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Nearly everything produced today is a “disposable” good. Very few things produced today are designed to last beyond a few years without being outdated or in need of replacement. And if you don’t think Apple makes “consumer luxury goods” well, then we are just going to have to completely disagree. And that’s cool.

Consumer yes
Luxury, sometimes (not all their products)
Disposable no

Happy to disagree

Cheers
 
I have until next week to return my m1 air. I’m really happy with it so far, but would return it for an m2 if I had a better idea of when pre-orders would start and when delivery is expected (beginning of next month? The end?). I can go a couple weeks without a laptop, but a couple months wouldn’t be worth the wait for me. My personal reaction was quite positive with the Liquid Retina/added brightness screen, slightly bigger screen size, 1080p cam, redesigned chassis, and (potentially, if it works much faster) fast charging.
 
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For me the 14" MacBook Pro is the better choice, especially if you think about the small price difference. Having said that though, if people value a slightly lighter laptop with better battery life, they should probably get the Air.
The only reason I consider buying the Air is because I love gadgets and I could use it for light stuff. It wouldn't be a replacement for my MacBook Pro though.
 
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Tim's more concerned with just having every possible price point covered with "something"...and then see how many services subscriptions they can lop onto you...

hey... Buy now, pay later with Apple Pay too!

:confused:
Not only does Apple have something in every product line that offers a good value (it’s been a steady evolution on their part over the past few years), those lower cost options are still great performers. The chip in my SE3 is the same one powering the Pro Max, and that’s awesome. This sort of democratic and equitable approach on Apple’s part is worthy of praise, IMO, not complaints (don’t get me started on the RAM and storage upgrade costs though lol). And the M1 Air is still a fantastic MacBook worth being sold for the time being, not just “something”
 
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Not only does Apple have something in every product line that offers a good value (it’s been a steady evolution on their part over the past few years), those lower cost options are still great performers. The chip in my SE3 is the same one powering the Pro Max, and that’s awesome. This sort of democratic and equitable approach is worthy of praise, IMO, not complaints (don’t get me started on the RAM and storage upgrade costs though lol). And the M1 Air is still an awesome MacBook not just “something”

You're right - that was too harsh towards the M1..

I think it's a fair distinction and complaint that "the newest MBA model just got a big price hike".
A good cheaper option below it, in the old price starting spot, doesn't make up for that (to me).

Less expensive options are wonderful to have, you are correct -- but all in all, they did just raise the base price of the current MBA by 20%
 
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Other than the new midnight color, I find the M1 MBA to be an overall better looking machine. It seems like they just scaled down the MBP design.

The new MBP design has grown on me, but I still think the touchbar 15"/16" is the sexiest MacBook ever even if the M1 MBPs are better in every other way. No doubt that this MBA will be a superior laptop, but I would've preferred a new iteration of the wedge.
 
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My speculation awhile back that this would be similar to the Google Pixelbook Go... well, if you're looking quickly, it's similar.

Google-Pixelbook-Go-Review-open-profile.jpeg
twitter_FUl4zTqUsAAUMQ4.jpg
 
You're right - that was too harsh towards the M1..

I think it's a fair distinction and complaint that "the newest MBA model just got a big price hike".
A good cheaper option below it, in the old price starting spot, doesn't make up for that (to me).

Less expensive options are wonderful to have, you are correct -- but all in all, they did just raise the base price of the current MBA by 20%

A lot of good points made here, which I agree with as well.
 
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Apple reports this for the MBA weights:

2020 M1 MBA 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)​
2022 M2 MBA 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg)​


Hence, only a .1 pound difference!

Not enough to write home about! Or, really be much of a factor in deciding.

Given there could be rounding going on, and because the kg measurement goes to an extra decimal place, I figured a conversion from kg to ounces might prove informative…

I'm not very good with metric conversions, but the online calculators show that a .05 kg difference amounts to only .11 pounds or 1.8 ounces!

That's less than the weight of 2 CDs, two pieces of Wonder Bread, two pencils, etc.

See https://weightofstuff.com/things-that-weigh-1-ounce/

Now, had the new MBA weighed in at 2.3 pounds,
or a half pound less, that would have moved it into the wonderful 12” MacBook Retina realm… and, thus, would have been a HUGE factor to many!
 
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Headphone jack is on the wrong side….again….

This might seriously drive me to the 14” MacBook Pro. I don’t think I really ever use my Mac without also using headphones and having the crossed wires cause they put the jack on the wrong side just doesn’t work for me. At all.

USB-C to analog headphone jack adapter + never remove from cable. Done.
 
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Apple reports this for the MBA weights:

2020 M1 MBA 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)​
2022 M2 MBA 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg)​


Hence, only a .1 pound difference!

Not enough to write home about! Or, really be much of a factor in deciding.

Given there could be rounding going on, and because the kg measurement goes to an extra decimal place, I figured a conversion from kg to ounces might prove informative…

I'm not very good with metric conversions, but the online calculators show that a .05 kg difference amounts to only .11 pounds or 1.8 ounces!

That's less than the weight of 2 CDs, two pieces of Wonder Bread, two pencils, etc.

See https://weightofstuff.com/things-that-weigh-1-ounce/

Now, had the new MBA weighed in at 2.3 pounds,
or a half pound less, that would have moved it into the wonderful 12” MacBook Retina realm… and, thus, would have been a HUGE factor to many!
Speaking of 12" MB realm, I have a like new model I can paint Midnight Blue. :D

On a serious note, I would have been in Mac heaven if we had seen a new 12" M2 Mac.
 
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Just going to address it all!

“The only complaint is that it doesn’t have a USB-C port on both sides. Makes no sense to have MagSafe and 2 ports on one side other than to create controversy and save it for the future.”

It’s far easier to design a computer whose main IO ports are all on the same side, close to the processor and everything else. It can be done, but it’s definitely more complex, and to put a thunderbolt on each side would necessarily involve doubling controllers, which increases cost and complexity a lot. There’s a reason when we see 2 ports its on the same side, and only see on both sides with more high end machines.

“And again no SD Card for the Air.”

I think they made clear with their new 14 and 16 MBP that SD Card was going to be a pro feature. I would LOVE this to come back, but I would have thought they lost their minds if they did, it would be so unlike them.

“When Apple does a move like this, they are resetting at higher base prices likely for the long term”

Without a doubt.

“How much longer must I wait for them to add cellular connectivity?”

A LONG TIME. Especially with very robust tethering now, I don’t think there’s nearly enough direct demand to compensate for the mess this will make of the SKUs, and letting phone networks into any degree of the computer ecosystem.

Also they will want to make their own cellular modem, and fully have that in hand.

“the notch... kills it in a bad way.”

No one I know cares about the notch who uses one, just like my notch on my phone basically is fine for me, but I get it—I’m not in love with it either.

“I’m a little disappointed about the color selection.”

I’m not, only bc I know it’s their most popular seller—I just can’t imagine it helps inventory control to have 7 or 8 SKUs. That said, this seems like something that might improve in the future with added colors over the years.

Also that black is amazing.

“A 20% increase with massive supply constraints, the worst inflation in decades”

I am not crazy about price increases at all, but it is true—I wonder if inflation and supply were not constrained if they actually would have bumped it this much.

“is not for you Is for those with still intel inside, and for those M1 MBA users that wanted the extra Ram”

Ding ding ding ding

“The largest iPad is still notch-less. Makes no sense to have it on laptops.”

People care A LOT about thin bezels. Me? I like a thin bezel, but it’s not the ultimate. But people really do care a lot about this. It also makes the Mac laptops have an unmistakable look, which I’m sure they like.

“That said, this is the one that is making me jump ship from the 12" Macbook. It's thin, it's light, it's fanless. Check check check, I'm in.”

I hear this, I still have the final generation 12” Macbook, and I think this is what will finally replace it. Not quite as tiny, not quite as light, but it’ll finally do.

Now, had the new MBA weighed in at 2.3 pounds, or a half pound less, that would have moved it into the wonderful 12” MacBook Retina realm… and, thus, would have been a HUGE factor to many!”

YES. Instant buy from me if they had.
 
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Headphone jack is on the wrong side….again….

This might seriously drive me to the 14” MacBook Pro. I don’t think I really ever use my Mac without also using headphones and having the crossed wires cause they put the jack on the wrong side just doesn’t work for me. At all.

How is there a wrong side? I have laptops with headphones jacks on left or right. I don’t understand how one is wrong and one is right.
 
For me the 14" MacBook Pro is the better choice, especially if you think about the small price difference. Having said that though, if people value a slightly lighter laptop with better battery life, they should probably get the Air.
The only reason I consider buying the Air is because I love gadgets and I could use it for light stuff. It wouldn't be a replacement for my MacBook Pro though.
This is why I got the 16” M1 Pro. I was hoping we could see a 15-16” M2 MBA but was happy to see this new 13.6” variant. I’ll keep the 16” M1 Pro and buy the M2 MBA.
 
Just spotted the comment and confirmed on Apple's website that the M2 13” MBP comes with a Touch Bar! 🙈🔥❌

[Insert headshake]. 😭👎🏼

That changes my original comment that the M2 MBA would be orphaned as people would jump over it to the new M2 MBP for only $100 more.

However, in light of Piratel's pithy summary of the M2 MBA advantages over the M1, and the dislike of many of the TB — and the MBP's slightly extra weight (3 vs. 2.8) — the M2 MBA is back in the running.

My personal reaction was quite positive with the Liquid Retina/added brightness screen, slightly bigger screen size, 1080p cam, redesigned chassis, and (potentially, if it works much faster) fast charging.

——————————

OTOH, this will make a difference to some or many:

Power and Battery

M2 MBA vs. M2 MBP


15 vs. 17 hours wireless web

18 hours vs. 20 hours Apple TV app movie playback

52.6–watt-hour vs. 58.2 lithium-polymer batter

30W vs. 67W USB-C Power Adapter


However, that M2 MBA also comes with this in certain configurations!

35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter (included with M2 with 10-core GPU and 512GB storage, configurable with M2 with 8-core GPU)

Fast-charge capable with *available* 67W USB-C Power Adapter

——————

My single biggest complaint with the pricing and feature sets is that there are striking plusses and minuses at each level, meaning that there are no clear choices in a maze of them, and, thus, buyer's remorse looms and angst of choosing for some or many is palpable. It makes buying a new device a fraught, unsatisfying experience, when it should be a joyous, comparatively simple matter.

In the old days, pre-Cook, the price differentials and feature sets seemed far more distinct (IIRC! 😎), and if you spent more, you typically got more, without nagging, irritating trade offs and downsides!

The wedge remains a big plus for the M1 MBA ❇️.

But, then, if a 2018-2020 Intel MBA is in good shape and does what someone needs, why bother upgrading at all?
 
-No speakergrill this time for the 13” Air.
-No black borders around the keyboard

Design-wise things are now a bit complicated

-We have a “new” Pro (13.3”) M2 with the 2016-2020 old design and the Touch Bar without magsafe
- A new Air M2 (13.6”) with a new design with magsafe different from the M1 pro/max Pros regarding speakergrills, ports and keyboard borders
-Two pros (14.2” -16.2”) M1 pro/max with the new design and MagSafe/sd reader/HDMI port

price tags are also strange. Why on earth spend 100$ more to buy 13” pro instead of m2 air? And btw why this 13” with the old design is “pro” if we compare it with the new “air”?
 
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Of course it's all better, it's the latest version!

You should get the latest updates at the same price points, as the older tech that was in there got less expensive anyhow

When Apple does a move like this, they are resetting at higher base prices likely for the long term
by that logic (his not yours) each new iteration should come with a 20% price increase lol,imagine that now
 
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I'm surprised the new M2 chip only supports Thunderbolt 3 (not 4) and the machines can still only support a single external display.
 
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