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Is it worth waiting for the M4 MacBook Air?

The wife needs a new MacBook so I'm probably going to get her the 13" M3 Air with 16GB RAM and 512 SSD. I'd kind of like to push her towards the base model MBP just for the new M4 chip, but either one is going to be more than adequate for her needs.

My only real concern is that I go ahead and get her the M3 Air and then they release the M4 Airs with the same color choices as the iMacs...If that happens and she misses out on a purple MacBook Air, I think she might murder me in my sleep.
 
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joeblow7777 said:
This is entirely just a guess on my part, not based on any actually information, but I have a feeling the M4 Air will only offer 16GB and 24GB memory options. More than that will be for Pros, which I don't think is unreasonable since the Air is more intended for light use. Even 24GB is overkill for most MBA users.
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The new Mac mini with M4 chip can be configured with up to 32GB of Ram. 24GB was the max limit of the M3 already, so it is very likely that the new MacBook Air will be able to configure with 32GB of RAM. Since I have Apple devices for two decades now, I can assure you this one law: Buy new Apple devices rarely. But if you buy, always outfit them with max Ram and max GPU. This way your devices will be usable way longer and last longer. When it comes to the new M4 Air, 32GB of Ram will make sense because it encompasses also the Video Ram as well. Especially LLMs and future ChatGPT versions as well as other AI features will need tons of Ram.
I will indeed get the MacBook Air 15' M4 with maxed out Ram in Spring 25'. After the usage of a whopping 14 Years of my good old 17' MBP 2010, it's about time to upgrade to a AI capable Macbook. If you can use your device as long as I do, Apple becomes cheap as chips. :)
 
Olde Dave said:
The wife needs a new MacBook so I'm probably going to get her the 13" M3 Air with 16GB RAM and 512 SSD. I'd kind of like to push her towards the base model MBP just for the new M4 chip, but either one is going to be more than adequate for her needs.

My only real concern is that I go ahead and get her the M3 Air and then they release the M4 Airs with the same color choices as the iMacs...If that happens and she misses out on a purple MacBook Air, I think she might murder me in my sleep.
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So you better ask her before she stabs you.
 
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geta said:
So you better ask her before she stabs you.
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We were out doing some Christmas shopping today and were near a Best Buy. We went in and looked at the MacBooks and she decided she wants the 13" M3 Air in Midnight with 16GB of RAM and 512 SSD. She also wants a new iPad mini and will get her purple with that, so I'm covered, LOL.

The surprise of the day came when she gave me the go-ahead to buy a Studio Display for my home office next month if I want to. :D
 
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i am waiting for HDMI port on Macbook air m4, if it aint happening, sticking to Macbook Pro m3 which I have now
 
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Mitochondrion said:
I am coming from the 15-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro with 32 GB RAM and 1 TB storage configurations. It is my main computer and the MacBook Air is a secondary computer for me. It is not a computer to replace my main computer. I will eventually upgrade my main computer to an Apple silicon 16-inch MacBook Pro but it can wait.

I will use the MacBook Air for Mac/iOS development and it can also be used as a family computer. So, that is why it is a secondary computer. When I had the base M3 MacBook Air, I noticed in the Activity Monitor that the memory pressure is yellow and this is with Xcode opened with Safari with roughly 40 tabs opened and with productivity apps running, e.g. Mail, Notes, Calendar etc.
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The original post didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. OP had an Intel mac. As we know since M1's launch 4 years ago, even the M1 MBP 13" is able to match higher end six core Intel MBP performance at much lower power draws. And we know M3 and M4 is a lot more aggressively clocked compared to the M1 to offer even more performance. So if one can purchase a secondary computer faster than the primary computer, then why not use it as the primary computer?

The comparison to the base M3 MBA is not fair either. The old base M3 has 8GB of RAM and it is obviously an issue for just XCode and emulator without anything else. It would be surprising for an app developer not to know this. The RAM is configurable up to 24GB, and at that level it can easily handle XCode + emulator + Chrome + Zoom + Mail and more. If it was configured correctly back then, I would not be surprised the OP would have ditched the Intel.

Now the M4 MBA is expect to launch in March, and probably with a 32GB option (not a given, Apple can limit the SKU even if the chip supports it. See 64GB M4 Pro option missing on the MBP). If it launches, then a 15" M4 MBA with 32GB RAM would have been a perfect replacement to the 15" Intel MBP.
Mitochondrion said:
I ended up upgrading to a 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro! :)
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That's a good choice too. I would probably have went with the 14" personally. The M4 Pro generation is a much better generation because its core mix is configured much better than the M3 Pro, and has better peak performance than the conservatively-clocked M1 and M2. I think the M4 generation across the board is a very good purchase.
 
Another reason why the M4 generation is a good purchase right now is because the TSMC 3nm process is state of the art at the moment and there isn't a lot on the horizon. Without advancement on the fab side, Apple might struggle to improve performance further without going overly aggressive with the clocks, which can only work so well before you run out of thermal budget (look at the late Intel Macs). M4 and M3 are already a bit over their power frequency sweet spot. It's like buying 2016 Mac with Intel Skylake and everything that came in the 4 year after is just trading off more power and heat for more on paper performance.

Conversely, if you purchase towards the end of a generation, your money does not go as far. There is no amount of SSD and RAM maximization that can savage the 2018-2020 Intel Macs because Intel's technology has fallen so far behind by then.
 
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RumorChaser said:
The original post didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. OP had an Intel mac. As we know since M1's launch 4 years ago, even the M1 MBP 13" is able to match higher end six core Intel MBP performance at much lower power draws. And we know M3 and M4 is a lot more aggressively clocked compared to the M1 to offer even more performance. So if one can purchase a secondary computer faster than the primary computer, then why not use it as the primary computer?

The comparison to the base M3 MBA is not fair either. The old base M3 has 8GB of RAM and it is obviously an issue for just XCode and emulator without anything else. It would be surprising for an app developer not to know this. The RAM is configurable up to 24GB, and at that level it can easily handle XCode + emulator + Chrome + Zoom + Mail and more. If it was configured correctly back then, I would not be surprised the OP would have ditched the Intel.

Now the M4 MBA is expect to launch in March, and probably with a 32GB option (not a given, Apple can limit the SKU even if the chip supports it. See 64GB M4 Pro option missing on the MBP). If it launches, then a 15" M4 MBA with 32GB RAM would have been a perfect replacement to the 15" Intel MBP.

That's a good choice too. I would probably have went with the 14" personally. The M4 Pro generation is a much better generation because its core mix is configured much better than the M3 Pro, and has better peak performance than the conservatively-clocked M1 and M2. I think the M4 generation across the board is a very good purchase.
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I see your point, but the reasons I didn’t want to upgrade my Intel-based Mac are that Apple still supports it, as it can run macOS Sequoia. I wanted to continue using it until Apple officially drops support for macOS upgrades. I don't have an urgent need to upgrade and would like to get the most out of my current computer. I do not intend to sell it nor trade it in for a new Mac.

My approach to upgrading Mac computers is that you should only upgrade if the new Mac offers features you genuinely need right now, or if your current Mac can no longer run the latest macOS version officially. I’m not interested in using third-party software to upgrade unofficially. Alternatively, if the current Mac becomes too slow, unreliable, or filled with problems, then upgrading makes sense.

The secondary Mac serves as an intermediary until I decide to upgrade my main computer. I only use it for work purposes, meaning I leave most of my personal data on my main Mac and only transfer over work-related files and install the apps I will actually use.

I suspect macOS Sequoia may be the last version to run on my Intel Mac. The longer I wait, the more I get out of it, and by the time I purchase my first Apple silicon Mac, it should be much better than the early generations. The M4 series MacBook Pro, for example, has some nice upgrades beyond the chip itself, such as a quantum dot display, a 12MP Centre Stage camera with desk view support and a nano-texture display.
 
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I have a 15 MBA with 24 gb (M3? M2? Don’t remember). I want the M4 so I can get 32 gb and make it my main machine, instead of switching between it and the Mac Mini M2 Pro.
 
Mitochondrion said:
I see your point, but the reasons I didn’t want to upgrade my Intel-based Mac are that Apple still supports it, as it can run macOS Sequoia. I wanted to continue using it until Apple officially drops support for macOS upgrades. I don't have an urgent need to upgrade and would like to get the most out of my current computer. I do not intend to sell it nor trade it in for a new Mac.

My approach to upgrading Mac computers is that you should only upgrade if the new Mac offers features you genuinely need right now, or if your current Mac can no longer run the latest macOS version officially. I’m not interested in using third-party software to upgrade unofficially. Alternatively, if the current Mac becomes too slow, unreliable, or filled with problems, then upgrading makes sense.

The secondary Mac serves as an intermediary until I decide to upgrade my main computer. I only use it for work purposes, meaning I leave most of my personal data on my main Mac and only transfer over work-related files and install the apps I will actually use.

I suspect macOS Sequoia may be the last version to run on my Intel Mac. The longer I wait, the more I get out of it, and by the time I purchase my first Apple silicon Mac, it should be much better than the early generations. The M4 series MacBook Pro, for example, has some nice upgrades beyond the chip itself, such as a quantum dot display, a 12MP Centre Stage camera with desk view support and a nano-texture display.
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This is a very smart attitude and after close to 40 years of using computers and maybe 25 years or more of buying my own that I am just now getting to place where I feel like upgrading every year is not as important to me as in the past. I would justify upgrading by selling my old stuff. Buying low and selling high but the truth is I have been losing money for years with little gain. It was fun, it was exciting and I loved new features and some years it made a pretty big difference but in the era of Apple silicon things have changed dramatically and if you upgrade every year you are simply giving good money you could have saved to Apple.

Since the majority of my life I have used Windows PC's this upgrade yearly made more sense and even when Power PC was a thing and Intel Macs. Now with Apple silicon and the newer designs of the MacBook Pro's and air's they are just so good and perform well even years later that it makes a lot more sense just to buy it and run it until you can't perform daily tasks efficiently anymore.

For me my MacBook Air M2 has finally changed my perspective and my economic situation has given me no real choice. But I don't feel bad I can't afford to upgrade right now because the truth is I really don't need to. And if I do have any care for the planet it is so much better to keep what you have as long as possible and PC's just don't age nearly as well even if they have "better specs" or the latest tech.

You are smart. Keep your Intel Mac until you can't upgrade the OS. Buy a new m series Mac at that time. Use you old Mac beyond OS updates as a backup and you can use the m series until it is no longer supported and rinse and repeat!!
 
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Worth the wait for the power-two-external-displays feature that's rumored in the next MBA.
 
luzsa2004 said:
Worth the wait for the power-two-external-displays feature that's rumored in the next MBA.
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I don't think the M4 air will have support for two external displays. That would start cutting into the Pro laptops territory and I don't think Apple would do that.

If a person does not need two external displays why wait for the next generation? Waiting is a gamble and is a game that can never be fully won. When the M4 Air comes out rumors of the M5 Air will start circulating. Then it becomes a question of waiting for the M5, or the M6, as the scenario just keeps continuing.

I don't think the M4 Air will have any real feature increase beyond the CPU, perhaps the camera. I don't see the base level storage increasing beyond the 16 Gig level or the base level storage increasing beyond the current 256 Gig level. The memory increase on the base level was recent so I don't see Apple changing that. The storage, maybe, but I doubt it. People have been functioning quite nicely with 256 Gig and Apple wants to sell cloud storage as that is recurring revenue.

If a person needs a new machine, buy it now and be happy. Waiting is a gamble on the unknown, buying now is dealing with the known. Even when the M4 Air is announced it may be a month before it is available. That is the only tine I would wait to buy is when the product is announced. Then maybe even a good deal on the prior model could be found.

The current state of the MacBooks and iMacs is that any current machine with the M series of chips is an excellent machine. More than good enough for the majority of users. The power users know their needs and will benefit. Home use and most business use would function fine on the current machines.
 
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raythompsontn said:
I don't think the M4 air will have support for two external displays. That would start cutting into the Pro laptops territory and I don't think Apple would do that.

If a person does not need two external displays why wait for the next generation? Waiting is a gamble and is a game that can never be fully won. When the M4 Air comes out rumors of the M5 Air will start circulating. Then it becomes a question of waiting for the M5, or the M6, as the scenario just keeps continuing.

I don't think the M4 Air will have any real feature increase beyond the CPU, perhaps the camera. I don't see the base level storage increasing beyond the 16 Gig level or the base level storage increasing beyond the current 256 Gig level. The memory increase on the base level was recent so I don't see Apple changing that. The storage, maybe, but I doubt it. People have been functioning quite nicely with 256 Gig and Apple wants to sell cloud storage as that is recurring revenue.

If a person needs a new machine, buy it now and be happy. Waiting is a gamble on the unknown, buying now is dealing with the known. Even when the M4 Air is announced it may be a month before it is available. That is the only tine I would wait to buy is when the product is announced. Then maybe even a good deal on the prior model could be found.

The current state of the MacBooks and iMacs is that any current machine with the M series of chips is an excellent machine. More than good enough for the majority of users. The power users know their needs and will benefit. Home use and most business use would function fine on the current machines.
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If Apple intended dual external monitor support reserved for Pros, they wouldn’t have added the lid closing hack with M3 Air.

Dual monitor support is a pretty fundamental feature even Chromebooks have had for a decade and much longer on regular notebooks. This is just like offering base 16GB RAM, not if but when it was coming.

Not all updates are the same or worth waiting for. But M4 is worth it. You wouldn’t wait for iPhone 7, but X is worth it.
 
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Mitochondrion said:
I see your point, but the reasons I didn’t want to upgrade my Intel-based Mac are that Apple still supports it, as it can run macOS Sequoia. I wanted to continue using it until Apple officially drops support for macOS upgrades. I don't have an urgent need to upgrade and would like to get the most out of my current computer. I do not intend to sell it nor trade it in for a new Mac.

My approach to upgrading Mac computers is that you should only upgrade if the new Mac offers features you genuinely need right now, or if your current Mac can no longer run the latest macOS version officially. I’m not interested in using third-party software to upgrade unofficially. Alternatively, if the current Mac becomes too slow, unreliable, or filled with problems, then upgrading makes sense.

The secondary Mac serves as an intermediary until I decide to upgrade my main computer. I only use it for work purposes, meaning I leave most of my personal data on my main Mac and only transfer over work-related files and install the apps I will actually use.

I suspect macOS Sequoia may be the last version to run on my Intel Mac. The longer I wait, the more I get out of it, and by the time I purchase my first Apple silicon Mac, it should be much better than the early generations. The M4 series MacBook Pro, for example, has some nice upgrades beyond the chip itself, such as a quantum dot display, a 12MP Centre Stage camera with desk view support and a nano-texture display.
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The fact you’re quite fine still using your old, old, intel mac is proof….well, that you probably don’t need to upgrade at all. So, either wait, or don’t wait. Whenever you do upgrade, the new laptop will no doubt be several hundred percent faster.
 
JPack said:
If Apple intended dual external monitor support reserved for Pros, they wouldn’t have added the lid closing hack with M3 Air.

Dual monitor support is a pretty fundamental feature even Chromebooks have had for a decade and much longer on regular notebooks. This is just like offering base 16GB RAM, not if but when it was coming.

Not all updates are the same or worth waiting for. But M4 is worth it. You wouldn’t wait for iPhone 7, but X is worth it.
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On the soon-to-be-released-MBA effortlessly powering two displays without the annoying clamshell, this is getting serious… [aka doesn’t appear to be a copy and paste from this website’s original post that was picked up by other outlets]

As of today evening, the reliable Forbes pub reports that: “…These include an additional Thunderbolt 4 port from the current two, the ability to support two external displays concurrently with the laptop’s own display, and the addition of the nano-texture display to reduce glare. …” [emphasis my own]

Ewan Spence has been covering tech for some time. Having read his material over the years, there’s strong confidence he knows this stuff.
 
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I just damaged the screen of my MBA M1 (16g/1TB). It is still usable, since the damage is limited to some transparent banding on the bottom inch of the screen. That said, I am going to replace it. The question is: do I get the MBA M3 now, or wait until March and get the MBA M4. This is my secondary computer, so I don't need it to do a lot of heavy lifting. But I do use this machine a lot. This is also my travel computer, so weight is a factor. What do you think?
 
Maui19 said:
I just damaged the screen of my MBA M1 (16g/1TB). It is still usable, since the damage is limited to some transparent banding on the bottom inch of the screen. That said, I am going to replace it. The question is: do I get the MBA M3 now, or wait until March and get the MBA M4. This is my secondary computer, so I don't need it to do a lot of heavy lifting. But I do use this machine a lot. This is also my travel computer, so weight is a factor. What do you think?
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Unless you need new computer now, wait few more month.
 
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