2012-thinnest-new-air-or-next-gen-pro-release/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:06:46 +0000 Alan Ng http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=144046 Following on from Apple’s recent Macbook Pro hardware upgrade, we have some information that should excite Macbook Air fans. Fresh rumors are circulating that Apple is planning to introduce a brand new ‘ultra-thin’ 15-inch Macbook, which could be the thinnest Macbook the company has ever made.

Owners of current Macbook Air models will know just how thin the notebook is, and to think that this could get even thinner is nothing short of mouth-watering. According to a report by Apple Insider though, this new 15-inch Macbook may not be categorized as an ‘Air’ model.

Instead, information cited from Macotakara reveals that this new 15-inch could even be a ‘next generation’ Macbook Pro model, and could go on sale at somepoint next year. Apple are reportedly in testing phases for the new model and have just finished testing LCD components for the device.

If you purchased a new Macbook Pro model over the last few days, you’ll know that new models now come with faster Intel Sandy Bridge processors as well as much more storage space and also a better AMD Radeon graphics card if you pick up the premium 15-inch and 17-inch models of the Macbook Pro. If Apple finalize this new 15-inch Macbook for release in 2012, it could well come equipped with Intel’s new Ivy bridge processor which apparently offers a 20% increase in CPU performance – Sandy Bridges are said to offer a 17% CPU increase in performance.

Another note of interest for Mac fans is that this new 15-inch model is set to come without a DVD disc drive, just like Apple’s Macbook Air models. Regardless of whether this is a new Macbook Pro or Macbook Air, we’re excited to hear more details on this new model. Give us your thoughts on this – are you surprised that Apple may go even thinner than the Macbook Air?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/10/31/new-15-inch-macbook-2012-thinnest-new-air-or-next-gen-pro-release/feed/ 0 Ultrabook producers keep shipments low in battle with MacBook Air http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/09/06/ultrabook-producers-keep-shipments-low-in-battle-with-macbook-air/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ultrabook-producers-keep-shipments-low-in-battle-with-macbook-air http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/09/06/ultrabook-producers-keep-shipments-low-in-battle-with-macbook-air/#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:38:44 +0000 Gary Johnson http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=140112 In the thin laptop market the MacBook Air is probably the market leader, but there are alternatives in the pipeline or already released. Today we have news that ultrabook producers are to keep shipments low to start with in the battle with the MacBook Air.

According to an article on Electronista the first batch of ultrabooks are set to be purposely kept low so companies can test the market. Units such as the Acer Aspire S3, Lenovo IdeaPad U300s and Toshiba Portege Z830 could have production runs of fewer than 50,000 for the first batch.

The companies want to see if there is a market for the ultra portable laptops outside of what Apple has to offer consumers. This follows their experiences they had with Consumer Ultra Low Voltage notebooks in 2010. They are looking to avoid a repeat performance that saw the likes of Acer with its TimelineX, which tried to bridge the gap between netbooks and full size notebooks.

These devices were often not much faster than netbooks as they were equipped with lack luster processors, but were still priced at a premium rate because of their chips and screen size. There is believed to be another ultrabook related meeting being held by Intel on the 14th of this month.

The meeting is thought to look at ways to overcome technical limits that Windows PC makers are facing, and to try and persuade more manufacturers to embrace the idea. Companies had previously complained they could not use cheaper components, and weren’t used to some of the design idea’s that Apple used.

These included the likes of solid state drives, metal bodies, and better battery techniques. There are some who believe the ultrabook is the final chance to push Windows notebook sales that have mainly struggled. The current financial climate around the world could affect Intel’s plans for ultrabooks by up to forty percent by the end of next year.

Analysts also point to the fact that many consumers are shunning notebooks for the likes of the iPad now, which further hits the ultrabook market. Do you think there is a market outside of the MacBook Air for ultra slim notebooks? Or do think that tablet PCs will take over?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/09/06/ultrabook-producers-keep-shipments-low-in-battle-with-macbook-air/feed/ 0 15-inch Air-like MacBook Pro, early Christmas release http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/07/26/15-inch-air-like-macbook-pro-early-christmas-release/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=15-inch-air-like-macbook-pro-early-christmas-release http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/07/26/15-inch-air-like-macbook-pro-early-christmas-release/#comments Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:43:51 +0000 Peter Chubb http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=137712 Before this years MacBook Pro refresh was unveiled we had assumed that it would be more Air-like. What we mean by this is that it should have had an ultra-thin design. Do not give up on the idea of a thinner lighter Pro, as Apple could still release one in time for the Christmas rush in both 15-inch and 17-inch. We can already see that Apple wants to make their devices smaller, you only have to look at the Mac Mini and Apple TV to realize this.

There are a number of changes that Apple will be able to make in order to make the MacBook Pro thinner, and one of the first is removing the hard drive and replacing it with an SSD instead. This is currently an optional extra, but needs to be made a standard feature. There are other changes, but there is the worry that performance will be lost.

Apple is not stupid, and will not compromise what makes the Pro so good, so will no doubt be in talks with Intel and NVIDIA to make sure that they can reduce the component size, but also keep the same performance. According to MacRumors, Apple has already started testing the 15-inch version of the thinner MacBook Pro – we just hope that they do not use those slower SSDs that they have thrown inside the new MacBook Air’s

There are no details as to the hardware and performance, but we believe that it would have to be inline with the current Pro, well apart from what we have already discussed. We do expect battery life to be increased, especially if they do shift to SSD over the standard spinning hard drive.

I currently have a 2009 MacBook Air, and was considering upgrading to the new 2011 model. However, because I work on mine all day the right decision was to go with the new 27-inch iMac. Now I do love both machines, but I find that the Air is not powerful enough and the iMac is a bit of an overkill.

Now I could have gone for the MacBook Pro, but the weight of the device was a put-off. Now if an ultra-thin Pro had been on the market, then just maybe that would have swayed my decision. Having said that, the iMac is a beautiful device and I am sure that it will come into its own over the next few months. Also I know like the fact that the iMac is just for work, and the Air is for pleasure – although I do use the Air to collect emails, as it’s much easier keeping all in one place.

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