New Mac Books on the Horizon, How should Microsoft keep up?

[Leaf81]

Let me start of that I am not a big fan of Apple's devices and do not currently use any of them on a regular basis. I am a huge fan of surface and Microsoft. I am realistic though that Apple makes good devices and is adored by the masses.

9to5 Mac reported today that Apple will make major changes to their mac book air designs in 2015 including a reduction in the number of ports, a thinner device, and a much smaller bezel. Source: Apple?s next major Mac revealed: the radically new 12-inch MacBook Air | 9to5Mac

Even as a generally non Apple person, I have to say that these mock ups of what it could realistically could be look really nice. What do you think?

Also as a big fan of Microsoft, what do you think Microsoft can do to make a better surface to compete against these new devices?

 

[heickelrrx]

Let me start of that I am not a big fan of Apple's devices and do not currently use any of them on a regular basis. I am a huge fan of surface and Microsoft. I am realistic though that Apple makes good devices and is adored by the masses.

9to5 Mac reported today that Apple will make major changes to their mac book air designs in 2015 including a reduction in the number of ports, a thinner device, and a much smaller bezel. Source: Apple?s next major Mac revealed: the radically new 12-inch MacBook Air | 9to5Mac

Even as a generally non Apple person, I have to say that these mock ups of what it could realistically could be look really nice. What do you think?

Also as a big fan of Microsoft, what do you think Microsoft can do to make a better surface to compete against these new devices?

IDK if MS really competing with mac using surface.
If they did surface surely available worldwide like their windows copy.

MS doesn't have to win with build devices like surface. By build a surface it cause lot of other OEM create windows based tablet. As MS OS isn't sticking with MS only product so I doubt mac will beat it

More windows based tablet are treat against mac machine.

 

[Jazmac]

Keep up? That suggests that before this article was published, Macbook was a bigger product than laptops running any number of flavors of Windows from XP to 8.1. That isn't the case and won't be the case in your lifetime.

 

[Leaf81]

IDK if MS really competing with mac using surface.
If they did surface surely available worldwide like their windows copy.

MS doesn't have to win with build devices like surface. By build a surface it cause lot of other OEM create windows based tablet. As MS OS isn't sticking with MS only product so I doubt mac will beat it

More windows based tablet are treat against mac machine.

I think that what Microsoft is doing with surface is to show what a great windows tablet/laptop is and can be. To do this surface must continually evolve and innovate. As the Mac book evolves and gets better, so must surface. And as surface gets better, won't it get device manufacturers to make better windows tablets/laptops to compete with Macbook? I agree Microsoft probably won't beat apple headon mac vs surface, but the Surface will continue to evolve with Mac and other windows devices. So what do you think of these new macs, and can surface, or other windows devices, use some ideas from them or make new ones to be better than them?

 

[Leaf81]

Keep up? That suggests that before this article was published, Macbook was a bigger product than laptops running any number of flavors of Windows from XP to 8.1. That isn't the case and won't be the case in your lifetime.

I can see how you could get that from my post, however that was not what I was trying to suggest. I was merely suggesting that as the Macbook moves forward with new designs and technology, surface must keep moving forward to "keep up with it." Certainly windows devices far outweigh macs in market share as you state. So what do you think of these new macs, and how can surface and other windows devices get better and compete with these new macs? Thanks for your comment.

 

[Darthbobcat]

If this were any company but Apple, people would be enraged. Why? Because of that port. USB C seems legitimately cool and futuristic, but if you buy it, you either need to buy an adapter of some sort, or you get all new USB based peripherals. I think it would have been better to slowly transition by having one USB C and one USB 3.0, just to let people keep using their old stuff.

 

[jmshub]

Build PCs with ports? Apple's fanaticism with removing things from PCs is crazy. Maybe they led the charge with removing floppy disc drives from PCs before the rest of the industry could bear to do so, and even the optical disk drive being removed from laptops didn't bother me. But I like ports. It is what gives a computer extensibility, expandability, and utility. I'm all for updating ports. I don't want a parallel port, or VGA on my next laptop, and I can live without serial ports, but I wouldn't want my next > $1000 laptop to not have several USB ports, HDMI, and ethernet.

 

[Jazmac]

I can see how you could get that from my post, however that was not what I was trying to suggest. I was merely suggesting that as the Macbook moves forward with new designs and technology, surface must keep moving forward to "keep up with it." Certainly windows devices far outweigh macs in market share as you state. So what do you think of these new macs, and how can surface and other windows devices get better and compete with these new macs? Thanks for your comment.

The Surface is ONE solution. One solution out of literally tens of thousands of solutions known and unknown (planned). A 2014 iMore story put the ratio at 19 to 1. To pit the Surface against the only bullet in the chamber from Apple, presupposes an amazing suspension of reality. I simply don't know how to you get there from here.

Now having said that, and (full disclosure ) as I make this reply from my MacBook Pro, if you want to talk about the kinds of technologies built into Yosemite vs technologies going into Windows X, there you could get a worthwhile discussion. But hardware for hardware or deployment for deployment is simply a bridge too far for me.

 

[PepperdotNet]

Still no touchscreen, no removable keyboard, even fewer ports, seems like Microsoft should have no trouble at all keeping up with this one.

 

[rockstarzzz]

Lets see the Macbook keep up first with a Yoga3 and then we worry about Microsoft. It's one of the areas Microsoft ain't playing catch up. Surface are beautiful and functional. Laptop that is my tablet. Can't say same about port less Macbook.

 

[Leaf81]

Still no touchscreen, no removable keyboard, even fewer ports, seems like Microsoft should have no trouble at all keeping up with this one.

That's what I think too. Microsoft still had an advantage with touch. And a single USB type c doesn't do anyone much good if all their peripherals use the old USB.

 

[kg4icg]

I guess you guys forgot about the announcement of the Dell XPS13 and XPS15 yesterday which in my opinion blows away a MacBook. 4k edgeless screens in a laptop with carbon fiber bodies. Touch screens to boot.

 

[Leaf81]

I guess you guys forgot about the announcement of the Dell XPS13 and XPS15 yesterday which in my opinion blows away a MacBook. 4k edgeless screens in a laptop with carbon fiber bodies. Touch screens to boot.

That xps13 basically without a bezel really looks great. I was just pointing out what the macs would look like and how Microsoft can be better than them.

 

[Jas00555]

I mean, even the Surface Pro 3 is already better or basically the same as this device, except for the price. Keep in mind that this is going to be a new Mac, not an update to one of their current models. So lets see...

Both are 12 inches
Both have high-res displays
SP3 will have Core i3-i7 while this Mac will have Core M
This Mac will have less ports, no touch screen, can't be used as a tablet.

I mean, really, all Microsoft has to do is keep pricing the same, put Broadwell in it, and they're better.

The only advantage this Mac might have is the price, which won't even be that much cheaper since USB Type-C needs similar internal connections on the motherboard (like Displayport, for example), so it'll just have less externals ports.

I suppose Microsoft could make it thinner, but its not like anyone is actually going to buy a Mac over a Surface because its 2mm thinner at the cost of all of the Surface's pros.

I also suppose the fact that it'll have USB Type-C could be considered an advantage, but its not ubiquitous (or even out) to make a difference, so I would consider that a disadvantage.

Those are my thoughts anyways.