MacBook Air & Intel Montevino

I would like to briefly revisit two of my previous posts on the MacBook Air and Intel’s upcoming Montevino platform with some new insights

First, besides the MacBook Air’s limiting specs, it is a first generation product that typically comes with its own issues that will need to be worked out. One of the very important issues being exhibited by the MBA is taking an extreme amount of time to recharge its battery. Obviously, this flaw would certainly hamper its performance as a mobile computer and could have a verity of sources. The battery could be at issue, maybe the power adapter isn’t powerful enough, maybe voltages were cut to reduce heat, etc. We don’t know for sure. However, the one thing that is certain is such an issue is unacceptable and must be fixed by Apple in future revisions. Additionally, may have reported that with extended use or CPU-intensive applications, the MBA get s hot (real hot) and to reduce heat, the system automatically shuts down a CPU core, thereby cutting the already mediocre processor performance in half. Again, if I’m already settling on a lower-specked processor, I want to use all of the processor’s capabilities. Such a performance/heat dissipation issue will also have to be fixed in future revisions.

One such fix for heat dissipation would be a lower voltage processor, and as reported earlier this week by Digitimes, such processors are on the way as part of Intel’s Montevino platform due to launch in May. A leak of processor clock/voltage/pricing allowed us to take a look at what very well could be at the heart of the next MacBook Air refresh. The two most likely candidates for the Air run at 1.6 GHz and 1.86 GHz (the same as current Air possessors), yet reduces voltage from 20 to 17. Such a reduction (albeit slight) would help both with battery life, as well as heat dissipation. While the processor clock would be essentially the same, performance increases would be seen by way of an increased front side bus, larger caches, and an improved Intel graphics processor. The unfortunate news, however, is that the higher-clocked processors (those above 2 GHz) will be coming in at a voltage of 25 (down from today’s 35), so while a clock-speed increase is not out of the question for the Air, it seems rather unlikely. So, it unfortunately seems that the Air may be stuck at 1.6/1.8 GHz for the foreseeable future. So, while the Montevino platform should bring its own improvements and upgrades to the Air, Apple could and should refine the machine on its own by switching to a SATA bus (and faster hard drives), adding a 2nd USB port, a stereo speaker, and maybe a gigabit Ethernet port. Such enhancement would be greatly welcomed by critics and users alike, and would effectively solve my issues with the machine.

Furthermore, it was reported earlier this week by a Japanese engineering firm that the MacBook Air’s internal build quality is greatly lacking, leaving a lot of room for design improvements by Apple. Additionally, such build inefficiencies could also indicate Apple rushed the Air to market, and didn’t have time to refine its manufacturing process. The report mentions an excess of screws. As we all know, screws add weight (sometimes unnecessary weight) to the chassis. By reducing the amount of screws and improving the Air’s internal structure, quality, and manufacturing process, Apple could very well free up both weight and space, allowing it to add welcomed enhancements such as the 2nd USB port, a Mic port, an Ethernet port, and stereo speakers. Hopefully, Apple will address these issues with the next MacBook Air revision as well. Even if the processor isn’t significantly increased, if the Air gets Montevino, a 2nd USB port, and faster Hard Drive and SATA, I know I and many others would become proud new MacBook Air owners! I can only hope Apple is listening!

Some links for further reading:

• Electronista on Montevino specs
• MacBook Air Build Qualtity - "Nothing but Waste"