“Apple’s MacBook Air hasn’t been updated since its last redesign in 2010. The question is, why? Granted, Apple doesn’t march to the beat of everyone else’s drum. Still, four years is a long time to wait, especially since in that time, rival laptop manufacturers have moved through several design trends, from small, efficient netbooks, to über thin ultrabooks, and now to hybrid systems that flip, pivot, or detach from their keyboard,” Joel Santo Domingo writes for PC Magazine. “So where does that leave Apple? Why would one of the most innovative technology companies in the world be glacial in redesigning one of its most iconic products? Why would it want the MacBook Air to look… dated?”
“The answer seems pretty simple. The design hasn’t changed because, frankly, it hasn’t needed to. The chassis has plenty of internal room for the system’s motherboard, Flash storage, system memory, and enough battery cells to keep the MacBook Air running well past 10 hours. The 11-inch model is the perfect size for an airline tray table, adding to its appeal for frequent flyers,” Santo Domingo writes. “Don’t be surprised if Apple takes its time before releasing a radically different design for the MacBook Air.”
“This would be par for the course for the company. Case in point: the Apple Mac Pro. The Mac Pro was updated last year, to great fanfare. But the previous iteration had its beginnings with the Apple Power Mac G5, which was a ground-breaking design in 2003. The older model had an anodized aluminum chassis, an etched Apple logo on the side panels, perforated front and back for airflow, and you couldn’t miss the iconic handles on top and bottom of the tower,” Santo Domingo writes. “After three years, Apple totally revamped the interior components, changed some of the ports, left the exterior essentially the same, and came out with the Intel-equipped Mac Pro tower in 2006. Six more years of gradual internal component improvements followed, but the design remained unchanged, because it didn’t need to change (sound familiar?).”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take:
If you don’t understand or cannot grasp how perfect Ive’s austere Power Mac G5 design really is, it would be best to just be quiet and not make a fool of yourself.
This single sheet of aluminum, folded and simply cut to reveal functional handles, and wrapped around a gloriously organized interior makes all other personal computer designs, including the Power Mac G3/G4 cases look ham-fisted.
Ive has now matured to the point where his design is simply genius. And genius is often ahead of its time, as is the case here. Pun intended. If you can’t appreciate the quality of the Power Mac G5′s industrial design right now, wait a bit; you’ll catch up sooner or later. — SteveJack, MacDailyNews, June 6, 2003
