Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

jwolf6589

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 15, 2010
4,964
1,671
Colorado
One day I may be forced to upgrade. I don’t wish to do so but Apple may force it. Tell me are the latest MacBook airs faster than my 2012 MacBook Pro which I will add has a SSD? Are they noticeably faster? The advantage of the air is the weight. I would have to buy a usb adaptor for GPS syncing, compatibility with flash drives and my camcorder I will add. I will miss not having a build in dvd drive.
 
I've only watched two sets of speed test videos between 2012 MBP and 2019 MBA and the 2019 MBA looks to be faster but not by much. I will say that I edit videos in iMovie every few days on my 2019 MBA and this machine handles it with ease. I also edit photos in GIMP, Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo and, again, this machine handles the workload with ease. I don't have a 2012 MBP to test with video or photo editing so I cannot comment there.

I had a 2017 MBP and was originally going to use a 2019 MBA to prove that the MBA was a low-end "junk" machine not good for much more than web browsing but I ended up being proven wrong. I went ahead and bought a base model 2019 MBA (1.6 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) 4 months ago and I use it more than I use my 2017 MBP.. this little MBA is awesome.

I feel that you should stick with the MBP line if you plan to edit videos or large photo projects on a regular basis.. or you do a bit of coding. But, don't let the 2019 MBA specs fool you.. this little machine is fast and powerful.

You could always go to a store near you and test one for several days in a row.. that's what I did before I bought my MBA.
 
The T2 Security Chip in the MacBook Air 2019 does hardware encoding/decoding of both H.264 and H.265 (HEVC) video. This capability will not show up in a typical CPU benchmark like the inadequate Geekbench suite which only tests the CPU and doesn't even go to main memory.

I suggest whatever unit you purchase has at least 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD (or even more storage if you are editing 4K video).

Apple has a no-questions-asked 14-day customer satisfaction return policy. Buy whatever system you fancy and USE IT. Put it through its paces. That's the only way to truly know if it will satisfy your personal usage cage.
 
I've only watched two sets of speed test videos between 2012 MBP and 2019 MBA and the 2019 MBA looks to be faster but not by much. I will say that I edit videos in iMovie every few days on my 2019 MBA and this machine handles it with ease. I also edit photos in GIMP, Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo and, again, this machine handles the workload with ease. I don't have a 2012 MBP to test with video or photo editing so I cannot comment there.

I had a 2017 MBP and was originally going to use a 2019 MBA to prove that the MBA was a low-end "junk" machine not good for much more than web browsing but I ended up being proven wrong. I went ahead and bought a base model 2019 MBA (1.6 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) 4 months ago and I use it more than I use my 2017 MBP.. this little MBA is awesome.

I feel that you should stick with the MBP line if you plan to edit videos or large photo projects on a regular basis.. or you do a bit of coding. But, don't let the 2019 MBA specs fool you.. this little machine is fast and powerful.

You could always go to a store near you and test one for several days in a row.. that's what I did before I bought my MBA.

Nah I don't do any of that stuff but I do rely heavily on MS Office and such. I just hope this years Mac OS will be compatible with my Mac, but if not it's not like Catalina is going anywhere and will break.
[automerge]1584306598[/automerge]
The T2 Security Chip in the MacBook Air 2019 does hardware encoding/decoding of both H.264 and H.265 (HEVC) video. This capability will not show up in a typical CPU benchmark like the inadequate Geekbench suite which only tests the CPU and doesn't even go to main memory.

I suggest whatever unit you purchase has at least 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD (or even more storage if you are editing 4K video).

Apple has a no-questions-asked 14-day customer satisfaction return policy. Buy whatever system you fancy and USE IT. Put it through its paces. That's the only way to truly know if it will satisfy your personal usage cage.

8GB RAM does fine for my needs. I discovered once I ditched the spinner this mac got to be 15-20 times faster with a SSD. I plan to keep it for a long as I can, but sadly one day I may be forced to upgrade. If this years Mac OS wont run on the 2012 MBP then maybe I may upgrade this year.
 
Nah I don't do any of that stuff but I do rely heavily on MS Office and such. I just hope this years Mac OS will be compatible with my Mac, but if not it's not like Catalina is going anywhere and will break.
[automerge]1584306598[/automerge]


8GB RAM does fine for my needs. I discovered once I ditched the spinner this mac got to be 15-20 times faster with a SSD. I plan to keep it for a long as I can, but sadly one day I may be forced to upgrade. If this years Mac OS wont run on the 2012 MBP then maybe I may upgrade this year.
For office use the Air has ample power. The SSDs should be a little faster than the SATA one in your MBP (it might be hard to tell the difference though, just having a SSD rather than a HDD is the biggest difference). There might be an update coming up in the next week or so, dependent on the situation with this virus. It is likely to bring the new magic keyboard to the Air, which itself will be quite different from your MBP keyboard, but hopefully you will like it, it's closer than the butterfly keyboard in the existing 2019 model.
 
  • Like
Reactions: revmacian
Nah I don't do any of that stuff but I do rely heavily on MS Office and such. I just hope this years Mac OS will be compatible with my Mac, but if not it's not like Catalina is going anywhere and will break.
[automerge]1584306598[/automerge]


8GB RAM does fine for my needs. I discovered once I ditched the spinner this mac got to be 15-20 times faster with a SSD. I plan to keep it for a long as I can, but sadly one day I may be forced to upgrade. If this years Mac OS wont run on the 2012 MBP then maybe I may upgrade this year.
I've never used MS Office, but I edit/create documents with Numbers, Pages and Keynote (iWork apps) on a daily basis.. and the 2019 MBA handles it with ease.
[automerge]1584307206[/automerge]
For office use the Air has ample power. The SSDs should be a little faster than the SATA one in your MBP (it might be hard to tell the difference though, just having a SSD rather than a HDD is the biggest difference). There might be an update coming up in the next week or so, dependent on the situation with this virus. It is likely to bring the new magic keyboard to the Air, which itself will be quite different from your MBP keyboard, but hopefully you will like it, it's closer than the butterfly keyboard in the existing 2019 model.
Yeah, the butterfly keyboard in my MBA is nice and hasn't had any issues, but it doesn't have much travel. Can't wait to try the scissor type keyboard.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Falhófnir
For office use the Air has ample power. The SSDs should be a little faster than the SATA one in your MBP (it might be hard to tell the difference though, just having a SSD rather than a HDD is the biggest difference). There might be an update coming up in the next week or so, dependent on the situation with this virus. It is likely to bring the new magic keyboard to the Air, which itself will be quite different from your MBP keyboard, but hopefully you will like it, it's closer than the butterfly keyboard in the existing 2019 model.

Whats the difference? All I know is I can type fast on my MBP.
[automerge]1584308829[/automerge]
I've never used MS Office, but I edit/create documents with Numbers, Pages and Keynote (iWork apps) on a daily basis.. and the 2019 MBA handles it with ease.
[automerge]1584307206[/automerge]

Yeah, the butterfly keyboard in my MBA is nice and hasn't had any issues, but it doesn't have much travel. Can't wait to try the scissor type keyboard.

Whats the difference?
 
Whats the difference? All I know is I can type fast on my MBP.
[automerge]1584308829[/automerge]


Whats the difference?
As far as the difference between MS office and iWork apps, I'm not exactly sure. I do know that the iWork apps are optimized for macOS, not sure if MS Office is optimized.
 
8GB RAM does fine for my needs.
The point isn't whether or not it's adequate for your current needs (today).

The point is whether or not 8GB will adequate in 2028 assuming whatever you purchase you hold as long as your current system.

5K video has already been around here for a few years. It's really just an interim resolution. The next real leap is 8K video. Heck, my 2018 vintage iPhone XS records 4K/60Hz UHD video.

If Tokyo manages to host the Summer Olympic Games, there will be 8K content in July.

You certainly don't need such resources for office apps. They are a non-issue.

But how quickly do you think 8K/120Hz video will be upon us?
 
Last edited:
One day I may be forced to upgrade. I don’t wish to do so but Apple may force it. Tell me are the latest MacBook airs faster than my 2012 MacBook Pro which I will add has a SSD? Are they noticeably faster? The advantage of the air is the weight. I would have to buy a usb adaptor for GPS syncing, compatibility with flash drives and my camcorder I will add. I will miss not having a build in dvd drive.
I’d hold off a little longer if you can—new laptops with new keyboards seem imminent
[automerge]1584310675[/automerge]
For office use the Air has ample power. The SSDs should be a little faster than the SATA one in your MBP (it might be hard to tell the difference though, just having a SSD rather than a HDD is the biggest difference). There might be an update coming up in the next week or so, dependent on the situation with this virus. It is likely to bring the new magic keyboard to the Air, which itself will be quite different from your MBP keyboard, but hopefully you will like it, it's closer than the butterfly keyboard in the existing 2019 model.
The Air is fine for those tasks, but boy does it CHUG when attached to 4 or 5k monitors.
 
I’d hold off a little longer if you can—new laptops with new keyboards seem imminent
[automerge]1584310675[/automerge]

The Air is fine for those tasks, but boy does it CHUG when attached to 4 or 5k monitors.

Whats the big deal about these new keyboards and what's wrong with the current ones?
[automerge]1584312786[/automerge]
As far as the difference between MS office and iWork apps, I'm not exactly sure. I do know that the iWork apps are optimized for macOS, not sure if MS Office is optimized.

Whats the difference between these keyboards you speak about?
 
Whats the big deal about these new keyboards and what's wrong with the current ones?
[automerge]1584312786[/automerge]


Whats the difference between these keyboards you speak about?
I feel you're trolling me.
[automerge]1584315678[/automerge]
The point isn't whether or not it's adequate for your current needs (today).

The point is whether or not 8GB will adequate in 2028 assuming whatever you purchase you hold as long as your current system.

5K video has already been around here for a few years. It's really just an interim resolution. The next real leap is 8K video. Heck, my 2018 vintage iPhone XS records 4K/60Hz UHD video.

If Tokyo manages to host the Summer Olympic Games, there will be 8K content in July.

You certainly don't need such resources for office apps. They are a non-issue.

But how quickly do you think 8K/120Hz video will be upon us?
I think maybe 8K is a little different. You cannot appreciate 8K without a TV so large that MOST people would pass on them, even if they were affordable.

I quibble with you on this, but I agree about 8GB. Bite the bullet and at least get 16.
 
I feel you're trolling me.
[automerge]1584315678[/automerge]

I think maybe 8K is a little different. You cannot appreciate 8K without a TV so large that MOST people would pass on them, even if they were affordable.

I quibble with you on this, but I agree about 8GB. Bite the bullet and at least get 16.

No. I have no clue what these new keyboards are all about.
 
I think maybe 8K is a little different. You cannot appreciate 8K without a TV so large that MOST people would pass on them, even if they were affordable.
VR -- headmount units -- particularly benefits from higher resolution displays and content.

Initially 8K video will largely be the domain of movie theaters and other instances where high quality projection is valued (stadium Jumbotrons, videowalls at concerts).

We already saw what drove Retina displays: logographic alphabet systems. It's easier to read Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, etc. characters when the display has very high resolution and tight pixel density.

The typical 4K/Retina display still doesn't display these characters as well as a decent book printed with offset lithography.
 
Whats the difference? All I know is I can type fast on my MBP.
[automerge]1584308829[/automerge]


Whats the difference?
If you are a big Excel user then numbers will frustrate you. I use Excel a lot for work. Never have used powerpoint and have little personal use for Office
I still use a 2012 Retina 15 MPB. I run Sierra because I have one app that will not run on High Sierra or above. I would like to replace the battery but threads here on macrumors it looks like a crapshoot. Can not get Apple OEM batteries any more
 
I would like to replace the battery but threads here on macrumors it looks like a crapshoot. Can not get Apple OEM batteries any more
Yup. The batteries last about 5 seconds before you start getting bad battery warnings.
 
No. I have no clue what these new keyboards are all about.

The current versions of MacBook Air, MacBook Pro (except 16 inch) all have issues. If you are concerned about the keyboard problems and not in a rush to upgrade, I suggest waiting until a new version of MacBook Air with scissors keyboard is released.
 
No. I have no clue what these new keyboards are all about.
The current keyboard in the MBA is the short travel butterfly keyboard. It has an issue with crumbs or other debris messing it up. If you eat at your computer or have any debris that can get into it then it could break. Starting with the 16" MBP they use a new scissor switch keyboard. Go to an Apple store and compare the MBA with the 16" MBP keyboard. Well unless you live in China you'll have to wait till they reopen on March 23rd.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jwolf6589
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.