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M1 Air good enough for media consumption?

A

AGM21

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 13, 2021
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Hello everyone. I have been using a 2020 iPad Pro 12.9 for my computer for about 6 months now. I recently got a new job where I need to have a laptop for remote work and can’t use my iPad. I can only afford one so I will be selling my iPad to help purchase an M1 Air.

My question is, is the Air’s display good enough for multimedia consumption? I know the display is retina, but is not as sharp as the iPad Pro. Has anyone made this switch, or have both and see a big difference when watching videos or reading text?
 
I had both and traded in the Ipad. I think the Ipad's screen is better but overall the MBA is a better purchase. I need to have a keyboard and don't like the Ipad keyboard. Watching videos on the MBA is generally fine. My only complaint is the brightness. I wish it could get brighter.
 
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I'll go the other way, I find the MBA screen to be its weak point. The iPad has a better screen by a good margin and you can hook up a keyboard / mouse to it in a variety of ways. The only reason I'd stick with the Mac is if you needed the software on it because you certainly aren't going to be multitasking like a champ on the tiny screen. If you are in that market you probably need an iMac or MBP.

Media? iPad would be enough, better screen and cheaper. Unless you are missing software that would be the way to go.
 
AGM21 said:
Hello everyone. I have been using a 2020 iPad Pro 12.9 for my computer for about 6 months now. I recently got a new job where I need to have a laptop for remote work and can’t use my iPad. I can only afford one so I will be selling my iPad to help purchase an M1 Air.

My question is, is the Air’s display good enough for multimedia consumption? I know the display is retina, but is not as sharp as the iPad Pro. Has anyone made this switch, or have both and see a big difference when watching videos or reading text?
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If you can only afford one, then MBA is better purchase. There are still lot of stuff that iPad couldn’t do, while MBA can. Purchase a used MBP can also good option if you want good screen with more affordable price.
 
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Fatus_Asticus said:
I'll go the other way, I find the MBA screen to be its weak point. The iPad has a better screen by a good margin and you can hook up a keyboard / mouse to it in a variety of ways. The only reason I'd stick with the Mac is if you needed the software on it because you certainly aren't going to be multitasking like a champ on the tiny screen. If you are in that market you probably need an iMac or MBP.
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Can’t say I’ve ever had a problem with multitasking when on the go with my MBA. But more pertinently, it’s just not true to say you need an iMac or MBP just because you need to multitask - external screens are very much a thing. My MBA drives my 40” 5K2K screen beautifully when I’m at home.

But to the OP, if ALL you’re looking to do is consume media, then the. iPad is the perfect device
 
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AGM21 said:
Hello everyone. I have been using a 2020 iPad Pro 12.9 for my computer for about 6 months now. I recently got a new job where I need to have a laptop for remote work and can’t use my iPad. I can only afford one so I will be selling my iPad to help purchase an M1 Air.

My question is, is the Air’s display good enough for multimedia consumption? I know the display is retina, but is not as sharp as the iPad Pro. Has anyone made this switch, or have both and see a big difference when watching videos or reading text?
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No noticeable difference really. How come your work is not providing you with a work laptop?
 
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What kind of media consumption and where? For example, you can't download Netflix videos to a Mac.
 
EugW said:
What kind of media consumption and where? For example, you can't download Netflix videos to a Mac.
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Watching movies that I have in my icloud or just general Netflix/Youtube type stuff.
 
throAU said:
Its fine. It's not HDR, but for general purpose stuff it is totally 100% fine.

Unless you have a fairly high end (4k HDR) TV, its like as good as or better than your home TV (just smaller of course).
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My tv is just a 1080p tv and it's probably at least 5 years old now.
 
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AGM21 said:
Watching movies that I have in my icloud or just general Netflix/Youtube type stuff.
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Well, since you can’t download Netflix shows and movies to a Mac, it makes it less useful when travelling. No Netflix on the plane on your MacBook Pro for example.
 
EugW said:
Well, since you can’t download Netflix shows and movies to a Mac, it makes it less useful when travelling. No Netflix on the plane on your MacBook Pro for example.
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I think you can download movies and shows from AppleTV, at least for me they appear in Library of AppleTV Plus. I enjoyed Lasso, of course, plus there are quite a few new shows, especially enjoying Korean Dr.Brain serial
 
Im not sure how tight your budget is, but considering consumption is very important to you the base 14" MBP is "only" $500 more than the 16GB/512GB MacBook Air. For that you get a much better screen and speakers.
 
darngooddesign said:
Im not sure how tight your budget is, but considering consumption is very important to you the base 14" MBP is "only" $500 more than the 16GB/512GB MacBook Air. For that you get a much better screen and speakers.
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The art of the upsell... ;) Personally, I think even the M1 Air's specs are massive overkill for content consumption... but at the same time it's crippled, because some streaming services won't allow downloads to it. As for the screen size, the 14-inch's notch throws a wrench into things, since effectively it's not that much bigger than a 13.3" screen if the notch space is excluded.

Honestly, for pure content consumption, I consider the iPad Pro superior. For business trips I used to carry both my 12" MacBook and my 10.5" iPad Pro.

I'd use the iPad Pro on the plane/train for Netflix TV show episodes, and then in the hotel room I'd use the 12" MacBook for my business applications, with the iPad Pro as a second monitor via Sidecar.

macos-monterey-sidecar-hero.png
 
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EugW said:
The art of the upsell... ;) Personally, I think even the M1 Air's specs are massive overkill for content consumption... but at the same time it's crippled, because some streaming services won't allow downloads to it. As for the screen size, the 14-inch's notch throws a wrench into things, since effectively it's no bigger than a 13.3" screen.

Honestly, for pure content consumption, I consider the iPad Pro superior. For business trips I used to carry both my 12" MacBook and my 10.5" iPad Pro.

I'd use the iPad Pro on the plane/train for Netflix TV show episodes, and then in the hotel room I'd use the 12" MacBook for my business applications, with the iPad Pro as a second monitor via Sidecar.

macos-monterey-sidecar-hero.png
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I wouldn't normally have suggested the MBP, but since media consumption is a big part of the computer's use, and they can only have one device, it's worth considering if they can stretch to it.
 
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darngooddesign said:
I wouldn't normally have suggested the MBP, but since media consumption is a big part of the computer's use, and they can only have one device, it's worth considering if they can stretch to it.
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You likely didn't see my edit, but I edited my post above to add that the 14" doesn't actually add that much screen size for content consumption, unless you enjoy looking at a notch while consuming content.
 
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EugW said:
You likely didn't see my edit, but I edited my post above before you posted yours, to add that the 14" doesn't actually add much screen size for content consumption, unless you enjoy looking at a notch while consuming content.
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I wasn't referring to the screen size, but rather the screen quality. Its simply a higher quality Mini-LED screen with HDR support and has much better speakers as well. Whether the notch bothers you is subjective, but you will never see the notch while watching full-screen videos.
 
darngooddesign said:
I wasn't referring to the screen size, but rather the screen quality. Its simply a higher quality Mini-LED screen with HDR support and has much better speakers as well. Whether the notch bothers you is subjective, but you will never see the notch while watching full-screen videos.
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OTOH, the 14" Pro has a considerably larger footprint and higher weight than the 13" Air, which for some people is a big negative for travel. The bigger the footprint, the more annoying it is to use in economy class on the plane. (I found my previous 13" MacBook Pro annoying to use on the plane.)

But then again, I'm biased. I'm used to a 2 lb MacBook 12", so going to a 3.5 lb machine feels like a HUGE step backwards. The M1 Air is only 2.8 lbs though, with a smaller footprint than the Pro, so it's a fine middle-ground for many travellers.

I see what you're saying, but we need to step back here and look at the big picture. The OP has very light needs, and wants something that can consume content. Recommending a $2000 machine for this purpose is the ultimate upsell, yet it's a machine that still can't do some of the things a $300 iPad can do in terms of content consumption.
 
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Thanks to everyone for the input. I sold my iPad and picked up a slightly used second hand base model M1 Air for $600 USD which I feel was a great find. It only had 22 charge cycles and was cosmetically perfect.

While I would have loved the display of the 14 inch pro, that unfortunately is well out of my price range.

The display on the Air is okay, but not great. I’m sure as I spend more time with it, I will get used to it and not continue to compare it to the iPad Pro I had. The only real complaint is how washed out the blacks look, specifically in darker scenes in movies/shows. Other than that, it’s a fantastic machine. I forgot how much easier Mac OS is, even for the basic stuff.

Overall I’m satisfied.
 
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