2 weeks of daily use, Base Midnight M2 MBA

[jdb8167]

That's fine for you, but I don't see how you can say "that is the point". Just before you were trying to make general value claims about the Geekbench scores between the M2 Air and 14" Pro, and between the binned and non-binned pro. But when I do, all of a sudden it's not about that and just about your subjective needs.

We all know this - not sure what you think you're clarifying here.


It has a media engine, not the media engine.


It seems like you were initially trying to make out that the M2 wasn't generally a lower value buy compared to the M1 MacBook Air and base model 14" Pro, but once we start to get into the reasons why those other two devices are generally better value buys, all of a sudden the goalposts change and it's just this big subjective soup where no points really matter anymore. I do get that argument, but it seems like that should have been your argument from the start.

As I said many times, if someone likes the M2 Air better, all the power to them. It's a good computer, but in every Apple lineup over the years there are generally some devices in the lineup that are considered better value for money, and some devices in the lineup that aren't. The M2 isn't very easy to recommend, and it sits in an unfortunate sandwich between two of the better value for money buys.

It's not impossible to recommend, it's just not easy to recommend. And if you look around you'll find most people share the same sentiment.

I’m not sure you understand what subjective means. Not everyone values what you value. It’s not really complicated. I’ll leave it at that.

 

[teh_hunterer]

"And if you look around you'll find most people share the same sentiment." look around... where? on this forum? on the planet?

many people buy macs because it's what they want, they're not weighing the 'value for money' over another laptop, or even another mac.

the M1 air is a great mac. the M2 air has some good improvements over the M1. both work, both are great. and people can buy what they want, without having to justify anything.

Throughout the tech community that is the general sentiment. It's really not hard to find. It doesn't automatically mean most people are right either.

I never said the M2 Air is not a good computer. I said multiple times it's a perfectly fine purchase. I just said it is one of the less bang for the buck purchases in the lineup, and difficult to recommend because of where it sits in that lineup.

 

[fisherking]

Throughout the tech community that is the general sentiment. It's really not hard to find. It doesn't automatically mean most people are right either.

I never said the M2 Air is not a good computer. I said multiple times it's a perfectly fine purchase. I just said it is one of the less bang for the buck purchases in the lineup, and difficult to recommend because of where it sits in that lineup.

most people? i would think it's not a matter of numbers, but simply that many people do what makes them happy, or are just doing what they choose to do. which i think should be ok.

also, you left out "difficult for me to recommend'...

EDIT: this is cool...

 

[teh_hunterer]

most people? i would think it's not a matter of numbers, but simply that many people do what makes them happy, or are just doing what they choose to do. which i think should be ok.

also, you left out "difficult for me to recommend'...

EDIT: this is cool...

Yes, the majority sentiment is that the M2 Air is not quite the value buy the M1 Air was. Nor does it compare that favourably from a value for money standpoint to the 14" Pro. You're perfectly entitled to disagree with that sentiment and do what you want.

I never said people shouldn't like the M2 Air, or buy the M2 Air, or that it wasn't the best fit for some people.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I’m not sure you understand what subjective means. Not everyone values what you value. It’s not really complicated. I’ll leave it at that.

You're just moving the goalposts. You seemed to take major issue with the idea that the M2 is generally lower value for money compared to the M1 Air and base model Pro, but when we started getting into the specifics of it all of a sudden you're arguing that value is subjective and people can buy what they want.

Except now I don't know who you're arguing with, because every post of mine indicated that the M2 Air is a perfectly good computer and nobody is wrong or stupid for buying it.

 

[fisherking]

Yes, the majority sentiment is that the M2 Air is not quite the value buy the M1 Air was.

and can you provide your source for this statement?

i don't understand when people think their opinion is fact simply because it's what they believe...

 

[teh_hunterer]

and can you provide your source for this statement?

i don't understand when people think their opinion is fact simply because it's what they believe...

It's really not a controversial statement. The M1 MacBook Air was widely regarded to be one of the easiest to recommend laptops ever. It was a magical combination of price point and what you got. You could throw that recommendation at pretty much anyone. The M2 Air is priced out of that sweet spot, which makes it less of an obvious choice. The extra price pushes it closer to other products in the lineup and invites some more scrutiny. Spending more to get a 512GB SSD or more RAM puts you closer to the 14" Pro, to the point where you have to ask some more questions about what you value.

I can provide some sources of overall sentiment, but I'm not about to perform some sort of statistical analysis for you or go watch 20 YouTube reviews.

 

[Warped9]

It’s a matter of perception. The M1 Air was a significant advancement over what came before and what it offered in terms of performance, battery life and price. In it’s way the M1 Air is more impressive than the M1 14 and 16 Pros because you expect crazy performance from machines costing a lot more.

The M2 Air is not a significant upgrade other than in new design for the extra $200. If it were replacing the M1 Air at the same price point then it likely would be perceived more favourably.

As it is the M1 Air is still Apple’s best bang for the buck overall. When it’s eventually discontinued then the M2 Air will then be that machine.

 

[fisherking]

It's really not a controversial statement. The M1 MacBook Air was widely regarded to be one of the easiest to recommend laptops ever. It was a magical combination of price point and what you got. You could throw that recommendation at pretty much anyone. The M2 Air is priced out of that sweet spot, which makes it less of an obvious choice. The extra price pushes it closer to other products in the lineup and invites some more scrutiny. Spending more to get a 512GB SSD or more RAM puts you closer to the 14" Pro, to the point where you have to ask some more questions about what you value.

I can provide some sources of overall sentiment, but I'm not about to perform some sort of statistical analysis for you or go watch 20 YouTube reviews.

you've proved that people have opinions. that's all. and we don't know the details of apple's pricing: re: chips. expenses of parts, manufacture. plus inflation..

apple products have always been pricey. and again, people can do what they want, regardless of what you, or i, think.

 

[teh_hunterer]

you've proved that people have opinions. that's all. and we don't know the details of apple's pricing: re: chips. expenses of parts, manufacture. plus inflation..

apple products have always been pricey. and again, people can do what they want, regardless of what you, or i, think.

Well, to be fair, I'm not trying to prove much.

You keep saying people can buy what they want - perhaps you should read my posts where I say that at the end of pretty much all of them.

 

[flyfly]

Spending more to get a 512GB SSD or more RAM puts you closer to the 14" Pro, to the point where you have to ask some more questions about what you value.

same as always, it's not only about the close price to a MBP, it's about PORTABILITY, light weight, magsafe, battery. If you care about those things you don't care if it's same price as a MBP because it gives you other features

 

[adamfozzy]

I did initially order the 16gb midnight 512gb MacBook Air m2 on launch as I had the 13 inch M1 pro but have needed more ram so been holding out for the new air. However, a week later (before the Mac had been dispatched) I got the chance to purchase a new MacBook Pro m1pro base 16 inch for £1775. I picked it up a week ago and initially had second thoughts about it due to the size and reconsidered the air again. However, a week later I'm loving it.

Yesterday I popped into the Apple store in passing to check out the Air. I am really glad I went with the pro 16 having now tried the Air. I think if I was a student moving around between lecturers etc or my job involved travelling then I would consider the air but, as others have mentioned, once you start upgrading the air m2 for performance then the base 14 inch pro is the better deal at that price point. However the air is really light so great for portability. Although, if I didn't need the performance and was only doing office apps, email etc then I think the m1 air is now the better deal at below £900 in many places. My wife has that and it flies for here teaching job, great performance, portability and battery life.

I work from home about 95% of the time and create a website and short instruction videos each week in final cut as part of my job so the 16 has been wonderful for that. I do have a monitor that I used with the 13 inch Macbook but considering selling it now as not sure it is needed with the 16. I may get a bigger phone though (possibly the new rumoured iPhone non pro 6.7) as I seem to be relying on my phone more now with the 16 inch Mac compared to my 13 inch.

On the midnight colour, I was a little underwhelmed by it really. Not sure I can put my finger on why but I just didn't look as nice in real-life as the photos. Think I would go with space grey if I was getting the new air. Anyway, there's my views on it having considered it over the last few weeks.

 

[teh_hunterer]

same as always, it's not only about the close price to a MBP, it's about PORTABILITY, light weight, magsafe, battery. If you care about those things you don't care if it's same price as a MBP because it gives you other features

Portability is a fine trade-off for most of that, but I think for the price, and considering it's the first Air with a new design since Apple silicon, it'd be a lot easier to recommend if it had a 120hz screen.

No active cooling, less CPU and GPU cores, less ports, those are expected trade-offs that I'd be fine with for portability and form factor. The lack of pro motion though at that price in 2022 puts it down a peg in my estimation.

I wish they would do a new version of the old 12" MacBook. Something like that with Apple silicon, thinner bezels, Magic Keyboard, and a pro motion display would be killer. Something with the kind of niceties you get in the pro devices in something as small as the old 12" MacBook would be wonderful.

 

[Moonlight]

I can provide some sources of overall sentiment, but I'm not about to perform some sort of statistical analysis for you or go watch 20 YouTube reviews.

Youtube knuckleheads that are desperate for views are NOT a source for overall sentiment of anything other than "Look at me!!!"

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Youtube knuckleheads that are desperate for views are NOT a source for overall sentiment of anything other than "Look at me!!!"

Additionally 2/3 of the videos are MKBHD and Dave2D has a very similar mindset as MKBHD since they are friends.

Bottom line, just like the iPhone Mini some will pay more for portability over specs and thats ok. Personally my MBP 16” is a desktop replacement and not something I would like to travel with as it’s far too expensive. An iPad or MBA is a better choice.

 

[Tagbert]

thanks but I am on a company-managed computer… i can’t wait to try it though. I appreciate the tip!

MS released the official Apple Silicon version of Teams today. Hopefully that makes a difference for you.

 

[Tagbert]

Just wondering, is the screen really larger? Isn't laptop screens measured by the diagonal? And in that case, isn't the notch being ignored? If the screens are 13.3" vs 13.6", maybe the notch takes up more than 0.3"?

The M2 MBA screen is 0.3" larger in the diagonal than the M1 MBA. That is exactly the size that allows the menubar to move up into the notch area and leaves the area below purely for app content. The effect is a screen that is slightly taller leaving more room for content.

 

[Tagbert]

• ...
  Notch is noticeable in Xcode but Xcode isn't my normal working environment so I don't anticipate any problems. People say noticing the notch goes away but it definitely was annoying in Xcode. BBEdit has a weird thing where the cursor jumps from one side of the notch to the other side. Everything else I've tried seems to let the cursor just move under the notch. Not sure why BBEdit is different.
  ...

My understanding is that this is the behavior when you hold the mouse down on the menu items and move it past the notch, that it jumps to the next menu item. That was done because it keeps the menus pulled down. This is part of the older legacy way of using of menus from when you had to hold down the mouse to navigate around on menus and released to select a menu item.

AFAIK individual apps don't control the way the menu works. that is controlled by the OS.

 

[jdb8167]

My understanding is that this is the behavior when you hold the mouse down on the menu items and move it past the notch, that it jumps to the next menu item. That was done because it keeps the menus pulled down. This is part of the older legacy way of using of menus from when you had to hold down the mouse to navigate around on menus and released to select a menu item.

AFAIK individual apps don't control the way the menu works. that is controlled by the OS.

Wow, you are correct. I wonder what it is about BBEdit that made me use it differently than everything else I tried. It wasn't the only application with a menu bar that spread past the notch. For example, Xcode also has a large menu bar.

Thanks for the info.

 

[adamfozzy]

Portability is a fine trade-off for most of that, but I think for the price, and considering it's the first Air with a new design since Apple silicon, it'd be a lot easier to recommend if it had a 120hz screen.

No active cooling, less CPU and GPU cores, less ports, those are expected trade-offs that I'd be fine with for portability and form factor. The lack of pro motion though at that price in 2022 puts it down a peg in my estimation.

I wish they would do a new version of the old 12" MacBook. Something like that with Apple silicon, thinner bezels, Magic Keyboard, and a pro motion display would be killer. Something with the kind of niceties you get in the pro devices in something as small as the old 12" MacBook would be wonderful.

Certainly. Especially when they can put pro-motion into a £700 iPad. Also agree, a 12 inch MacBook sized laptop would be great. I had the 12 inch for a few years and it was fantastic. Just ran out of power in the end for basic video editing. They should have really put the new air in at £999 and dropped the m1 air down to £849 etc.

 

[teh_hunterer]

Youtube knuckleheads that are desperate for views are NOT a source for overall sentiment of anything other than "Look at me!!!"

I could link articles and videos all day and it would never be enough if you want to ignore the reality in front of you. Their points are petty valid, which is the MBA M1 in 2020 was a far easier recommendation to make than the M2 MBA is in 2022.

The M2 is fine, but at the higher price point it is open to some more scrutiny, some less favourable comparisons to other devices, and you have to think harder about what you really value.

The M1 MBA was universally the money buy. The M2 isn't in quite the same way. Outside this thread, this is highly non-controversial. So much pushback for such a mild opinion - it's wild.

 

[rgwebb]

I could link articles and videos all day and it would never be enough if you want to ignore the reality in front of you. Their points are petty valid, which is the MBA M1 in 2020 was a far easier recommendation to make than the M2 MBA is in 2022.

The M2 is fine, but at the higher price point it is open to some more scrutiny, some less favourable comparisons to other devices, and you have to think harder about what you really value.

The M1 MBA was universally the money buy. The M2 isn't in quite the same way. Outside this thread, this is highly non-controversial. So much pushback for such a mild opinion - it's wild.

The great thing for Apple is the M1 MBA is still available at the same price and it is still a great buy at that price.

Because they lapped the market so handily in 2020, they can essentially avoid the inflationary trends really biting the customer for the moment.

 

[fisherking]

I could link articles and videos all day and it would never be enough if you want to ignore the reality in front of you. Their points are petty valid, which is the MBA M1 in 2020 was a far easier recommendation to make than the M2 MBA is in 2022.

i dunno, i think the M2 air will establish itself, and in time, it will be the air to beat. and i agree, 'their points are petty valid'....

 

[teh_hunterer]

The great thing for Apple is the M1 MBA is still available at the same price and it is still a great buy at that price.

Because they lapped the market so handily in 2020, they can essentially avoid the inflationary trends really biting the customer for the moment.

I'm only speculating, but it seems that if inflation and supply chain etc weren't going on they would have dropped the price of the M1 below its original price, and the the M2 wouldn't be quite so expensive. Probably something like:

M1 MBA - $899
M2 MBA $1099

 

[erasr]

Yeah that’s great about the M1 Air, lovely stories and everything, but the reality is that the design is now outdated and in 1-2 years you’ll regret buying it if you’re doing that now.

What’s with all the lovely ‘M1 Air is a fantastic machine…. M2 is a fantastic machine… both excellent’ stories. The M1 now looks cheap and old compared to the M2 Air.