Video Review: Three Months With the M2 Max MacBook Pro

[ds705]

My MacBook Pro M2 can control keyboard brightness on the keyboard. Thank you Touch Bar. Also never heard the fan on this small MBP.

I'm struggling to decide to buy a new Mac because of this. My 16in has the Touch Bar and I've found it to be really useful, but whenever I use this Mac to stream something the fan goes off like crazy. I want to upgrade but I want the damn Touch Bar.

 

[RalfTheDog]

Dan’s the man.

Hopefully M3 will support two external displays.

I thought the M2 already does. I know there was a limitation with the M1, but I thought they fixed that.

 

[Suicidy]

Given that M1 Max prices are now hundreds of dollars less than their m2 max counterparts, sometimes by $500 or more depending on the specific sale, is it even worth considering an m2 based machine

seems like m2 is a lost generation… it’s decent in a vacuum but in comparison to the predecessor, it’s just not worth the extra cost. and perhaps the 40% mac sales decline is the market’s way of sending that signal. I like that apple added Wi-Fi 6E and hdmi2.1 but those features were readily available in late 2021 so not sure why apple skimped out on the M1 Max series.

Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to the 3nm designs. A 3nm m3 or m4 max max mini would be awesome.

A steadily failing economy is also contributing to declining sales. Nothing Apple can do about that.

 

[mystery hill]

I thought the M2 already does. I know there was a limitation with the M1, but I thought they fixed that.

Not yet.

M2: 1
M2 Pro: 2
M2 Max: 4

 

[Zachari]

Hey @Dan Barbera what’s the sleek app granting iPad-style widgets on the macOS desktop? My search online just brought up the typical right-side widgets.

Also curious about that wavey white-orange wallpaper, if you remember where it’s hosted.

i think it’s WidgetWall

 

[ghostface147]

My MacBook Pro M2 can control keyboard brightness on the keyboard. Thank you Touch Bar. Also never heard the fan on this small MBP.

How? There is no touchbar on any MBPro M2 model.

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

How? There is no touchbar on any MBPro M2 model.

I think they are referring to the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Oh, so this was really a review by the MBP of three months with Dan?

If these computers could talk…

“His fingers were all over me. I feel dirty.”

 

[bellis1]

Been loving my M2 14" MBP. I struggled along with a broken laptop (2019 16" MBP) from November to January and pulled the trigger on an M1. New ones were announced during my return period so I swapped.

People will say it isn't a huge update and compared to 2019 > M1 it isn't. However, the extra efficiency cores do make a noticeable difference in battery life (again, nothing like the 2019 > M1 jump though). Also as someone who lives in the city I appreciate having WiFi 6E. The 6 Ghz spectrum is still fairly empty and the speeds are much faster thanks to less congestion.

If anyone is still on a 2019 (or older) and doesn't need to run Windows natively it is absolutely worth upgrading. It's probably the biggest change in my computing experience since I got an Intel MBP in 2007. Not having the fans spin up for every. little. task. is wonderful.

Went from a 13” Touch Bar i7 to m2 maxed out. 13” was the worst apple laptop I’ve ever owned and a myriad of repairs. The 14” is the best MacBook Pro I’ve ever owned. It is a joy to use.

 

[lJoSquaredl]

Said a lot of stuff but I couldn't hear most of it due to my screams while watching him balance his MBP on that rock drowning most of it out.

 

[heretiq]

Great review @Dan Barbera. I think your desire for the larger 16” MBP screen and the portability and performance of the 14” MBP highlights a potential missed opportunity for Apple. I find myself in a similar boat: love my 16” M1 Max MBP, but lugging it, the 140W power adapter and an M1 iPad Pro through the airport 2-4 times a month is grueling. It’s enough to make me willing to trade down in performance and features to get a more portable 15” device. If the rumored 15” MacBook Air comes close to the M1 Max CPU and GPU performance (even without ProMotion, extra ports and the extended battery life of the Max) I’m all in.

 

[heretiq]

I'm struggling to decide to buy a new Mac because of this. My 16in has the Touch Bar and I've found it to be really useful, but whenever I use this Mac to stream something the fan goes off like crazy. I want to upgrade but I want the damn Touch Bar.

You and me. I love and miss the TouchBar and hope it makes a come back.

 

[Tagbert]

M1/M2 both look appealing, my only concern is how they will be in a few years. My current 2017 Macbook pro with an Intel i7 and 16GB RAM runs Ventura like absolute crap, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't curse it for running slow or for the fans always being maxed out when working.

To be fair, that machine with those chips always struggled with heat and the fans were a constant companion. The Intel chips of that era had disappointing performance, put out a lot of heat, and the cases of those macs did a poor job of shedding the heat.

I think the Apple Silicon machines should hold up much better in the long term. Most of the time, they barely break a sweat.

 

[fyun89]

I really wish reviewers would stop calling anything under a year "long term".

 

[Tagbert]

Agreed! @Dan Barbera keeps it real. His reviews are honest, personable, and well-transparent.

i like listening to the Macrumors podcast with Dan and Hartley. It gives a more human take on the week’s rumors and their thoughts on what those rumors mean.

 

[Tagbert]

You only say that because, he wants more colors.

I skipped the M1 because, it could only support one external screen at a time. I know that sounds trivial because most people myself included only use them at Qdoba. There are always times that you need more than one or two screens to get something done. (Just looking around my office, I currently have three screens on my Studio, two on my M1 Mini and an additional three on my local Linux box.)

Sounds like you qualify as a “pro”. Most M1/M2 Mac buyers will have from zero to one external display that they use.

 

[Tagbert]

How? There is no touchbar on any MBPro M2 model.

This article talks about using Karabiner-elements to setup a custom key mapping of cmd-F1/cmd-F2 to change the keyboard brightness on Macs without those keys built in. KE is a third party tool that customizes the keyboard. I haven’t used this but it does look interesting.

Assign keyboard shortcuts for adjusting keyboard brightness

I have a MacBook Air (M1, 2020) and one of the few things I don't like about it is that it does not have dedicated function keys for increasing/decreasing the keyboard backlight brightness. I know...

apple.stackexchange.com

 

[drumcat]

Dan, I went with an Air loaded out. 13", but on my desk it attaches to a 4k monitor and sound.

To me, this is the use case you're describing. Cheers.

 

[4odomi]

I'm struggling to decide to buy a new Mac because of this. My 16in has the Touch Bar and I've found it to be really useful, but whenever I use this Mac to stream something the fan goes off like crazy. I want to upgrade but I want the damn Touch Bar.

You'll have to blame the so called tech influencers, for convincing the majority and Apple that the Touch Bar was crap 😡
It isn't and it should be offered as an option of every MacBook

 

[4odomi]

How? There is no touchbar on any MBPro M2 model.

He's referring to the 13" MBP

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Definitely a good machine!
I think there is a market for a mac between a pro and an air.
But that would complicate the lineup, so...

Either that or an Air with a Pro chip and a fan, kinda like the Mac Mini.

 

[zosobao5150]

3 months is now long-term?

 

[Naraxus]

Dan's a good guy.

Couldn't agree more. Dan's got a really good easy-to-listen-to presence about him. Love watching the weekly podcasts with him and Hartly

 

[Naraxus]

3 months is now long-term?

In terms of computers/tech, yes, 3mo is a very long time

 

[spinedoc77]

To be fair, that machine with those chips always struggled with heat and the fans were a constant companion. The Intel chips of that era had disappointing performance, put out a lot of heat, and the cases of those macs did a poor job of shedding the heat.

I think the Apple Silicon machines should hold up much better in the long term. Most of the time, they barely break a sweat.

I wouldn't be so quick to judge the chips alone, I have Windows PC's from the same era (most with much lower specs) that have absolutely no issues running Windows 10/11. My Surface Pro 6 was released around the same time frame and has no issues with slowing down or fans. Heck I have a couple of Surface Pro 3's that I use as media servers which still function quite well for their meager specs. That's my concern with buying a Macbook, will Apple bog it down with a new OS in a few years.