The Loop » MacBook Air

∞ How will Apple respond to Ultrabooks? They won’t

Jim Dalrymple — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:09:46 +0000

I was reading an article on Macworld UK this morning about the flood of Ultrabooks being released at CES this year and how Apple would respond. The answer is very simple — they won’t. [...]

Dell quits netbooks

Jim Dalrymple — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:58:37 +0000

Joanna Stern:

Dell is still planning on being a lead player in the mobile laptop space and stressed that it has been spending time developing higher-end, premium laptops like the XPS 14z. Dell’s Marketing Director Alison Gardner was very clear about the strategy: “Thin and powerful is where it is at for us.”

Dell quits MP3 players. Dell quits tablets. Dell quits

∞ Permalink

∞ MacBook Air is 28% of Apple's notebook shipments

Jim Dalrymple — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 03:52:43 +0000

Daniel Eran Dilger:

Research by Morgan Stanley involving NPD figures reported by analyst Katy Huberty indicate Apple’s thin new MacBook Air models lacking an optical drive now account for more than a quarter of the company’s notebooks.

I just love my MacBook Air. It’s powerful and so light, it feels more like you’re carrying a magazine than a

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∞ iPad and Mac disruptions

Jim Dalrymple — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:43:39 +0000

Horace Dediu:

But more importantly the iPad and the Mac both outgrew the PC market. Taken as OS X vs. Windows, the growth rates were 27.7% vs. 2.5%. If iOS is included along OS X, Apple grew its “computer” shipments at a rate of 99%.

Apple has done so much right with its product line over the last decade. Companies think they can just come along and loosely copy an Apple design and ride their coattails to success, but there’s a lot more to it than

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∞ ∞ MacBook Air firmware update fixes Thunderbolt, Lion Recovery

Jim Dalrymple — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:51:55 +0000

Apple has posted MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.1. The update is specifically for “mid-2011″-era MacBook Air models equipped with Thunderbolt high-speed I/O ports.

This update includes fixes that enhance the stability of Lion Recovery from an Internet connection, and resolve issues with Apple Thunderbolt Display compatibility and Thunderbolt Target Disk Mode performance

If you’re running a different

∞ ∞ Acer says MacBook Air, iPad are 'short-term phenomena'

Jim Dalrymple — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:49:57 +0000

DigiTimes:

Acer founder Stan Shih has commented that the fads for ultrabooks and tablet PCs are both short-term phenomena and urged companies in the notebook supply chain to come out with more value-added products through innovation.

You keep telling yourself that.

Some more perspective from Jon

∞ ∞ Review: 13-inch MacBook Air

Jim Dalrymple — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:23:05 +0000

With the release of the latest 13-inch MacBook, Apple has once again reduced the number of factors users have to consider when purchasing a laptop computer.

∞ ∞ Pent up demand for MacBook Air seen boosting Apple financials

Jim Dalrymple — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:31:05 +0000

John Paczkowski:

Now, with new MacBook Airs and Mac minis on the shelves and the Mac App Store serving up one million downloads of Lion in a single day, Apple is poised to reap the benefits of what up until last week was pent-up demand for those products, particularly the MacBook Air. According to Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes, Apple’s latest ultraslim

∞ ∞ Apple's new MacBook Air packaging

Jim Dalrymple — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:59:22 +0000

I am always amazed at the detail Apple puts into the simple things with its products, like packaging. But that’s the first impression we have of the product, so it does matter. With the latest MacBook Air, Apple changed from a flip lid to a box style, where the top lifts off completely. The attention to detail just with the box is great.

∞ ∞ Apple execs discuss Lion, MacBook Air, Mac mini, Thunderbolt display

Jim Dalrymple — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:35:23 +0000

It’s been a busy day for Apple. The company released its next generation operating system, OS X Lion, and new a MacBook Air, Mac mini and Thunderbolt display. I had some time to sit down with Apple executives to talk … Continued

∞ ∞ MacBook Air gains Thunderbolt, backlit keyboard, Lion

Peter Cohen — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:35:13 +0000

Apple on Wednesday introduced new MacBook Air models with high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology, a backlit keyboard and Mac OS X Lion pre-installed. It’s available in 11 and 13-inch models starting at $999.

∞ ∞ Apple makes more from selling one Mac than HP does from seven PCs

Jim Dalrymple — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:11:20 +0000

The average selling price of a Mac increased 5.71% over the last two quarters. If we apply that growth rate to NPD’s data that says the ASP of a PC was $615 in November, then the ASP of a PC today is $650.12. Multiply that number by an 8% profit margin and HP makes $52.00 for every PC they sell.

Apple makes more money from the sale of one Mac than HP does from selling seven PCs.

Numbers like these have to scare the hell out of Apple’s competition.

∞ ∞ Hide your MacBook Air in a BookBook

Peter Cohen — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:17:16 +0000

Twelve South has introduced a new iteration of its BookBook carrying case for Mac laptops – the BookBook for MacBook Air, now available for $79.99.

∞ ∞ Apple MacBooks top all Consumer Reports laptop categories

Jim Dalrymple — Tue, 24 May 2011 23:04:43 +0000

If you were wondering how good Apple’s MacBook line of portable computers are, the answer is simple — they are the top computer every category on Consumer Reports.

Apple’s 11-inch MacBook Air scored a 62 out of 100 taking the top spot in the small laptop section. Scoring a 56, Gateway came in second while HP came in third with a 49.

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∞ ∞ Shawn Blanc on why he'll buy a 13-inch MacBook Air

Jim Dalrymple — Thu, 19 May 2011 14:28:59 +0000

Apple has a lot of good portable computers, but the choice of which one to get is a very personal decision. I like the 17-inch MacBook Pro because of its power that I use for creating music. If that kind of power intensive task isn’t necessary, you can look at something like the MacBook Air. I have an 11-inch Air and it is one of the best computers I’ve ever owned for traveling.

The 13-inch MacBook Air has everything I do need, nothing that I don’t, and even a few additional

∞ ∞ Mac sales up 27 percent in second quarter

Jim Dalrymple — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:00:05 +0000

Apple’s Mac sales are showing an incredible surge for the second fiscal quarter, according to a new report on Monday.

In a note to clients on Monday, financial analyst Gene Munster said U.S. Mac sales are up 27 percent over last year’s second quarter. Munster based his analysis on data provided by market research firm, NPD.

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∞ ∞ Apple's Mac market share grows 18.9% in first quarter

Jim Dalrymple — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:30:36 +0000

Overall PC shipments fell in the first quarter of 2011 in the United States, but Apple gained.

In fact, Apple’s market share gains were the highest among the top companies, according to a new report from market research firm, Gartner.

Apple shipped 1.25 million Macs in the first quarter of 2010 and 1.49 million in the first quarter of 2011. The company’s market share grew from 7.3 percent in 2010 to 9.3 percent in 2011.

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∞ ∞ Apple to cut 32 games, some hardware from retail stores

Jim Dalrymple — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:57:08 +0000

Apple is in the process of cutting software titles and some hardware peripherals from its retails stores to make room for other services.

∞ ∞ Traveling with an iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air

Jim Dalrymple — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:11:59 +0000

I’ve been traveling with a backpack full of electronics for more years than I care to remember, but with Apple’s recent offerings, things are getting a whole lot easier.

∞ ∞ Twelve South introduces Book Arc for MacBook Air

Peter Cohen — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:44:27 +0000

As regular readers know, The Loop doesn’t usually report on product releases unless it’s something that really captures our eye. But we figured we’d send out some love for that maker of beautiful accessories for Apple products, Twelve South, for their new BookArc for Air. It costs $39.99 and it’s available with free shipping for a limited time.