2010-OC-20 Apple announcements ("Back to the Mac")

[z-mac]

Here's what's new from Apple:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/20/live-from-apples-back-to-the-mac-event/?sort=newest

Most important:
OS X Lion
The MacBook Air now has an 11.6" version. This is Steve Job's netbook. (o;

[z-mac]

Notes...

The new MacBooks do *not* have a backlit keyboard nor an SD card reader.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2371183,00.asp

The RAM cannot be upgraded by the user, so better to order it with 4GB.
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/10/first-look-our-hands-on-with-the-new-11-inch-macbook-air.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

The SSD "hard disk" appears to be MLC, not the superior SLC:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=584815

[Dan Millar]

Hey zmac,

A little clarification.

The new Macs announced yesterday are MacBook Airs, not MacBooks. Both the new Airs have the same ports - Magsafe, 2-USB, MiniDisplayPort and headphones - but the 13-inch has an SD card slot.

The SSD hard drive is not a separate unit, it is integrated into the motherboard, so "checking" the drive type will yield no info. The chips have no markings other than the word Flash, so we must assume a) it's not DRAM based, and b) the controller is also integrated so MLC/SLC is a moot question. We'll have to wait until someone microscopically identifies the Flash chips, and that still won't reveal whether they are MLC or SLC. MLC can be engineered to perform just as well as SLC anyway - the benchmarks will tell the tale.

The lack of a backlit keyboard is a dealbreaker for a lot of people, according to what I was just reading over at the Apple site. Seems a bit of an oversight not to keep this feature. Not being able to upgrade the RAM seems a bit of a shame as well - so follow zmac's advice and max out the RAM - that's what I call an Apple tax!

I was hunting for a 12" powerbook, looks like its replacement has finally arrived!

Cheers, and...

Happy Mac'ing!

Dan

[Dan Millar]

Hi Again!

The teardown at iFixit has revealed that, at least in their 11" Air, the "SSD" is actually a Toshiba controller and some Toshiba MLC NAND RAM - clearly labelled on the production model, and on a daughtercard that is easily removeable/replaceable, but only with an Apple part. These can, over a SATA interface, deliver 230MBps read/180MBps. The problem is that they're MLC - MultiLayered Cell as opposed to SLC - Single Layered Cell - and that means reduced write-cycles, but more capacity in a smaller package. Only time will tell how durable/reliable these units are.

I'd still buy one...

Happy Mac'ing!

Dan

[z-mac]

Thanks for the correction, DM. I meant to say that the 13.3" MB Air has the SD and the 11.6" MB Air does not, but I was typing fast while distracted by another matter. Too much excitement. (o:

The problem is that they're MLC - MultiLayered Cell as opposed to SLC - Single Layered Cell - and that means reduced write-cycles, but more capacity in a smaller package. Only time will tell how durable/reliable these units are. I'd still buy one...

I'd buy one instead of an iPad for sure... if those were the only options.

I understand the appeal of a 11.6" notebook running OS X. I think OS X is the best commercial OS we've ever seen. Someone near and dear uses a 2.5 lb, $300 netbook running OS X *for experimental purposes* and thinks it's the perfect portable. Hard to beat the value proposition.

But the 11.6" MB Air is expensive and a little disappointing. No backlit keyboard, RAM that the user can't upgrade, an ordinary screen, and an MLC SSD at the price of $1,049.00. The thin aluminum construction is a luxury, not a necessity, for most people.

Just the other day in a local electronics shop, I saw an 11.6" AMD based laptop for $400 with 4GB RAM, more hard disk (SATA), and the same screen resolution. If I were shopping for a new notebook, and I weren't dependent on OS X, there would be no reason to pay more. The 11.6 MB Air will be fast but the limitations and price are sobering. I think Apple made a mistake -- but I suppose that a $500 11.6" MacBook would have killed sales of all the other Mac notebooks.

I would have bought one and hailed Jobs' genius. (o;

[Dan Millar]

More on SSD drives for MacBook Air...

Sandforce (http://www.photofast.tw/products/GM2_SFV1_Air.html) have released a 256GB SSD upgrade for the 11.6" MacBook Air. This means the "modified SATA" interface is public, and we'll be seeing more of these. Super-cool feature of this product - the upgrade ships with a USB 3.0 enclosure for your old drive, so nothing gets thrown away, and you can clone the old drive to the new one!

Notice this drive still uses MLC, but the Sandforce controller out-performs Apple's by 30%...

Unfortunately, unless you're wicked-good with a soldering iron, or just happen to own an industrial wave-soldering machine, RAM upgrades are not possible, but I initially thought these new SSD drives were not open to developers - I stand corrected!

Happy Mac'ing!

Dan

[z-mac]

Here's a review of the 11.6" MacBook Air. It's worth reading if you are considering buying. The reviewer mentions the lack backlighting for the keyboard, as well as other readily notable points.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2010/11/the-future-of-notebooks-ars-reviews-the-11-macbook-air.ars/

Note the reviewer's test of Adobe Flash:
"With a handful of websites loaded in Safari, Flash-based ads kept the CPU running far more than seemed necessary, and the best time I recorded with Flash installed was just 4 hours. After deleting Flash, however, the MacBook Air ran for 6:02—with the exact same set of websites reloaded in Safari, and with static ads replacing the CPU-sucking Flash versions."

[z-mac]

The SSDs for the MacBook Air are being sold separately, making an after-purchase upgrade possible.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/11/tiny-macbook-air-ssds-for-toshiba-now-available-to-anyone.ars

[Dan Millar]

Apparently, the connector on the SSD, which at first appeared to be proprietary, is not, or at least the spec is available to Apple's hardware developers.

The really odd thing is the external screws on the Airs - the ones you need to remove to access the "guts".

Reviewers have referred to them as Torx Security screws, but they're not - these screws are five-lobed and have no centre-post, and the lobes are somewhat circular(?). They appear to be custom-tooled. I hope these after-market add-ons come with tools!

Is this an attempt to keep us out of our computers? Apple did something similar with the 2009 MacBook Pro batteries, using non-standard five-pointed T6 Torx Security screws to hold the batteries in - making it difficult, but not impossible, for users to put an after-market battery in themselves. Tut-tut Apple.

Happy Mac'ing!

Dan