The new 2018 Macbook Air

[Ma2k5]

So I've used the machine for a couple of days.

Performance wise, it runs pretty snappy, haven't had any issues - I do coding so this might be different to those who may use it for video editing. I do however know that people have done all that and more on a 12" MacBook, so it will be doable on this, just not as fast as maybe a Pro.

Display is decent (brightness isn't an issue, but maybe contrast/colours doesn't "POP" like what you expect on a MacBook).

As a machine, it is quite pleasant to use and I think most people will like the machine itself. Enjoyment of holding and using a laptop is important - having a 15" powerful machine is no good if all that power isn't used as you don't use the laptop that much for example. The wedge means that the front edge does not dig in to my wrist like the 13" Pro's do.

The keyboard is marmite, you will either love it or hate it. For me, it isn't my favourite to be honest and that isn't to do with productivity - I can type 150 WPM on this keyboard with 98% accuracy, but I don't find comfortable or enjoyable to use as say my Dell, Lenovo X1C, external keyboards etc.

The Trackpad is actually a plus for me in that, it is smaller than the Pro models. I use "Tap to click" and palm rejection failed me quite a few times on the Pro model. This is a very huge selling point to me over the 13" Pro models.

TouchID is fast and it's there, no issues and the lack of a Touch Bar is great as physical function keys really help development.

Battery life seems to be good, no concrete figures but I haven't felt like it was draining too quickly. It won't beat my XPS 9360 1080p screen but easily 8-10 hours I imagine.

As for negatives?

1) The keyboard is functioning fine but we already know from the Gen 3 butterfly forum that the keys can die and do fail. I saw a Reddit post earlier today where a user has a sticky/double press issue on several of his keys on the new MBA. Makes me worried about the longevity of a machine - remember, old Air's lasted forever, I don't know if these will, especially due to lack of upgradability and the 7W CPU.

2) Price. I also today, ordered a Lenovo S730 (i7 8565U Whiskey Lake, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD), with 3 years warranty + accidental cover for... £1,010.37. See where I am going with this? The price parity is huge so you do start to wonder about price/performance. I think the Lenovo would benefit more from an eGPU too since the CPU is quite a jump up from the Air so won't be a huge bottleneck to the eGPU. The S730 is probably the closest Air competitor from Windows, I'll receive it within a week and see how it compares.

It is a nice machine, but overpriced. Will I keep it? I originally bought the 8GB/256GB SSD variant because I don't believe 16GB RAM on such a machine is necessary, but I may have to go for the 16GB just so I can have the 512GB SSD (8GB/512GB SSD are BTO and I can't be bothered to wait, they only stock it in store at 16GB/512GB) - if I am going to use it a lot for the next years the SSD size may matter and it can't be changed. With both myself and my wife having iPhones, the media will slowly be filling the machine up so it might warrant the upgrade.

If you want a more enjoyable experience to the nTB/Pro, I would say the Air will do it. It won't do it on a value for money basis, it really is overpriced by £100-200 in my opinion. If you don't think you need the CPU horsepower, it will be the better machine to use for most. So you may get more value/performance out of the nTB/Pro, but I don't think they offer a better experience overall. It is hard to appreciate TouchID, better battery life, the wedge shape and smaller Trackpad - while it is easy to dismiss it over having a weaker CPU and an SRGB display.

My biggest reservation still is the longevity of the keyboard, but that applies to all the MacBook's, so it should be a deciding factor of whether you want a MacBook rather than which version of the MacBook to buy.

Edit: For completeness, it looks like I benefited from a glitch on the Lenovo site and got it for £180 less (after discounts) - it only got added to the site today. So the actual cost should have been ~£1,190.00 (including again, the 3 year warranty/accidental), still significantly cheaper than the Air but thought I'd mention it in case people went hunting for it!

[doublepost=1542282486][/doublepost]

Hey!

I currently own a 15" MBP 2016 and I'll sell and get something smaller: either the MBA or 13" MBP 2018. Anyone here doing software development on the MBA that can share their feedback regarding performance?

If you are doing software dev, this is the machine to go for unless you already know the tools you use require far more heavy processing or a dGPU (which 90%+ of development doesn't require).

 

[Barna Biro]

Hey!

I currently own a 15" MBP 2016 and I'll sell and get something smaller: either the MBA or 13" MBP 2018. Anyone here doing software development on the MBA that can share their feedback regarding performance?

Performance-wise it's comparable to the 1st gen 13" rMBP. It is more than capable of handling almost anything you throw at it, except if you are doing some crazy processing of very large volumes of data or using a bunch of somewhat hefty tools that are mainly CPU intensive (you'll still very likely be able to do many of those things, but your startup and build times will of course not be amazing). If you're used to using VMs or multiple Docker containers then getting 16GB RAM will make quite the difference (I have the 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD model).

Perhaps if you share more information on what you're planning on using it for then we could give more accurate feedback. I work on enterprise level IoT stuff mainly in Java and on the side I do all kind of web and mobile dev + some graphic design whenever needed be (virtually anything that might be needed for my work or I feel like experimenting with).

 

[DSTOFEL]

........As a machine, it is quite pleasant to use and I think most people will like the machine itself. Enjoyment of holding and using a laptop is important - having a 15" powerful machine is no good if all that power isn't used as you don't use the laptop that much for example. The wedge means that the front edge does not dig in to my wrist like the 13" Pro's do.

2) Price. I also today, ordered a Lenovo S730 (i7 8565U Whiskey Lake, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD), with 3 years warranty + accidental cover for... £1,010.37. See where I am going with this? The price parity is huge so you do start to wonder about price/performance. I think the Lenovo would benefit more from an eGPU too since the CPU is quite a jump up from the Air so won't be a huge bottleneck to the eGPU. The S730 is probably the closest Air competitor from Windows, I'll receive it within a week and see how it compares.........

Nice write-up!! Great point about how important the enjoyment of holding and using a laptop is! I had the 15 inch rMBP mid-2012 and used it for my work for a few years. Loved the performance and screen real estate, but it was big and heavy to carry around and the hard edge digs into your wrist while typing (similar to all MBP’s).

I’m going through the process of finding my next laptop now (primarily to use with productivity type apps in my Consulting business, but also Lightroom, Photoshop and occasional FXPX video processing). I’ve got a 2017 15 inch 2.9 i7, 16GB, 512 SSD ($2,049 deal at B&H) and a 2018 Air - 8GB, 256 SSD ($1,199 deal from Micro Center)....both still unopened and sitting in my living room. The form factor of the Air and the performance of the MBP are both pulling at me. I’ll keep them both unopened through the Thanksgiving holiday and see if I find a better deal before I decide on one.

The Lenovo S730 you mentioned is an interesting Windows option! I read that they changed the cooling on the machine for this new model to also draw air through the keys and out the back! Can you imagine if Apple adopted something along this line with their butterfly key (dust) issues. The keys would begin to fail before the machine finished its initial installation!

 

[Big Apple]

So you may get more value/performance out of the nTB/Pro, but I don't think they offer a better experience overall. It is hard to appreciate TouchID, better battery life, the wedge shape and smaller Trackpad - while it is easy to dismiss it over having a weaker CPU and an SRGB display.

Well said. I think those of us who have the MBA and really like it, will agree with you on those points. I know much has been said about the current line up and the price points but I think right now, they offer something for everyone, depending on what you are looking for in your every day needs.

MB - if you want light and portable but still need to get the job done
MBA - great for general computing with some nice features included (wedge, Touch ID, battery life, gen 3 KB)
nTB MBP - if you value or need more performance and a better display but don't care about the extra bells and whistles
TB MBP - if you want it all in one package.

I think if they put a better cpu and display on the MBA, you probably could eliminate the nTB completely but for right now, it still has it's place depending on what you are looking for and need. The similar price points between the first three let you decide what you value/need more, or you can pay extra and get everything in one (I'm sure their ultimate goal). I don't necessarily agree with that model, especially for the prices they do charge for base models, but I can see what they are trying to do.

 

[Flaxh]

If you are doing software dev, this is the machine to go for unless you already know the tools you use require far more heavy processing or a dGPU (which 90%+ of development doesn't require).

My main issue with the MBA is that if I opt for the 250GB it starts getting really close price wise to the 13" MBP 2018.

Performance-wise it's comparable to the 1st gen 13" rMBP. It is more than capable of handling almost anything you throw at it, except if you are doing some crazy processing of very large volumes of data or using a bunch of somewhat hefty tools that are mainly CPU intensive (you'll still very likely be able to do many of those things, but your startup and build times will of course not be amazing). If you're used to using VMs or multiple Docker containers then getting 16GB RAM will make quite the difference (I have the 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD model).

Perhaps if you share more information on what you're planning on using it for then we could give more accurate feedback. I work on enterprise level IoT stuff mainly in Java and on the side I do all kind of web and mobile dev + some graphic design whenever needed be (virtually anything that might be needed for my work or I feel like experimenting with).

I develop for the web mainly so it usually envolves running VSC, some browsers, iterm and that's it. The occasional VM or kitchen converge as well.

I already use a 15" MBP but it's too big to use as my personal laptop tbh because I also own a desktop that I use when I'm home.

I’ve got a 2017 15 inch 2.9 i7, 16GB, 512 SSD ($2,049 deal at B&H) and a 2018 Air - 8GB, 256 SSD ($1,199 deal from Micro Center)....both still unopened and sitting in my living room. The form factor of the Air and the performance of the MBP are both pulling at me. I’ll keep them both unopened through the Thanksgiving holiday and see if I find a better deal before I decide on one.

Seems to me that you really want the 13" MBP 2018

 

[DSTOFEL]

Seems to me that you really want the 13" MBP 2018

I think you’re right . I’m hoping to see a great deal during the next couple of weeks on one!

 

[Barna Biro]

I develop for the web mainly so it usually envolves running VSC, some browsers, iterm and that's it. The occasional VM or kitchen converge as well.

In that case the Air should be more than enough for your needs. Sure, you could get faster build times with the 13" rMBP, but overall, I doubt it will make a difference.

 

[Lioness~]

I asked Twelve South about the weight of Journal to MBA on twitter, not an answer.
Guess it’s too heavy for me then.

Will order a new sleeve from Radtech then.
It’s lightweight for sure. I love those sleeves.
Not that strong protection, but I’ve had these a long time and I’m super satisfied with them.
Can even use the sleeve to clean the screen.

 

[newellj]

a new special Software Update for the 2018 MacBook Air now live.

Downloading it now, it's big: 1,48Gb

What version number? All I see is 10.14.1. (?)

 

[CairnsRock]

I need to purchase a new laptop for my high school senior to take to college and was waiting until this event to see what Apple would offer. Assuming we have decided to go Mac, am I better off getting him the new Air or the 12" MacBook. The MB is $100 more but comes with a 256GB SSD vs the MBA's 128GB.

Is the 8GB of memory sufficient (on both the MB and MBA) or do I need to upgrade to 16GB?

How much storage space does the base OS take up? Is 128GB of storage enough?

Apple's upgrade prices for SSD are ridiculous, if he needs more space can I get him an external SSD (like the Samsung T3-- 500Gb for $100)?

Yes, get an external drive. Either a hard drive or an SSD. Hard drives are much cheaper, tho slower, I’ve never found the speed on my 1TB hard drive to be an issue. I put all my large data items on it, like videos. Keep my 128mb internal for common usage data.

 

[Ma2k5]

I would get minimum 256GB SSD as it just isn’t upgradable - it would suck for the product to become inconvenient in a couple of years time and you’re stuck with living off an external / which won’t always work when it comes to installing software and quite a few other cases.

Just be aware that it isn’t like a decade ago where you could upgrade the RAM/Hard drive on the machines, you have to ask yourself if that machine with those specs seems good enough to be relevant for you in a few years.

 

[Howard2k]

I would get minimum 256GB SSD as it just isn’t upgradable - it would suck for the product to become inconvenient in a couple of years time and you’re stuck with living off an external / which won’t always work when it comes to installing software and quite a few other cases.

Just be aware that it isn’t like a decade ago where you could upgrade the RAM/Hard drive on the machines, you have to ask yourself if that machine with those specs seems good enough to be relevant for you in a few years.

Seconded. For me personally 256GB works great in conjunction with external storage or NAS. Smaller than 256 and I’d be spending more time than I like juggling data between locations. For my usage, 256 means I’m moving data on occasion but not extensively.

 

[turbineseaplane]

remember, old Air's lasted forever, I don't know if these will

They won't
[doublepost=1542675142][/doublepost]

It is a nice machine, but overpriced.

Agreed - and really frustrating they positioned this particular machine in such a way.

 

[newellj]

I need to purchase a new laptop for my high school senior to take to college and was waiting until this event to see what Apple would offer. Assuming we have decided to go Mac, am I better off getting him the new Air or the 12" MacBook. The MB is $100 more but comes with a 256GB SSD vs the MBA's 128GB.

Is the 8GB of memory sufficient (on both the MB and MBA) or do I need to upgrade to 16GB?

How much storage space does the base OS take up? Is 128GB of storage enough?

Apple's upgrade prices for SSD are ridiculous, if he needs more space can I get him an external SSD (like the Samsung T3-- 500Gb for $100)?

I don't know what your child's needs/habits are. I think 256 is the minimum practical amount, and if they like to keep a lot of music or videos stored locally (rather than streaming the media), you will probably want to go to 512. Issues with external drives - drop them (unless you go with an external SSD), lose them, they can fail even if not dropped, they take up the other USB-C port (or require a dongle). I try to use them only for backups, though one of my computers has my A/V files on an external drive. This might be worth a look, though: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078SWJ3C...b88ce03e47a65ef03f6681194&language=en_US&th=1

 

[iMi]

Has anyone used the new MacBook Air and do you feel it feels slightly underpowered? I am thinking about returning it and swapping it for the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar... Same configuration space wise. Has anyone gone the same route?

 

[Howard2k]

Has anyone used the new MacBook Air and do you feel it feels slightly underpowered? I am thinking about returning it and swapping it for the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar... Same configuration space wise. Has anyone gone the same route?

Quad or hex core vs dual core. It’s going to be substantially faster when under load.
But the question is - underpowered for what? Are you running simulations of nuclear weapon decay or just want your webpages to load a little faster?

 

[iMi]

Quad or hex core vs dual core. It’s going to be substantially faster when under load.
But the question is - underpowered for what? Are you running simulations of nuclear weapon decay or just want your webpages to load a little faster?

"simulations of nuclear weapon decay"

That was very funny. No, here's the real life usage and the reason why I am looking to potentially trade up. I typically have about 20+ Safari tabs open, mail open (large mail database), Daylite 6.0, Skype, Keynote, Pages, Calendar, Excel and sometimes Numbers. In addition, I do light video and photo editing -- mainly product designs, sales sheets, website content, etc.

When running on full speed, I get the beachball on the new Air from time to time and things come to a halt. Grant it, the machine is probably still indexing in the background. It will be interesting to see how things go today.

I feel like I'm on the edge of actually being able to utilize the Pro. In the office, I do have the latest iMac with i7 and 16GB Ram. I love the performance. Everything is quick and butter smooth. So, I am thinking I replicate the same experience on the travel machine.

What do you think?

 

[Howard2k]

"simulations of nuclear weapon decay"

That was very funny. No, here's the real life usage and the reason why I am looking to potentially trade up. I typically have about 20+ Safari tabs open, mail open (large mail database), Daylite 6.0, Skype, Keynote, Pages, Calendar, Excel and sometimes Numbers. In addition, I do light video and photo editing -- mainly product designs, sales sheets, website content, etc.

When running on full speed, I get the beachball on the new Air from time to time and things come to a halt. Grant it, the machine is probably still indexing in the background. It will be interesting to see how things go today.

I feel like I'm on the edge of actually being able to utilize the Pro. In the office, I do have the latest iMac with i7 and 16GB Ram. I love the performance. Everything is quick and butter smooth. So, I am thinking I replicate the same experience on the travel machine.

What do you think?

I'm not sure I'm totally convinced by the "new Macbook doing complex indexing for the first few days" thing. If that was occurring it would be evident in Activity Monitor surely? I know that Spotlight will index, and IIRC that is visible, so we can also see when it's not indexing.

I have a 2015 13" MBPro. I had actually wanted an Air. Well, I wanted a Pro, but figured that I could get by with an Air. I purchased an Air and the first few hours were fantastic, I was really impressed, but then when I loaded it up with my routine workload, plus some extra but not significant background tasks to simulate some sort of increased workload over time, it started to beachball. So my train of thought was that if it was doing the beachball thing when new, it's really only likely to do it more over time than less. Notwithstanding visible Spotlight indexing of course.

It was a tough call, I liked the Air, and I thought it was great value. However, I'd purchased a 4GB unit, I figured that the SSD speed would compensate for the lower memory via higher speed swapping than HDD, and it does to some degree, but it was still pretty painful under heavy loads. So then it's a case of return the 4GB Air and swap for an 8GB Air, or get an 8GB Pro. I went with the Pro and I'm glad I did. And I was right that my workload would become more CPU intensive over time. I'm still not typically pushing the Pro hard, apart from some CPU intensive tasks like audio transcoding etc., but it was the right choice.

The big difference now though is that the MBA has the T2. So it will spank the nTB Pro in certain HEVC tasks for example. It's not even close if I understand correctly. I think if the T2 chip is stable in the MBA, it might be a very significant benefit in later iterations of Mojave or the next version of macOS. I could be wrong, it's wild speculation on my part, and maybe it'll be T3 when that happens, but I'm sure Apple has significant plans for the Tx chip when stable.


I'm not looking to buy today, and if I needed to buy today I'd be trying to hold on for a few more weeks to see how the Air reviews continue to shake out. I'm disappointed that the new Air has slower wifi than my 2015 Pro, but if I was buying today and choosing between the nTB Pro and the Air, it would be a tough call. I might consider 16GB on an Air over 8GB on a Pro. Not sure what that price delta is exactly, but I do like the Air. My gut tells me I'd go with the Pro, if I had to make a choice today. But ideally I'd wait.

 

[iMi]

I'm not sure I'm totally convinced by the "new Macbook doing complex indexing for the first few days" thing. If that was occurring it would be evident in Activity Monitor surely? I know that Spotlight will index, and IIRC that is visible, so we can also see when it's not indexing.

I have a 2015 13" MBPro. I had actually wanted an Air. Well, I wanted a Pro, but figured that I could get by with an Air. I purchased an Air and the first few hours were fantastic, I was really impressed, but then when I loaded it up with my routine workload, plus some extra but not significant background tasks to simulate some sort of increased workload over time, it started to beachball. So my train of thought was that if it was doing the beachball thing when new, it's really only likely to do it more over time than less. Notwithstanding visible Spotlight indexing of course.

It was a tough call, I liked the Air, and I thought it was great value. However, I'd purchased a 4GB unit, I figured that the SSD speed would compensate for the lower memory via higher speed swapping than HDD, and it does to some degree, but it was still pretty painful under heavy loads. So then it's a case of return the 4GB Air and swap for an 8GB Air, or get an 8GB Pro. I went with the Pro and I'm glad I did. And I was right that my workload would become more CPU intensive over time. I'm still not typically pushing the Pro hard, apart from some CPU intensive tasks like audio transcoding etc., but it was the right choice.

The big difference now though is that the MBA has the T2. So it will spank the nTB Pro in certain HEVC tasks for example. It's not even close if I understand correctly. I think if the T2 chip is stable in the MBA, it might be a very significant benefit in later iterations of Mojave or the next version of macOS. I could be wrong, it's wild speculation on my part, and maybe it'll be T3 when that happens, but I'm sure Apple has significant plans for the Tx chip when stable.


I'm not looking to buy today, and if I needed to buy today I'd be trying to hold on for a few more weeks to see how the Air reviews continue to shake out. I'm disappointed that the new Air has slower wifi than my 2015 Pro, but if I was buying today and choosing between the nTB Pro and the Air, it would be a tough call. I might consider 16GB on an Air over 8GB on a Pro. Not sure what that price delta is exactly, but I do like the Air. My gut tells me I'd go with the Pro, if I had to make a choice today. But ideally I'd wait.

Thanks for the input. It's a tough call, I agree.

I was able to confirm that the machine was still indexing. Mail, photos and spotlight were all consuming a lot of power according to activity monitor. But even now the machine beachballs when under the scenario described. It's not terrible and let's be honest, we're spoiled these days, but I think you hit the nail on the head -- if it beachballs while new then it will only happen more as it ages.

I think I'll box it up and head out to Best Buy. I'll go with the 13" Touch Bar Pro. Newer chipset and quad core. I think I'll like the Touch Bar also even though large percentage of people here seem to think it's the worse thing ever. Not sure why...

 

[Ma2k5]

Thanks for the input. It's a tough call, I agree.

I was able to confirm that the machine was still indexing. Mail, photos and spotlight were all consuming a lot of power according to activity monitor. But even now the machine beachballs when under the scenario described. It's not terrible and let's be honest, we're spoiled these days, but I think you hit the nail on the head -- if it beachballs while new then it will only happen more as it ages.

I think I'll box it up and head out to Best Buy. I'll go with the 13" Touch Bar Pro. Newer chipset and quad core. I think I'll like the Touch Bar also even though large percentage of people here seem to think it's the worse thing ever. Not sure why...

Just be aware that the battery life on the 13" TB is quite a downgrade to both the Air and the 15" TB.

 

[iMi]

Just be aware that the battery life on the 13" TB is quite a downgrade to both the Air and the 15" TB.

That is honestly one of biggest reasons why I went with the Air to start. This was the biggest complaint I had with the 12" MacBook. I was obsessed with "traveling light" for a while, so I went with the 12" and then even further downsized to 10.5 iPad Pro, which I found insufficient as travel laptop replacement.

Then again, on long flights (12+ hours) I have power on the plane. At trade shows, power outlets, most international airports I have lounge access, again power is available. USB-C charges faster, too. At least that is my understanding. Plus, I also heard you can charge from a power bank when using USB-C -- not sure if true, so correct me if I'm wrong. Seems like a lot of options to cover the need for longer battery.

 

[Ma2k5]

That is honestly one of biggest reasons why I went with the Air to start. This was the biggest complaint I had with the 12" MacBook. I was obsessed with "traveling light" for a while, so I went with the 12" and then even further downsized to 10.5 iPad Pro, which I found insufficient as travel laptop replacement.

Then again, on long flights (12+ hours) I have power on the plane. At trade shows, power outlets, most international airports I have lounge access, again power is available. USB-C charges faster, too. At least that is my understanding. Plus, I also heard you can charge from a power bank when using USB-C -- not sure if true, so correct me if I'm wrong. Seems like a lot of options to cover the need for longer battery.

Yep those options do exist, I personally hate to be tethered to a wire (even if the power socket is right next to me). I usually charge at end of day and use throughout the day without a charger - unless it is docked to an external in which case it get's power anyway. But if it doesn't bother you, the 13" TB probably won't be much of an issue for you.

 

[smc001]

My biggest concern is the display. The difference between a MBP TB with 500 nids is there and the display looks a little bit washed out.

 

[Barna Biro]

Because many seem to be very concerned about performance (the display is totally fine by the way, both the quality, colours and brightness - then again, my office is not at the beach and nor is the bright sun shining on it directly 99% of the time), I thought I'll share some of the metrics of a real-life project I'm working on (I do however use the 15" rMBP as the main work-machine - because that's my company machine -, but my personal 13" rMBA would still be a valid substitute):

# 2015 15” rMBP vs 2018 13” rMBA - build speed tests
Testing the build speed of project: ‘’. All tests ran on: 20 Nov 2018
All dependencies have been pre-downloaded and were available in the local repository during build.

## Project metrics
Total lines of code: 2.555.496
Lines of product code: 308.073
Lines of test code: 298.102
* JUnit test cases: 1.185
* JUnit test methods: 10.564
* JUnit test assertions: 11.035

Lines of code breakdown:
- XML -> 453.604
- HTML -> 4.792
- CSS -> 314.930
- JavaScript -> 1.220.779
- Java -> 561.391

# Build metrics
All unnecessary apps and processes have been closed before running the build.
Used Apache Maven 3.6.0, Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_191-b12) and NodeJS v11.2.0.

## MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
System specifications:
* 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7 (quad-core, 47W TDP)
* 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
* 512 GB SSD
Command executions and final build times:
- `mvn clean install` -> 17:57 min
- `mvn clean install -T 1C` -> 13:09 min
- `mvn clean install -DskipTests` -> 2:33 min

## MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
System specifications:
- 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5 (dual-core, 7W TDP)
- 16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3
- 512 GB SSD
Command executions and final build times:
- `mvn clean install` -> 27:36 min
- `mvn clean install -T 1C` -> 20:57 min
- `mvn clean install -DskipTests` -> 3:24 min


I've posted only the last recorded build times because all runs were more or less in the same range, the difference is negligible. Unsurprisingly, the 15" rMBP from 2015 is faster, but the rMBA yields good results. Keep in mind that the project in matter has been developed over the course of +5 years and is very likely of a size and complexity that not many users will need to deal with and even if they do, it can clearly handle stuff quite decently.

 

[dof250]

Unsurprisingly, the 15" rMBP from 2015 is faster, but the rMBA yields good results. Keep in mind that the project in matter has been developed over the course of +5 years and is very likely of a size and complexity that not many users will need to deal with and even if they do, it can clearly handle stuff quite decently.

Thanks for this information! I am not very concerend about the performance, but the more about the fan noise.. I always loved the 12" fanless design as i hate spinning fans. Right now i'm working on a 15" 2018 model with a 4k display attached. Whenever i start parallels or do something a little intensive the fans kick in and make quite noise. I never had this experience with my older 15/13" models but the 6 cores seems a bit to much for the machine.

Long story short: How is the fan doing in the new 13" air? Does it spin up quickly and how bad is the noise?