In your opinion is the slower SSD controversy in the base M2 Air overblown?

[LinusR]

MacBooks are definitely held to a higher standard by reviewers, even when comparing to equally as expensive windows alternatives. Apple gets criticized for the slower ssd speeds even on their more expensive models because its not gen 4 speeds. Yet most windows laptops aren't and reviewers complement their ssd speeds saying they are more then fast enough.

There's the buyers remorse thread that's very active right now, of an MR member who couldn't decide which one to pick, M1 or M2 MBA. As one of his reasons for the M1 (alongside the lower price) he said he heard of the "M2 SSD issues"... it's a shame that real-world perspective is just ignored by those who give "advice" on what to buy. They'll say "meh, do you need the better screen, the nOtCh, and the SLOWER SSD?? No, go get the M1". And if it's not that, then it's about the 14" that apparently is an "instant buy" for anyone and everyone who needs a laptop. Buying advice on MR from a small but vocal group of MR members has been really disheartening recently.

 

[ILoveCalvinCool]

People act like they're going to make Toy Story 5 on this thing. It's a base model MacBook Air! It exists so my mom can check her email and google me. She thinks a "hard drive" is the case that holds the computer. Anyone who needs to make Toy Story 5 on their laptop will spring for 512GB.

 

[Jimmdean]

I think if this had actually replaced the M1 Air and maintained the same pricing people would have been a little less harsh. But as an owner of both a M1 Air and a 14" MBP Pro I completely understand where a lot of them are coming from. The Air got "better", but also got more expensive - so is it really still an Air? or is it just a new model with the same name?

 

[spiderman0616]

I think if this had actually replaced the M1 Air and maintained the same pricing people would have been a little less harsh. But as an owner of both a M1 Air and a 14" MBP Pro I completely understand where a lot of them are coming from. The Air got "better", but also got more expensive - so is it really still an Air? or is it just a new model with the same name?

This is one of the reasons I think it might have been a good time to ditch the "Air" branding or just let it die with the M1 model whenever they decide to take it out of the lineup. Call the M2 the "MacBook" and be done with it. When the components come down enough in price, release an M3 MacBook, push the M2 down in price but leave it available, etc. etc.

I just think there is so much baggage with that "Air" moniker. It doesn't even make sense anymore in the iPad lineup, and hasn't for a few years now.

 

[Analog Kid]

There's the buyers remorse thread that's very active right now, of an MR member who couldn't decide which one to pick, M1 or M2 MBA. As one of his reasons for the M1 (alongside the lower price) he said he heard of the "M2 SSD issues"... it's a shame that real-world perspective is just ignored by those who give "advice" on what to buy. They'll say "meh, do you need the better screen, the nOtCh, and the SLOWER SSD?? No, go get the M1". And if it's not that, then it's about the 14" that apparently is an "instant buy" for anyone and everyone who needs a laptop. Buying advice on MR from a small but vocal group of MR members has been really disheartening recently.

I think the problem is that some people harbor a belief system where a) Tim Cook spends his days reading Mac Rumors, b) Tim Cook decides product pricing, c) Tim Cook is going to learn something from the forums here that his mountain of market research can’t give him.

So they try to make as much noise as possible here thinking that they and the handful of people they influence, will move the needle. If an army of newbies can convince enough of us to be unhappy, then Apple will suddenly cut their margins.

And yes, the unfortunate outcome is that they just cause people to buy more than they need and forever second guess their decisions. The sad part of the ”buyer’s remorse” thread is the choice was between a base M1 and a base M2 to do base tasks. The real advice in that case is: “it really doesn’t matter, pick the one that gives you the most joy.”

But joyful people aren’t helpful in the guerrilla war against Apple’s business model…

 

[chrono1081]

The SSD in M2 256 GB is much slower than... one in Air from 2018! That's a scandal in my opinion, given the price of M2.

You don't feel the difference, because you don't work with big files. But a lot of people do. And that feeling of "snappier M2" comes either from the system being new (less apps) or just placebo.

Gotta disagree completely on this because my buddy has the base M2 air and it's much faster than my $4500 intel I9 MacBook Pro from the end of 2019.

EDIT: And I was doing a lot of video editing, music editing, and 3D work on it.

 

[russell_314]

There's the buyers remorse thread that's very active right now

There's buyers remorse threads on everything! People impulse buy and later panic because they just spent $1,200 on something maybe they didn't need.

 

[fisherking]

I think if this had actually replaced the M1 Air and maintained the same pricing people would have been a little less harsh. But as an owner of both a M1 Air and a 14" MBP Pro I completely understand where a lot of them are coming from. The Air got "better", but also got more expensive - so is it really still an Air? or is it just a new model with the same name?

why can't prices be like they were in the (choose 1): 1950s, 1980s, 2000s, etc etc etc.

no one on this forum knows exactly why apple used the SSD they chose for the M2 256G air, and we can also only speculate about the price increase; maybe (gasp) some of their costs went up?

or maybe not. either way, apple is a corporation, not our friend. and personally, i want them to do well, because then they'll continue to innovate, & take bold steps, and i will benefit, because i'll be able to buy something like the M2 air.

 

[gmanjeff]

Faster is better, I agree. From a principle standpoint, that an older gen should not be faster than a newer gen, I understand and concur.

This. Based on general principle it's a really bad apple (with all due respect to Brian Tong). Wouldn't get anything less than 16/512 and I'm a relatively light user. BTW, I originally bought the 8/512 and returned it and a 16/516 model is on order. I'm annoyed by some of Apple's choices, but not enough to ditch the M2 Air altogether. It's a lovely machine.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I dont buy my computers based on how well they perform in synthetic benchmarks. I buy them for how they perform for my needs, like most of the world does. Like I said before, who buys a computer with 256gb of storage to transfer large files as their daily use? Anyone with a brain wouldn't, thus taking the base storage out of the picture. You buy the right tool for the job, feel free to show realistic examples as to how the base storage harms the everyday user that buys the base model?

This argument doesn't follow. First off, review sites didn't solely use synthetic benchmarks to show how much slower the base model M2's SSD was to the base model M1's SSD. Second off, buying an Apple product doesn't "harm" a user. That's hyperbole. It could be a waste of money. But people on here clearly don't care about something even having the potential of being slower than its direct predecessor. Thirdly, and most importantly, for whom would a base model M1 MacBook Air not be the right tool for the job but the base model M2 MacBook Air be the right tool? If you're so low-end that the speed of your SSD doesn't matter to you, then how would all of the other minor benefits that M2 has over M1 (on a good day) matter to you? Again, your logic doesn't follow here.

Because it does not perform worse.

It has faster CPU, faster GPU, better screen, speakers, etc. The one single area that is slower in synthetic benchmark is the storage performance.

However:
In actual use, it is not really possible to do things on this machine with the 256 GB configuration that will have any meaningful performance detriment due to the single NAND chip; because the real world workloads that would be impacted by that simply do not exist.

What Apple have done here is made an intelligent trade off to get the cost of the base model down by cutting a corner that has zero impact to the end user in the context of this product. Outside of e-peen benchmarks that do not represent any workload the machine will ever see.

Anyone who buys an M1 Air or other machine based on the storage IO performance under synthetic benchmarks vs. the M2 air is making a mistake.

Again, these aren't purely synthetic benchmarks wherein the drives perform slower. These are real-world tests wherein simple tasks are performed better by a base model M1 than a base model M2.

 

[LinusR]

Thirdly, and most importantly, for whom would a base model M1 MacBook Air not be the right tool for the job but the base model M2 MacBook Air be the right tool? If you're so low-end that the speed of your SSD doesn't matter to you, then how would all of the other minor benefits that M2 has over M1 (on a good day) matter to you? Again, your logic doesn't follow here.

You make it sound like only the very low-end of users wouldn’t notice the slower SSD. That is very debatable — I’d say it’s outright false. There is a vast vast group of users who don’t need incredibly fast SSD speeds. Synthetic benchmarks or not aside.

Also, the M2 comes with many features the M1 doesn’t have that very much appeal to most users, regardless of whether they are “light”, or “low-end”. Brighter bigger screen, better speakers, faster CPU and GPU, a new design language. I think it would be dishonest to imply that the M1 is on par with the M2 even if they had the same low end SSD. The M2 is, overall, the better device.

 

[robfoll]

Stupidly overblown, mainly for click bait purposes. So many whiny snowflakes here!

 

[chickeneaster]

I don't necessarily think it's overblown because for the people who get the base model with 128 or 256 GB are people who aren't going to use it for high intensive things; poeple who actually want to use it for big projects tend to upgrade certain aspects to meet their needs but for those people, I think they're reacting how they should because why should they spend more to not be underclocked or not be as fast as they need it to be?

 

[ian87w]

It’s not overblown, it’s a fact with actual numbers to prove it.
It wouldn’t have been much of an issue if the M2 MBA and MBP are in a vacuum. But they’re not. The base M1 models before them have better SSD performance, plain and simple. It’s quite unacceptable for such a premium device, especially the MBP, to have such inferior performance even compared to their cheaper predecessors.

Simply cost cutting from Apple, plain and simple. Just because your usage case doesn’t show the problem doesn’t mean the issue doesn’t exist.

 

[ThailandToo]

You believe the mere mention of SSD performance dropping by 50% in a tech reviewer's video is ridiculous? So MKBHD is supposed to withhold that information from his viewers?

Exporting photos in Lightroom and doing merges in Photoshop are not real-world tests?

Not so sure I agree 100% with both of your examples. The fact is it’s extremely fast even with one chip. Could the bandwidth/transfer speed be faster, sure. But people getting this butt hurt over a base model configuration that’s meant for average users are missing the point. In terms of feeling the usage of a computer running one or two 128GB chips is nonexistent. Linus Tech Tips had his guys use computers that were all up and running with various SSD and faster speeds. They couldn’t tell the difference.

 

[Analog Kid]

Just because your usage case doesn’t show the problem doesn’t mean the issue doesn’t exist.

Nope. Just means it doesn't matter...

 

[ThailandToo]

It’s not overblown, it’s a fact with actual numbers to prove it.
It wouldn’t have been much of an issue if the M2 MBA and MBP are in a vacuum. But they’re not. The base M1 models before them have better SSD performance, plain and simple. It’s quite unacceptable for such a premium device, especially the MBP, to have such inferior performance even compared to their cheaper predecessors.

Simply cost cutting from Apple, plain and simple. Just because your usage case doesn’t show the problem doesn’t mean the issue doesn’t exist.

What’s overblown is Max Tech pumping out a bunch of stats real world users need a test to determine as they cannot figure it out via usage.

 

[ian87w]

What’s overblown is Max Tech pumping out a bunch of stats real world users need a test to determine as they cannot figure it out via usage.

Huh? The numbers are facts, plain and simple. If your usage case doesn’t push the laptop, good for you. That doesn’t mean the reduced SSD performance doesn’t exist.

 

[ThailandToo]

Nope. Just means it doesn't matter...

Apple isn't going to present a product and explain its fault when trying to show it off. The same way Dell doesn't advise people who get their new 13 plus that it will get worse battery life than its predecessor. Considering the Dell XPS 13 plus is a top recommended laptop, you have to actually dig to find its many issues being reported. Overheating, failed motherboards, driver issues, trackpad issues, worse battery life then last years model etc... Doesn't seem to be making any headlines though for these issues, but keeps topping the charts for a top recommended laptop lol.

MacBooks are definitely held to a higher standard by reviewers, even when comparing to equally as expensive windows alternatives. Apple gets criticized for the slower ssd speeds even on their more expensive models because its not gen 4 speeds. Yet most windows laptops aren't and reviewers complement their ssd speeds saying they are more then fast enough.

As a consumer who tries to research to make the right decisions, you really gotta dig down past the top layer of clickbait and bs to find the real facts it seems. Though its quite clear people get stuck at the click bait titles and make their conclusions based off that. Because im sure not seeing many threads flooded with actual owners of the M2 complaining about its speed. People love to complain on here so there should be not shortage of those threads if this was actually the case lol

These. It’s just someone trying to make money via views. Nobody wants to do anything except complain.

 

[ThailandToo]

Huh? The numbers are facts, plain and simple. If your usage case doesn’t push the laptop, good for you. That doesn’t mean the reduced SSD performance doesn’t exist.

Haha. If someone is using this base MacBook AIR as their Pro-level Mac and they expect Pro-level features, they’re doing business with the wrong company. The world has bigger concerns than an SSD speed being really really fast instead of really really really fast.

 

[1BadManVan]

This argument doesn't follow. First off, review sites didn't solely use synthetic benchmarks to show how much slower the base model M2's SSD was to the base model M1's SSD. Second off, buying an Apple product doesn't "harm" a user. That's hyperbole. It could be a waste of money. But people on here clearly don't care about something even having the potential of being slower than its direct predecessor. Thirdly, and most importantly, for whom would a base model M1 MacBook Air not be the right tool for the job but the base model M2 MacBook Air be the right tool? If you're so low-end that the speed of your SSD doesn't matter to you, then how would all of the other minor benefits that M2 has over M1 (on a good day) matter to you? Again, your logic doesn't follow here.


Again, these aren't purely synthetic benchmarks wherein the drives perform slower. These are real-world tests wherein simple tasks are performed better by a base model M1 than a base model M2.

the base m2 air will fit in just fine for those who own a base m1 air as people who currently own them aren't pushing them to their limits as their daily use. It wasn't the intended audience for the m1 air either just like its not for the M2.

 

[ThailandToo]

the base m2 air will fit in just fine for those who own a base m1 air as people who currently own them aren't pushing them to their limits as their daily use. It wasn't the intended audience for the m1 air either just like its not for the M2.

I just cannot believe the level of hatred and disgust people have over a base level product not being as fast as the higher-end product. Makes no sense to me. People will not notice a difference. The people buying these that need a powerhouse MacBook Pro or double speed SSDs to process their Lightroom files will surely need 512GB of storage. Haha. Right there with you 1BadMan.

 

[1BadManVan]

I just cannot believe the level of hatred and disgust people have over a base level product not being as fast as the higher-end product. Makes no sense to me. People will not notice a difference. The people buying these that need a powerhouse MacBook Pro or double speed SSDs to process their Lightroom files will surely need 512GB of storage. Haha. Right there with you 1BadMan.

It’s sad… very narrow minded people that are very gullible. Shows how many fall for the clickbait thats for sure

 

[ThailandToo]

It’s sad… very narrow minded people that are very gullible. Shows how many fall for the clickbait thats for sure

Indeed. I just read another thread where the OP bought the M1 MBA due to the “SSD issues” of the M2 MBA. I used the term “irresponsible reporting” as I thought about it. It factually is slower in extremely limited situations. But in all reality, nobody buying a base M2 MBA should expect it to do the stuff needed from a base-configuration 256GB model. People just want to complain then they scare off the actual intended buyer of the device when these complainers have no desire to buy it in the first place.

 

[1BadManVan]

Indeed. I just read another thread where the OP bought the M1 MBA due to the “SSD issues” of the M2 MBA. I used the term “irresponsible reporting” as I thought about it. It factually is slower in extremely limited situations. But in all reality, nobody buying a base M2 MBA should expect it to do the stuff needed from a base-configuration 256GB model. People just want to complain then they scare off the actual intended buyer of the device when these complainers have no desire to buy it in the first place.

Exactly.. it’s one thing to report the synthetic benchmarks and stuff. It’s another to actively recommend against even getting it. Wouldn’t be surprised if certain YouTubers got a letter in the mail.