MacBook Air Teardown Reveals M2 Chip and Single Storage Chip for 256GB Model

[compwiz1202]

By absolutely no noticeable metric for such a use. Stop spreading fud.

Would be nice for people with different combos of RAM/SSD to do that same Video Task someone mentioned in one of the forums that took five days on his old macbook but 15h on the base M2 Air. Then would know if either a bump to 16GB or 512GB would help more. I'd rather do the 16/256 since I don't need that much storage if the extra RAM would cushion the slower SSD considerably.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Obviously, Apple isn't going to leave out the comparably inexpensive and immediately noticeable features, like braided cables and a better headphone jack.

There's a lot to save by switching SSDs and next to nobody is opening up their MacBooks to check the parts.

The harddrive is hidden, all the exterior aesthetics, keyboard, display, color options, cables and ports are not.

And this is EXACTLY what Apple has always been about - since the first Mac. Looks and design are first. The money savings will always be in the components. The components will always be hard to get to. The machine will always be locked down. I don’t know why anyone here, above all places, is remotely surprised.

Apple’s whole MO, since at least the first mac, and Steve Jobs’ Apple certainly, continued with Tim Cooks Apple to a big degree - is to sell a computer as an appliance.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

I am just enjoying that the entry level Air is again crap.

Except it isn't when used for intended purposes. Those using it like it is a Mac Studio though will indeed be disappointed.

 

[karranz]

That’s a bad move apple.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Would be nice for people with different combos of RAM/SSD to do that same Video Task someone mentioned in one of the forums that took five days on his old macbook but 15h on the base M2 Air. Then would know if either a bump to 16GB or 512GB would help more. I'd rather do the 16/256 since I don't need that much storage if the extra RAM would cushion the slower SSD considerably.

Yes it would be nice to be able to do the exact same thing on any machine, but you can’t. That’s why we have higher specc’d machines and base machines. Buy what you need.

 

[JPack]

The "up to" is quite vague, though, right? I found the original press release and bizarrely, under footnote 1 (which follows a paragraph about the MBA) it says this was according to tests done with a pre-production MacBook Pro.

Similarly, on this page on the website, claims are based on "pre-production MacBook Air systems with Apple M1 chip and 8-core GPU, configured with 8GB of RAM and 512GB SSD."

I can't see why any of that would stop Apple from changing the SSD setup in the 256GB model. A MBA M1 configured with 512GB would still be "up to" twice as fast.

But yeah, full disclosure, I don't have legal training and it was just a thought that anyone buying an M1 today based on YouTube videos saying the M1 MBA has faster storage speeds might be disappointed.

If there's no possible way the M1 MBA storage is "up to 2X" faster, then it would be subject to a claim about misleading information. Otherwise, Apple would just claim some big random number.

If you look at the press release provided by Apple, the 2X claim is not subject to any footnote. As a result, it applies to all M1 storage configurations. This makes sense because the 256GB model has a pair of chips.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Those non-geeks are the same people that would buy 8/256 and then turn to swap because they like to leave tabs and programs open. Unlike Windows, macOS doesn't make it easy to quit an app.

⌘+Q
Quitting an app is actually very easy.

 

[JPack]

⌘-Q
Quitting an app is actually very easy.

Not as easy as clicking the big red X in Windows.

The fact that you have to memorize a keyboard shortcut or navigate a menu to quit an app makes it non-intuitive.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Not as easy as clicking the big red X in Windows.

The fact that you have to memorize a keyboard shortcut or navigate a menu to quit an app makes it non-intuitive.

Easy to do, and hard to do by accident. Unlike the big red X.

 

[Mr. Dee]

If you know them more than just this video, they catalyze Apple's marketing much more than they kill it.
I think it's good that someone tells the truth. Apple should either advertise it clearly, or should stop doing this altogether.

I think they are doing alright. YouTube channels with nearly a million followers make a good chunk of change. So, I think MaxTech doesn’t care neither does Luke Miani. And great thing is, they are not handcuffed by Apple to say only nice things like iJustine and Jonathan Morris. The only one Apple can’t deny is MKBHD. Apple knows trying to muzzle him will have serious consequences. But I noticed his Apple reviews are coming much later than others.

 

[lesalps]

Lol people arguing about Windows quit-after-last-document-closes vs. Mac app persists.

Like it's 1997.

On usenet.

Arguing.

Still.

Lol.

I feel old.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

With the price jump on this, they should’ve just went with 512Gb SSD on the base model if they cannot provide two 128Gb SSDs

I think they went with the 256G model because of the controversy - so they could show that it's one NAND chip instead of two. Just a guess, though.

 

[cwwilson]

Let’s give Apple some credit here. I’m sure it was a very difficult choice not to stick a 5400 RPM hard drive in there instead. 🙄

 

[Suicidy]

I won't watch anything from that full of hot air click bait nonsense channel.
The SSD isn't shocking anyone anymore, and nor is it really that much of a big deal. Jog on.

If people are shocked, then just wear rubber gloves.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

I wonder who the first YouTuber will be that solders in a 256GB SSD chip into that empty slot to see if they can get it to recognize the whole 512GB?

I hope it's the same person who put 128GB of RAM into a 2017 iMac that can only support 64GB, then started a thread wondering why his machine wasn't able to access it all, and made all kinds of false claims. I still don't know if the thread was legit or just really baroque MR performance art.

 

[lesalps]

Let’s give Apple some credit here. I’m sure it was a very difficult choice not to stick a 5400 RPM hard drive in there instead. 🙄

I agree.

I applaud their courage in not using a 4800 RPM 2.5" laptop form factor drive.

Macrumors comments section has been "at an all time low" for at least the last 7 or 8 years, but this SSD debate manages to lower it again. Beyond what should be possible.

The only option at this point is lolz.

Duty Calls

xkcd.com

 

[Just sayin...]

Thanks to Max Tech for risking destruction of an M2 Air so that we could have this useful information!

 

[CrysisDeu]

A lot of empty space wasted under the em shield.. they should’ve put a heat sink or more battery, or just make the chassis thinner.

 

[cupcakes2000]

A lot of empty space wasted under the em shield.. they should’ve put a heat sink or more battery, or just make the chassis thinner.

Is that what you do on your production laptop designs?

 

[cupcakes2000]

You mean real world complaints from my Wife on her M1 MBA ... which has 2x the SSD speed?

Don't be so dismissive please
This is coming from personal experience, right in my living room, the last 6-9 months

It’s very very easy to say things on the internet…

 

[Sowelu]

I am thinking that most of the people who buy the base model won't notice the slower SSD speed as it's still pretty fast. Having said that, I do think that using a slower SSD (in what's supposed to be the new faster MacBook) is pretty F'd up.

I would like to think that this was a chip/supply issue and this was a decision Apple had to make to in order to ramp up units in time for launch. Than again, with the increased starting price, if this was the case, perhaps the solve should've been using a 512MB SSD in the base model.

I have a 2TB on order... I wonder how that will compare (in terms of speed) to my 1TB M1 Air.

Also, looking at this video, I am confused about the heatsink... Didn't the M1 Air have a thick metal plate to pull heat away from the chip? It looks like this model just has a thin shield, or am I not fully understanding what I am seeing?

 

[CrysisDeu]

Is that what you do on your production laptop designs?

I don’t fully understand what you are implying. It’s a new design so there’s no reason for wasted space in a compact laptop.
M1 air is okay because it was using an older chassis

 

[tobybrut]

Not as easy as clicking the big red X in Windows.

The fact that you have to memorize a keyboard shortcut or navigate a menu to quit an app makes it non-intuitive.

Alt-F4 is more intuitive? Seriously, people have been using Cmd-Q forever. It’s not that hard. It’s Q for quit. Very easy to remember. Alt-F4, not so much. I know that more from muscle memory and had to think about it a second to remember it was Alt-F4.

Closing an app depends on what your habits are. If your hand is always on the mouse like with a web browser, you’ll choose quit from the menu most of the time. If your hand is on the keyboard, like with Pages, you’ll have Cmd-Q ingrained just as my fingers know Alt-F4 by heart.

 

[cupcakes2000]

I have a 2TB on order... I wonder how that will compare (in terms of speed) to my 1TB M1 Air.

As it isn’t prone to the single v 2 drive situation on the base model, it will be definitely faster. All other things being equal, it’s a faster SOC.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Not as easy as clicking the big red X in Windows.

The fact that you have to memorize a keyboard shortcut or navigate a menu to quit an app makes it non-intuitive.

Sorry my hands are already on the keyboard, where I can quickly type CMD-Q with a thumb and finger on my left hand basically instantly. By contrast, moving my hand from my keyboard to my mouse, scrolling the cursor/arrow up to the top corner of my monitor and then clicking in a window actually takes longer. It's less convenient for me, and I'm glad the MacOS doesn't require that. Just one more way that Windows makes me deal with Windows when I'm trying to get the simplest things done.

"Memorize a keyboard shortcut?" Give me a break. It's CMD-Q, as easy as CMD-C for copy and CMD-V for paste, which everyone has also been using for decades. This is not some rarely used, complicated combination of keyboard strokes that people don't understand, or would have trouble memorizing.

Having to use a mouse to quit? Bizarre.