Are you saying that Apple is correct - that the battery of the MBA lasts slightly longer than the new MBP???
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Does anyone else feel like the M1 MBA is now an even better deal?
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I think it lasts significantly longer than the MBP. Apple claims 15h for the Air and 11h for the MBP in the web browsing test.
Web browsing in safari is pretty much the lightest usage you can do.
So real life battery life of the Air seems to be 30-50% lower.
If it’s the same on the MBP you should be able to get 5.5 to 7.7h.
And that seems to be in line with what users of the new MBP have reported here in the forums.
It’s also not surprising. The new MBP has 2 instead of 4 efficiency cores. So apple traded battery for performance.
The efficiency cores use 10% of the energy of the performance cores.
When you are doing very light tasks that only use the two cores, you get decent battery life.
But when you start doing medium workflow tasks that require more than the 2 efficiency cores, you activate the performance cores and burn through the battery.
On the MBA you have 2 more efficiency cores that can do medium workflow tasks without activating the performance cores.
Full disclosure: This is not based on actual experience with the new MBPs.
I pre-ordered the new MBP within 5min of the event ending. But I cancelled my order, when I saw Apple’s battery claims, because I live in a country where I can’t return it if I don’t like it.
I did a lot of research on the battery and everyone raves about the MBA. Nobody really raved about the MBP. And a lot of people expressed disappointment.
So I ordered an Air. I wasn’t willing to trade battery life for CPU and GPU performance that I frankly don’t need.
The only thing I am missing is 32gb of ram.
It lasts significantly longer in my experience
I agree with this. I'm in the same boat and having a hard time justifying the cost of my new MBP over the Air. Sadly, I'm probably going to return my new MBP and just stick with the Air. Even a year on, it's still a great little computer!
Thinking forth an back my self on what my first MacOS device should be, for mainly a software dev use case. Java, Docker and I want to get into XCode/Swift, thus a MacOS device needed. I'm still with Windows as well, cause I need to maintain a legacy Windows application I have written. Just for fun, outside my day job etc.
Although I have placed an order for a 14" MBP 10c/16c/32G/1TB with an ETA mid December at ~ 3200 EUR, I now also have placed an order for a refurbished MBA M1 8c/8c/16G/1TB at 1599 EUR, as one was available in the apple.at refurbished shop. Although newest stuff is always more tempting, I somehow feel such a MBA M1 configuration could serve me pretty well for quite some time as my first MacOS device at half of the price of the 14". And ETA of the MBA M1 is this week Nov 17, 2021. Looking forward ...
Although I have placed an order for a 14" MBP 10c/16c/32G/1TB with an ETA mid December at ~ 3200 EUR, I now also have placed an order for a refurbished MBA M1 8c/8c/16G/1TB at 1599 EUR, as one was available in the apple.at refurbished shop. Although newest stuff is always more tempting, I somehow feel such a MBA M1 configuration could serve me pretty well for quite some time as my first MacOS device at half of the price of the 14". And ETA of the MBA M1 is this week Nov 17, 2021. Looking forward ...
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Not weird at all. That is one of the stock configurations.
I've been thinking seriously about the new MacBook Pro models, and for the past week or two have been comparing the various configurations available and watching availability. Order lead-times have been a month or more but local store is getting a few in stock and it's possible to grab one if you keep checking store inventory. I was headed towards getting a new 14" MacBook Pro, 10/16/16 with 16GB/1TB. One of the factors was that this is one of the 'base' configurations for the Pro and wouldn't require special order.
Then I came back to the MacBook Air and at some point realized that even though the 16GB/1TB is not a 'base' configuration for the Air, the stores do stock that model. It wasn't routinely available and not always in all colors, but often enough.
I thought about how the Air is roughly $800 less expensive than the Pro for the configuration I wanted - 16GB/1TB. Is it worth the extra money for MagSafe, better and slightly larger screen, speakers, etc? I knew that the performance would be more than adequate whichever I selected. I could afford the Pro, but was it really money wisely spent?
No, the Pro is not necessary for my use, heck the 12" MacBook that this will replace has been just fine since 2015. We'll be passing it down to a family member now, once we get a new MacBook, whether Air or Pro.
Yesterday I grabbed a Space Gray MacBook Air, 16GB/1TB, ordered online from closest Apple Store and then drove there and picked it up.
And the setup process now is quite nice. Used Migration Assistant to move all of the old MacBook content to the new Air, took less than an hour. Installed MacOS was not Monterey, that required a couple of iterations with Software Update, and a few restarts, but no hiccups.
Having used my 14" for a week since my original post...
If you can afford it (or rather, if you're willing to spend that much - imho if you can afford a new 16GB/1TB Air, you can stretch to a Pro if you really want to) and don't mind the slight extra bulk... 100% yes, oh my god.
The XDR display is worth 30% of the cost IMHO alone.
YMMV depending on whether or not you care about display quality but for me.... its a massive, massive step up. Go to the Apple store, look for some HDR content and try it out on a Pro, vs. an Air.
Or even fire up some HDR photos from your iPhone on the Pro vs. the Air. Its night and day.
Of course the air is still a great machine and still a bargain. But if you're on the fence, do not underestimate how gorgeous that XDR display is. If you do not plan on viewing HDR content on it then you won't notice a huge difference, but if you do watch some HDR video on it, it will ruin your tolerance for likely every other screen in your house. I didn't "get" the big deal around HDR until I played some HDR on mine.
The extra screen real estate and frame rate vs. the air is noticeable too. But the big thing is the blacker blacks and extra colour vibrance that you just can't demonstrate without seeing it in person (you can't show someone HDR on their non-HDR display over the internet
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I've been looking for months and last I checked 1TB/16GB is a custom BTO option for the air, unless that has very very recently changed. It's possible in the US they may keep floor stock of that model (as imho 500GB is just... not enough to feel comfortable for the next few years, I routinely hit 400GB used on my machine today - and I do tend to use my MacBooks as large high speed portable media from time to time on top of that), but not here where I live.
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I am sure you are right, and if my plan was to use the MacBook for video or other uses very often, I may have made a different decision. These days I generally use either my iPad Pro or iMac for watching video (seldom using our television set), so the MacBook would not have been put to that use much.Having used my 14" for a week since my original post...
If you can afford it (or rather, if you're willing to spend that much - imho if you can afford a new 16GB/1TB Air, you can stretch to a Pro if you really want to) and don't mind the slight extra bulk... 100% yes, oh my god.
The XDR display is worth 30% of the cost IMHO alone.
YMMV depending on whether or not you care about display quality but for me.... its a massive, massive step up. Go to the Apple store, look for some HDR content and try it out on a Pro, vs. an Air.
Or even fire up some HDR photos from your iPhone on the Pro vs. the Air. Its night and day.
Of course the air is still a great machine and still a bargain. But if you're on the fence, do not underestimate how gorgeous that XDR display is. If you do not plan on viewing HDR content on it then you won't notice a huge difference, but if you do watch some HDR video on it, it will ruin your tolerance for likely every other screen in your house. I didn't "get" the big deal around HDR until I played some HDR on mine.
The extra screen real estate and frame rate vs. the air is noticeable too. But the big thing is the blacker blacks and extra colour vibrance that you just can't demonstrate without seeing it in person (you can't show someone HDR on their non-HDR display over the internet
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I've been looking for months and last I checked 1TB/16GB is a custom BTO option for the air, unless that has very very recently changed. It's possible in the US they may keep floor stock of that model (as imho 500GB is just... not enough to feel comfortable for the next few years, I routinely hit 400GB used on my machine today - and I do tend to use my MacBooks as large high speed portable media from time to time on top of that), but not here where I live.
And we do have the 16GB/1TB configuration available here at Apple Stores, that is where I purchased mine with no advance order - same day online purchase and pick-up. Appears that Apple does not offer this in other countries as they do here in the U.S. And if that had been the case here, then it could have led me to get the MacBook Pro rather than wait a month to get an Air with that RAM and storage.
As I said, I was going down the path of getting a Pro and very nearly did that, until my pocketbook spoke to me! My use of the laptop is quite a bit less than most here. But I fully appreciate your points!
Like i said, the Air is still a great machine, and i'm sure you'll be happy with it!
Being eying a new Mac with Apple silicon for some time. Traded my 15" 2015 with my wife's Air 2020 Intel due to her eyesight, I started to appreciate the size and weight of it. But not the performance, even if it is an i7 16/512. Not bad, but I do work on my computer and the fan spins more than I wanted to, specially on zoom and teams.
I could not afford a new machine with the specs I wanted. 16GB/512 was the minimum but if 1TB even better. Searching used market I scheduled a trip to assess a M1 16/1TB for 500euro less than new. Mint condition, I made the deal, a little skeptical about passive cooling (not good experience with 12 Macbook in the past...).
I must say that the Air is not a big deal, its a PHENOMENAL deal. One battery charge enabled me to erase the internal SSD, reinstall Big Sur (previous owner decided to install Monterey), time machine with a 5400rpm disc (one hour or so migrating) and 8 full hours working on apps, setting everything and even playing an occasional browser game, all with wi-fi tethering to my trusty iPhone X. Temperatures are just out of this world, idling at 30 and jumping occasionally to mid 40s, machine never warmed up. No video or image editing, that's not my usage scenario. Mostly web, Office, mail, messaging apps (WS, messenger, Signal) and music.
Had the chance to play with the new 16 and 14 machines but for the price I got this almost new Air (1250 euros) I must say it was an excellent Christmas gift to myself. Time to put the other Air on another home. I could not be happier with my new Air. Goodbye Intel, you don't even make me feel missing your temperatures on the Winter!
To anyone considering this machine for serious Office, mail, even code development with VSC, it clearly fits the bill on a budget. Coming from an Intel machine you will be seriously surprised how a passive cooled device can send almost every Apple Intel laptop to the trash bin...
I could not afford a new machine with the specs I wanted. 16GB/512 was the minimum but if 1TB even better. Searching used market I scheduled a trip to assess a M1 16/1TB for 500euro less than new. Mint condition, I made the deal, a little skeptical about passive cooling (not good experience with 12 Macbook in the past...).
I must say that the Air is not a big deal, its a PHENOMENAL deal. One battery charge enabled me to erase the internal SSD, reinstall Big Sur (previous owner decided to install Monterey), time machine with a 5400rpm disc (one hour or so migrating) and 8 full hours working on apps, setting everything and even playing an occasional browser game, all with wi-fi tethering to my trusty iPhone X. Temperatures are just out of this world, idling at 30 and jumping occasionally to mid 40s, machine never warmed up. No video or image editing, that's not my usage scenario. Mostly web, Office, mail, messaging apps (WS, messenger, Signal) and music.
Had the chance to play with the new 16 and 14 machines but for the price I got this almost new Air (1250 euros) I must say it was an excellent Christmas gift to myself. Time to put the other Air on another home. I could not be happier with my new Air. Goodbye Intel, you don't even make me feel missing your temperatures on the Winter!
To anyone considering this machine for serious Office, mail, even code development with VSC, it clearly fits the bill on a budget. Coming from an Intel machine you will be seriously surprised how a passive cooled device can send almost every Apple Intel laptop to the trash bin...
They're capable of far more than that. You can edit 4k video no problems at all and even 8k in Davinci Resolve (on an M1 AIR) if you're willing to do half-res proxies (which, unless you have an 8k display hooked up, is just fine!)
For the cost, the performance is just NUTS - on any Apple Silicon device.
Happened to be in a place selling Apple devices two days ago where I finally was able to directly compare M1 MBA and 14" MBP next to each other. Still have zero regrets buying a used 16/1TB MBA for less than half the cost of an equivalent 14" MBP.
Compared to my 2019 i9 16” MBP, the MBA is so much better in every respect except sceen size and sound system that it's not even funny.
Compared to my 2019 i9 16” MBP, the MBA is so much better in every respect except sceen size and sound system that it's not even funny.
My same reasoning why I also have ordered a refurbished MBA M1 16G/1TB, which should arrive on Wednesday, and depending on how it goes, perhaps canceling the 14" order.
The only uncertainty I have with the MBA M1 right now, without having it tried out, is how well it will work with my Dell 25" @ 2560x1440 from a scaling, sharpness, blurry font perspective. Being my first MacOS device coming from Windows, this is new territory for me.
I don't think 14 inch MBP is an option for me anymore. I waited to see what they would reveal with the 14 inch and it's stunning but thicker and heavier than my current MBP?? Non-starter for me as portability is key (to each their own), especially considering the power of the M1 Air should handle functions. I also don't see the hard-on for more ports when a dongle can easily solve that for the odd instance when external device like usb or card reader is needed but again to each their own everyone has different needs.
Current MBP 13 inch is 3.02 lbs. Current MBA 13 inch is 2.8 lbs. I think the fact that it's no smaller or lighter than my current MPB has kept me away from the Air. The M1 Air is enticing for sure because is technically lighter and more powerful but barely lighter than current Pro.
I am really hoping apple focus on lighter (thinner sure) but lighter for next Air to really separate themselves. I picked up MBA and older MPB in store and can hardly tell the difference. Anyway not to take away from the MBA 13 inch M1 it's a fantastic cpu.
Current MBP 13 inch is 3.02 lbs. Current MBA 13 inch is 2.8 lbs. I think the fact that it's no smaller or lighter than my current MPB has kept me away from the Air. The M1 Air is enticing for sure because is technically lighter and more powerful but barely lighter than current Pro.
I am really hoping apple focus on lighter (thinner sure) but lighter for next Air to really separate themselves. I picked up MBA and older MPB in store and can hardly tell the difference. Anyway not to take away from the MBA 13 inch M1 it's a fantastic cpu.
Having used my 14" for a week since my original post...
If you can afford it (or rather, if you're willing to spend that much - imho if you can afford a new 16GB/1TB Air, you can stretch to a Pro if you really want to) and don't mind the slight extra bulk... 100% yes, oh my god.
The XDR display is worth 30% of the cost IMHO alone.
YMMV depending on whether or not you care about display quality but for me.... its a massive, massive step up. Go to the Apple store, look for some HDR content and try it out on a Pro, vs. an Air.
Or even fire up some HDR photos from your iPhone on the Pro vs. the Air. Its night and day.
Of course the air is still a great machine and still a bargain. But if you're on the fence, do not underestimate how gorgeous that XDR display is. If you do not plan on viewing HDR content on it then you won't notice a huge difference, but if you do watch some HDR video on it, it will ruin your tolerance for likely every other screen in your house. I didn't "get" the big deal around HDR until I played some HDR on mine.
The extra screen real estate and frame rate vs. the air is noticeable too. But the big thing is the blacker blacks and extra colour vibrance that you just can't demonstrate without seeing it in person (you can't show someone HDR on their non-HDR display over the internet
edit:
I've been looking for months and last I checked 1TB/16GB is a custom BTO option for the air, unless that has very very recently changed. It's possible in the US they may keep floor stock of that model (as imho 500GB is just... not enough to feel comfortable for the next few years, I routinely hit 400GB used on my machine today - and I do tend to use my MacBooks as large high speed portable media from time to time on top of that), but not here where I live.
Even being a total screen nut job, I'm wrestling to justify even remotely entertaining a 14 or 16" for this reason alone. IMO.
The way I rationalised it:
It's (for me) an extra $1200 (vs. the MacBook Air spec I would have selected) over the life of the machine.
If I bought an air I would spend the next 3-5 years wishing I had the better screen (and speakers, fast charge, etc.). $1200 amortised over 3-5 years is around $1/day. Less when I get the tax deduction on the machine purchase.
Looking at the big picture: I'm totally willing to spend $1/day for a much nicer display given I spend 8+ hours per day in front of it.
YMMV, if you're not using the machine for work, but I am.
Again, not to say the MBA is not a great machine, but if you plan on bumping the spec on one significantly (i.e., 16GB + 1TB), its worth taking the above into account IMHO.
I think demand for this model will be very strong next, year because there will be people who won't want the notch on the Mac and will look for this model instead.
I think there will be strong demand, but nothing to do with the notch. It's a great machine in its own right, and if you don't need large RAM or storage its a total bargain and still extremely capable.
I say this as someone who was severely anti-notch on the iPhone though - you forget its there within a few minutes of using the machine for the most part. All I've had to do is make better use of Control Center (vs. menu bar items) and its pretty much a non-issue.
It's a terrific device, it's near impossible to suggest an equivalent Windows machine (price wise) that gets close to what the M1 MBA can do if Windows specific software is not a concern. For the vast majority of people that will spend most of their time in a browser using SaaS tools and media consumption, the M1 MBA is amazing.
Now they just need to offer a bigger version of it for people that want the bigger screen but don't need any of the performance of the M1 Pro/Max but I doubt that will ever happen.
Now they just need to offer a bigger version of it for people that want the bigger screen but don't need any of the performance of the M1 Pro/Max but I doubt that will ever happen.
If you can hold off until the new MBA, then sure, you'll get a better upgrade. But there IS quite a difference in performance, heat, and battery life between Intel and Apple Silicon, so whether you go for an MBA now or in 2022, I think you will be very pleased with the experience.