Jason Snell:
If Gurman’s reports are accurate, this new model pulls the MacBook Air line away from the MacBook Pro. In fact, it returns the MacBook Air to its roots—as a product full of choices that we consider crazy at first, because they’re out of step with conventional computer design, but that will appeal to a target audience that doesn’t actually care about those de rigueur features.
We talked about this machine at length on yesterday’s show, but Jason’s article sums up my thoughts pretty squarely.
Everything about this machine screams next-gen, like the original MacBook Air, and even the MacBook Pro with Retina display. While the single USB port thing seems insane to me, I can’t write it off entirely. Apple’s always had forward-looking machines — think the 128k, iMac, etc — that have dropped things everyone at the time felt were essential.
I think this machine will come into the product line between the current MacBook Air and the MacBook Pros for that reason. Like the MacBook Pro with Retina display, I bet it will slowly push down the line, edging out the machines of today over the coming years.