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I have a 14" M1 Pro and would jump at the chance to "downgrade" to an M2 Air 8/10/16/1.

I have a great TV so don't need the amazing HDR I've never once used. I don't scroll at 1000mph so don't notice ProMotion. I don't need the sustained performance either.

Not everybody needs the 14" M1 Pro, nor do they/we want the extra heft. I don't use my machine outside the house but also don't ever use it at a desk so having something a bit lighter/sleeker would be much more beneficial to me, even for the same price or more. Why some can't get that is beyond me.
Which begs the question: Why did you buy the 14" M1 Pro instead of the M1 MBA?
 
Yeah, but you get my point. I am not sure I get the significance of comparing benchmarks of an 8GB M2 with a 16GB M1. Again, perhaps I am missing something.
Since it's a disk benchmark one would hope that it's not influenced by the memory configuration.
 
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Doesnt matter. Point is that not everybody wants a 14” just because many think everybody wants the same things out of a laptop that they do.
Sure does. If someone claims weight and size are paramount to them yet they go out and avoid buying a system which better meets those requirements for something that doesn't then I think it's reasonable to ask why they did so.
 
It's roll-my-eyes time. Folks, sequential disk speed tests have ZERO to do with real world performance on an Air. Any computer, really, unless you are pumping hundreds of gigabytes through as part of your every-hour workflow.

Zero. Nada. Zilch.

Even assuming that many disk transfers are sequential - which they typically aren't - just think on the numbers for a moment. How often does your favorite app read a gigabyte off storage? The higher speed drive will do it in about 1/3 second, the slower one in maybe 2/3 second. Big deal.

I guarantee that I can sit 100 people down in front of two computers, one running a 500 MB/s SATA drive, and one running a 6000+ MB/s PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive, and 99 of them won't be able to identify which is which in ordinary usage. In fact, I think there's a gamer video out there of someone doing exactly that.
 
Narrator, "not literally".
  • Worse battery life
  • Less portable
  • Cooling fan noise
  • Much more expensive to get greater than 16 GB RAM
If those things don't matter to you and you want an HDR miniLED display and more horsepower, then good for you. Those things don't matter much to me but the above list certainly does. The value proposition is just fine. I'm waiting for my $2099 M2 MacBook Air and never even contemplated the 14" M1 MacBook Pro.
- slightly less battery life, but still an all day battery life that easily lasts through a full workday and then some
- no issues with portability at all and I carry it back and forth every day - I’m a female, 5”4 and 135lbs. If .7lbs is an issue for you, you have bigger problems
- have had the MBP 14” for 6 months, and have not heard the fan once
- “Much more expensive to get greater than 16 GB RAM” - same case on the M2 MBA - I see this as a moot point

Totally fine if the M2 MBA suits your needs better than the M1 14” Pro, but your points are misleading
 
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M1 512GB vs M2 512GB from what I am seeing in the video. Not sure about the ram.

View attachment 2033210

You paused the video when the test just started, which leads to misleading read numbers for M1.

Screen Shot 2022-07-23 at 1.35.14 PM (2).png
 
From the article: "It remains true that the peak temperatures of the M2 chip in both the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air can exceed the peak temperatures of the M1 chip during sustained workloads, including large photo and video export jobs. The M2 Air's thermal throttling can occasionally slow it down enough to make it no faster than the M1 Air it replaces, though this is something many users will never encounter in their day-to-day use."

Translation = Throttling, like the M1 does, is really no big deal with the M2. Your gotcha post isn't really a gotcha post. Ars Tech had to amend their story because they didn't get their facts right.
 
standard response from air 2 owners
You went looking for a hit piece to post about the M2 and you failed. If you had bothered to read the article you posted, you would have seen Ars tech said the same thing I just did.

You had an M2 and returned it, which is fine. What is the point of spending your time trying to bash the M2 every chance you get? Valid criticism is fine. I welcome that. Trying to post stuff you think is bad about the M2 when it isn't, is a different story. You should read the articles before posting the link. It would save embarrassment.
 
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You went looking for a hit piece to post about the M2 and you failed. If you had bothered to read the article you posted, you would have seen Ars tech said the same thing I just did.

You had an M2 and returned it, which is fine. What is the point of spending your time trying to bash the M2 every chance you get? Valid criticism is fine. I welcome that. Trying to post stuff you think is bad about the M2 when it isn't, is a different story. You should read the articles before the link. It would save embarrassment.
I didn't go looking saw it on a Aussie forum.
 
These numbers are so close it doesn’t even matter in real world performance. The benchmark focus on these forums are absurd. The M2 is still the better machine overall, I don’t really know what the point of the witch hunt is.
 
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These numbers are so close it doesn’t even matter in real world performance. The benchmark focus on these forums are absurd. The M2 is still the better machine overall, I don’t really know what the point of the witch hunt is.

Because the 5% that care about benchmarks want hard evidence that their m2 is indeed better than m1. It’s a tug-o-war battle right now. Haven’t bought a MacBook in years. We got my step son a mba m1 for school last year. It’s fast. Still fast. MBA m2 fast too. We are just regular folks with regular use.
 
These numbers are so close it doesn’t even matter in real world performance. The benchmark focus on these forums are absurd. The M2 is still the better machine overall, I don’t really know what the point of the witch hunt is.
Possible reasons...
1) Some here like to rant and rave on Apple no matter what
2) Some here have had false expectations with the new M2 and when that didn't pan out, they feel Apple let them down. Logical fallacy chasers can never be satisfied.
3) Some here are followers of the YouTube benchmark brigade / click-baiters. And no amount of common sense or fact will deter them from continuing on with the scare tactic storyline.
4) Some here are too nerdy for their own good, as they believe benchmarks are the alpha and the omega when determining whether a machine is worthy of being talked about much less purchased. These users can easily picked out of the MR crowd as they are oft to maker pronouncement of usage ability and outcome from a machine they haven't used.
5) Some are Innocent MR bystanders who have allowed themselves to get caught up in the forum / internet fray, instead of doing their own research and seeking out possible guidance from other members who aren't posting hyperbolic drivel just to get a rise out of people etc.
6) Some here knock on the M2 because doing so helps them to justify why they don't need it. And if they don't need, others shouldn't need it either. After all, one size fits all in MR land (or does it)?
7) Some secretly want the latest Mac toys but, they can't really afford it so, they make sure everyone else knows on a regular basis just how bad the extra $200 is (depending on location it may be more). These people can be easily spotted by their rhetoric of the M12 MBA was $999 so, Apple should give us the lasted tech and design for the same price.
8) Some here just like to be bellicose.
 
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Possible reasons...
1) Some here like to rant and rave on Apple no matter what
2) Some here have had false expectations with the new M2 and when that didn't pan out, they feel Apple let them down. Logical fallacy chasers can never be satisfied.
3) Some here are followers of the YouTube benchmark brigade / click-baiters. And no amount of common sense or fact will deter them from continuing on with the scare tactic storyline.
4) Some here are too nerdy for their own good, as they believe benchmarks are the alpha and the omega when determining whether to machine is worthy of being talked about much less purchased. These users can easily picked out of the MR crowd as they are oft to maker pronouncement of usage ability and outcome from a machine they haven't used.
5) Some are Innocent MR bystanders who have allowed themselves to get caught up in the forum / internet fray, instead of doing their own research and seeking out possible guidance from other members who aren't posting hyperbolic drivel just to get a rise out of people etc.
6) Some here knock on the M2 because doing so helps them to justify why they don't need it, And if they don't need, others shouldn't need it either. After all, one size fits all in MR land (or does it)?
7) Some secretly want the latest Mac toys but, they can't really afford it so, they make sure everyone else knows on a regular basis just how bad the extra $200 is (depending on location it may be more). These people can be easily spotted by their rhetoric of the M12 MBA was $999 so, Apple should give us the lasted tech and design for the same price.
8) Some here just like to be bellicose.
Accurate.

The reality is the tangible differences people will see from M1 to M2 are not 200 points on a write speed, but the much improved display, the better feeling and improved keyboard, the sleeker design, the improved webcam, MagSafe with fast charging not plugging up 1 of 2 thunderbolt ports. The ability to upgrade to 24GB RAM. There are quality of life improvements here that M2 Air haters are ignoring….for a 200 point write speed. Performance wise the M1 and M2 air are similar but that’s it.
 
Or some for their $1900AUD bucks for a base 8/256 want something as faster or faster than a 2 year old air 8/256 at $1500, not too much too ask, but some are just happy to take whatever apple throws at them.

Wonder if those buying a 14 max will be happy if it's same as a 12 max

More than 200
 
Accurate.

The reality is the tangible differences people will see from M1 to M2 are not 200 points on a write speed, but the much improved display, the better feeling keyboard, the sleeker design, the improved webcam, MagSafe with fast charging not plugging up 1 of 2 thunderbolt ports. There are quality of life improvements here that M2 Air haters are ignoring….for a 200 point write speed. Performance wise the M1 and M2 air are similar but that’s it.
That is true. There are also many M1 MBA owners here who will tell others not to get the M2 because the M1 should suffice. The M1 MBA is a great machine. I have enjoyed mine the last 1.5+ years. However, the M2 offers somethings I liked and now I have two MBA's side by side. lol Universal Control is very nice this way.
 
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