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Laid my eyes on 15" MBA for the first time, anyone else would think it's a Pro machine

K

Kendo

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 4, 2011
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Forget being a tech geek or knowing what ProMotion is. Suppose someone erased your memory and everything you knew about Mac/iPhone specs but you still had your tech oriented mindset (meaning you still know what a 4K TV is, what a PS5 is, etc.) and you laid eyes on a 15" MacBook Air, I'm pretty certain you would think it is a Pro machine.

We know to look out for a ProMotion display because Apple told us what it is and now we know to look out for a 120Hz display and thus can't accept it if one machine has it and the other doesn't. We know the M3 has 25% less memory bandwidth because some other tech researcher uncovered this (otherwise we'd move on with our lives not knowing any better). We think 8GB RAM isn't enough because the max you can configure is 128GB (even though 95% of the audience here doesn't come close to using 8GB). But if you flew in blind on Apple products and laid eyes on the M2 MBA, I honestly think you'd think it was the most amazing piece of machinery you ever laid eyes on.

I played around with it at Costco and couldn't believe how crisp and well made the machine was
 
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in a weird way I think the new M3 MBP is gonna boost sales for the 15 Air

its thinner, more screen, no fan (even though the fan is quiet / rarely comes on supposedly), and cheaper
 
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Kendo said:
We know the M3 has 25% less memory bandwidth because some other tech researcher uncovered this (otherwise we'd move on with our lives not knowing any better).
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It is clearly stated on apple.com

Kendo said:
We think 8GB RAM isn't enough because the max you can configure is 128GB (even though 95% of the audience here doesn't come close to using 8GB).
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I from time to time fill over 150Gb of RAM with just Safari, you get the beach ball with just 20 tabs on 8Gb

IMG_1725.jpeg
 
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IMO nothing about the Air feels especially premium let alone "pro" - the screen is okay, the speakers are okay, the I/O is okay. It's designed to be lightweight, cheap, fan-less and portable and manages to do exactly that. Beyond that, the MBP just feels - and is - so much more advanced in pretty much every way and that is very obvious when comparing them side-by-side.
 
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Surfsalot said:
mm no it feels flimsy in comparison
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putting all specs and use cases of the two machines aside, I have to disagree. Came from a 16" M1 MBP to the 15" Air and I find it feels much more dense and sturdy - with the MBP feeling hallow in comparison. Just my take when I made the switch over the summer.
 
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i'd get it if it had usb c on the right side. i charge from the right
 
It is what 15 inch MBP should have been (the one that Apple sold before they introduced 16 inch).
 
From a distance, the 15" MBA looks like a Johny Ive 15" MacBook Pro without speaker grills and a notch. Hence why I am a bit skeptical of call that thing an Air.

And it weighs like a MacBook Pro too.
 
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christlinah said:
IMO nothing about the Air feels especially premium let alone "pro" - the screen is okay, the speakers are okay, the I/O is okay. It's designed to be lightweight, cheap, fan-less and portable and manages to do exactly that. Beyond that, the MBP just feels - and is - so much more advanced in pretty much every way and that is very obvious when comparing them side-by-side.
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Compared side-by-side with the MBP, yes. But compared to other laptops? Have you seen the absolute JUNK Windows laptops, including ones that are supposed to be expensive pro Windows machines? In terms of look, feel, and build, the MBA completely blows them out of the water.
 
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Aggedor said:
Compared side-by-side with the MBP, yes. But compared to other laptops? Have you seen the absolute JUNK Windows laptops, including ones that are supposed to be expensive pro Windows machines? In terms of look, feel, and build, the MBA completely blows them out of the water.
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Completely agree. The look and feel of many - even high-end - Windows laptops is atrocious.
 
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I just replaced my M1 Air with the 15" M2 Air for work since I really need a bigger screen (but never wanted to lug the 16" MBP, I don't need that power for work either). It's an amazing laptop, and I think it feels even more premium than my personal 14" M1 Pro, just due to the thinness and lightness of it. If I didn't need/wanted the better display and video editing capabilities on my personal computer I'd swap my 14" Pro for a 15" Air in a heartbeat.

A lovely computer - what a nice time it is to be a computer geek. :)
 
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15 air was not for me! It was laggy (slightly) had base, felt flimsy, screen was not great and lack of ports. Also didn’t like the keyboard. But for the money, yes good machine!
 
Kendo said:
We think 8GB RAM isn't enough because the max you can configure is 128GB (even though 95% of the audience here doesn't come close to using 8GB).
Click to expand...

A lot of what you say is true, but this isn't—8GB is tight even if you only use "standard" apps, and you get memory pressure on an 8GB Apple Silicon machine regularly.
 
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kp98077 said:
15 air was not for me! It was laggy (slightly) had base, felt flimsy, screen was not great and lack of ports. Also didn’t like the keyboard. But for the money, yes good machine!
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Exact same keyboard as the MBPs, isn't it?
 
If I were buying a corporate or college student machine, I would agree with you 100%. It’s definitely a ‘professional’ machine in the sense that it fits great into a business environment and is more than capable for almost any student, with the exception of media, design, possibly even architecture/engineering.
It just doesn’t have the creative power that some people are looking for.
I sat side by side and edited the exact same photo on a MBP and a MBA. Compared the results side by side and the difference spoke for itself. I simply couldn’t get the level of detail out of the MBA screen that the MBP affords. Plus for video editing the MBP is pretty much necessary due to the thermal constraints of the MBA.
 
Zest28 said:
From a distance, the 15" MBA looks like a Johny Ive 15" MacBook Pro without speaker grills and a notch. Hence why I am a bit skeptical of call that thing an Air.

And it weighs like a MacBook Pro too.
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It does -not- weigh like a MacBook Pro, it is only 3.3 pounds (much lighter than the Jony Ive 15).

I am drowning in Macs at the moment filling specialized niches where they work better than the MBA 15", but if a higher power stepped in and asked me to keep only one machine it's the one I would keep. It's the only machine that's just good enough along every important dimension, including portability.
 
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