It gets close for me. I couldn't justify keeping my 12" 2017 because it is getting so old. I love my Starlight 512/8gb of ram M2 Air and it is the closest thing to the 12" that I have had so far. What about for you?
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Former 12" MacBook owners who now on the M2 Air: Has the new M2 Air helped fill the void that the 12" left behind?
- Thread starter Jacoblee23
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Attention mods: I meant to post this thread in the MacBook Air forum. Could you move it for me please?
I've only had the M2 MBA for a few days. The M2 MBA is objectively thin and light, but everything feels heavy and bulky after coming from the 12" rMB. I had an 11" MBA before it, and the change to the 12" rMBA did not feel drastic at all. But this change feels more drastic. I think it will take a few more days to adjust.
That said, the screen improvement is fantastic. And I really appreciate the extra real-estate. It seems most apps and websites these days are designed for 13" screen. While the sites are adaptive, many never looked or fit quite right on a 12" screen. Also the keyboard is way better. And most importantly, the laptop is soooo much faster.
That said, the screen improvement is fantastic. And I really appreciate the extra real-estate. It seems most apps and websites these days are designed for 13" screen. While the sites are adaptive, many never looked or fit quite right on a 12" screen. Also the keyboard is way better. And most importantly, the laptop is soooo much faster.
I have both still—my M2 MBA is going to replace my old MBP, and the 12" MacBook, which is a fully loaded 2017 edition with max processor and RAM, will keep getting used until Apple comes to their senses and makes a 2lbs or smaller laptop. 
Agree that in every way, aside from physical size, the M2 MBA is a much better laptop. And it is small enough that it *almost* works as a replacement.
Almost.
Almost.
I like the M2 Air but it's no 12" Macbook. Sorry. The Starlight is ugly compared to the yellow gold 12"er I had. Really miss that lighter and thinner beauty.
Put today's tech into it (today's keyboard, 16-24GB RAM M2, 2TB SSD, 12.8" with thinner bezels pannel with the 13.3" resolution, 2 USB4 ports left and right) and I'd buy it TODAY no questions asked.
It's doable.
Put today's tech into it (today's keyboard, 16-24GB RAM M2, 2TB SSD, 12.8" with thinner bezels pannel with the 13.3" resolution, 2 USB4 ports left and right) and I'd buy it TODAY no questions asked.
It's doable.
Just picked up a base M2 Air to replace my ageing but much-loved 2016 base 12".
- It's bigger and heavier. I knew that going in, but it is obvious and a significant downside. Having been so used to my 12", the idea that this is an 'Air' seems a bit crazy. All relative, of course.
- Surprisingly, the speakers seem much less good than the 12" - I didn't expect this at all, especially given the relative sizes. Talking about quality, not necessarily volume. I quite often have some quiet background music on while working; the 12" was good enough for this, I don't think the M2 is.
- The Notch was initially annoying, but TopNotch turned the menu bar black and makes it almost invisible.
- Everything else is better. Keyboard, webcam and speed are the most obvious things. The keyboard really is night and day.
Overall, the 12" remains my favourite form factor of any laptop by far. It really pains me that Apple won't produce a model that's the best of both worlds, but such is life. If they do, I'll sell this and buy it, but it seems unlikely. First world problems I suppose.
- It's bigger and heavier. I knew that going in, but it is obvious and a significant downside. Having been so used to my 12", the idea that this is an 'Air' seems a bit crazy. All relative, of course.
- Surprisingly, the speakers seem much less good than the 12" - I didn't expect this at all, especially given the relative sizes. Talking about quality, not necessarily volume. I quite often have some quiet background music on while working; the 12" was good enough for this, I don't think the M2 is.
- The Notch was initially annoying, but TopNotch turned the menu bar black and makes it almost invisible.
- Everything else is better. Keyboard, webcam and speed are the most obvious things. The keyboard really is night and day.
Overall, the 12" remains my favourite form factor of any laptop by far. It really pains me that Apple won't produce a model that's the best of both worlds, but such is life. If they do, I'll sell this and buy it, but it seems unlikely. First world problems I suppose.
I moved in opposite direction, from loaded 16/512 M1 MBA to 8/256 Macbook 2017. Feels much lighter and for my office work not much difference. Battery life is good on new M macs though.
Have both machines -- my MacBook is maxed out. The M2 is a wonderful machine, excellent screen, keyboard, fast, etc. But for sitting on the couch and using on my lap, the MacBook is easier to use. Wouldn't want to give up either.
Don't you dare compare the Air to the 12" MacBook. That's like comparing a Chevy Cobalt to a Porsche 911. The 12" MacBook is the greatest design Apple has ever released.
So my trusted M5 12" MacBook (early 2016) has been sold I am not doing any business travel anymore and the machine is really slowing down for my general use case. I am waiting for the arrival of the M2 MacBook Air (8GB/512GB) and hope that it makes me smile as much as my wee Macbook did! I'll report back in a few week's time with my thoughts.
I am not doing any business travel anymore and the machine is really slowing down for my general use case. I am waiting for the arrival of the M2 MacBook Air (8GB/512GB) and hope that it makes me smile as much as my wee Macbook did! I'll report back in a few week's time with my thoughts.My .02: nothing’s going to replace the beloved 12” MacBook but a new 12” MacBook. That being said, what I loved most was its 2 lb portability and its effortless use (being able to discretely use it comfortably anywhere). It was perfect for those who loved the idea of the iPad but needed macOS. Finding a suitable replacement is tough - the MBA, though a great lightweight Mac, doesn’t hit my points above compared to the 12”. With iPadOS 16 and Stage Manager multitasking windows I thought it was time to look at the iPad Pro.
You’ll have to judge for yourself if Stage Manager is a good stand-in for macOS multitasking, but so far it works pretty well for me. Tried both the 12.9” and the 11” with the Smart Keyboard Folio (non-trackpad) to keep the weight down as much as possible. The bigger iPad config weighs 2.3 lbs and when used in landscape sits taller than the 12” MB because of its 4:3-sized screen, but exactly the same width. The smaller iPad config weighs 1.67 pounds and is shorter/narrower than the 12” MB.
After using both for about a week I’ll say again, nothing will be a true replacement, but the iPad Pro with keyboard seems to be a good-enough replacement for my purposes. You’ll need to figure out Stage Manager but afterwards it starts to feel macOS-like. If you use the Smart Keyboard Folio then tapping and dragging onscreen will also be an efficiency you’ll have to develop, not to mention living with a smudged up screen. I did not even consider a Magic Keyboard (with trackpad) for the bigger iPad because it drops it right into laptop weight territory at 3 lbs, nope. I might look at the Magic KB for the 11” because it puts it at the MB 12” exact weight. I’m not recommending one over the other because there are trade offs to be made between the two sizes. I’m sticking with the 11” because it hits my points above and I love the fact it’s even lighter. The 12.9” started to feel too big because of its taller and squarish screen. Anyway, my .02.
You’ll have to judge for yourself if Stage Manager is a good stand-in for macOS multitasking, but so far it works pretty well for me. Tried both the 12.9” and the 11” with the Smart Keyboard Folio (non-trackpad) to keep the weight down as much as possible. The bigger iPad config weighs 2.3 lbs and when used in landscape sits taller than the 12” MB because of its 4:3-sized screen, but exactly the same width. The smaller iPad config weighs 1.67 pounds and is shorter/narrower than the 12” MB.
After using both for about a week I’ll say again, nothing will be a true replacement, but the iPad Pro with keyboard seems to be a good-enough replacement for my purposes. You’ll need to figure out Stage Manager but afterwards it starts to feel macOS-like. If you use the Smart Keyboard Folio then tapping and dragging onscreen will also be an efficiency you’ll have to develop, not to mention living with a smudged up screen. I did not even consider a Magic Keyboard (with trackpad) for the bigger iPad because it drops it right into laptop weight territory at 3 lbs, nope. I might look at the Magic KB for the 11” because it puts it at the MB 12” exact weight. I’m not recommending one over the other because there are trade offs to be made between the two sizes. I’m sticking with the 11” because it hits my points above and I love the fact it’s even lighter. The 12.9” started to feel too big because of its taller and squarish screen. Anyway, my .02.
I don't have my MacBook 12 anymore so I don't have it compare my M2 MBA to. But, I can tell you that I absolutely love my M2 MBA. It's fully capable where my MB 12 was not. It never heats up. Never slows down. Battery life is stupendously good. And it's still very portable.
I bought an M1 MacBook Air earlier this year to replace my old Intel 13" MacBook Air. It's still a compromise since I hoped for an ultraportable with the advent of the M2 model. Some of my software programs aren't available for the iPad, so that's not an option for me. If Apple does come out with an updated MacBook, I'd consider it seriously.
**except for that garbage butterfly switch keyboard and Intel laptop processor.
As much as I love Apple and tend to come to their defense rather than bash them most of the time, those keyboards were indefensible. I will die on that hill. I almost hate to pile on the processor because I don't want to unfairly compare it to M1 or something silly like that, but Apple designed themselves into a very slow laptop with that one.
All that being said, I 100% agree it was gorgeous, ultraportable, and definitely was a great machine for a subset of users, save for that keyboard.
I have both, and sometimes I still carry the 12" around, because it is still by far more portable and easier to handle. It was the best device of any kind for on the go. The M2 MBA is a great all around machine, but doesn't really sit in the same class in terms of portability. Not sure if Apple will do it, but 12" is now definitely possible given the thermal footprint of the new chips.
It has for me. The M2 is better in (almost) every way. And it's small enough for me not to long for smaller.
The M2 Air has mostly the same dimensions as the M1 MacBook Air except it is thinner than the thickest part of the M1 MacBook Air. The M2 Air is also 2.7 lbs vs. 2.8 lbs. Apple also claims that the M2 MBA has a volume 20% less than the M1 MBA. So I don't think you can say the M2 Air has a bigger profile than the M1.
You are right though that it is less portable than the 12" MacBook was—2.03 lbs vs. 2.7 lbs.
Yep. It was a neat little machine with a gorgeous display, and I could have lived with all the other compromises (single port, slow, poor battery life) -- but the keyboard absolutely killed it for me. I went back to my 11" Air which I'd planned on selling.
So no real surprises here. The M2 MacBook Air is better in every way other than in the weight / form factor department. If I don't need the power of the MacBook and I am heading out, then I have been taking my M1 iPad Pro 11". All fairly obvious.So my trusted M5 12" MacBook (early 2016) has been sold
I have the MacBook Pro 2021 for heavy workloads and Macbook 2015 for 'putzing around' and doing light stuff. keyboard is ok...but not good for long typing (did not mind the butterfly keyboard, but would prefer a smoother typing experience).
Apple "could" still get away with putting a M1 in the 12" form factor, improve the keyboard and webcam....and make the ideal "go-to" small laptop. Probably the issue is like the price of the MacBook (as well as the new Home Pod)..."Way" to expensive for what it offered(s)...but...a beautiful laptop, light and wonderful to carry around.
Hope Apple has plans for a 12" M series...but it does not look like it will happen (or for some time).