13" M4 MacBook Air with 32GB RAM - thinnest, lightest, powerful laptop Apple has ever released?

[Adelphos33]

Really liking my 16GB, 512GB RAM model I picked up today... But it got me thinking

People keep saying they want a thin and light, and powerful laptop, with a lot of storage. Don't we have it with the $2,199 13" MacBook Air? 32GB, 2 TB storage with the powerful M4 (which is Apple's best chip relative to the competition since the M1).

I guess the M4 Pro is only $400 more. All of these laptops are incredible. The MacBook line right now seems like the best Apple has ever made.

 

[Steve121178]

Depends on a persons computational needs. For a little extra thickness, the M4 Pro & M4 Max destroys the Air.

For most people, the MacBook Air is enough. But it can't keep up with the Pro & Max chips, but that's the point isn't it? Just get the right tool for the job.

 

[EnderTW]

MBAir doesn't have a fan, so it will throttle. The 32gb ram is also at slower speeds then the m4 pro or m4 max.

MBAir is definitely capable though, just not for sustained workloads. Which most people don't do.

 

[Arctic Moose]

I want smaller and lighter. If Apple made a MacBook running macOS with the footprint of an 11” iPad I would instantly buy it without knowing anything else about it, regardless of price. (Assuming of course that it isn’t a MacBook Edition, with a diamond-encrusted gold case.)

 

[DHagan4755]

I want smaller and lighter. If Apple made a MacBook running macOS with the footprint of an 11” iPad I would instantly buy it without knowing anything else about it, regardless of price. (Assuming of course that it isn’t a MacBook Edition, with a diamond-encrusted gold case.)

Apple has shied away from smaller devices (i.e. iPhones) but I think the renaissance of the 11-inch MacBook Air would be a huge hit. If it was in the same footprint of the old 11-inch MacBook Air, the screen would be at least 12-inches given the ginormous bezel that model had at the time.

 

[Onimusha370]

I agree the M4 MBA is a great all round product, although for me the 60hz LCD is a bit old fashioned after being spoilt by the MBP for the last few years.

I really wish Apple would bring back the 12 inch MacBook form factor. While the current Air is great as an all round laptop, it's noticeably heavier and thicker than the 12 inch laptop they released 10 years ago. Would love for them to go all in on a thinner/lighter/smaller version with a focus on efficiency, i.e. OLED, lower power M4 (A18?), maybe ditch a few ports and use some expensive new battery tech with greater density? Obviously this would be costly, but it would fill a niche a good chunk of people.

I suspect for the same reason they canned the iPhone Mini (another product with relatively low market share but is loved by its users) - we're unlikely to see it anytime soon

 

[StoneJack]

I agree the M4 MBA is a great all round product, although for me the 60hz LCD is a bit old fashioned after being spoilt by the MBP for the last few years.

I really wish Apple would bring back the 12 inch MacBook form factor. While the current Air is great as an all round laptop, it's noticeably heavier and thicker than the 12 inch laptop they released 10 years ago. Would love for them to go all in on a thinner/lighter/smaller version with a focus on efficiency, i.e. OLED, lower power M4 (A18?), maybe ditch a few ports and use some expensive new battery tech with greater density? Obviously this would be costly, but it would fill a niche a good chunk of people.

I suspect for the same reason they canned the iPhone Mini (another product with relatively low market share but is loved by its users) - we're unlikely to see it anytime soon

My Macbook Pro is even heavier, at 1.6kg I wish they reintroduced 11/12 inch but with all ports and HDMI

 

[Arctic Moose]

Apple has shied away from smaller devices (i.e. iPhones) but I think the renaissance of the 11-inch MacBook Air would be a huge hit. If it was in the same footprint of the old 11-inch MacBook Air, the screen would be at least 12-inches given the ginormous bezel that model had at the time.

The 11" MacBook Air is my second-favorite Mac after the PowerBook G4. (PowerBook Wallstreet and G4 Cube are up there too.)

Of course the G4 was heavier, thicker and had a larger footprint, but it was the first really mobile Mac (EDIT: I guess I am forgetting the PowerBook Duo, I never had anything from that line) and as a bonus it was so powerful I could use it as my only computer.

In contrast, the 11" MacBook Air was severely underpowered in several ways, and was only ever a travel computer, a peer to either the desktop computer or 15" MacBook I would primarily leave on my desk.

If I could actually use an iPad-sized Mac as my only computer that would be great, but I would be fine having a Mac Studio or MacBook Pro in addition to a truly mobile Mac.

I suspect for the same reason they canned the iPhone Mini (another product with relatively low market share but is loved by its users) - we're unlikely to see it anytime soon

The iPhone mini was a low-end product. I had both the 12 and the 13, although I would have much preferred an iPhone Pro mini.

What you are describing is a high-end product, I would hope it would do better. (I would certainly buy one!)

 

[Technerd108]

Really liking my 16GB, 512GB RAM model I picked up today... But it got me thinking

People keep saying they want a thin and light, and powerful laptop, with a lot of storage. Don't we have it with the $2,199 13" MacBook Air? 32GB, 2 TB storage with the powerful M4 (which is Apple's best chip relative to the competition since the M1).

I guess the M4 Pro is only $400 more. All of these laptops are incredible. The MacBook line right now seems like the best Apple has ever made.

I agree with you.

I also think they are a nice medium in size and durability between the lines. air with 13" and 15" and Pro at 14" and 16".

I don't think you can make better sizes than that. If you want light but still large enough to get most work done on it then the 13'6" air is really great. If form or smaller size is more important than a huge brick then the 14" is just about the sweet spot for the Pro. If you want a large screen and that is all you care about then the 15" is perfect. I would be happy with any of the following, a 13.6" air, 14" Pro, or 15" air.

I think my next MacBook will probably be a MBP 14" but we will see. I have an air and I really do love it. Sometimes we just want change but who knows, by the time I upgrade my air maybe it will have some major redesign and bigger battery?? I just wish we had a 90hz screen with a better contrast ratio. I don't care about OLED or mini led, just a good and dark LCD with higher than 60hz response time and no tearing and a little more max volume. Put those on an M6 MBA and we will talk! Lol.

 

[bluecoast]

The mba is basically the perfect notebook for most people.

Most people means:

People who don’t plug in peripherals and who just use WiFi.

people who don’t edit or export large video files or play triple a games (although I do via GeForce now).

People who have never had a 120hz screen and honestly, macOS is so well integrated with the hardware that it’s super smooth most of the time.

That the 13 inch mba with 16gb starts at $999 is incredible.

‘Most people’ probably could do with getting a 512gb SSD, but I have one and I’m struggling to fill it. So whisper it, in our era of cloud storage and cloud apps 256 gb is probably ok.