u/SteveJohnson2010

I feel like I’m coming to the crossroads for the decision to upgrade my first generation MacBook Air and would really love some honest opinions and insight from the gang here, especially those who have made the 1-to-5 decision.

I bought my MBA1 in early 2020, and decided to give it a bit of future-proofing with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage (that insanely high storage specification was dictated by the fact that I have to work with a huge number of media files. I like having them all at my fingertips rather than stored in the cloud and so not always available when I need them at very short notice.)

The MBA1 still runs pretty great under Sequoia (I upgraded to the initial release of Tahoe but after about one or two weeks downgraded back to Sequoia, although I’ve heard the latest version of Tahoe is a lot better but I’m just not prepared to make the jump again.

I am so incredibly impressed that the MacBook Air l is still running pretty smoothly. After all these years. It honestly has delivered incredible value for its life!

But now I’m looking ahead to Golden Gate and greater reliance on AI and workflow, and it seems to be to make sense to presume that Apple would have all the code optimise to make best use of their current generation hardware at the time of release.

So this is making me consider an MBA5. However, given that model has already been out for awhile, I’m wondering if there is not some advantage in waiting for another six months beyond that and choosing the next generation Air, which would logically be the MacBook Air 6?

The reading I have done indicates this will move to a superior architecture, including a 2nm process which will further boost both performance and battery life. And I’ve got to say that I would love to see Apple‘s new cellular chip built into the MacBook Air so that I could just fire up an eSIM when I am travelling, although I don’t believe I’ve seen any indication of that in the rumour mill.

My concerns, however on waiting for the MBA6 are as follows:

What's the possibility that there could be some minor side effect from the new 2 nm process, which would mean a later run of machines would have to have fixed that? I really get concerned about buying because I know many people prefer to wait and not buy a first-generation Apple product out of the gate. do the experts here think that is a real risk, or do you think Apple has got everything running pretty smoothly by now when they make the transition from one day die to the next?

I've also read that the new machines are likely to cost a lot more than the current series due to the increased cost in memory and other components. Maybe it would be a bit of false economy to wait for the six and have to end up paying quite a bit more than I would today for an equally spec’ five?

Finally, and I think I already know the answer to this but would appreciate some reinforcement if that is the case - Apple having of course such a great idea of the future roadmap? What is the chance that Golden Gate with all of its AI comes out and runs beautifully on the MacBook Air 5? But that performance is then topped hugely and potentially unlocking new features with a new MacBook Air 6.

Oh, I’m probably almost certainly going to buy a new iPhone at the same time because my current iPhone is a 14 - so as you can see, I tend to hold on to my tech for quite some time so that when I do upgrade, I can get absolutely maximum bang for buck!

I realise this is a relatively lengthy post for Reddit, and I apologise in advance. I understand if anyone reading this gave up after a few paragraphs, but as you can see, I put quite a bit of thought into this and would definitely appreciate the insight of others who might perhaps find themselves in the same position over the coming months, especially when I know so many of us are still using and loving our incredibly competent and simply dlightful MacBook Air 1

“Qantas has abandoned its plans to open a dedicated first class lounge at London Heathrow. Instead, the airline will upgrade the current lounge to increase capacity and add an invitation-only premium dining room, similar to its recently-opened Auckland lounge.”

Yeah, i think we all saw this one coming!

The opening of a multibillion-dollar metro rail line to Sydney’s new international airport risks being delayed until 2028 as switching on power at stations, and other work on the troubled project, runs late amid a protracted dispute between the state government and contractors.

Confidential Sydney Metro documents reveal bureaucrats in January warned of an “elevated” risk to the 23 kilometre metro line’s latest targeted completion date of late December next year, raising the prospect of it slipping into 2028, extending the delay in opening it to about 18 months.

The officials cited an “overall sharp reduction in achievement of planned [versus] actual installation activities”, as well as delays to delivery of trains and other significant equipment such as power transformers.

The rail line was originally meant to open when passenger flights start at Western Sydney Airport in October. Monthly reviews for the rail project show target dates for turning power on at stations such as St Marys, followed by those for commissioning them, have slipped.

A review in January said progress on mechanical, electrical and plumbing work at stations was “inconsistent”, and “most problematic” at St Marys and the airport terminal station. “This has resulted in delay to forecast for critical [high-voltage] room readiness,” it said.

A stabling and maintenance facility at Orchards Hills for the fleet of new driverless trains faces delays of almost two months in switching on power, which officials concede “does not provide confidence in the overall program”.

The 23-kilometre rail line to Western Sydney Airport is set to open at least a year late.
The documents confirm delays in shipping 12 trains built by German multinational Siemens from Europe to NSW.

Under the latest timeframe, the first train to arrive in NSW “has been delayed” from May 12 to June 10, almost a month later than planned due to customer testing in Vienna.

“The remaining trains will arrive in three-week intervals, except for trains one and two, which arrive on 29 April 2027,” it says, noting that the latter are undergoing testing on tracks in Germany.

After a two-month sea voyage, the first train will arrive at Port Kembla this month before it is transported in early July to the Orchard Hills stabling yards.

The January review also cited a delay of three to four weeks to forecast construction work as installation of rail systems at stations nears. “Set alongside the delay in train delivery, this trend raises questions for Siemens’ scope,” it said.

Even before the warnings in January, a review in September advised that “ongoing delay” to powering the Orchard Hills stabling and maintenance facility raised the potential for “increased schedule risk to forecast date for completion”, which at the time was December next year.

It also said the delivery of the last metro train from Europe had been delayed by 21 weeks compared to what had been planned in February last year.

“Cathay Pacific has been forced to close its highly-regarded lounge at Manila as of today, Sunday May 31, at the reported insistence of the operator of Ninoy Aquino International Airport.”

My bedroom has a decent size built-in wardrobe but the shelving that’s in there is really poor quality, almost falling apart, and the space utilisation is so poorly considered that I just want to rip everything out and start again with PAX modules.

The actual ‘shell’ of the wardrobe is in very good condition, two sides of it are very firmly attached to the wall, and the third itself is still very solid.

Should I expect any difficulty in installing a PAX system into this space, fixing it to the existing ‘shell’? If you’ve done something like this, were there any particular tips or tricks you picked up along the way?

Thanks in advance!

Bankstown Airport would be redeveloped into a mini-city of 30,000 homes under radical plans being explored by airport operator Aware Super, which has discussed the idea with relevant governments.

The proposal would involve extending the Bankstown metro line – which is due to open later this year – by at least one stop to service the area now occupied by the airport.
The site of Bankstown Airport.Google Maps
Some senior figures in the NSW government are aware of and actively supporting the idea.

The government is looking for options for more housing density after its plan to convert the Rosehill Racecourse to a mini-city of 25,000 homes was scuttled by Australian Turf Club members last year.

The federal government, which owns the land, confirmed it was aware of the idea but played it down, stressing Bankstown Airport still plays an important role in aviation, and noting the current master plan does not allow residential development.

Two state government sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak freely, said they had seen an artist’s impression of the redeveloped site, although they would not provide the illustration, and neither would Aware Super.

Other sources outside government said they were aware of the idea, but were uncertain as to how advanced it was. No unsolicited proposal has been submitted to the state government.

Aware Super chief executive Deanne Stewart would not answer calls, but a spokeswoman did not deny the idea was being explored, and said the fund was committed to continuing the site’s development.

Even a large-scale residential project of 30,000 homes would not necessarily require the entire airport to be redeveloped. The airport’s total size exceeds 300 hectares, or five times the size of Rosehill Racecourse, which was slated for 25,000 homes under the Australian Turf Club’s now-extinguished plans.

The opening of Western Sydney Airport later this year potentially reduces the necessity of Bankstown Airport, according to proponents of the proposal, by providing an alternative location for charter flights, emergency services, flight training and the other predominant uses of Bankstown.

However, moving emergency service flights – which need to operate at a moment’s notice – to Western Sydney Airport could impact commercial and freight operation flight paths and schedules. Moving operations outside the metropolitan area would also prolong emergency response times.

“Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) could play host to a new ultra-low-cost carrier under plans by a former Ansett and Qantas executive.

Zinc Airlines, a project by Peter Kelly, who ran both Ansett’s Golden Wing Club and Qantas Frequent Flyer and helped establish Jetstar before moving into aviation consulting, is seeking to raise $200 million for what is described as a business model patterned on Ryanair.

According to Kelly, Zinc would fly between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane initially before potentially expanding to the Gold Coast, with a fleet of solely Airbus A321neo aircraft, with fares cheaper than Jetstar’s.”

Very unexpected as it’s only eight weeks since the last DSC promo ended!

This one is only for domestic and Trans-Tasman flights. Promo period ends 11 May, travel period is only from 12 May to 31 August.