Could Tim Cook use the base M2 MacBook Air?

[Zazoh]

I'm sure Tim Cook's tasks could be done on the 2015 base Macbook.

But for people that *are* paying $1199 today to get an experience capable for office/CEO tasks, I expect them to want to hear that it will be fine to use up until the at least the year 2029.

Let's see how well an 8GB machine fares then.

Computers are disposable commodities. Buy one use it for a few years and upgrade. They are tools like a welder that buys welding rods, or acetylene tanks.

I swap out about every two to three years, suits me just fine. Buy a new one hand me down to one of the kids my still functioning unit and move on.

 

[fisherking]

8 GB of RAM was on the entry level Macbook in 2015. Of course it works today.

OP's point was basically that if today's base Air is good enough for the CEO of the largest company in the world then it's a good machine. And it is good. But I think the 8GB of memory on a 1200 dollar purchase is kind of eh (to be fair, all configurations are kind of eh in relation to price), and I'm hedging it won't stand the test of time very well due to that. Get back to me in 2029.

There is no better RAM management on AS compared to Intel. I don't know why people are saying that. Seems to be an urban myth floating around in forums with no real source. An 8GB Intel Macbook isn't crumbling in office tasks due to RAM today either. The 4GB air models, though...

mine was a 2016 macbook (the 2015 was sluggish as hell; ugh).

why would ram not stand the 'test of time' in relationship to the cost of a mac? how would ram know what a mac cost? and ram is better managed on silicon; look it up.

a place to start

 

[Tagbert]

mine was a 2016 macbook (the 2015 was sluggish as hell; ugh).

why would ram not stand the 'test of time' in relationship to the cost of a mac? how would ram know what a mac cost? and ram is better managed on silicon; look it up.

a place to start

I would say that better performance of AS is that it is less impacted by limited ram. probably swapping is faster on the AS machines than on the Intel machines, possibly due to faster ram connections and/or I/o. Not sure there is a different strategy for memory management but the effect is performance that is at least somewhat less dependent on the amount of ram.

 

[ozapple]

I would be at the level where I can simply hire people to get things done

I’d be above that…I’d have a butler to hire people to hire those other people.

 

[ian87w]

I’d be above that…I’d have a butler to hire people to hire those other people.

Either way. I mean that's what HR for.

 

[hans1972]

Re-read my post.

I'm saying there's a market for iPhones, Etch-a-sketches and whiteboards for CEO workflows.

8 GB laptop in 2022? Buy an iPad.

So people with light workflows shouldn't be using Macs? Apple shouldn't cater to the light workflow market for Macs?

The difference in experience is huge between an iPad and a Mac.

 

[throAU]

No: buying an 8 GB Mac in 2022 is setting yourself up to get 90% of the cost for 60% of the performance over time. If you are doing lightweight things that fit in 8 GB, an iPad will likely do a better job of it for 90% of people in that scenario, and perform better for you in 3 year's time with the iPad spec and iOS.

 

[Tagbert]

No: buying an 8 GB Mac in 2022 is setting yourself up to get 90% of the cost for 60% of the performance over time. If you are doing lightweight things that fit in 8 GB, an iPad will likely do a better job of it for 90% of people in that scenario, and perform better for you in 3 year's time with the iPad spec and iOS.

There is a big difference between the interaction model of an iPad and a Mac. If you are comfortable doing you work in an iPad that is great, but if you prefer a Mac, there is no reason why you should not get one. If you are mainly a mono-tasker who mostly works on one thing at a time, that base model will be plenty fast.

If you are doing more complicated tasks, more graphic tasks, you’ll still be able to do them but it won’t be the fastest tool to use for those kinds of tasks. If you only do those things now and then, then there is little downside. If you do those things on a daily basis, then you will want more.

Even the base M2 MBA is way faster than most of the Intel-based Macs from just a couple of years ago.

don’t make the mistake of assuming that everyone‘s needs are the same as yours.

 

[Dealmans]

Even just using iPhoto 8/256 is not fast or big enough, caters for email and web browsing/netflix.

 

[planteater]

Just as you thought this thread could not become more absurd, Tim Cook called me. He asked me to relay his thoughts on the discussion.

He indicated that he can and does get his work done on his iPhone. As much as he felt it would be best to keep quiet, the need to be said was too great, so he confessed to having assistants. They all use base 8/256 machines and love them.

Where it might get sensitive though, is, through Apple analytics he knows that 95 percent of the whiners in this thread could use 8/256 machines without having the hardware break a sweat.

Sorry guys, I’m just the messenger. But thanks Tim for clearing it up.

 

[fisherking]

Even just using iPhoto 8/256 is not fast or big enough, caters for email and web browsing/netflix.

is this your experience, or your opinion? that's an important distinction.

am on an 8/256 M2 air, and here... all is well. am thoroughly enjoying using my air, and even photos (which i assume is what you mean by 'iphoto') is working beautifully... everything is.

hope you will answer the question, and let us know if your M2 base air is having issues...

 

[throAU]

My issue isn’t so much with whether it will do the job at this point in the thread. As I said a ceo can get by with an etch a sketch.

But spending 90% of a reasonable spec mba on base is just plain dumb financially.

You’re killing the longevity of the machine which will either directly impact your long term use or kill resale when it comes time to offload.

And you aren’t saving much in terms of total BOM cost.

 

[fisherking]

My issue isn’t so much with whether it will do the job at this point in the thread. As I said a ceo can get by with an etch a sketch.

But spending 90% of a reasonable spec mba on base is just plain dumb financially.

You’re killing the longevity of the machine which will either directly impact your long term use or kill resale when it comes time to offload.

And you aren’t saving much in terms of total BOM cost.

i survived 6 years with an entry level 2016 12" macbook. if i can get six years with that, the M2 air will be a walk in the park.

i have, historically, replaced my macs about every 2-3 years, but so enjoyed the 12" macbook, i kept it for a long time. we'll see how things go, but this one's a winner 👍

 

[lowendlinux]

Still chugging along...It even runs Pixelmator Pro

 

[Dealmans]

is this your experience, or your opinion? that's an important distinction.

am on an 8/256 M2 air, and here... all is well. am thoroughly enjoying using my air, and even photos (which i assume is what you mean by 'iphoto') is working beautifully... everything is.

hope you will answer the question, and let us know if your M2 base air is having issues...

experience, returned it

 

[fisherking]

experience, returned it

how long did you have it? and what issues were you having?

 

[Dealmans]

how long did you have it? and what issues were you having?

2 weeks, slow, 256 was too small, speakers average, midnight was filthy, overpriced

 

[fisherking]

2 weeks, slow, 256 was too small, speakers average, midnight was filthy, overpriced

in what ways was it slow? and when did you decide that the SSD was 'too small'? i mean, if you ordered the 256G, isn't that what you got? and was it overpriced when you bought it, or did you determine that after living with it for 2 weeks?

also, what issues specifically did you have with the photos app?

 

[Dealmans]

when did you decide that the SSD was 'too small'? i mean, if you ordered the 256G, isn't that what you got? and was it overpriced when you bought it, or did you determine that after living with it for 2 weeks?

also, what issues specifically did you have with the photos app? and you had it for 2 weeks, or less, as the window for returns is... 2 weeks... 🤔

no point, you are just baiting me into a ban, bye.

 

[fisherking]

no point, you are just baiting me into a ban, bye.

no, i'm asking questions because i'm curious about the issues you had. i mean, my base M2 air is really fast, no issues with photos. so, can you answer the questions?

am just thinking that maybe there was a genuine issue with yours, since your experience is so different than mine...

EDIT: and... hmmm, no response... 🙄

 

[fisherking]

2 weeks, slow, 256 was too small, speakers average, midnight was filthy, overpriced

just to be clear:

you bought an M2 air with a 256GB SSD, and you knew the cost before you bought it... even though that drive is 'too small' and the air is 'overpriced'? hmmmm

what was 'slow' in your experience? and what issues did you have with Photos? (as you mentioned earlier).

the speakers are what they are; amazing, tho, considering the size. a little richer than the M1 air (and much better than my 12" macbook, of course). unsuprisingly, not as good as the 14" or 16" pro. sometimes, size matters...

midnight does get fingerprint-y if you put your fingers everywhere (so yes, there is that).

anyway, it would be much more... substantial, if the reasoning for all your ranting about the new air came from you. so...

anything?