New Air turning out to be a dud

[ian87w]

A wee bit strange forum. Flamebaits thrown on a regular basis, people standing by picking them up. Why? 🤔

On topic: The base model's SSD is slower, that's true (as far as we've been told at the moment by early reviews). Thermal throttling isn't new (it's a fanless model, there are models with fans, work out the logic). Colour issues, IDK.

There's more to that.
The base SSD is slower, while the cheaper older M1 Macbook Air is faster. And it doesn't stop at the Air as the M2 13" Macbook Pro also suffers the same fate, and that's a $1500 laptop for base config. Add on Apple's own marketing materials that are bragging about the speed (including the storage speed), and Apple's denial of the issue (despite tests saying otherwise).

Thus I believe it's normal for some people to be disappointed and unhappy with Apple's decision. The expectation of the redesigned Macbook Air was quite high, as such seeing how an older and cheaper model having superior SSD speed is baffling. Plus, the price increase is not helping either.

This wouldn't affect Apple in any way, of course. Any decisions people take (other than not buying it), Apple is making more profit.

 

[AlixSPQR]

There's more to that.

Spoiler: Different aspects

The base SSD is slower, while the cheaper older M1 Macbook Air is faster. And it doesn't stop at the Air as the M2 13" Macbook Pro also suffers the same fate, and that's a $1500 laptop for base config. Add on Apple's own marketing materials that are bragging about the speed (including the storage speed), and Apple's denial of the issue (despite tests saying otherwise).

Thus I believe it's normal for some people to be disappointed and unhappy with Apple's decision. The expectation of the redesigned Macbook Air was quite high, as such seeing how an older and cheaper model having superior SSD speed is baffling. Plus, the price increase is not helping either.

This wouldn't affect Apple in any way, of course. Any decisions people take (other than not buying it), Apple is making more profit.

No, there isn't (more than I wrote). What you are referring to are just different aspects of what I've already stated. You also included info about another model, but that is off topic in this thread/about this model.

 

[Dealmans]

No, there isn't (more than I wrote). What you are referring to are just different aspects of what I've already stated. You also included info about another model, but that is off topic in this thread/about this model.

Don't bother they are from the android alternatives forum stirring up trouble, if you go in there and do it they get you banned lol

 

[Richu]

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.

I would wager that the performance is excellent for the targeted demographic.

Throttling is just a Biproduct of using the same cpu in two form factors. Probably cheaper than manufacturing a slower cpu specifically for the air that doesn’t throttle. Same end result in performance.

 

[BellSystem]

I declared it a dud when it showed up in trash colors. #BringBackGoldTimApple #WhereTheColorsAt

 

[Sowelu]

With almost all the reviews I've seen, and I watched just about all of them, they are comparing the M2 Air to the M2 Pro or even the 14" Pro. This is ridiculous and is giving a false perception of the M2 Air. It should be compared with the M1 Air - nothing else.

Review after review, I was like, are they kidding? I can see why they'd compare it to other Macs just to throw them into the mix for some tests due to comparative size and price, but most (big name) reviewers were only pitting it against other non-Air MacBooks in overall summary.

The M2 Air should be compared to its fan-less, thin and light predecessor as the main comparison. When you find a reviewer who does just that, you'll see that the M2 Air is faster, has slightly longer battery life, has a better display, and has similar thermals in real world use. This is exactly what I expected.

The redesign and upgraded display is the headline, but for some reason, they're creating this narrative with unrealistic expectations, video editing benchmarks, and comparing it to MacBooks with active cooling. As I am watching these reviews I said, oh boy, there are going to be 'The M2 Air Sucks' posts everywhere, and here we are.

 

[gpat]

2022 MacBook Air review: Apple’s clean slate

The new Air is designed around the M2, and it’s a fresh start for a classic laptop.

arstechnica.com

Ars Technica released a proper review.
Now we can stop watching video of bimbo reviewers screaming all over their painted nails about it.
Bottom line, it's not a bad product, but it's not so compelling either.
Next year its price will drop, a more efficient M3 chip will drop in, and we'll all accept it as the new standard.
Apple probably positioned it as a "middle ground" because nobody would have bought the leftovers of the old MBP and MBA designs otherwise.

 

[Falhófnir]

So the midnight colour option (you don't have to get the machine in midnight) comes with some downsides, and the machine isn't so good for the sort of heavy workloads that the MacBook Pro is there to cover, and this makes the machine:

a thing that fails to work properly or is otherwise unsatisfactory or worthless.

Going to politely disagree there!

 

[avalon68]

With almost all the reviews I've seen, and I watched just about all of them, they are comparing the M2 Air to the M2 Pro or even the 14" Pro. This is ridiculous and is giving a false perception of the M2 Air. It should be compared with the M1 Air - nothing else.

Review after review, I was like, are they kidding? I can see why they'd compare it to other Macs just to throw them into the mix for some tests due to comparative size and price, but most (big name) reviewers were only pitting it against other non-Air MacBooks in overall summary.

The M2 Air should be compared to its fan-less, thin and light predecessor as the main comparison. When you find a reviewer who does just that, you'll see that the M2 Air is slightly faster, has slightly longer battery life, has a better display, and has similar thermals in real world use. This is exactly what I expected.

The redesign and upgraded display is the headline, but for some reason, they're creating this narrative with unrealistic expectations, video editing benchmarks, and comparing it to MacBooks with active cooling. As I am watching these reviews I said, oh boy, there are going to be 'The M2 Air Sucks' posts everywhere, and here we are.

They are comparing it with the pro because in most of Europe they cost the same once you put 16gb/512 specs on the air. I think it’s a fair comparison, and it’s a decision many people are weighing up - which is better value.

 

[MayaUser]

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.

now that i had the Mba 512/16gb ram for over 4-5 hours...if this is a dud for a very nice, ultrabook premium laptop...then everything else on the market are garbage and cannot be useful in anyway
the performance the build the battery life for this price and for dimensions are kind of phenomenal and im coming from the current 13" Dell that i had for 4 days

 

[MayaUser]

2022 MacBook Air review: Apple’s clean slate

The new Air is designed around the M2, and it’s a fresh start for a classic laptop.

arstechnica.com

Ars Technica released a proper review.
Now we can stop watching video of bimbo reviewers screaming all over their painted nails about it.
Bottom line, it's not a bad product, but it's not so compelling either.
Next year its price will drop, a more efficient M3 chip will drop in, and we'll all accept it as the new standard.
Apple probably positioned it as a "middle ground" because nobody would have bought the leftovers of the old MBP and MBA designs otherwise.

when

The bad is​

• Throttles and warms under heavy sustained load compared to Apple’s various bigger, more expensive alternatives

You know this is an impressive (nobody in the past,intel macbook and macbook air could even think to ask for coding and editing 4k/8k) ...when asking from an ultrabook this kind of things its shows what the M1 could do and what M2 can do now. No other ultrabook or not even mid tier 15" laptops can come close to this only if they have a proper cooling and with at least mid tier dGpu inside
At this stage, Apple should indeed considering making an binned M3 3nm that dont draw more than 15W SoC and build the 12" Mb
and of course they should have the 15" Air, even fan-less can achieve even greater performance and greater battery with the M3 3nm SoC
Apple trajectory is and can be very impressive

 

[hughesdj]

midnight might be a problematic colour, enough reviews have mentioned the finger prints which is enough to put me off. But then 5 MacBookPro/Airs in and I tend to stick to silver.
Slower SSD is due to them using 1 NAND on the base model, and I doubt its really noticeable to the average user. You'll find there is some throttling on any fan less mac, otherwise how would it cope with heat?
6colors did their review as a live stream and were very sensible about the whole thing, basically if you have an M1 stick with it. If you have an old intel its worth the upgrade.

 

[jonnysods]

Everyone forgets this is their entry level machine - its not really supposed to be a power house. I agree the ssd thing is just plain wrong, but this is the computer that they are using along with iPhones to hook people into the Apple ecosystem, just like the white/black macbooks in days of old.

 

[Sowelu]

They are comparing it with the pro because in most of Europe they cost the same once you put 16gb/512 specs on the air. I think it’s a fair comparison, and it’s a decision many people are weighing up - which is better value.

Yes, I get that, and there is no problem including the M2 Pro as part of some charts/comparisons due to similar size and price, but most of the M2 Air reviews are based entirely and summarized by this comparison with little insights as to how it compares to the model it's replacing, which is just odd to me.

I see fanless thin and lights as its own category, and the M2 Air should be compared to the M1 Air in terms of performance, thermals, battery, wight, design, etc. How these ratings compete and compare against the M2 Pro and even 14" Pro are fine to include, but the reviews should not be based on this.

 

[avalon68]

Yes, I get that, and there is no problem including the M2 Pro as part of some charts/comparisons due to similar size and price, but most of the M2 Air reviews are based entirely and summarized by this comparison with little insights as to how it compares to the model it's replacing, which is just odd to me.

I see fanless thin and lights as its own category, and the M2 Air should be compared to the M1 Air in terms of performance, thermals, battery, wight, design, etc. How these ratings compete and compare against the M2 Pro and even 14" Pro are fine to include, but the reviews should not be based on this.

If the m2 air was in the same price range as the M1, then reviews would focus on that. But realistically it’s the same price as the pro - in the U.K. at least - there’s only £80 difference with educational pricing. From the side by side pictures, there isn’t much of a size difference either, so it’s the review a lot of people want to see.

 

[Alex Cai]

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.

At least it’s less expensive than a intel mba and have less heat issues

 

[jdb8167]

Who’s the customer for this? Not engineers and not grandma, either.

I'm an engineer and my 24 GB/1 TB M2 MacBook Air is ordered. I'm currently using an M1 MacBook Air and it works very well for my software development needs. Developing software generally is a bursty CPU activity—perfect for the MacBook Air. It's very fast for the brief periods of time it needs to be.

 

[Pugly]

I think we all were spoiled with how little the M1 Air throttled relative to all the other M1 Macs. This M2 Air is more inline with expectations, and it's still not bad. The intel Airs throttled a lot even with a fan. (maybe worse... trying to find benchmarks)

It's still a really capable computer... it's pretty wild seeing the conversation go from M1 Airs being amazing and computers you can replace 15 inch MBPs with to the M2 Air being a dud and only good for checking a few emails. I don't think the majority making these comments actually use the computers for anything more advanced than making comments about the laptop being slow.

 

[TimmKook]

We spent 15 years designing this new MacBook Air to be the best it could be and a random guy on the internet declares it a dud a day before it goes live.

That hurts man, that hurts. 🤣

 

[Cide]

I'm an engineer and my 24 GB/1 TB M2 MacBook Air is ordered. I'm currently using an M1 MacBook Air and it works very well for my software development needs. Developing software generally is a bursty CPU activity—perfect for the MacBook Air. It's very fast for the brief periods of time it needs to be.

Yum! Well that sounds awesome. Now I want to get one. Did you order Midnight or Silver?
24GB Ram / 1 TB SSD makes this thing better than a top of the line Retina; by far. You should be very happy with it for your software development needs.

I would have liked to see the MacBook Air's case act as more of a heatsink, to allow for longer periods of sustained high usage. I don't mind it getting hot/warm, personally.

 

[bookcase]

This thread reminds me of the iPad mini 6, which was also declared a dud upon release, which couldn't be further from the truth. Whatever floats your boat, I guess. I'll be the proud owner of the most basic model of the Midnight MacBook Air (fingerprints and all), which will pair nicely with my basic model iPad mini and basic model iPhone 13.

 

[sjperformance]

Complaints and unnecessary BS over a $1000+ device. Imagine the car industry that many times a new model is released. Difference looks inside and out but same engine performance. I read much less complaints and BS on those forums. Basic midnight blue is out for delivery for me today. Haven't bought a MacBook in 5-6 years. Just need it for basic stuff to do at home.

 

[jdb8167]

Yum! Well that sounds awesome. Now I want to get one. Did you order Midnight or Silver?
24GB Ram / 1 TB SSD makes this thing better than a top of the line Retina; by far. You should be very happy with it for your software development needs.

I would have liked to see the MacBook Air's case act as more of a heatsink, to allow for longer periods of sustained high usage. I don't mind it getting hot/warm, personally.

Midnight.

I actually don't really need the M2 but I've had the M1 MacBook Air since the day it was released and it was always meant to be a temporary solution. It turned out that the M1 MacBook Air fits my needs very well which was a bit of a surprise. I will probably use the 24 GB for a bit of productivity boost with Docker but it wasn't really necessary yet. I surprised myself by rejecting an upgrade to the 14" MacBook Pro. I don't like the new 14" MacBook Pro very much. Too heavy, too thick.

 

[Cide]

Midnight.

I actually don't really need the M2 but I've had the M1 MacBook Air since the day it was released and it was always meant to be a temporary solution. It turned out that it fits my needs very well which was a bit of a surprise. I will probably use the 24 GB for a bit of productivity boost with Docker but it wasn't really necessary yet. I surprised myself by rejecting an upgrade to the 14" MacBook Pro. I don't like the new 14" MacBook Pro very much. Too heavy, too thick.

Yeah,
I've used a 15" Retina for 10 Years, I can't wait to have a less heavy, less thick laptop. Though the Retina was a bit thinner than the average pros, It was still a lugger to carry around without damaging or scratching the thing. The Air just moves around so nicely, and is so portable, and you don't feel bad about using it on the bedsheets either, Not like theres fans to worry about sucking dust in.

Midnight is cool as heck, a very unique look.
I encourage you to thoroughly enjoy the thing when you get it.

 

[Ifti]

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.

I agree with this.
Yes SSD speeds are slower, but seriously, it's still super fast speeds for most users day to day usage. Most wont even notice what they are missing at all.
I have no interest in an Air, but I also see these flying off the shelves. As an entire package, it's what most general mobile users want.....