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M2 MacBook Air or M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14” dilemma

M2 MacBook Air vs M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14”

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Dealmans said:
What’s your evidence of that
Click to expand...

I guess based on how short the supply is of 14 and 16 non-stock configurations, everybody wanting a 1TB/16GB Air in a specific color... is gonna have to wait for a looong time.

I'm also in the same dilemma, but don't actually need a new laptop that soon (have an older MBP, which is still semi-ok). Screen on the Pro is nice, but Air has battery life and portability. 400g doesn't sound that much, but Pro is 1/3 heavier than Air.
 
jav6454 said:
My evidence is based on historical Apple events, they usually occur either in October or March time-frames. Hence, if the poster could wait until March, then they could get the M2 Pro. If not, they'd be better served with what Apple offers now.
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seemed like you were saying they wouldn't get a air 2 till march to me
 
The M2 Air vs M1 14" MBP

1.24kg vs 1.61kg
30.4x21.5x1.1 vs 31.2x22.1x1.5cm
8/8 M2 core vs 14/16 M1 core
100GB/s vs 200GB/s memory bandwidth
Adjusted to 512/16 on both
$2,499AUD vs $2,999AUD

I'd like to see the Midnight Air – for the size / weight / look.
But I think the M1Pro (MBP 14") is probably the better choice.

When the MBP goes on sale with 10% off it seems a no brainer to go MBP vs MBA. The Air is about $200-300AUD to expensive vs the MBP in my view.
 
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symphony said:
Mainly for school and coding, it would be the computer I would take outdoors. But I might use this more than my iPad because I like the freedom of macOS. And now that MBP has ProMotion and mini LED on a bigger display with nice speakers, then this could be the one!

And the processor is not that big of a concern to me, since M1 did enough. I just needed 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, as I always ran into issues with the base model M1 MacBook Air.
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If you’re going to use it outdoors regularly, I’d go with the MBP. having 1000 nits (using a program called “vivid”) is super handy and makes outdoor use totally viable.
 
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537635 said:
I guess based on how short the supply is of 14 and 16 non-stock configurations, everybody wanting a 1TB/16GB Air in a specific color... is gonna have to wait for a looong time.

I'm also in the same dilemma, but don't actually need a new laptop that soon (have an older MBP, which is still semi-ok). Screen on the Pro is nice, but Air has battery life and portability. 400g doesn't sound that much, but Pro is 1/3 heavier than Air.
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Some of the the stores today have the mbp 14. :)
 
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lockerc18 said:
"The Pro isn't heavy and clunky."

My 16 inch M1 Pro MBP sure is. Yes, the display is nice and bright and colorful and all that. But I made a real mistake in buying it. I can't wait for the M2 Air to get here. That will be a much better fit for what I do with a computer. YMMV.
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I am sure the 16 is super nice. But it’s important for people to not think all Mrs are the same.
 
mnsportsgeek said:
Go go go. $1800 has returned.

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Great price relative to the new Air. Still wish the keyboards weren’t black, but the Pro is the superior laptop in basically every way and the price difference is minimal compared to an equally spec MacBook Air 16/512
 
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symphony said:
I really want to get the M2 MacBook Air for portability and convenience, but now the M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14” seems like a better option when matching the RAM and storage to the MBA.

There is still a big difference in price, but ProMotion and HDR are big features for me and worth the additional expense. But thinness and portability is also another huge deal for me. Now I am stuck with this dilemma.

I’ve felt and held the new MBP, it looks amazing and new, but it’s so heavy and chunky. The new MBA should be slightly lighter and thinner than my M1 MBA. But when I consider the big expense I’m already making, I just wanna get the MBP. I can max out the configs of the new MBA and still be under the price of the highest prefigured MBPs sold in Apple Store.

The computer is supposed to be my travel computer and school computer. Maybe even replacing my iPad at home.

Has anybody went ahead and just got the 14” MacBook Pro? Anyone in the same boat as me? Tell me I’m wrong.
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Can you add a voting bar?
 
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This is Apple’s tried and true strategy of getting those that need just a bit more than the base spec to suddenly find themselves looking at the $2k pro machine going “ya know, when it’s 5% off, it’s basically a no-brainer to go with the pro”.

A $1,200 laptop in 2022 should not have a base of 8/256. And 16/512 being $1,600 is bonkers. But just because it’s stupid to pay that price doesn’t all of sudden make getting a pro for $1,900 an intelligent thing to do.

If you’re using your laptop for work then obviously the whole equation changes. You’ll know way better than me the multitude of variables you have to crunch to make a business decision like this.

But if you’re just in the market for a new laptop for light weight “home” use - the M1 Air is undoubtedly a more than capable machine. Any other choice is purely a luxury one and I’d advise against being swayed by Apple’s pricing structure into thinking buying any more expensive option as the “rational” thing to do.
 
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Howard2k said:
The OP was referring to the 14".

All the same - the 16" is just fractionally heavier than the old 15". It's 2Kg. I guess I just don't consider that heavy, personally. I'm sure in 5 years from now when the equivalent product is down to 1.5Kg it will also be described as heavy and chunky. :)
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I know what the OP was referring to. I was just adding my experience with the larger model for perspective.
 
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Student of Life said:
Yes I think the deal started today. For 1800 it’s very hard not to pick the 14 MacBook Pro over the New air with the same 16/512 specs.
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All depends on what you value. I prioritize portability over power that I can't possibly utilize, and I'd save at least $200 (likely $300 with the education discount, as my wife is a teacher) by buying the M2 Air 8-core 16/256.

In terms of weight, the 14" Pro is basically midway between the M2 Air and my mid-2009 13" MBP, which is a tank. It's also a half-pound heavier than my work (Windows) laptop. Lighter is not always better, of course - I never considered the 12" Macbook as there were too many compromises with it - but for me, the M2 MBA is the perfect blend of portability and power.

No question that the 14" Pro is a superior machine, but that doesn't make it the better choice for everyone, or even for most people.
 
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ctjack said:
Yes, if we look backwards, the main selling point of the first Air was its' weight and portability. It gets a lot of R&D to cramp and pack something into a smaller size.
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Yup, and it did come at a premium, which, combined with some compromises on the technical side, was enough to dissuade me from it in 2009 and go with the MBP instead. This time around, the M2 Air will fit the bill perfectly.
 
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