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Anyone bought the M2 MBA & having buyer's remorse, after the M2 MBP announcement?
- Thread starter The Cockney Rebel
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I think a lot of Windows OEMs on midrange and up all have 512gb ssd standard so I agree about the storage but surface laptops just upgraded to 256gb from 128gb storage as base and I don't hear as much complaints? I would like 16gb Ram to be standard too but all these companies want to upsell as much as possible.
In a perfect world we would have 1tb ssd standard and 16gb ram standard but you can't blame Apple for giving mostly industry standard.
You have to also consider that our laptops sometimes cost less than our phones. My 4 month old Lenovo 7i with 12th gen i7 and 16gb ram with 512gb ssd 2.5k touchscreen and all aluminum build cast me $549 from BestBuy on saleand my on sale new Pixel 7 Pro cost me $749. Lol
Cost on electronics is crazy but I understand trying to stretch your dollar and getting the absolute most for it. If value and Pro specs are what you are looking for then the 14" M1 MBP might be the better option. If you are set on M2 then the $1999 base model should be a significantly better laptop in terms of performance over the M1 14" MBP. I would really be comparing the M1 14" to the M2 14" and not the M2 MBA in your case since it seems to fit your wants more.
But your argument comparing the M2 MBA to the M2 MBP and saying the base model M2 MBP makes more sense is not really a fair comparison based on your wants. More than likely all you would need is the M2 MBA based on your previous computer and the M1 14"MBP would as well. But whether it is worth the cost is really something you have to determine for yourself. Because if value alone were your primary concern an M1 MBA would even probably be enough and it is the best value if that is the only metric being considered.
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Somewhat true but of course that is not the only metric; I value a larger, high quality screen a lot so that factors into it as well. And is 512 SSD/16GB ram a "pro" spec? I wouldn't think so. And you know, I looked at the 14" M1 MBP when it was on sale recently at Amazon and BB for $1500 but those sales have disappeared now.
I think I have high-jacked your thread long enough but a good discussion and appreciate the comments.
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I still don’t understand this thing with the screen. Was I missing all the threads before 2021 with everyone hating their screens? Since prior to the 14/16” m1 pros, mini led didn’t exist on any MacBook and everyone always praised the screen quality.
I love the screen quality of my m2 air, it’s definitely a step up in quality from your current MacBook, do you hate its screen too? This tech spec obsession you guys have gets a little insane sometimes. To the point that you can get an m2 air for $999 with a 500 nit P3 accurate QHD screen and people are saying not good enough, boggles the mind…
Anyways, I’ve said my piece in this thread, rationale for some here doesn’t seem to exist. Enjoy
There are two things better on my very old MBP screen than the M2 MBA: size (15.25") and it has a matte finish which I prefer. Other than that the newer screens are better of course. As to mini led, well, they are here now and are superior so that is the current benchmark standard on mac laptops; don't care about prior to that.
Hell no. Fact is, the MacBook Air M2 is more than fast enough for my career as a UX Designer while the 14" MacBook Pro is significantly heavier with less battery life.
or just get the m1 pro mbp 14 for 1599. unless you really want that 20% multicore boost, wifi 6e and hdmi 2.1. even after the m2 release, the m1 mbp 14inch is the most cost effective spec for spec out of all mac line up.
Silver, 10-core GPU M2, 16 GBs of RAM, 512 GB SSD.
My 14" MacBook Pro was a silver 32-core M1 Max, 64 GBs of RAM, 1 TB SSD.
Who is looking forward to M3 MBA? So we are close to a new MacBook Air with M3 chip. It will be the first device to have 3nm if all rumors are correct.
I really like my M2 MBA but depending on what the M3 delivers I might be tempted.
As for people who have buyers remorse when a new Pro comes out they will always have buyers remorse because of the release cadence.
Personally if you like and have tons of cash to spend on the Pro's then you will always gravitate to the Pro's. Since buying my first MacBook Air with the M2 I don't think I will ever go back to a Pro. I like having the latest chip first for one thing even if it is only for a few months. But honestly I really love this form factor.
The m chips in their regular 8 core design are so fast and efficient that it changes the paradigm in terms of having a small and light laptop that is also really fast.
Apple did a great job with the new design as well. I like having more color choices than silver and space grey. I like the speakers as much flak as they have gotten. The more I have this laptop the more I appreciate the attention to detail and features. The screen is really nice and bright. The battery life is so nice as well.
If I were to go back to a Pro I would gain a few features but I would lose a lot as well. Even if all Apple does is improve the CPU/GPU for the next couple years I would be happy. I would like to see Pro Motion on the IPS screen and maybe a bit better contrast down the line and maybe some speaker improvements over time like bigger drivers but I can't think of too much.
With the rumor of the 15" M3 MBA I am also tempted. Not sure though because in terms of portability and usability the 13.6" is a pretty sweet spot. To me a 14" replacing the 13.6" might make more sense but the screen size doesn't feel cramped or too small even with my old eyes.
Yeah, I have no regrets at all about the MBA and the only thing that would tempt me is the new MBA coming down the road.
I really like my M2 MBA but depending on what the M3 delivers I might be tempted.
As for people who have buyers remorse when a new Pro comes out they will always have buyers remorse because of the release cadence.
Personally if you like and have tons of cash to spend on the Pro's then you will always gravitate to the Pro's. Since buying my first MacBook Air with the M2 I don't think I will ever go back to a Pro. I like having the latest chip first for one thing even if it is only for a few months. But honestly I really love this form factor.
The m chips in their regular 8 core design are so fast and efficient that it changes the paradigm in terms of having a small and light laptop that is also really fast.
Apple did a great job with the new design as well. I like having more color choices than silver and space grey. I like the speakers as much flak as they have gotten. The more I have this laptop the more I appreciate the attention to detail and features. The screen is really nice and bright. The battery life is so nice as well.
If I were to go back to a Pro I would gain a few features but I would lose a lot as well. Even if all Apple does is improve the CPU/GPU for the next couple years I would be happy. I would like to see Pro Motion on the IPS screen and maybe a bit better contrast down the line and maybe some speaker improvements over time like bigger drivers but I can't think of too much.
With the rumor of the 15" M3 MBA I am also tempted. Not sure though because in terms of portability and usability the 13.6" is a pretty sweet spot. To me a 14" replacing the 13.6" might make more sense but the screen size doesn't feel cramped or too small even with my old eyes.
Yeah, I have no regrets at all about the MBA and the only thing that would tempt me is the new MBA coming down the road.
Sure. I have no idea how I get by with 128 in my mac mini. I find this argument ridiculous and the price Apple is asking for SSD upgrades insane. A 2TB external SSD is like €180 and apple asks for it €920, like 5 times more. Unless you desperately need that convenience (work often on an airplane tray or other cramped spaces) or have really deep pockets, 256GB is plenty for OS and applications. Regarding the SSD speed, your apps will load 0.5s slower.
I guess some people are trying to judge how the macbook air handles use cases the computer was not designed for. It’s your portable typewriter, right? The fact that it can also edit home videos, run some music production or docker containers is a bonus. If I had to do a professional work 8 hours daily on an Apple computer I would never get an Air.
The target to beat is an increment of 18% CPU performance and 35% GPU performance compared to last generation.
This was considered a "bad" increase by parts of the community.
But according to tech youtubers, 3nm will solve everything. Even though the chip industry are waving red flags about first gen 3nm (N3) being pretty lackluster, and that historically while shrinking is important architectural overhauls usually incur a similar level of increase.
So if the M3 doesn't clear both those marks I will have such a good time annoying everyone about it
Response to Georgivelev:
Desktop storage different than laptop. I do fine w 256GB ssd boot drive on my Mac Pro because I have terabytes of storage attached. Laptop supplemental storage not as readily available in many scenarios. So a little extra headroom on the laptop is desirable often as a convenience but sometimes a necessity. Could I workaround a 256 on a laptop? Yes. Do i want to? No. As is so often the case, it is not a binary choice between full time pro use and light internet/ office use.
As for what the Air was designed for, apparently a range of uses with various upgrades to match. My only gripe is with the prices Apple charges for upgrades as you have pointed out.
Desktop storage different than laptop. I do fine w 256GB ssd boot drive on my Mac Pro because I have terabytes of storage attached. Laptop supplemental storage not as readily available in many scenarios. So a little extra headroom on the laptop is desirable often as a convenience but sometimes a necessity. Could I workaround a 256 on a laptop? Yes. Do i want to? No. As is so often the case, it is not a binary choice between full time pro use and light internet/ office use.
As for what the Air was designed for, apparently a range of uses with various upgrades to match. My only gripe is with the prices Apple charges for upgrades as you have pointed out.
I have been saying the same thing for a while. It seems like everyone is under the illusion that Intel to M1 performance gains are now the norm for each generation and anything less sucks.The target to beat is an increment of 18% CPU performance and 35% GPU performance compared to last generation.
This was considered a "bad" increase by parts of the community.
But according to tech youtubers, 3nm will solve everything. Even though the chip industry are waving red flags about first gen 3nm (N3) being pretty lackluster, and that historically while shrinking is important architectural overhauls usually incur a similar level of increase.
So if the M3 doesn't clear both those marks I will have such a good time annoying everyone about it
There are so many other areas of improvement happening than just CPU performance gains.
Every generation from M1 will be incremental. This is not a bad thing. The improvements on M2 are significant over M1 they just aren't huge. But there were so many reasons why the arm transition brought such huge gains in performance and battery life over Intel x86.
I am very happy with my M2 but I am also too much of a nerd and love having the latest tech. However with the economy as it is and inflation I may just have to tighten my belt and wait for more significant changes other than M3.
Let’s face it, most people that are criticizing the m2 air have most likely never even touched one. Just piggy backing off other people who probably haven’t used one either and spit it out as a fact because they read some benchmarks.
Considering how big of a deal these guys try to make it out to be, sure seems hard to find many threads at all of ACTUAL m2 air owners coming in and complaining about the performance of their machine. There’s a reason for that, because there isn’t one! The vast majority of owners as well are the base model config, so why isn’t our forums littered with complaints?
This MacBook Air does more than any fanless laptop ever should and it does it extremely well.
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Specs aren't everything and $1599 vs $1999 last time I checked was $400? And a base Model M2 air is $1000 less depending where you get it compared to the base 14" Pro and properly configured Pro without the binned chip is $2499 which is $900 more than a mid config air!!
Of course if value is most important in M2 series then it is hard to beat the air for $999!
Worth it is subjective and relative to use case. If you need it is worth but if you don't then it is a waste. On top of that Battery life will always be better with the air simply because there are less of the same cores and the efficiency and power cores are equally balanced. Plus the mini led screen consumes a lot of battery.
Then there is size and weight and fans. Some people like a more portable device without fans.
So it may be worth it to you but several hundred more plus tax is still a lot more money.
I love how people don't care about price. First it was for the same money you would be a fool to buy an air and now it is better specs make it a better value despite it costing hundreds more. They just flipped the previous criticism on it's head to Always claim the Pro is better.
The Pro better be ***** better for close to a thousand more!
The one thing (aside from the screen) that keeps me from buying an Air, is the limit of 24GB RAM. My old iMac 27” has 24GB RAM and uses most/or all of it daily. Even though Apple claims the system RAM etc manages usage much better, I have a hard time crediting that as true (or true for very long). Maybe the next Air will be stepped up to a max RAM of 32GB AND a 15” screen. That would be very tempting. Though the mini-LED of the Pros is beautiful (and I’m used to this from my 12.9” ipad).
Yup, the air will always have its limitations and im betting the next version will offer a 32gb ram option, just like how they bumped the m2 up to 24gb vs 16gb on them1’s. But many times, programs that demanding that need that much ram, usually need more thermal headroom from the cpu as well. So it’s a bit of striking that balance as well
Luckily for my work, I could even get buy with a base model really. As much as many people scoff at 8gb, facts are it’s fine for the majority still.
Hard to compare and Intel based Mac to M1. I bet 24gb ram would be more than you need. It is not just more RAM but the bandwidth and speed of the RAM that matters. The ddr5 RAM with 100gb/s bandwidth is pretty fast.
Just something to think about.