Mid 2012 MBA to maxed out M2: first two days...

[Skippymon]

My old workhorse mid-2012 MBA was in dire need of replacement and I went all in and got a maxed out 10 core 24GB 2TB M2 in Midnight. Controversial spec perhaps but I wanted something snappy and powerful that could handle having dozens of tabs open, lots of huge PDF docs, Photos, play & edit 4k iPhone movies, plus all the usual day to day computing ****. I travel a lot so lightness is important and I wanted to be able to keep my photos originals and documents on the machine rather than have to be connected to access some of them from iCloud.

I did a fresh install so everything came from the cloud and I only downloaded those apps I need, this avoided transferring 10 years of crap from the old machine.

I love the shape and size, the screen is so bright and crisp, I like the extra vertical real estate and thin bezels. I wanted fanless and don't need extra ports so the 14 MBP was never really contender - its too fat and heavy for my liking.

The one thing I'm on the fence about is the colour. Midnight just looks black most of the time. Now mine isn't scratched and doesn't seem to be picking up any significant finger prints, but its just kind of odd, especially in low light where the keyboard/trakpad area is a bit of a black hole. I'm not going to change the machine but I suspect if I'd waited and had a look in the store I might have chosen space grey.

For a laugh I ran Blackmagic speed test, it came up at about 3500, whereas my old machine was 78! So the M2 runs like lightning to me. Photos app opens instantly, 7000 page pdfs the same, and with a ton of stuff all open its using about 16GB of RAM so I feel there is plenty to spare.

Some pictures attached for interest - the ones I wish I could have seen before I decided, if only to confirm how slim/thin the machine is.

TDLR, went from a slow old dinosaur to a super fast M2 and love it!

 

[russell_314]

It sounds like you made a good choice. I'd say the 16-24 GB RAM upgrade is likely a waste but it's $200 not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. You can spend that going to Starbucks for a month.

I went with silver because I just ❤️ the classic MacBook look and it reminds me of my old 13" MacBook Pro from before they trashed the 13" MacBook Pro and I guess the others too. Good thing the MacBook Pro and Air is back and awesome with Apple Silicon!

 

[KPOM]

You’ll notice the blue subtones in direct sunlight.

 

[tweaknmod]

Congratulations!You sound happy with your choice!

Mine is arriving today... 8core, 16/512, silver...

I am an excited nerd. It's hillarious how much I love tweaking settings, installing apps, and tesing out workflows.

I think I've come to the right place though...

Edit: It did not come today. Sadness.

 

[1rottenapple]

you deserve a max model. glad it worked out.

 

[Nbd1790]

Looks good! Well deserved after hanging onto your last one for 10 years. Good spec to future proof yourself. Enjoy!

 

[JW5566]

For a laugh I ran Blackmagic speed test, it came up at about 3500, whereas my old machine was 78!

It's great coming from an older machine - I remember being so nervous going from a 2012 Pro to a 2020 Air and couldn't believe how fast the Air was in comparison. Great to hear you're enjoying the machine that's a fantastic spec. I'll have a similar thrill no doubt when going from my Intel Air to an M1 or M2.

 

[chengengaun]

Congratulations! What struck me from the pics is not the new MBA but how well you look after the 2012 machine.

 

[Skippymon]

Congratulations! What struck me from the pics is not the new MBA but how well you look after the 2012 machine.

Thanks! I look after my stuff and despite travelling a lot it stayed in good shape. I used a Radtech microfibre sheet between the keyboard and screen and the laptop always travelled in a padded case. It had 1 new battery and 1 mother board but otherwise was going well, but it couldn't handle playing 4k videos which was frustrating!

 

[ArrayDecay]

I'm also replacing my mid 2012 MBA with a Starlight 16/512 M2 MBA. Alas, I must wait until 24 August before I can hold it in my sweaty paws. From your photographs I can't wait to hold it. It looks so compact, light, and powerful.

 

[rr23]

That’s why I went with classic silver. You can never go wrong with that color. I ordered midnight at first and then canceled my order. Reason being that I felt like midnight looked somewhat cheap. It reminded me too much of black Lenovo laptops back in the day. Showing scratches more also turned me off.

My spec is 10 core, 1 TB, and 24 GB.

Why 24? - Believe it or not, I often have 30+ browser tabs open at the same time. I day-trade and have many charts open at once.

Sure, a MacBook Pro would be better suited for the task, but I travel a lot and need something lightweight and portable.

 

[lcs101]

I'm also replacing my mid 2012 MBA with a Starlight 16/512 M2 MBA. Alas, I must wait until 24 August before I can hold it in my sweaty paws. From your photographs I can't wait to hold it. It looks so compact, light, and powerful.

Same thing I have coming for me with delivery between 17th and 24th.

 

[sunman42]

It sounds like you made a good choice. I'd say the 16-24 GB RAM upgrade is likely a waste but it's $200 not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. You can spend that going to Starbucks for a month.

I went with silver because I just ❤️ the classic MacBook look and it reminds me of my old 13" MacBook Pro from before they trashed the 13" MacBook Pro and I guess the others too. Good thing the MacBook Pro and Air is back and awesome with Apple Silicon!

I thought the classic MacBook look was white.

 

[imnotthewalrus]

I am genuinely glad for you! 10 years on your 2012 deserved being upgraded to a MBA that would likely last you at least that long! Congratulations and enjoy!

 

[rcappo]

I looked at this computer in the store, although it only had 8GB of Ram and the 8 core M2, and it was impressive. I am trying to hold out for a few more months with my 2010 MacBook Pro and I need to run the same benchmark test to see how slow this computer is now compared to a new one.

One thing I couldn’t figure out in the store is if the keys are backlit on the new Mac laptops. Maybe it is automatically adjusted for the room light, but I couldn’t tell if they lit up in the dark or not.

I would be curious to know how much RAM you use too. I know I need 16 GB because the 8 GB my current laptop has isn’t cutting it, but probably need to spend the money to get up to 24 Gb to reduce the likelihood of having a problem in a few years.

 

[Devyn89]

I had a 2012 MacBook Air as well, though I didn't keep it for as long (got too tempted by a 2016 MacBook Pro without Touch Bar because of the Retina display). I loved that computer, it saw me through university (including all nighters to finish my final papers) and through my first job out of university (which was, funnily enough, at the university). That was my first Mac too. I couldn't really afford it (went into debt to get it which wasn't the smartest move but live and learn).

 

[Skippymon]

I looked at this computer in the store, although it only had 8GB of Ram and the 8 core M2, and it was impressive. I am trying to hold out for a few more months with my 2010 MacBook Pro and I need to run the same benchmark test to see how slow this computer is now compared to a new one.

One thing I couldn’t figure out in the store is if the keys are backlit on the new Mac laptops. Maybe it is automatically adjusted for the room light, but I couldn’t tell if they lit up in the dark or not.

I would be curious to know how much RAM you use too. I know I need 16 GB because the 8 GB my current laptop has isn’t cutting it, but probably need to spend the money to get up to 24 Gb to reduce the likelihood of having a problem in a few years.

Yes the keys are backlit, and are better than the old MBA where there was tons of leak around the front of the keys. They do adjust automatically by default.

So far the highest RAM usage I've seen is 17GB and that's with several Safari windows open each with half a dozen tabs, Firefox playing Youtube with adblocker, Photos, Calendar, Mail, reminders, notes, 6 large PDF docs in preview on another desktop, Music and a couple of spreadsheets open.

It's a beast. Always go for RAM over storage.

 

[fatpolomanjr]

It reminded me too much of black Lenovo laptops back in the day.

Funny thing is that is one of the reasons I got an m2 air. I'm a fan of Thinkpads, old and new. This is my first real dive into the apple ecosystem aside from my black ipod video 5th gen that is still in use after 16 years and a hdd + battery replacement.

 

[ThomasJL]

My old workhorse mid-2012 MBA was in dire need of replacement and I went all in and got a maxed out 10 core 24GB 2TB M2 in Midnight.

My situation is somewhat similar to what you described in your OP:
I'm currently typing this post on my mid-2012 13-inch MacBook Pro with 16GB of Crucial RAM and a 1TB Samsung 850 EVO SSD. Because my mid-2012 computer is very slow, I'm planning to get a fully maxed-out MacBook Air M2. (I'd like to get the silver color.)

 

[apparatchik]

That’s why I went with classic silver. You can never go wrong with that color. I ordered midnight at first and then canceled my order. Reason being that I felt like midnight looked somewhat cheap. It reminded me too much of black Lenovo laptops back in the day. Showing scratches more also turned me off.

My spec is 10 core, 1 TB, and 24 GB.

Why 24? - Believe it or not, I often have 30+ browser tabs open at the same time. I day-trade and have many charts open at once.

Sure, a MacBook Pro would be better suited for the task, but I travel a lot and need something lightweight and portable.

I don’t think the perf difference between the two is that big IRL to be honest, the MBA can do everything the MBP can and at 1TB you’re getting the faster ssd as well so. With only possible exceptions of higher frame rates while gaming or super long sustained loads they’re essentially as fast.

 

[erikkfi]

My takeaway is how incredible the design of the 2012 machine is. It's ten years old and half of it is thinner than the 2022 machine (and the thicker part isn't that much thicker). All that while having chunky USB-A ports.

Don't get me wrong, your newer one is better, but I'm grading on a curve given the age of the prior one.

 

[russell_314]

I thought the classic MacBook look was white.

I remember the white MacBooks. I had a MacBook Pro and I think they were a thing at that time but not sure. I guess it depends on how far back you want to go 😂

 

[kbx315]

I sold my 2015 Macbook Pro because they are retiring it officially this year...decided to go with a loaded dell laptop for about 750. I love it so far, I didnt like the design of the macbook air with the notches but Im glad your enjoying the new laptop.

 

[jchap]

My old workhorse mid-2012 MBA was in dire need of replacement and I went all in and got a maxed out 10 core 24GB 2TB M2 in Midnight. Controversial spec perhaps but I wanted something snappy and powerful that could handle having dozens of tabs open, lots of huge PDF docs, Photos, play & edit 4k iPhone movies, plus all the usual day to day computing ****. I travel a lot so lightness is important and I wanted to be able to keep my photos originals and documents on the machine rather than have to be connected to access some of them from iCloud.
<snip>
TDLR, went from a slow old dinosaur to a super fast M2 and love it!

Ten years is a great run for a machine that you've clearly gotten a lot of mileage out of. If you're opening 7,000-page PDFs, that maxed-out RAM was likely a good choice. You might get more used to the color in time. You could always put a skin on the trackpad or on the machine itself, if you didn't want to take it back but preferred a different color.

 

[Onimusha370]

Great spec machine - I'm sure that will last another 10 years! Amazing to see how dated the 2010 MBA design looks these days.