This x eleventybillion. I have an 11" iPad Pro with the keyboard and it is heavy.. I much prefer the M2 air over it, it seems redundant at this point.
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Some say the M2 MacBook Air is only good for light tasks…scoffs
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At this point, my 12.9" iPad Pro is primarily used as a nice portable second display to the Air via Sidecar. Functionally the iPad is still just a media consumption, note taking, and artistic device and can't truly be used for any large scale or long term productivity.
The M2 SoC got hotter (from the M1) and they gave it less cooling in the M2 Air than they did in the M1 Air. I agree that it's a stretch to treat it like the Intel MacBook Airs of the past. But, every person defending the M2 Air cites the target market audience of the Intel MacBook Airs like we ought to treat an Apple Silicon Mac like it can't handle multiple streams of 4K. The bar was raised with the M1 Air. We need to stop acting like it wasn't, especially when there's a regression (however slight it may or may not be).
You're right. Most people don't in fact need a computer with the performance any better than my A1278 2012 Macbook Pro. But here we are, ten years later, with a bottom-of-the-range Air that can run rings round most laptops ever made before it, for really no other reason than the tech giants need to keep selling us new stuff otherwise they will die. Mostly there is no other reason, because Average Joe's requirements from tech hasn't changed so much in ten years that the power of an M2 chip is absolutely needed.
I agree to an extent. I do IT work and remote into many systems - the touch interface on a windows server via an ipad is, let’s just say, not ideal. However with the keyboard attached I get a windows mouse cursor which makes the experience like using a computer.
My iPad Pro 11” spends most of it’s time in an Apple Smart Keyboard Cover. It provides a convenient stand and gives an adequate keyboard. I use it for (mostly) non-work web browsing, email/chat, and some light document creation. i also use it for watching videos. The cover gives it a nice stable stand and the keyboard is much better than using the on-screen one. The narrow width is not a problem for the kind of typing I use it for, such as posting on this forum.
I know that iFixit and Maxtech both decided that the cooling system on the M2 was not as good as the one on the M1, but they never backed that up with anything other than an off-hand dismissal. They simply declared that the M2 didn’t ahve a heat spreader, even as they wiped off the thermal paste and pulled off the graphene heat spreading film. This is the aliminum component in the same location as the heat spreader in the M1 that is bonded to the SOC with thermal paste like in the M1. Yet, iFixit dismissed it as “probably an RF shield)! It is true that the metal was thinner than the heatspreader on the M1 but the M2’s heat spreader is larger with a larger surface area. Anyone working on heat dissipation knows that surface area matters a lot more than mass. Neither of these are “heat sinks” in the sense of a large mass of metal that absorbs heat for a while. They are both heat spreaders that work to dissipate that heat into the surroundings. Yes, the M2 got hotter even with the heat spreader. It is a faster chip and has more GPU cores. It was always going to get hotter.
What this means is that the MBA is still perfectly capable of handling multiple streams of 4K video. It also means that it won’t be as fast while doing it as the M2 13” MBP is with it’s fan. That is one of the main design differentiators between those laptops. It is a tradeoff between portability and performance. Under most loads, the MBA does not throttle. It stays cool and has the same performance as the M2 MBP. It is only under certain kinds of sustained load that it gets warm and slows down. Even when it slows down, it continues to operate stably and the performance is satisfactory.
What kind of regression are you talking about? The M1 MBA was also fanless. The M2 MBA is fanless and it is faster than the M1 MBA even when it is throttling. There is no regression. Both are operating as designed.
I don’t understand what else you want.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Agreed. That's what I did. My Macs were always personal-use devices (non-Pro work).
My iPad Pro 12.9" does everything I'll ever need, it's lighter than any Mac, and it's more fun (for me) to use.
That said, those proficient with traditional desktop OSes or those set in their (desktop) computing ways can and probably will be disappointed with the iPad. If you need a truck, a car just won't do.
iPadOS took getting used to, and ACCEPTING that it is its own thing and VERY different from the Mac was necessary.
The iPad frustrated me initially, ironically the same way OS X did when I switched from Windows 21 years ago.
But now it is my primary device, switching easily between laptop and tablet tasks (something a Mac CANNOT do).
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
I disagree. I can leave the keyboard behind when I don't need it, which INCREASES the appeal. And the Magic Keyboard is FAR from unwieldy. I use it primarily as a charge dock, and when I have to do "laptop-y" tasks like extended text editing. Otherwise, my iPad is either naked or with a tri-fold folio.
I can multitask on an iPad just as much as I used to on my Macs. It is done DIFFERENTLY, and that is the root of most people's disappointment with it. They want to multitask on an iPad like they do on a Mac, which Apple will NEVER let happen. To multitask effectively on an iPad you have to LEARN HOW, and I believe many that complain about it simply find this a waste of time. I didn't, and now I'm proficient.
I refuse to use Windows for personal use. And no Mac will EVER be as light as an iPad.
iPadOS is very similar to my iPhone, which is an asset. And there are a lot of people out there who are familiar with iOS but have no clue about macOS.
It is because of this that my wife was able to use an iPad immediately, even when I tried and failed for years to get her to use my household Macs.
So, if you don't need to "work" on your "computer", and you have (and like) an iPhone, an iPad might just fit the bill.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
But you can leave the keyboard behind with the iPad and use it ONLY when necessary. Then it becomes a fraction of the weight of ANY Mac.
That said, there is no wrong choice here; for your needs the Mac is the better tool, and that's just fine.
iPad is a iPad to me never used a keyboard since the original iPad. Continuity is usable next to my 24" iMac, bit buggy though.
I will say this. When the new M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pros came out I went right for the M1 Max! I payed $3700 for it and I would use it for internet browsing, graphic design, some music recording and photo editing. I just felt I had all this power and never used it. Like having a Ferrari and only driving in the right lane at 55mph. I knew I didn’t need it so I sold the MacBook Pro bought my wife a new iPad Air and myself an M2 MacBook Air and still had money left over. The lightness and size of this laptop is perfect, it has all the power I need for my graphic design work, music production and daily tasks. Unless you’re editing 8K videos daily or 3D modeling you really don’t need the pro, it’s all in our heads, we just want the power even if we don’t use half of it lol.
We must use our devices pretty differently then. I'm approaching it from a productivity device(for me primarily to use Logic Pro). To me key commands and mouse become essential for using any of my creative apps. The touch screen limits the size of touch targets, and any "pro" level app needs lots of hamburger buttons, sliding toolbars and excessive movements to do the same thing on an iPad, which to me slows me down and limits what I can do. I tried going iPad only, and it was neat... but I switched to using an old less powerful Mac... but the interface was just so much better to me. I picked up an Air and never looked back. I'm too much of a user of a ton of different of apps at the same time, scrunched into small windows in corners to use the two apps side by side approach.
To me the downside of using the iPad was always needing a stand to do anything productive on it... if you have to prop it up anyways and are going to use it that way 90% of the time... it might as well be a laptop that is just easier to close and open and use right away.
My main point is that a Mac makes a surprisingly good iPad, lightweight media consumption casual use, on top of being better at conventional computer uses. It was even better when I used the 11" MBA, hopefully Apple can release 12" MacBook size again to bring it even close in size/weight to an iPad.
I get those who just want a more iOS like experience, but for me and my tech-addled experience it's laptops all the way.
No true, and I’m guessing you’ve been mislead by the usual clickbait on YouTube.
The heat-spreader on the M2 Air has more total volume than that of the M1 and does so by having a larger surface area. This means that heat is drawn away faster from the point of conductivity, which in turn cools the SoC faster.
The M1 heat-sink has a small volume and is limited to a smaller surface area. People are looking at it visually and saying “Yep, it’s thicker so it’s better!” - but if you took a rolling pin and flattened it, it would be the opposite story.
I’ve got the 10/24/1tb M2 Air, last week I edited a full wedding set of images on mine. I timed the preview images rendering with my colour grade before I culled them. It rendered over 5000 D850 1/1 previews in 4hours. Anyone who is a professional photographer will know that’s super fast, it was definitely throttling but the same task on my iMac took overnight +some. The final set of 950 images exported in less than 1 hour 45 minutes. That’s over 3 times faster than my iMac. Yeah the bottom got hot but wow this computer is incredible. And it’s beautiful to look at and hold 👀👍
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Now now, I think we need to keep in mind that you recommend the best tool for the job.
Can an air do tasks that would kill a 16" intel machine? Sure. 18 months ago it got recommended for the same tasks because at that time it was the best available.
But when you can get an even better option with even more power, for a reasonable increase in cost then that's what you recommend for THAT workload. It doesn't make the M1 or M2 suddenly incapable of it. Just not best for it.
It doesn't mean an M1 or M2 air can't do it. Just that if that's your jam, if that's what you're buying the machine primarily for - there are better options available.
All the Apple Silicon machines are monsters in terms of processing power vs. what is available in a similar form factor from the rest of the industry but if you're looking for a specific solution to a problem you buy what's optimal for it.
+1 on this. I could definitely get away with just using my ipad pro 12.9 and the magic keyboard and call it a day like you said. But as apple comes up with these amazing thin and powerful machines can't help but not get one. Just recently got the air m2 and its amazing at everything and great for an average user like me. I find myself still reaching for the ipad pro 12.9 though when purely for entertainment purposes - touch screen and media apps are just amazing on the ipad pro. like you, i dont see myself changing laptops for awhile as the M2 is really just overkill for what i need, and the new design and exterior look is just right timing as i dont want to buy the m1 with that outdated design that has been there for several years now.
Working from home just putting it on full blast with my regular tasks and it just doesn't give a damn. Memory pressure is now yellow, though. I've noticed nothing.
I'd like to thank the people behind DisplayLink very much for allowing me to run two external screens on this thing.
And yeah, it's just great how light and portable this machine becomes the days I don't work from home. I can grab it and hold it steady with one hand while handling trackpad and keyboard with the other.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
I agree with this. The iPad is really targeted at people who don't really need a computer, which is what Apple was aiming at in one of their marketing campaigns. And it's hard to beat muscle-memory when it comes to performing tasks.
And while the Pencil is awesome for those that do visual arts, it is a somewhat focused workflow (I don't draw at all) that becomes as useless as the rear iPad cameras and LiDAR for so many people (including myself).
I love and prefer the iPad and was willing to pay the extra cost, but I can say with a straight face that the M1 MBA is still, pound-for-pound, the best all-around machine Apple has ever made.
Wow! You have 24 GB of RAM and still get YELLOW memory pressure? I'm going to have to step up my game. I'm still in the GREEN with about 9 GB free. I haven't modified my development environment yet to use more containers so I'm anticipating that I'll get to a higher memory pressure but I don't think I'll hit YELLOW except for memory leaks (which seem to be gone in Monterey 12.5.
I see several website tabs consuming a significant amount of RAM. That is pretty common these days. On the plus side, each of those tab processes can be paged to storage independently if the RAM is needed so it is a soft memory pressure.
I generally don't keep more than about 10 website tabs open at a time. Right now I'm at 8.
Don't worry. Future OSes and other software updates will eat up all that bandwidth. They always manage somehow to make a blazing fast computer feel like "it's getting slow" a few MacOS versions down the road.
Only people viewing porn keep any more than a handful of tabs open.