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Lloigorr

macrumors member
Sep 10, 2021
98
225
Germany
Ich love my 8GB M1 Air as well. It's really a powerful little thing. Before I got the Air I had a rMBP 15" from 2014 which I loved too but showed its age. I will still consider buying the new one, when it is available.
 
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Phil77354

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2014
1,918
2,006
Pacific Northwest, U.S.
I vinyl wrapped mine.

4 reasons:

1. If you get a protective case the lid cover makes it heavy for the screen hinge and it wobbles/makes the screen hinge *feel* loose

2. my plastic case cracked

3. I got a smokin' deal on my rose gold M1 and don't really like the flashy color. (beggars can't be choosers)

4. vinyl wrap and a razor blade are a lot cheaper than pre-cut skins. plus you have a lot more designs to choose from.
I guess I'm not familiar with vinyl wrap if it is something you trim yourself to fit the MacBook?
 

BreakYurAnkles

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Oct 17, 2021
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only thing is you *might* need a blowdryer to heat up the vinyl a little around the corners

(it helps the vinyl be more flexible to "mold" into the curved shape and keeps that shape when it cools down)

DIY "Do it yourself" + the choices of designs/patterns was the most satisfying part(s) for me vinyl wrapping my MacBook Air.

and its so cheap and easy, I can just wrap it again with a different design/pattern if the old one gets damaged or stale for my style.
 
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Danfango

macrumors 65816
Jan 4, 2022
1,294
5,777
London, UK
Don't wrap your laptops, particularly the MacBooks with no active cooling. The case is part of the heatsink and thermal design and adding a wrap will increase the thermal resistance from the chassis to ambient. Ultimately they will run hotter, cause more thermal expansion and contraction internally and last less time.

Remember this: Every time someone wraps a MacBook an electrical engineer kills a puppy :)
 
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BreakYurAnkles

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Oct 17, 2021
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Don't wrap your laptops, particularly the MacBooks with no active cooling. The case is part of the heatsink and thermal design and adding a wrap will increase the thermal resistance from the chassis to ambient. Ultimately they will run hotter, cause more thermal expansion and contraction internally and last less time.

Remember this: Every time someone wraps a MacBook an electrical engineer kills a puppy :)
any references or sources?
(credible established sources please. preferably within Electrical engineering and the higher education fields if possible)

I'm curious.
 

Phil77354

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2014
1,918
2,006
Pacific Northwest, U.S.
Don't wrap your laptops, particularly the MacBooks with no active cooling. The case is part of the heatsink and thermal design and adding a wrap will increase the thermal resistance from the chassis to ambient. Ultimately they will run hotter, cause more thermal expansion and contraction internally and last less time.

Remember this: Every time someone wraps a MacBook an electrical engineer kills a puppy :)
I compare this to hard cases such as the one linked below that is sold on the Apple website. Those state that they provide ventilation, so the question is how is that accomplished. And I think the answer is that the case doesn't cover the rear of the base of the MacBook, alongside of the hinge, which is the only opening I can see - and for that reason it shouldn't interfere with the ventilation (if that is a ventilation opening, and I don't know if it is or not).

The vinyl wrap shown in the link posted by @BreakYurAnkles only covers the surface of the MacBook and doesn't wrap around any of the sides, so it wouldn't interfere with any of the ports or anything else (including ventilation). It is only attached to the solid surface of the MacBook. And you trim it to fit as desired anyway, so you can take care to not interfere with any openings that should not be blocked - if there were any.

I take your point that the case is part of the heatsink, but again noting that hard cases are also offered for these computers and Apple sells them too, then I don't expect any problem with vinyl wrapping which would probably be less insulating than a hard plastic (and thicker) case.

Bottom line, I don't see how this could possibly have any impact on cooling. And in fact I am an engineer, not electrical but plenty of experience in many different areas, and I've never killed any puppies either!! (Engineering discipline most applicable to this problem is anyway not electrical but mechanical - heat transfer - and I do have training in that area, in fact, if I go back enough years!)

 
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ignatius345

macrumors 604
Aug 20, 2015
6,949
11,377
M1 air is the best laptop ever. Silent, light, fast, affordable.

I bought four of them.

Too bad the refresh will have white bezels, no thanks. In for zero.
My iMac has white bezels. In product photos you see the screen black and it stands out. When you're actually using it, your eyes are adjusted to the brightness of the display, and the bezels appear gray. It's seriously not an issue unless you're fixating on it. Here's what it looks like in real usage:

IMG_2825.jpeg
 

ignatius345

macrumors 604
Aug 20, 2015
6,949
11,377
I feel the same way about my 2020 Intel MBA.
I liked my 2020 i5 Air... until my wife got an M1 Air and I got a chance to play around with it. It was night and day. I ended up trading mine in soon after. Even if the M1 wasn't any faster than the i5 (and it really is much more responsive), the double/triple battery life would clinch it.

Using CoconutBattery, I usually saw my i5 Air pulling ~12-15 watts in normal use, fans usually running at some level between low and roaring. Under the same workload, the M1 Air consistently pulls <5 watts under the same workload and screen brightness. It sometimes pulls under 3 watts (!) if I keep the screen brightness at 50%. That gives me a real-world run time of 10 hours. Side benefit, the battery goes through way fewer charge/discharge cycles and will last a lot longer over time.
 
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pshufd

macrumors G3
Oct 24, 2013
9,963
14,445
New Hampshire
I traded my 2020 i5 Air for an M1 Air and it was night and day. Even if the M1 wasn't any faster than the i5 (and it really is much more responsive), the double/triple battery life would clinch it.

Using CoconutBattery, I usually saw my i5 Air pulling ~12-15 watts in normal use, fans usually running at some level between low and roaring. Under the same workload, the M1 Air consistently pulls <5 watts under the same workload and screen brightness. It sometimes pulls under 3 watts if I keep the screen brightness at 50%. That gives me a real-world run time of 10 hours. Side benefit, the battery goes through way fewer charge/discharge cycles and will last a lot longer over time.

This is even true for the 2015 MacBook Pro. Twice the CPU horsepower at a fraction of the battery consumption. If you have the cash, the 2020 M1 MacBook Air is a simply fantastic device.
 

Apples Apples Everywhere

macrumors 6502
Jan 4, 2017
299
660
My iMac has white bezels. In product photos you see the screen black and it stands out. When you're actually using it, your eyes are adjusted to the brightness of the display, and the bezels appear gray. It's seriously not an issue unless you're fixating on it. Here's what it looks like in real usage:

Thanks for trying to talk some sense into me. I will try to keep an open mind.

However also: yuck, yuck, yuck! Again, no offense fellow Apple fans. That’s just me.
 
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Thisismattwade

macrumors regular
Oct 27, 2020
224
263
depends on how far you sit from you monitor. I'm about 2 feet (24 inches) away from mine and its clear.

But I am contemplating getting a 28" 4k monitor for more screen real estate.

You won’t regret the monitor choice. Nothing much compares (cheaply) with a Retina display, but my 4K 27” Dell is pretty close. And a single USB-C cable connection is really nice.
 

whitby

macrumors 6502
Dec 13, 2007
303
324
Austin, TX
I have both the M1 MBA (16GB/1TB) and a M1 Max MBPro (64GB/4TB). I would love a 15" version of the MBA, then it would be my standard daily driver for most of my work. 13" is just too small for all the emails/docs/spreadsheets I use for daily work. I still need my MBPro for the heavy lifting (LRc, Logic Pro, FCP etc.) but a lightweight 15" machine with the same spec. for memory and ssd space would be ideal for me. The MBPro is very heavy and not that 'handy' for just picking up and carrying around and using for trips (when we get back to them). The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15" is a good model to follow. Light, thin but needs better speed and battery life, but the size and weight is ideal and I use it a lot for that reason.
 

BreakYurAnkles

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The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15" is a good model to follow. Light, thin but needs better speed and battery life, but the size and weight is ideal and I use it a lot for that reason.
exactly.

I honestly can't think of another (current) machine I'd switch to.

I completely agree that the 13" screen on the MB Air isn't ideal (I've only owned 15" laptops). And for productivity its definitely the biggest downside of the machine.

BUT on the other hand, I've actually become really comfortable with the 13" screen. Which I never thought I'd actually switch to and be productive/happy with it. It took me a few weeks to get adjusted to it, but it is my "daily driver" and only machine I use so YMMV.
 
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Argon_

macrumors 6502
Nov 18, 2020
423
255
exactly.

I honestly can't think of another (current) machine I'd switch to.

I completely agree that the 13" screen on the MB Air isn't ideal (I've only owned 15" laptops). And for productivity its definitely the biggest downside of the machine.

BUT on the other hand, I've actually become really comfortable with the 13" screen. Which I never thought I'd actually switch to and be productive/happy with it. It took me a few weeks to get adjusted to it, but it is my "daily driver" and only machine I use so YMMV.

I think a 15 inch MBA would be a nearly perfect computer for general use. I also love the wedge design.

My previous machines were Pros, and I still wished for more power on tap, faster single thread speed, heavier multitasking without causing slowdowns, etc. Then I switch to the Air for it's simple lack of a touch bar vs the Pro, once it was no longer hobbled by Intel and an inadequate cooler.

Still impressed by it.
 
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ericwn

macrumors G4
Apr 24, 2016
11,863
10,479
My iMac has white bezels. In product photos you see the screen black and it stands out. When you're actually using it, your eyes are adjusted to the brightness of the display, and the bezels appear gray. It's seriously not an issue unless you're fixating on it. Here's what it looks like in real usage:

View attachment 1942405

Good point and iMacs had white bezels for years. Just like iBooks as well.
 
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pshufd

macrumors G3
Oct 24, 2013
9,963
14,445
New Hampshire
Good point and iMacs had white bezels for years. Just like iBooks as well.

All of the Macs that I've owned have had metallic or metallic-looking finishes.

PowerMac G5, M1 mini, 2021 MacBook Pro, 2014 MacBook Pro, 2015 MacBook Pro and 2007 MacBook Pro 17 (metal color but made of plastic), 2009 iMac, 2014 iMac. Same thing with my iPhones and iPads. The only Apple products that I had that weren't metal or metal looking are iPod Nanos (early generations), and the Apple remote controls. So I'm just used to metallic finishes or appearance.

All of my monitors (Dell) have black bezels, so that's just what I am used to. I don't like the 24 because of the size. I don't really know whether or not I'd like white bezels but I'm sure that there are skins to convert them to black if they do that on the 27.
 

ericwn

macrumors G4
Apr 24, 2016
11,863
10,479
All of the Macs that I've owned have had metallic or metallic-looking finishes.

PowerMac G5, M1 mini, 2021 MacBook Pro, 2014 MacBook Pro, 2015 MacBook Pro and 2007 MacBook Pro 17 (metal color but made of plastic), 2009 iMac, 2014 iMac. Same thing with my iPhones and iPads. The only Apple products that I had that weren't metal or metal looking are iPod Nanos (early generations), and the Apple remote controls. So I'm just used to metallic finishes or appearance.

All of my monitors (Dell) have black bezels, so that's just what I am used to. I don't like the 24 because of the size. I don't really know whether or not I'd like white bezels but I'm sure that there are skins to convert them to black if they do that on the 27.

Good point, a skin could be an option. Having used iMacs from the early generations onwards over the G4 lamp and the white G5 models and intel models I got used to the bezel colour rather quickly. I found black glossy displays and display borders way more irritating but that’s probably just my personal preference.
 

ignatius345

macrumors 604
Aug 20, 2015
6,949
11,377
That plus it costs less than many iphones...which is a real head-scratcher to me.
An iPhone is just a very small computer, with a bunch of sensors and hardware the MacBook doesn't have. And it's all miniaturized and put into a tough, waterproof case with an OLED touch screen on top of it and a multi-lens camera system. If not for heat dissipation, I'd wager a high-spec iPhone could be modified to run Mac OS and drive a monitor pretty well.
 
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ignatius345

macrumors 604
Aug 20, 2015
6,949
11,377
Good point, a skin could be an option. Having used iMacs from the early generations onwards over the G4 lamp and the white G5 models and intel models I got used to the bezel colour rather quickly. I found black glossy displays and display borders way more irritating but that’s probably just my personal preference.
That black polycarbonite MacBook was nice, though. One of my favorite Mac laptops, for its time.
 

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2006
4,278
4,128
Down south
Yep. Same. I have actually never liked laptops, not even Apple ones. I love macOS, but the last MacBook I owned before the M1 Air was thick, heavy, loud, slow, etc. It ALWAYS seemed to me like macOS was held back by Intel and the thermal design to accommodate their chips. The MacBook and MacBook Air of the time had the sleeker, more modern designs but were even more painfully slow than my MacBook Pro was. And I couldn't use the Pro "anywhere" because it was too hot most of the time to put on my legs while in use. When I was regularly podcasting was actually when I switched to full time iPad usage rather than Mac and learned the whole workflow in iOS instead. I was just tired of gating out fan noise and interference and it was affecting the quality of almost all my audio.

Those problems are literally all gone now. My M1 Air gets a little hot when I play Civ VI on it, but otherwise doesn't break a sweat. It also lasts forever on a charge and is lighter and thinner than my iPad Pro w Magic Keyboard.

It's honestly the only laptop I've ever owned that I've LOVED using. I've liked a couple of them, but I've never been to the point with a notebook where I get joy from using it over my phone or iPad. M1 made the MacBook Air feel like an iPad married to a Mac without the touchscreen (which I largely don't care about or need).

Of course, I will kick it to the curb once the M2 model comes out, which I'm sure I will also love. ;)

Hey, keep me in mind if you upgrade and are looking to sell. My grandson wants a laptop this year for his birthday, and an M1 Air is what I want to buy him.
 

TrancyGoose

macrumors 6502
Jan 13, 2021
356
178
OMG, I had a Ryzen 4000 series with a D-GPU laptop and that thing was noisy to say the least. battery life sucked, maybe 2.5-4 hours at best! ?

Typing on my M1 air right now and its cool to the touch :cool:

Barely gets warm when connected to a 24" 1080p monitor at 240hz.

This thing is truly amazing.
My MB Pro M1 13, never got warm, other when I ran Cynebench.
It's connected to a 27inch 4K screen. I have actually never heard the fan spin.
And I have a 8GB 512 version. Soooooo happy with it, gonna keep it for years! For what I do, it fits my needs perfect. And (knock on wood) has not failed me once yet.
 
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BreakYurAnkles

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My MB Pro M1 13, never got warm, other when I ran Cynebench.
It's connected to a 27inch 4K screen. I have actually never heard the fan spin.
And I have a 8GB 512 version. Soooooo happy with it, gonna keep it for years! For what I do, it fits my needs perfect. And (knock on wood) has not failed me once yet.
I have AppleCare+ (annual plan) on my Air, I plan on continuing it as long as I own the machine. (for peace of mind)

I also waited a few months to see what the verdict was on M1 before I decided to give it a try.

Like another poster stated, You can't beat Apple's service. I replaced a family members screen on a gaming laptop and it cost ~$90. With AppleCare+ it cost $99 and they do the work for me (sure I'll be without a laptop for a few days) but the workmanship and parts are fully warrantied so I am a happy customer.

The jury is still out on the unified memory and SSD's as well. that's another reason to have AppleCare+ just in case.
 
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