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Wait what!?

M1 is $100 more than the M2...
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And I still don't understand the obsession everyone seems to have with thin-to-non-existent bezels.
Same. Until a few years ago you never heard the word "bezel" and then all at once everyone started losing their **** about them. Well, this is what we get.
 
Same. Until a few years ago you never heard the word "bezel" and then all at once everyone started losing their **** about them. Well, this is what we get.
In a laptop, small bezels ensure the largest screen with the smallest case size. for monitors, it’s purely esthetic, but for laptops it is functional.
 
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I still think that everyone fawning over a computer with a notch in its display has severe Stockholm Syndrome.

Sure, the M2 is nice and the MBPs are incredibly solid - but Apple needs to shrink the camera tech or give us a top bezel. And I still don't understand the obsession everyone seems to have with thin-to-non-existent bezels. :rolleyes:
I don't believe you. You honestly can't understand why people would want thin-to-non-existent bezels? That people would welcome an increase in usable screen space if only a small portion of their menu bar is blocked? The part that is always empty in the middle of the display? This is what mine looks like right now:

Screenshot 2023-10-23 at 3.40.09 PM.png


Please note the GIANT GAPING GAP in the middle, LMAO.

And that this is such a significant issue that your insinuation with the Stockholm Syndrome line indicates that we would be better off using a PC over a Mac? Just for this one small thing? Negating every other benefit of MacOS, which we have used for ages and love and adore? To break the continuity ecosystem we have with our iPhone and Apple Watch and iPad over a notch? Once again, pardon me while I LMAO.

I don't believe you at all. Not one bit.
 
In a laptop, small bezels ensure the largest screen with the smallest case size. for monitors, it’s purely esthetic, but for laptops it is functional.
I get it, but it still feels like a very weird way to go about it given the obsessive attention to aesthetics that Apple usually applies. I think the Dynamic Island was a stroke of genius and makes the cutout on iPhones a lot more palatable, but IMO it looks pretty weird on a Mac. Whatever, this is obviously highly subjective and I get that a lot of people aren't bothered by it. Hopefully in a few years the technology will move along and the camera can get smaller or behind the screen or something.
 
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Oh no! Imagine how much money they would lose for each computer they sold with those specs!
The reality of raising the base specs is that the price would go up and it would effectively be a mandatory upgrade that not every user needs.
 
You can definitely get an M1 Air a quite a bit cheaper than that, but still that's funny.
BB had the M1 for $749 last month.

I bought the M2 last month when it was last at $899 in the BB sale, and had it shipped to my friends in Florida as I’m visiting them from the UK on Friday for a holiday. I can’t wait to get it as I sold my 2 year old M1 for £650 a few weeks ago, so it‘s only costing me £120 to change.
 
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My take: look at that pic. Imagine grabbing hold of the visible part of the screen and sliding it down, thickening the bezel at the top to wash out the notch while thinning the fattest bezel at the bottom. Leave left & right bezel as is. In this scenario, no need breaking physics laws or sacrificing quality of camera at the top.

The aesthetic framing would basically "balance" the thickness of top & bottom bezels. I think this would look great and eliminate the notch... without subbing in the island.

Else, now that there is "continuity camera", maybe eject the camera & notch and use the far superior camera on iDevices. I would say "pass through the camera-less savings to us consumers" but even I know the hilarity in that idea.
If they tried to sell a laptop without a built in video camera in 2023 there would be blood on the streets. The "continuity camera" is a nice proof of concept idea that less than 1% of Mac users will incorporate into their lives and workflow.

I am on team "beselz are fine" though. But I also don't care if there is a notch either. On my phone, with very limited screen real estate, the notch occasionally got in the way. On a 13 inch screen, there is no issue with the notch.
 
I still think that everyone fawning over a computer with a notch in its display has severe Stockholm Syndrome.

Sure, the M2 is nice and the MBPs are incredibly solid - but Apple needs to shrink the camera tech or give us a top bezel. And I still don't understand the obsession everyone seems to have with thin-to-non-existent bezels. :rolleyes:
I agree that people can get a little obsessed with bezels, but I owned the 2014 MBA and it had huge silver bezels. I loved that computer and the bezels weren't really that distracting. The issue was the footprint. That model had a much larger footprint that the current M2, which has a bigger display. In terms of portability, footprint is just as important as thickness. Sometimes it is difficult to get table space whilst on the go and traveling. Anyway, bezel size isn't everything, but I sure prefer the form factor of the M2 MBA to my older model.
 
I wish Apple would offer 16GB 512GB as one of the standard configurations for MacBook Air.
Unfortunately, knowing Apple, they would be more likely to shave the difference and bump the base memory up to 12 Gb and make the upgrade option 24 Gb. If they also bump the base disk space up to 512 Gb as well, I wouldn't be surprised if they also bumped the base price up by a $100 and blamed inflationary pressures. More critically will be whether they properly deal with the thermals this time around. I worry that Apple will be tempted to squeeze more performance out of the M3 rather than trying to get the TDP back down to M1 values. While not that important for the MacBook Pro, the fully enclosed MacBook Air really can't be an infinite heat sink.

ps I actually went with an educational discounted 16Gb/256Gb M1 MacBook Air last week to get the trade-in on my old 16Gb/256Gb 2017 i5 MacBook Pro in under the door as trade-in values will be revamped with the release of new hardware.

pps IMHO, a 12 Gb base model would still be suboptimal as it still leaves the user at risk of overly thrashing their SSD with swap transfers. Although, I suspect Apple will be loath to give up that much margin to go to 16 Gb. Especially as they would be pressured to change the base memory configuration for all the current hardware at the same time even before they get a M3 upgrade.
 
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Picked one up for the office today. Couldn't really pass the deal up. It is really nice I will say ..
 
Unfortunately, knowing Apple, they would be more likely to shave the difference and bump the base memory up to 12 Gb and make the upgrade option 24 Gb. If they also bump the base disk space up to 512 Gb as well, I wouldn't be surprised if they also bumped the base price up by a $100 and blamed inflationary pressures. More critically will be whether they properly deal with the thermals this time around. I worry that Apple will be tempted to squeeze more performance out of the M3 rather than trying to get the TDP back down to M1 values. While not that important for the MacBook Pro, the fully enclosed MacBook Air really can't be an infinite heat sink.
I am fine with Apple leaving the base configuration to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage if that helps maintain the price point. Although I suspect that extra 256GB storage isn't going to cost Apple a whole lot.

But Apple should offer a step up model with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, one that does not require "built to order" customization. Many vendors (Amazon, Best Buy, B&H, Costco) offer attractive deals on these standard configurations.
 
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I wish Apple would offer 16GB 512GB as one of the standard configurations for MacBook Air.
Yep. Since they don’t offer that as a stock configuration that retailers like BestBuy, Amazon and Costco can carry they have minimal if any discount from Apple or other certified dealers.
 
I still think that everyone fawning over a computer with a notch in its display has severe Stockholm Syndrome.

Sure, the M2 is nice and the MBPs are incredibly solid - but Apple needs to shrink the camera tech or give us a top bezel. And I still don't understand the obsession everyone seems to have with thin-to-non-existent bezels. :rolleyes:

Tell me you dont know what Stockholm syndrome is without telling me you dont know what Stockholm syndrome is.
 
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If Tim Cook wasn't such a greedy corporate scumbag, $899 would be the normal price of the MacBook Air. When Steve Jobs was CEO, when a new product line was launched, it would be very expensive, and then future generations of that product would be much lower in price.
 
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Seems like a good deal.
Best Buy is strange. They are selling my current laptop (2019 MOP pro 13 inch) for nearly as much as this deal q=you quoted. My computer is 4 years old. I can't believe it is still worth so much

Apple - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished MacBook Pro - 13" Display with Touch Bar - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Space Gray​

Model:GSRF MUHN2LL/A
SKU:6489774
$699.99
 
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