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New Air turning out to be a dud

tomtad

tomtad

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jun 7, 2015
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There seems to be a growing list of issues with the new Air and I can’t help but think it’s turning out to be a bit of a dud.

So far we’ve got:
  • Slower SSD speeds in base model
  • Fingerprints everywhere on Midnight colour
  • Heat issues with no fan
  • Aggressive throttling to manage heat issue
  • Anodising on Midnight noticeably chips around the ports
I want to like it but these seem to be quite a few over sights for a mature product. Especially compared with the near universal praise for the Pro it does feel Apple dropped the ball somewhat.
 
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tomtad said:
There seems to be a growing list of issues with the new Air and a can’t help but think it’s turning out to be a bit of a dud.

So far we’ve got:
  • Slower SSD speeds in base model
  • Fingerprints everywhere on Midnight colour
  • Heat issues with no fan
  • Aggressive throttling to manage heat issue
  • Anodising on Midnight noticeably chips around the ports
I want to like it but these seem to be quite a few over sights for a mature product. Especially compared with the near universal praise for the Pro it does feel Apple dropped the ball somewhat.
Click to expand...
you'd be better off making a loud, hysterical youtube video to share these 'thoughts'.

no one here on the forum has their new air yet, but, based on the reviews on, you know, tech sites (like cnet, the verge, etc), AND even the youtube reviewers (some of who aren't loud and hysterical)... it's a winner.. with caveats. like every macbook before it.
 
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Apple_Robert said:
The Air is not a dud. It amazes me how so many people on here who are supposed to be more tech savvy than the average Joe on the street , have lost their focus and reasoning.
Click to expand...
Really? If you look at some of the most commented threads on MacRumors it’s about what color is coldest to the touch, how to clean your screen, or what computer should I take on vacation. Literally hundreds of comments but anything technical and it’s only a handful of people actually helping.
 
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tomtad said:
There seems to be a growing list of issues with the new Air and a can’t help but think it’s turning out to be a bit of a dud.

So far we’ve got:
  • Slower SSD speeds in base model
  • Fingerprints everywhere on Midnight colour
  • Heat issues with no fan
  • Aggressive throttling to manage heat issue
  • Anodising on Midnight noticeably chips around the ports
I want to like it but these seem to be quite a few over sights for a mature product. Especially compared with the near universal praise for the Pro it does feel Apple dropped the ball somewhat.
Click to expand...
The only negative I can see is that you can get the M1 air for 40% less
 
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BB1970 said:
Uh nope. These things are gonna fly off the shelves. NO ONE who buys an Air is gonna care about SSD speeds.
If they did, they’d be buying a Pro.
Click to expand...
agreed. for most consumers, the new air will be seen for what it, in fact is: new. stylish. fast. great screen. great camera. and so on...

will people be wiping fingerprints off with a microfiber cloth? sure. and then, life will go on...
 
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Ah yes, another “thought provoking” and polarising comment from someone who doesn’t actually have a unit in their hand and simply wants to rack up some kind of response on the internet.

This forum honestly brings the strangest people out of the woodwork.

And yet here I am commenting on it, just like OP wanted!
 
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This dud stuff is crazy talk. Some people are irrational. These are the people who expect MacBook Pro-level performance without active cooling. Again, crazy talk. The vast majority of people buying the new Air aren't working it over with tasks like someone using a MacBook Pro M1 Pro/Max would. As for the midnight color fingerprints issue — that was expecting & disappointing for some. That's why there are other colors. Starlight looks great too!
 
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Considering the 13" MacBook Pro vs. the MacBook Air - both M2 & the price difference are not a lot.

I don't fancy the new Air a lot. The colours are not that interesting, neither are MBP's of course. So excluding that, so when I will update my Air it could just as well be a MBP.
I was't even aware they had a 13" Pro these days. Great.
 
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meh, I just watched iJustine churn out a 4k video with no problem except for filling up her 1 TB ssd and clean the fingerprints off with her sleeve... Quit living in fear.

I am a mid-knight rider.

giphy.gif
 
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tomtad said:
There seems to be a growing list of issues with the new Air and a can’t help but think it’s turning out to be a bit of a dud.

So far we’ve got:
  • Slower SSD speeds in base model
  • Fingerprints everywhere on Midnight colour
  • Heat issues with no fan
  • Aggressive throttling to manage heat issue
  • Anodising on Midnight noticeably chips around the ports
I want to like it but these seem to be quite a few over sights for a mature product. Especially compared with the near universal praise for the Pro it does feel Apple dropped the ball somewhat.
Click to expand...
I’m not surprised by 1 and 3. To me, this thing is for looks. The design is…odd. If you need a machine that is low workload, you don’t need an M2 processor. If it’s high load, the M2 lacks support wrt power, fan, etc. to me, this machine makes no sense.

Who’s the customer for this? Not engineers and not grandma, either.
 
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tomtad said:
There seems to be a growing list of issues with the new Air and a can’t help but think it’s turning out to be a bit of a dud.

So far we’ve got:
  • Slower SSD speeds in base model
  • Fingerprints everywhere on Midnight colour
  • Heat issues with no fan
  • Aggressive throttling to manage heat issue
  • Anodising on Midnight noticeably chips around the ports
I want to like it but these seem to be quite a few over sights for a mature product. Especially compared with the near universal praise for the Pro it does feel Apple dropped the ball somewhat.
Click to expand...
you are entitled to your opinion of course, but what an utter nonsense post
 
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fehhkk said:
Most people will use this machine for browsing the internet and that’s it. So, it’s gonna be a good one.
Click to expand...
Yeah, set expectations according to a known reasonable set of use cases and it’s probably fine, no, better than fine. It won’t work for me but some people will love it.
 
Brighter and better display, lighter, faster CPU and GPU, longer battery life, fast charging to full in 1 hour, 1080p webcam, and mag safe charging port. If you don't need any of these things, the current M1 is enough for most people's needs. I don't understand the issue.

If you are doing loads that throttle this computer, then you need a different computer.
 
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