Dare I point out the rather illogical choice of having bought both same generation with same storage and memory specs?
Sure the pro has active cooling but… why???
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What is it about the M1 Air?
- Thread starter bobjonesco
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Sure the pro has active cooling but… why???
For me it was the price and battery life. The reports about the efficiency of the M1 chip sold me.
I’m just your average college student, so the M1 is absolute overkill.
Had it for 2 years and I still generally get 2 days of battery life out of it. Completely decimated the previous Windows laptops I had.
My oldest laptop is 4.5 years old so my plan here is to make it to 6 minimum. Given its performance at year 2, I have little doubt it’ll make it to year 10.
I’m just your average college student, so the M1 is absolute overkill.
Had it for 2 years and I still generally get 2 days of battery life out of it. Completely decimated the previous Windows laptops I had.
My oldest laptop is 4.5 years old so my plan here is to make it to 6 minimum. Given its performance at year 2, I have little doubt it’ll make it to year 10.
Apple really hit the sweet spot with the M1 MacBook Air, I felt. It's one of the few computers I've consistently recommended to people who just want a lightweight laptop with outstanding battery life and a crisp display, a machine that performs snappily in the majority of home and productivity situations.
They've stopped selling them on the Apple refurb site in Japan, which is sad. Long live the wedge.
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Might just be the atrociously bad response times of the display panels Apple uses. 120Hz doesn't mean much if the pixels are too slow to respond at that frequency.
Play 1 game and let the other play itself at the Background.
Or let two games played at the background while I do something else.
I'm going to assume you mean the form factor rather than the internals
But yeah, that machine was the ultimate in portability and looked awesome
Just goes to show that they need to bring back the 12" Macbook. Or better yet, the 11" Air!
Although it lacked power at the time, I always loved the old 12” MacBook and it's super portable size, it was a great little travel device. There is a niche for ultra portable devices, but I doubt they will make another one because it will eat profits from iPads and 13” MBAs.
As someone who generally hates laptops, I would drop my iPad and replace it with a tiny 12” MacBook (as they built for a few generations a while ago) in a heartbeat…
I think Apple can see how a smallish 13in. laptop might be received in the market by looking at the sales of the Microsoft Surface particularly the lower tier models. Indeed I think an entry level MacBook would cut into those sales as well as mainstream laptop sales more than cannibalize sales from MacBook and iPad sales although that would happen to some degree. But overall I think Apple would gain more than they would lose.
If Apple really wanted to kill it they could make 512GB the base storage on all their MacBooks including a new entry level model. The new entry model could be sold in essentially one configuration—8/512 or 12/512 with M2—that would make for a very appealing small but mighty affordable device.
If Apple really wanted to kill it they could make 512GB the base storage on all their MacBooks including a new entry level model. The new entry model could be sold in essentially one configuration—8/512 or 12/512 with M2—that would make for a very appealing small but mighty affordable device.
Honestly a Macbook "SE" equivalent would smash the competition. Students galore and general use customers would lap it up.
Imagine a 12" Macbook with M1 chip in a lightweight form factor like the previous Macbook 12. 8GB Ram and 256GB HD = £799.
The would be sold out within the day...
Imagine a 12" Macbook with M1 chip in a lightweight form factor like the previous Macbook 12. 8GB Ram and 256GB HD = £799.
The would be sold out within the day...
I personally find the contoured shape very inviting to use. The other MacBook that gave me that same feel was the 11" MacBook which was tiny and -- I know this is weird -- felt very personal in a way that a large laptop just doesn't quite do. None of this is rational, I know, but we're at a point where Macs (and computers in general) are so powerful they very easily meet our everyday uses without much friction at all. So, aesthetics and impressions have room to matter more.
I'll echo you, but go you one better!
I have a 15" M2 MBA, but keep grabbing my 2015 13” MBA!
Now, once Office 2024 comes out, I’ll switch over, and know I’ll especially enjoy the incredible battery life and larger screen of the 15” M2.
OTOH, I also know I won’t enjoy visiting Dongle City for transferring photos off my digicam SD cards! 😁
Ha! I love the M1 Air as well, over the M1 Pro and M2 Air. It's light, it's a familiar design, and I really can't tell the difference in my productivity use between any of the Apple Silicon chips.
That wedge is just classic!
That wedge is just classic!
Yup. I have the same model, and I treated myself to the 2TB SSD. There's something about it. It's so smooooooth. It's like buttah. In looks and in action. It should've been settled LAW that the Air keep that wedge shape. The new design does nothing for me.
I don't have the M1 Air, but I do have the last Intel model.
I tend to gravitate towards the towards my Intel Air over my 14" MBP.
The air is just more comfortable to use when I'm sitting in bed.
I tend to gravitate towards the towards my Intel Air over my 14" MBP.
The air is just more comfortable to use when I'm sitting in bed.
The wedge design is more comfortable to use than the squared off one. I often grab my M1 Air to use over the work issued M2 MacBook Pro I have. It's far lighter too.
+1 here on the fantastic design that lived long enough to receive an M1 transplant. Just perfect.
My wife has one and I love how light it is..was tempted to get one instead of replacing my old iPad, but I decided to stick with the tablet FF.
The wedge M1 was the very last Mac I was interested in spending money on. I half-expected they'd wow us for the launch of the Mx line, and have the MBP's take on the tapered design as well, but the era of subverting expectations was just getting started. Once they eliminated the last of what made that an elegant, inspired design and turned it into a plain utilitarian uninteresting featureless flat slab like the MBP, everything I liked about Apples product design lay firmly in the past. I don't know if there was a generational changeover and there's a skeleton crew of a couple interns designing the new line, or if the new kids don't know how to model complex lofts yet, or if some bean counter has to get fired to spend the money it takes for their design work to return to its high standard a decade ago, but man what a tumble they have decided to take.
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Was disappointed to see the wedge design get retired. But it’s possible we’ll see it again within 10 years from now.
I would buy a MacBook with similar dimensions to the 2015-2017 12” model. Presumably it would be a little thicker or not have the wedge design to accommodate a “Magic Keyboard” and yes, the smaller bezels would mean a larger screen. The difference between 2lbs and 2.7lbs is noticeable. Paired with an 11” iPad Air or Pro it would be a traveling “dual monitor” setup that still weighs less than the 14” Pro.
Yes! I have one as an extra device. I love the form factor. They could easily squeeze an M1 chip into it. So light and portable.
So I ended up selling my Intel MBA for $425, and since the announcement of the M3 MBA I've seen a flood of M1's go for sale on FB Market Place and Offer up.
I am now the proud owner of a Space Grey M1 MBA that I picked up for $450. Battery life is at 100%, no dents or scratches.
It makes a great secondary machine to my M3 Pro MBP.
Same, I went back to a M1 and picked one up off Facebook for similar money. Loving it, especially knowing it was half the price of an M2 and basically does the same thing!