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Ha! How do you remember that?
It was that "ridiculously over engineered" call out.

I gotta say that you and a few others were really right about the M2 Air. The combination of the form factor and performance is perfect. That ~3/4 lb difference in weight from the 14"MBP doesn't sound like much but over time it is quite noticeable. I bought the Air for my wife to use eventually but now I am not so sure I wouldn't like one for myself. I will wait and check out the rumored 15" Air but it will be heavier, bulkier and more expensive so not an "instant" buy.

There is no single advice that fits everyone's needs. However, one needs to take a hard-headed assessment of actual usage and buy only what fits that. Apple tries very hard to upsell you to more expensive machines than you need but, at the same time, they afford a nice 14-day trial period for testing machines out for yourself. People should take advantage of that. I know I have.

Anyway, appreciate the good humor and sharp analysis.
 
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I want something lighter than my current 16 MBP...also lets make it touchscreen while we are at it.....
 
And that is why it is so awesome that there is choice. You are the prime consumer that Intel wished everyone was. That Blackberry only dreamt of. That Nokia is still wistful for over. That Smith Corona believed would always stand by it. That Myspace and Yahoo never fathomed would abandon them. THE patient that doctors could counted on, for never having to ditch their leeches and miasma encyclopedias .
Not at all. Different people value different things from Apple. I value the Apple ecosystem more than Mac computing power. I want the current version of Apple home to drive my large and growing collection of smart gadgets. I value Notes, iCloud Drive, iMessage, FaceTime and Photos for their convenience and end to end encryption. I value Apple's commitment to security and privacy. In short, the Apple ecosystem is worth more to me than computing power.

If your argument is that the ecosystem requires more computing power as well, that appears to be incorrect. The only thing I have found in the ecosystem that does not work on a 10 year old computer is Memories in the photo app. I think that's down to the lack of a Neural Engine. It also lacks a Secure Enclave which keeps me from authenticating 1Password with my watch. Home works (even upgraded to the newest version which I got installed before Apple pulled it), Enhanced Security works, login to computer with watch works, it all works.

I am never going to edit an 8k video, master a multi track recording, create digital art, render an animation sequence, compile a program, do sophisticated photo editing, simulate proteins or even play a AAA video game (or any game). When I am pushing my M1 mini as hard as I can, it's hardly working. Hell, I think the Time Machine backup process may use more computing power than I do on average. My peak CPU load on the system for the last 30 days was less than 35 percent, and I use it at least 2 hours a day.

If you need, or even just want vast computing power, I think you should have it. Apple should definitely serve your use case. They should also serve mine, bigger screens with less expensive, lower power processors that provide full access to the ecosystem. Apple makes more money off of the ecosystem/services than Mac and should make a push to add users in that category without sacrificing margins.
 
Yes, absolutely true.

But I'd be upset if the 13" MBA gets an M3 chip this summer if I'd just bought a 15" MBA wtih an M2 chip in April. By all accounts, the M3 is supposed to be much more of an upgrade over M2 (in terms of processing power and battery life) than the M2 was over the M1.

But Apple knows lots of folks are drooling over the possibility of an MBA in a 15" form factor, and Apple knows lots of other MBA buyers don't pay much attention to processor specs. So it's very possible Apple will go cheap and put the M2 in the 15" MBA.

Plus, Apple probably doesn't want to cannibalize 16" MBP sales by putting a powerful M3 chip in the 15" MBA before the 16" MBP gets one.
I mostly agree. I do wish that they could delay the new Airs until the later part of the year if the M3 will be available this year. I think that would be a cleaner transition, but we aren't sure when any M3 series chips will actually be ready.

As to putting faster chips in the Airs, that is exactly what Apple did last year with the M2 MBA when the MBP didn't get the M2 upgrade for another 6 months.
 
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We went from MacBook Air being launched in April to May and now to sometime in the Summer? 😓

All I care about is the 15” MacBook Air being released as soon as possible.
Ross Young said the display panel production was well under way last month so I'd be very surprised if these computers didn't launch until realistically probably WWDC if he's saying 'summer'. They're not going to want inventory sat around for months when there's no reason for it not to be on sale!
 
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It was that "ridiculously over engineered" call out.

I gotta say that you and a few others were really right about the M2 Air. The combination of the form factor and performance is perfect. That ~3/4 lb difference in weight from the 14"MBP doesn't sound like much but over time it is quite noticeable. I bought the Air for my wife to use eventually but now I am not so sure I wouldn't like one for myself. I will wait and check out the rumored 15" Air but it will be heavier, bulkier and more expensive so not an "instant" buy.

There is no single advice that fits everyone's needs. However, one needs to take a hard-headed assessment of actual usage and buy only what fits that. Apple tries very hard to upsell you to more expensive machines than you need but, at the same time, they afford a nice 14-day trial period for testing machines out for yourself. People should take advantage of that. I know I have.

Anyway, appreciate the good humor and sharp analysis.

I really appreciate it. Thank you. :)
 
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Yes the A17 and the M3 will be fabbed using the same 3nm lithography. But they’re not the same architecture, the M3 is an A16-derivative.
And you know this how? The M3 will use the A17 cores.

And I'm aware of the difference between architecture and lithography, not sure where I conflated the terms in my OP.
 
It might be worth it just to see a 15-inch MacBook Air actually exist after 10+ years of "Apple is going to release a 15-inch MacBook Air THIS YEAR, pinky promise!" rumors. 😂
If only Apple had made this claim rather than people trying to garner attention by making promises on their behalf.
 
Not at all. Different people value different things from Apple. I value the Apple ecosystem more than Mac computing power. I want the current version of Apple home to drive my large and growing collection of smart gadgets. I value Notes, iCloud Drive, iMessage, FaceTime and Photos for their convenience and end to end encryption. I value Apple's commitment to security and privacy. In short, the Apple ecosystem is worth more to me than computing power.

If your argument is that the ecosystem requires more computing power as well, that appears to be incorrect. The only thing I have found in the ecosystem that does not work on a 10 year old computer is Memories in the photo app. I think that's down to the lack of a Neural Engine. It also lacks a Secure Enclave which keeps me from authenticating 1Password with my watch. Home works (even upgraded to the newest version which I got installed before Apple pulled it), Enhanced Security works, login to computer with watch works, it all works.

I am never going to edit an 8k video, master a multi track recording, create digital art, render an animation sequence, compile a program, do sophisticated photo editing, simulate proteins or even play a AAA video game (or any game). When I am pushing my M1 mini as hard as I can, it's hardly working. Hell, I think the Time Machine backup process may use more computing power than I do on average. My peak CPU load on the system for the last 30 days was less than 35 percent, and I use it at least 2 hours a day.

If you need, or even just want vast computing power, I think you should have it. Apple should definitely serve your use case. They should also serve mine, bigger screens with less expensive, lower power processors that provide full access to the ecosystem. Apple makes more money off of the ecosystem/services than Mac and should make a push to add users in that category without sacrificing margins.
Yep some folks loved their typewriters and never had a use for a word processor or a PC. I have older friends who have no need for anything but a dumb phone and only used whatever dumb phone their carrier still supported. No one forces anyone out of their comfort zone or dictates what tools anyone may need.
 
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Definitely missing the 12” form factor. It was an Apple signature for years with iBook & PowerBook, all the way up to MacBook.

I’ve been using a MBP 13” ever since, but I would love for a 12” model to fill that soft spot again.

Glad to see I’m not alone, amongst all the excitement for larger 15” screens!
I like the form of the 12 MB but I disliked the keyboard and the screen was just too small. I have M1 13 MBP and find it not just acceptable, but awesome "replacement" for the 12 MB. Small and balanced enough to toss around, big enough screen to be productive with touchbar shortcuts to multitask. Given the tradeoffs, The 13 MBP gets my vote over a 12.
 
Gurman again full of it…his approach to oh let’s say one thing i hope it works…. If it does the entire apple world will worship me… and the majority of you do! A 15 inch MacBook Air is the stupidest thing ever, the MacBook Air was developed as a thin and light, a machine to use when you dont have much space or pace to put it . 15 inches is NOT portable in todays world. it just isn’t !
 
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Gurman again full of it…his approach to oh let’s say one thing i hope it works…. If it does the entire apple world will worship me… and the majority of you do! A 15 inch MacBook Air is the stupidest thing ever, the MacBook Air was developed as a thin and light, a machine to use when you dont have much space or pace to put it . 15 inches is NOT portable in todays world. it just isn’t !
Wouldn't be so great if they made a large screen Macbook that wasn't $2500+ Make some lower specced Pros at a reasonable price. I just want a large screen MacBook with a reasonable price.
 
Wouldn't be so great if they made a large screen Macbook that wasn't $2500+ Make some lower specced Pros at a reasonable price. I just want a large screen MacBook with a reasonable price.
Exactly. I think this would be an all time best seller. A low spec processor 15" MacBook at $1,800 with 16 gb ram and a 512 gb hd would sell so many units I don't think they could make enough, fast enough.
 
MaxTech recently had a video saying they believe there will be an April or May online event to announce the MacBook 15" and Mac Pro to clear the deck for WWDC to focus exclusively on the OSes and VR glasses, but I'm a bit skeptical...
 
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MaxTech recently had a video saying they believe there will be an April or May online event to announce the MacBook 15" and Mac Pro to clear the deck for WWDC to focus exclusively on the OSes and VR glasses, but I'm a bit skeptical...
If they really are transitioning to M3 chips, they may want to announce the Mac Pro with those first at WWDC and then follow up with M3 Airs later.
 
If they really are transitioning to M3 chips, they may want to announce the Mac Pro with those first at WWDC and then follow up with M3 Airs later.

Trick is, the base model has been the first model announced for the first two M generations since it is the "easiest" to design and produce. So I fully expect the third-generation M family to launch with the base M3 SoC in the Air and iMac and the Mac Pro to launch the M2 Ultra.
 
Trick is, the base model has been the first model announced for the first two M generations since it is the "easiest" to design and produce.

This.

And I wouldn't be shocked if we see the M3, then the M2 Ultra and Extreme.

(We also saw the M2, then the A16, then the M2 Pro and Max, which are A15-derived.)
 
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