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I thought there were rumors of a faster version coming out. 75 write, 95 read isn't fast but for 1TB at $150, it would at least be a decent "built-in" drive for Photos or iTunes I think. I don't know if I'd use it for a Time Machine though. Best to have that really external, I think.
I probably wouldn’t use it for that. TM backups will be horribly slow. Also SD cards are pretty volatile compared to SSD or HDD so best to have a separate backup in case it gets corrupted down the line.
 
I won't be in the market for such a device when this is released, but am still glad to see this is happening. I like the idea of being able to get a larger screen laptop from Apple without all the horsepower that I simply no longer need. My 16" M1Pro MBP should be more than enough for my needs for at least another several years.

As far as the product line goes, I don't get why some consumers clamor for **less** choice. If a model makes no sense to you, don't buy it. Others might have a need.
 
I would get the 15" MBA! I'm still on a 2012 MBP (Intel Ivybridge based) and really need an upgrade, not because the hardware stopped working (it's still working great) but the Mac OS is a bit behind (1 or 2 versions behind?), and MS Office won't update anymore because it wants a newer version of Mac OS.

Yeah I'm a late adopter, for those keeping track I finally upgraded my iPhone 6S to the 13 last December 😅🤣 and I'm still rocking an Apple Watch 3.

And I'm old too, so my old eyes need a bigger screen, the 13" screen is just too small, and I don't want to spend that much for a 16" MBP, tbh I don't really need the Pro model anymore, the MBA is sufficiently powerful for my usage model.
 
That's really too expensive for what they're trying to do with this machine. Ideally they want the "Price of Admission" to be as close as possible to the $1,000 to $1,300 sweet spot that the other Airs and 13" Pro occupy, otherwise they're still losing out on a lot of more price sensitive customers who wouldn't consider a 16" but might be tempted by this. I'd imagine the number of potential customers tapers off precipitously the closer you get to that psychological $2,000 mark. I think it was Max Tech who did a poll and found only about 4% of their viewers (i.e. techy people) who would consider buying a computer at the price point of the 14/16" machines.

Base 256/8/8 configuration should be $1,399 max.
Mid 512/8/10 configuration $1,699.
Top 512/16/10 configuration $1,899.

That leaves the similarly equipped 512/16GB machine $100 off the 14" Pro, so might get some looking at that model, but crucially keeps the entry point within the most mass market reach it can be to maximise sales. Most people comfortable spending $1,899 probably won't mind spending $2,499 for the 16", so it's at the lower end this machine becomes viable in terms of sales.
Looking at how they priced the 14” and 16” base models:

Base 14” 8/14/512 - $1999 (binned)
Base 16” 10/16/512 - $2499 (non-binned)

14” 10/16/512 - $2299 (non-binned)

So from that you can see they added $200 to have the larger screen if you match the specs up.

-

So taking a looking at the 13” MBA in a similar light… I expect…

Base 13” 8/8/256 - $1199 (binned)
Base 15” 8/10/256 - $1499 (non-binned)

13” 8/10/256 - $1299 (non-binned)

That is adding $200 for the screen size increase, which I think is a fair expectation, adding only $100 seems too low to add for the entry 15” MBA IMO… at a push they may add $150 making the 15” $1449 at best.

All this is assuming that inflation doesn’t drive the prices even higher.
 
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Looking at how they priced the 14” and 16” base models:

Base 14” 8/14/512 - $1999 (binned)
Base 16” 10/16/512 - $2499 (non-binned)

14” 10/16/512 - $2299 (non-binned)

So from that you can see they added $200 to have the larger screen if you match the specs up.

-

So taking a looking at the 13” MBA in a similar light… I expect…

Base 13” 8/8/256 - $1199 (binned)
Base 15” 8/10/256 - $1499 (non-binned)

13” 8/10/256 - $1299 (non-binned)

That is adding $200 for the screen size increase, which I think is a fair expectation, adding only $100 seems too low to add for the entry 15” MBA IMO… at a push they may add $150 making the 15” $1449 at best.

All this is assuming that inflation doesn’t drive the prices even higher.
Sound about right.
 
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Finally. Made far too much sense. The 15" laptop market is the biggest and Apple hasn't had anything here. Office workers want something bigger than 13" but don't need the power of 16" Pro.
I love my 2017 13" Pro 16/1TB but I want more screen.

The current 14" Pro screen is slightly larger but not large enough to upgrade. The current 16" Pro gets me more screen but it's heavy and major overkill for my typical use.

A 15" M2 Air (or normal MacBook) sounds like a winner!
 
I’d love this as I fall into the category of wanting the bigger screen for comparing documents and photos side by side which I think you just can’t do with the 13 air. I’ve just been pricing up a 16 inch pro for this reason but the specs are overkill for me
It's better, but I'll tell you that even on a 16" trying to do anything side-by-side isn't great. For any real work you really need a separate monitor.
 
Looking at how they priced the 14” and 16” base models:

Base 14” 8/14/512 - $1999 (binned)
Base 16” 10/16/512 - $2499 (non-binned)

14” 10/16/512 - $2299 (non-binned)

So from that you can see they added $200 to have the larger screen if you match the specs up.

-

So taking a looking at the 13” MBA in a similar light… I expect…

Base 13” 8/8/256 - $1199 (binned)
Base 15” 8/10/256 - $1499 (non-binned)

13” 8/10/256 - $1299 (non-binned)

That is adding $200 for the screen size increase, which I think is a fair expectation, adding only $100 seems too low to add for the entry 15” MBA IMO… at a push they may add $150 making the 15” $1449 at best.

All this is assuming that inflation doesn’t drive the prices even higher.
I really don't think it's going to fly off the shelf at $1499 + tax which for me would be $1620. I want a bigger screen but not at that price. I hope the 16" Ipad is true.
 
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It's better, but I'll tell you that even on a 16" trying to do anything side-by-side isn't great. For any real work you really need a separate monitor.
I know but i suppose it’s what you get use to as well. I have a 27 inch iMac and a 15 inch MacBook Pro and I must admit I make excuses up for not working on the road because I say “I’ll do it on the big computer when I get home”

Having said that my wife has the 13 inch air and she loves it and refuses to use the iMac which I find bizarre! Each to their own as they say 😳
 
I really don't think it's going to fly off the shelf at $1499 + tax which for me would be $1620. I want a bigger screen but not at that price. I hope the 16" Ipad is true.
The problem is I don’t think Apple are really bothered if it flies off the shelf they know the majority of people who are in the market to upgrade their macs likely already have done so by now since the release of Apple silicon.

The M2 13” MBA isn’t exactly flying off the shelf at the moment, simply down to the fact the M1 Air exists which is a fantastic deal.

This is pretty much going to be priced as a decoy product to encourage people to upgrade to the 14” MBP, similarly to how the iPhone 14 Plus was priced… I know in the reports we are hearing ‘Apple is disappointed with iPhone 14 Plus sales’ etc… but in reality they are quite happy that the 14 Plus hasn’t sold well because it has encouraged the 14 Pro to fly off the shelves which ultimately earns them more $$$ per unit sold.
 
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The problem is I don’t think Apple are really bothered if it flies off the shelf they know the majority of people who are in the market to upgrade their macs likely already have done so by now since the release of Apple silicon.

The M2 13” MBA isn’t exactly flying off the shelf at the moment, simply down to the fact the M1 Air exists which is a fantastic deal.

This is pretty much going to be priced as a decoy product to encourage people to upgrade to the 14” MBP, similarly to how the iPhone 14 Plus was priced… I know in the reports we are hearing ‘Apple is disappointed with iPhone 14 Plus sales’ etc… but in reality they are quite happy that the 14 Plus hasn’t sold well because it has encouraged the 14 Pro to fly off the shelves which ultimately earns them more $$$ per unit sold.
I was at our local apple store just before Christmas and what is weirdly sad to me is that I was the only one looking at the MacBook Pros. The tables for watches, iPads and iPhones were where everybody was. I was there about 45 mins and no one else was looking
 
I really don't think it's going to fly off the shelf at $1499 + tax which for me would be $1620. I want a bigger screen but not at that price. I hope the 16" Ipad is true.
If it would be in that range or less, and I got the money, I would definitely be crossing the border and going to Dover to buy it
 
The problem is I don’t think Apple are really bothered if it flies off the shelf they know the majority of people who are in the market to upgrade their macs likely already have done so by now since the release of Apple silicon.

The M2 13” MBA isn’t exactly flying off the shelf at the moment, simply down to the fact the M1 Air exists which is a fantastic deal.

This is pretty much going to be priced as a decoy product to encourage people to upgrade to the 14” MBP, similarly to how the iPhone 14 Plus was priced… I know in the reports we are hearing ‘Apple is disappointed with iPhone 14 Plus sales’ etc… but in reality they are quite happy that the 14 Plus hasn’t sold well because it has encouraged the 14 Pro to fly off the shelves which ultimately earns them more $$$ per unit sold.
Issue is that there are insane carrier trades for iPhones and financing so it's much easier to afford. I don't want 14" so I would just pass if the new Air is too much. I sure as heck can't afford 16" because it is locked behind overklil specs and pricing. I actually wish they would make a bigger screen Air at a reasonable price
 
The M2 13” MBA isn’t exactly flying off the shelf at the moment, simply down to the fact the M1 Air exists which is a fantastic deal.
What's your evidence for this? Apple said that the M2 was responsible for record Mac sales for their 2022 4th quarter.

From: Apple Reports 4Q 2022 Results
2:19 pm: 3 key items, benefitted from the launch of the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro powered by the M2 chip. Satisfy pent up demand carried forward from June quarter. As supply position improved, filled the channel. Investment in the category has attracted both upgraders and switchers.
 
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I find the M2 air to be just kind of too expensive for what it is compared to the M1 Air.

Right now a used M1 Air 512gb/16gb for like $700-$800 is quite a good deal. Even new PC laptops in that price range don't really keep up.

I just picked up a Lenovo L15 w/ the Ryzen 5675u cpu (6 cores/12 threads) for my parents and it's nice and quiet/cool, but Windows 11 still felt really laggy with it compared to my macbook. In fairness it was only 8gb/256gb and doubling those would help performance, but it still felt blah.
 
I was at our local apple store just before Christmas and what is weirdly sad to me is that I was the only one looking at the MacBook Pros. The tables for watches, iPads and iPhones were where everybody was. I was there about 45 mins and no one else was looking
The MBP is not really in the christmas gift category, though. IPads and iPhones are much more likely to be under someone’s tree.
 
What's your evidence for this? Apple said that the M2 was responsible for record Mac sales for their 2022 4th quarter.

From: Apple Reports 4Q 2022 Results
This doesn’t actually confirm anything in regards to the M2 MBA and MBP, it basically confirms that the launch of the M2 MBA and MBP were key products that increased Mac sales for the quarter.

That could just be that many have took the plunge on the M1 MBA upon release of the M2 Air due to lower prices in retailers coupled with the less attractive increased price of the M2 MBA.

I can almost guarantee the M1 Air will be selling more units every week vs the M2 Air mainly due to the fact you can pick it up for nearly £400 cheaper here in the UK over the M2 Air and the target market it’s aimed towards are going to be very price conscious, namely students etc…
 
I was at our local apple store just before Christmas and what is weirdly sad to me is that I was the only one looking at the MacBook Pros. The tables for watches, iPads and iPhones were where everybody was. I was there about 45 mins and no one else was looking
I think the issue is that Macs/computers in general are not needed these days for a large proportion of the market.

Many people who I know run solely on an iPhone and iPad (some even just an iPhone), some of these are business owners and students, the need for a PC or Mac for many users has diminished considerably since the increased capability of mobile devices.
 
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