iFixit Tears Down M2 MacBook Air, Finds Accelerometer and Adhesive Pull Tabs for Battery

[swingerofbirch]

In my experience, during Apple's latter Intel days, they seemed to struggle compared to PC manufacturers with the category they created: lightweight, powerful machines, both in that they ran hotter than PC equivalents and were oftentimes heavier. There were PC equivalents that weighed less, throttled less, and even had discrete GPUs.

Now Apple has this huge leg-up with better chips, but it seems like their design team still struggles to make the best of what they have. It's not as if the Air is that light compared to what PC manufacturers are shipping with 12th generation Intel chips. Imagine Apple designing around those.

They obviously excel in some areas that they don't in others. I can't imagine they don't know how to do better thermal design. Maybe their designs have to do with what is easiest and most predictable in final assembly which they have far less control over? No idea, just a guess.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

Gotta give Apple credit for the engineering layout of this MBA. It's clean, symmetrical and alot of attention to detail is very evident indeed. Good job on that, Apple!

 

[waziazi]

Hah apple scammin is again with that base made what a scam apple terrorist agency

 

[BornAgainMac]

Accelerometer?

To log drops for denying warranty service? Or what?

I remember my older iBook G4 you can download a Lightsaber sound app that would use the Accelerometer to have those sound effects as you turned the iBook. I miss that feature.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Wait, haven't Macs had accelerometers in them since the first MacBooks? I remember a Stevenote with Steve swinging some sort of 'Book around.

MacSaber (Mac)

Download MacSaber for Mac, one of the most popular apps from the developer Ian Anthony Maddox, and for free. Find it in Uptodown.com

macsaber.en.uptodown.com

And there is a pre-existing api:

Getting raw accelerometer events | Apple Developer Documentation

Retrieve data from the onboard accelerometers.

developer.apple.com

How is this different?

Nice someone remembers this app.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

I don't know how, but Apple managed to put on the M2 MBA a 4-speaker system worse than the M1 MBA's 2-speaker system.

If you don't believe me, hear it for yourself (on 4min:20sec):

True, the audio sound of the new MBA is definitely different. But I think I would need to hear more audio samples before passing judgement.

 

[seek3r]

The accelerometer in a Mac is used to track how fast someone on MR starts complaining about Apple. The vibration from the accelerated use of the keyboard triggers logging information which is then sent to Apple for analyses and retribution.

Lol, seems legit

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I love how hostile all the comments are on Macrumors. It's starting to sound like Slashdot circa 1998 when the blue iMac came out.

Apple's just consumer hostile. Imagine how much less gimped they could have made the laptop if there was a proper heat sink.

 

[skitidetdu]

Accelerometer?

To log drops for denying warranty service? Or what?

Surprised they didn’t find a humidity sensor in there as well.

 

[NT1440]

Apple's just consumer hostile. Imagine how much less gimped they could have made the laptop if there was a proper heat sink.

That would be the Pro.

What people don’t seem to grasp, the second generation in, is that Apple has decided to use the thermal envelope as their segmentation across lines rather than a different arbitrary value that the PC market has settled into.

You want the full power of the M2, get the one with the fan. Need more? Go Pro/Max/Ultra.

Fanless M is the new bottom rung of performance for Apple’s lineup.

I know it’s different than what we’re used to, but this is how Apple is establishing their performance tiers.

 

[citysnaps]

I love how hostile all the comments are on Macrumors. It's starting to sound like Slashdot circa 1998 when the blue iMac came out.

Yep...Being outraged and aggrieved on public forums at the drop of a hat is the new normal. It helps people feel better about themselves and get through their day having that little blip of power and being noticed by others.

 

[milkrocket]

That would be the Pro.

What people don’t seem to grasp, the second generation in, is that Apple has decided to use the thermal envelope as their segmentation across lines rather than a different arbitrary value that the PC market has settled into.

You want the full power of the M2, get the one with the fan. Need more? Go Pro/Max/Ultra.

Fanless M is the new bottom rung of performance for Apple’s lineup.

I know it’s different than what we’re used to, but this is how Apple is establishing their performance tiers.

No performance for the plebs, unless they pay for the Pro or make their own heatsink

 

[akidd]

I remember my older iBook G4 you can download a Lightsaber sound app that would use the Accelerometer to have those sound effects as you turned the iBook. I miss that feature.

I still have a iBook G4. Doubt I could do that now, but sounds great. If there is a way to do that let me know. I am of course presuming it still works, it will only not been turned on for (thinks) four years.

 

[thadoggfather]

The 256GB NAND flash chip in the M2 MacBook Air demonstrates 30 to 50 percent slower SSD speeds in benchmark testing than the prior-generation MacBook Air with two 128GB NAND chips, but Apple has claimed that despite the benchmark results, overall real-world performance is "even faster."

it's time to slow your roll there, buck-o.

M2: for the more conscience SSD user.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

I don't know how, but Apple managed to put on the M2 MBA a 4-speaker system worse than the M1 MBA's 2-speaker system.

If you don't believe me, hear it for yourself (on 4min:20sec):

No surprise to me, considering how damn awful the sound is on my 2021 16" M1P MBP. So frustrating that they get so many things right for once, and then completely mess up another fundamental aspect.

The sad part is, the sound on these new laptops is just so try hard. They are trying too hard to pump up the bass, and from a technical perspective, they succeeded, but from a sound character perspective, it's absolutely horrid. My 2015 15" Retina MBP has far less bass, but sounds so much better. Same result as this M2 MBA vs M1 MBA, more bass, worse sound.

Sigh, back to the drawing board Apple, but this time, don't be such a bunch of try hards. Relax, it's just a laptop, no one is expecting the frequency response you'd get from a pair of 20" speakers.

 

[pacalis]

I fondled a new MBA at the Apple store today and my main reaction was that 2.7lbs felt a lot heavier than my retina macbook.

Reading this teardown, it seems that the retina macbook was truly a unicorn product.

But beyond that, how is it that a m1 13' (ok, 12.9) ipad pro can come in at 1.4 or so pounds but we can't have a 13' 2 lb laptop with m2 without having some chernobyl like heat problem?

 

[MTD's Mac]

I remember my older iBook G4 you can download a Lightsaber sound app that would use the Accelerometer to have those sound effects as you turned the iBook. I miss that feature.

Yeah, I feel like Macs used to do all kinds of cool stuff. Lately they just make unpleasant tasks (like work) painless. But where’s the sense of wonder? The lightsaber sound effects? Or the “breathing” sleep light indicator (a personal favorite)?

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

You can't tell sound quality from a YouTube video or YouTube influencer. You have to go actually listen to it or you're listening to the recording of it not the laptop...

He was merely agreeing with the reviewer's verdict. The verdict was similar to my verdict on my 2021 16" M1P MBP vs my 2015 15" Retina MBP. The 2021 has a lot more bass, but sounds much worse. Apple has tried too hard to create magic from tiny speakers, and the result is technically impressive, but a hollow, muddy, muffled mess to the ears. Gah, I just want to slap the engineers who did this.

 

[adammusic]

Will Apple ever answer any of these heat questions? Or as we just supposed to guess?
Guess I’ll skip this one until they fix the issues, then create more issues with the next gen. Hell

 

[mikethemartian]

I understand the 'constructive criticism' comments, and even the occasional venting--that's just part of being passionate about something. But yes, the straight up 'Apple sucks, I hate their products!' comments are bizarre. Why are those people even here? (I mean, I know why--they're trolling, and it's sad.)

Do you feel that way when Apple bashes Microsoft, Intel and other companies or only when the criticism is directed at Apple?

 

[NT1440]

No performance for the plebs, unless they pay for the Pro or make their own heatsink

No, insane performance for what your mom or aunt would need, not enough for people that go beyond the basics that 90+% of actual purchasers of the lowest cost Mac laptop they offer.

For the intended audience the M2 is an absolute overkill of a machine, so much so that people who *need* to be in a higher performance tier seem to be lured to a product that’s not actually for them.

The MacBook Air punches UP, that’s the thing people are getting worked up about without realizing it.

Anger is aflame in this forum, but the idea that you’d be doing some of these things on THE AIR in the first place would seem crazy to people just 3 years ago.

 

[mikethemartian]

Yeah, I feel like Macs used to do all kinds of cool stuff. Lately they just make unpleasant tasks (like work) painless. But where’s the sense of wonder? The lightsaber sound effects? Or the “breathing” sleep light indicator (a personal favorite)?

When I got my first Mac I thought the boot up chime was cool and when a new version of OS X was installed it would play a cool intro video.

 

[eicca]

Apple's just consumer hostile. Imagine how much less gimped they could have made the laptop if there was a proper heat sink.

Will Apple ever answer any of these heat questions? Or as we just supposed to guess?
Guess I’ll skip this one until they fix the issues, then create more issues with the next gen. Hell

Gimped? Heat issues? You're all regurgitating YouTube clickbait garbage. The M2 only "overheats" if you push it way past what it's intended to do in these entry level computers.

Furthermore, the M2 under full thermal throttling is still faster than the M1 cold.

Apple knows what they're doing. Until you can design and sell a better laptop, shut up and let their engineers do what they know how.

 

[_apple_apple_]

I can see adding an accelerometer for a bunch of little things. Like automatic low-power mode when travelling, or unstable surface warning, etc.

With the new "use an iPhone as the webcam" feature, it would be possible to have an 'outward' facing camera for pass through, enabling AR experiences on a Mac (which requires acc). Currently, laptops can't see what's behind the screen unlike phones. Not sure if passing the phone's accelerometer data is good enough. You would be able to view/explore a VR space with a laptop with an accelerometer.

I'm sure developers will find novel uses for the accelerometer.

 

[Hyperchaotic]

Has Al Gore finally done something useful in his life besides “inventing the Internet??” 🤣🤣

Well, he didn't and he didn't claim it either, as far as I understand.