
New MacBook Air released, pricing now starts at $999, features Magic Keyboard - Signez
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/03/new-macbook-air-has-more-to-love-and-is-now-just-999/
======
Ndymium
> the new inverted-“T” arrangement for the arrow keys makes them easier to
> find without looking down

Heh, leave it to Apple to congratulate themselves for going back to a design
that they already had earlier and that everyone else uses.

~~~
leetcrew
reminds me of my favorite post in response to the latest macbook pro keyboard
(can't remember if I saw it here or on reddit).

> When we changed the key travel from 1.0mm to 0.5mm, it was so much better
> that it became the best keyboard in the world. And now, with the change from
> 0.5mm to 1.0mm, we’ve made it even better than ever: Welcome to the world’s
> best typing experience.

~~~
JdeBP
You saw it at
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21523873](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21523873)
, no doubt. (-:

~~~
leetcrew
ty for tracking down the source. truly a great comment.

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Ingon
This looks like a decent MBA, however it feels a little bit too late.

I got rid of my MBA 2013 in 2018, in hopes to get a proper replacement, but
the unreliable keyboard and weak spec stopped me from getting one. Eventually,
I got tired of waiting. Tried linux, first at work (with System76/Pop!_OS),
then at my home laptop (Manjaro and Pop!_OS), and I don't think I'm coming
back to Apple.

Yes, linux requires some adjustments to your workflows and playflows, but I
was surprised how little. And as with everything, the more you are at it, the
easier and more natural it becomes.

The only thing I'm really missing is iOS development. However, that might be a
good thing, and if I really need to do it I've got a MBP 2012 waiting for me
in the basement (although, it will be obsolete really soon).

~~~
cooljacob204
My problem is the Apple track pad and physical form is just so hard to beat. I
could take my Macbook with me wherever I went because of how light and
slim/small it is.

If anyone has some decent alternatives which I could load up Ubuntu on I'm all
ears.

On a Desktop I would pick some flavor of Debian in an instance.

~~~
Ingon
I tried quite a few replacements, including ThinkPad X1 and LG gram. Something
felt off in all cases, until I realized that 16:10 aspect ratio for 13in
laptop was key. That frankly eliminated quite a few options. Additionally,
X1’s trackpad and Gram’s keyboard felt quite bad.

At the end, in a whim, I tried a cheap Motile 142 from walmart ($329 at the
time). 14in monitor seems to offset the aspect ratio quite well, the trackpad
and keyboard are decent. Additionally, it is Amd 3500U, which seems well
supported by the newer kernels. Upgrading with 16gb ram and NVMe ssd, also
pushed the performance and usability of the machine.

At the end, I don’t think there is an universal answer to this. But with some
experimentation, I’m pretty sure you can find a nice machine that works well
for you.

PS: Motile laptop is also 2.55 lbs, which is a great weight for that size.

~~~
vehemenz
The new XPS 13 is 16:10 and has a good trackpad, supposedly.

~~~
JohnTHaller
XPS trackpads have been pretty awesome for years. Source: Owned an XPS 13 a
couple years ago.

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JohnTHaller
For folks wondering, Magic Keyboard refers to Apple going back to scissor
switches as opposed to the super-high failure rate butterfly keyboards that
they had to extend warranties for.

Pro tip/Side note: Don't but a 2016-2019 MacBook as they have faulty
keyboards. Even with the extended warranty Apple had to offer for all of them,
when they break, Apple replaces them with another of the faulty design ones.

~~~
dmead
do you mean 2016?

~~~
JohnTHaller
Ack, yes. Fixed! Thanks

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deepaksurti
The MacMini has also been updated, from the MacBook Air newsroom article, at
the bottom of the page:

``` Mac mini Also Updated Today

Whether they are using it as a desktop computer, a music and movie storage hub
for the family, or as a code compile server for Xcode, customers love Mac
mini. The standard configurations of Mac mini now come with double the storage
capacity. The $799 configuration now comes standard with 256GB, while the
$1,099 configuration features 512GB of storage, and every Mac mini is made
from 100 percent recycled aluminum. ```

~~~
dexterdog
$300 for a 256GB storage upgrade. Apple being Apple

~~~
tonyedgecombe
There are other differences besides the storage.

~~~
leetcrew
what are they? looks like they're still using the latest intel cpus from two
years ago.

~~~
tonyedgecombe
Between the models, not compared to previous.

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aerodog
Why in this case would I buy the Macbook Pro?

    
    
                          *AIR*            *PRO*
       

$: 1300 1300

SSD(GB): 512 128

RAM(GB): 8 (3.7GHz) 8(2.1 GHz)

CPU * : i5 i5

Graphics: Intel Iris + Intel Iris +

Display: Retina w/ True Tone Retina w/ TrueTone

Touch ID: Yes Yes

Thunderbolt3 Ports: 2 2

* the Air's CPU is 30% slower but can be boosted to match the Pro's

Guys what am I missing here? Isn't the Air just a better option?

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hn_throwaway_99
Not unusual for Apple, but I still think it takes a lot of gall to go back to
the way the keyboard _used_ to work, instead of their shitty butterfly
mechanism keyboard, and call it "Magic".

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saagarjha
Apple has long had a “Magic” keyboard.

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javiercr
Magic Keyboard = scissor mechanism (what the latest MBP 16" uses).

~~~
chrisweekly
For clarity, this is the keyboard that people seem to find reasonable (vs the
years of "mbp kbds are the worst"), right?

~~~
codecamper
I love how a keyboard that works is not considered a "feature" on a Mac. My
apple IIc keyboard still working great.

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gingerlime
Hope to see a 11" one as well. I <3 my 2015 Air. It's small but simply does
everything I need. At home I plug it to a bigger screen and my Model M
keyboard and it's the perfect desktop. When I travel it easily fits in any bag
and I hardly notice it.

~~~
sooheon
Still think the 12" MacBook they had was their best design ever. Hope it makes
a spiritual comeback soon.

~~~
leggomylibro
Yeah, I've been burned by Apple's poor software many times, but I would come
back for an 11-12" laptop with more than one USB port. They were so close...

Is that too much to ask? From any OEM?

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soygul
Still massive bezels though. They could draw some inspiration from screen
implementation of huawei matebook series with nearly no bezels. Can't vouch
for their durability however.

~~~
Tepix
It's a big improvement with regards to bezels but they still have a lot of
room for further improvement.

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bluedino
Can't wait to see the benchmarks of the base model i3 vs the quad-core i5.
$999 base config having 256GB SSD is nice, $1299 for 512GB of storage isn't
too bad, either.

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anentropic
TBH I thought I would be hanging on for the forthcoming 14" MBP to replace my
trusty 2012 MBA... but this ticks all the boxes

I'll still be sad to lose the SD card slot though

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Tepix
CPU options:

\- i3 1.1Ghz dual core 4MB L3

\- i5 1.1GHz quad core 6MB L3

\- i7 1.2GHz quad core 8MB L3

any more details?

~~~
22616076
Leave it to Wikipedia to always be on the cutting edge with this stuff:

1.1 GHz 1000G1 dual-core Intel Core i3, Turbo Boost 3.2 GHz, with 4 MB
L3-cache

optional 1.1 GHz 1030G4 quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost 3.5 GHz, with 6
MB L3-cache

or

1.2 GHz 1060G7 quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost 3.8 GHz, with 8 MB
L3-cache at time of purchase

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook_Air#Technical_specific...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook_Air#Technical_specifications_3)

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elisharobinson
<start of rant>

if apple sold a licence for macos we can cut this BS and besides , i can only
see audio professionals and graphic designers getting their monies worth. I
get the argument about the "eco-system" but at what cost would you buy it
though. you get outdated hardware with STFU prices. will we ever come to a
consensus Linux distro and get rid of these idiots ( mac , windows ) .<end of
rant>

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olaf
Maximum RAM is 16 GB, that is not, what I would consider future proof for 5-6
years.

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tomp
Still no 13'' MacBook on offer with more than 16GB memory :(

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artsyca
How are they planning to produce these exactly?

~~~
Hamuko
Isn't general production ramping up in China?

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codecamper
$300 extra for 512GB drive?

16 GB max?

Pass

