I’ve probably had a bad experience because I use to have the time capsule. Can you point to a good article on it?
1. Is it not slow over wifi
2. Can I keep photos library on it?
3. What happens if I’m out the house? Can it still connect easily?
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Who is going to buy MBA 15 inch?
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1. Is it not slow over wifi
2. Can I keep photos library on it?
3. What happens if I’m out the house? Can it still connect easily?
I suppose it depends on use case and other requirements such as portability. It makes sense to get a base model if someone needs the portability, larger screen for "general" use. Anything more where you need the power and suddenly it becomes less appealing for the price.
Case in point vs a $1750 (currently) MBP 14 with M2 Pro, 16GB/512GB config. Similar config MBA Air puts it in the similar price range ($1699) so basically, you'll give up a few things like processing power and display for a more portable laptop.
$1699 - MBA 16/512 Config
$1749 - MBP 16/512 Config
I can't believe I'm discussing value for an Apple product but comparatively, to me, the value just isn't there and me personally would pick the MBP. Again, could be different for those who have other requirements.
The only MBA device that makes sense to me are the lower priced base models. Currently the MBA 13 M2 is $999 with $150 gift card. For an effective price of $850, it's a great little general use device. You start to spec it up and I don't think I can justify it for MBA.
Case in point vs a $1750 (currently) MBP 14 with M2 Pro, 16GB/512GB config. Similar config MBA Air puts it in the similar price range ($1699) so basically, you'll give up a few things like processing power and display for a more portable laptop.
$1699 - MBA 16/512 Config
$1749 - MBP 16/512 Config
I can't believe I'm discussing value for an Apple product but comparatively, to me, the value just isn't there and me personally would pick the MBP. Again, could be different for those who have other requirements.
The only MBA device that makes sense to me are the lower priced base models. Currently the MBA 13 M2 is $999 with $150 gift card. For an effective price of $850, it's a great little general use device. You start to spec it up and I don't think I can justify it for MBA.
In a year or so, when I decide I really need to retire the 15" late 2013 rMBP that I'm using, I'll probably take a serious look at the 15" MBA. It will probably come down to the screen vs the 14" MBP. Either way, I'll get 16GB/512GB. (256GB storage is almost enough but not quite.)
Apple Education Store price is $999 and comes with a $150 Apple Gift card thus the "effective" price.
Costco is offering the MB Pro 14 for $1750 and includes 2 Year warranty.
That's where I got the prices from.
Wife has a 2011 MBP 13 that is still kicking (surprisingly), for her basic needs it's fine but I'm definitely tempted to grab the base MBA for her as she's an educator. At same time, I want to hold out to see if Costco will have prices in the $800 range as they have offered discounts on the M2 MBA in past, if they do something similar, $800-$850 price for an M2 MBA with a 2 year warranty is a solid buy without being tied to a giftcard IMO, so bit of a dilemma.
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Thanks for the info, hope my next assignment will be closer to an apple store/Costco to be able to take advantages of good prices vise the BX.
Just ordered a maxed-out (24GB, 2TB) 15-inch MBA. 24GB because I run a lot of memory-intensive apps at once. 2TB because I'll want to do some video, and 1TB would cramp my style, especially if install a beta OS or share the machine in my household. My processing needs are somewhat bursty. If it throttles a wee bit, big whoop, because:
This will replace a maxed-out late 2012 15-inch Retina MBP (2.7 Ghz i7, 16 GB, 768 GB SSD) that has lasted twice as long as I thought it would. Apple support was superlative at every juncture every time there was any flaw that wasn't my fault. They replaced the battery and the display for free after warranty had long run out. It's a testament to Apple's design and build quality that this machine is running Ventura pretty smoothly with Open Core Legacy Patcher, but it just doesn't cut it as a development rig these days.
The 15-inch MBA is in some ways the successor to this 15-inch 2012 MBP. The 15-inch MBA form factor is what you get when you shrink every dimension of the machine except the display itself and the keyboard (which looks identical to my 2012 model except for the addition of Touch ID) while removing the fans. After carrying around that 2012 machine all these years and listening to those fans roar, a performant MBA seems super appealing. Can't wait for it to arrive.
In contrast, the 16-inch MBP form factor is sort of what you get if you take the 15-inch 2012 MBP and expand the screen into the space occupied by the bezels, while keeping the weight and bulk and fans. The 14-inch MBP is a bit tempting, but it's $1000 more with similar memory/storage specs and that screen is smaller than what I'm used to.
This will replace a maxed-out late 2012 15-inch Retina MBP (2.7 Ghz i7, 16 GB, 768 GB SSD) that has lasted twice as long as I thought it would. Apple support was superlative at every juncture every time there was any flaw that wasn't my fault. They replaced the battery and the display for free after warranty had long run out. It's a testament to Apple's design and build quality that this machine is running Ventura pretty smoothly with Open Core Legacy Patcher, but it just doesn't cut it as a development rig these days.
The 15-inch MBA is in some ways the successor to this 15-inch 2012 MBP. The 15-inch MBA form factor is what you get when you shrink every dimension of the machine except the display itself and the keyboard (which looks identical to my 2012 model except for the addition of Touch ID) while removing the fans. After carrying around that 2012 machine all these years and listening to those fans roar, a performant MBA seems super appealing. Can't wait for it to arrive.
In contrast, the 16-inch MBP form factor is sort of what you get if you take the 15-inch 2012 MBP and expand the screen into the space occupied by the bezels, while keeping the weight and bulk and fans. The 14-inch MBP is a bit tempting, but it's $1000 more with similar memory/storage specs and that screen is smaller than what I'm used to.
If you have a family, then getting the family iCloud+ plan is a lifesaver. We pay $10 a month as a family for 2TB of shared cloud storage. It makes backing up our devices and upgrading them whenever we need to, a breeze. It also clears up phone storage for photos and videos.
I wouldn’t recommend storing all of that on a laptop. There’s little reason to have to cull or delete old photos and videos. Hard drives are dirt cheap, and you can get a 4TB SSD from SanDisk that you can put on a keychain for $260. Moreover, you can buy an even larger HDD and keep everything backed up.
Thanks for the reply. I mainly want the larger drive to house my photos library stored locally and then I can back up to an external drive. I don't want to have to remember to carry the external drive with whenever I want to look at my photos or videos. i.e im downstairs on the couch and I left drive in my office upstairs. a minor inconvenience but would start to annoy me.
It can be so slow that it is unusable, assuming TM, depending on various factors such as wifi speed and reliability, the size of the backup, size of the backup files, destination hardware (NAS or ...).
SanDisk makes a 512GB USB-C flash drive that you could potentially leave plugged in. I’ve seen 1TB models as well. Might be a suitable compromise for you.
SanDisk 512GB Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C Flash Drive - SDDDC3-512G-G46 https://a.co/d/gkqZLis
Also I know a lot of people use Google Photos.
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I ordered a 16/512 on launch day, just cancelled order thanks to Costco. On sale for $1749.99 for 14" Pro in stock at store which is really $250 off + paid w/ 5% cash back Visa + 2% cash back from Executive membership brought it down cheaper than the $1699 price with the 16 gb Ram and 512 gb SSD upgrades. Kinda of a no brainer.
For someone who has had the 14" M1 Pro for almost 2 years now, I think I'm going the opposite direction.
The 14" device is nice for intensive tasks but it's so fast I almost never need it to sustain performance for longer than 30 minutes. For most of my use cases outside of 3D rendering, the extra performance is completely wasted. And then there are quite a few "gotchas" I have had with it over the years, but I won't list them out. Thing is, it's not perfect.
Also the new 15" Air has almost the same battery capacity as the 14" MacBook, but the chip will end up using less power (less RAM controllers, less RAM modules, chip aimed at lower power consumption) so it will end up with better battery life for sure. That's kind of what I'm looking forward to, along with more screen real estate and sharper, bigger texts since I always use my 14" at a slightly lower resolution to make texts bigger.
your 7% setup sounds great! i got the same config, but with student discount and 3% apple card cb. ended up being ~1380.
Wow, that 14" M1 is a great option right now. It's actually the 16" M2 Pro that's $1000 more than the 15" MBA. Still, I'm happy with what I ordered. I've been using an Intel MacBook Pro. The MBA's 500-nits display with P3 gamut will be a huge upgrade. Fans and bulk, I'd rather be without. 64 GB sounds great but I don't think I actually need it.
I am blown away that anybody with a 14 or 16 inch is going to downgrade to the completely inferior screen experience on the MBA
It’s really tough to go backwards on something like screen technology
It’s really tough to go backwards on something like screen technology
Assuming air 15 screen will be like bigger version of the same screen found in my m1 air, i can see the huge difference 14/16 being superior in the screen department.
It really isn't. But everyone has their opinion.
There are advantages and disadvantages to all screens including IPS, Mini Led, and OLED.
Some people prioritize thin and light.
Considering the cost of the 15" MBA there really isn't a better 15" laptop that is fan less out there.
If you need a Pro machine for professional use or some type of hobby then obviously the Pro line is better suited but for most people the MBA is more than powerful enough and ultra portable in any size you need.
If I hadn't already bought a M2 13.6" MBA I would be all over the 15" and I sold my M1 max 16" MBP for my air and I have had zero regrets.
The 16" is great but it is a brick. For professional use it is a dream come true with all the ports you need and a great screen and stereo system but for the average person it is overkill and way too heavy.
Of course there are a lot of casual users who just want the best Apple can deliver and for them there is no substitute but for everyone else the M2 15" MBA is a dream that is now a reality!
yeah and wait for the light bleed complaints like the 13" M2, non issue with the 14/16"
I am more concerned with that manufacturing issue with the T-shape bracelet shades being visible for some panels on the 13" that the 15" may inherit. There's a thread here detailing this, its a lottery if I understand it right.
I bought the 16" MBP just for the screen size, yeah the screen is super nice, but at home I use it with Huawei Mateview monitor that has okayish 4k LCD screen and I quickly forget about the screen quality difference while working... (not even talking about the cr@ppy screens I have to connect it in the office). But yeah seeing how smooth mouse cursor is with 120hz is beautiful
But saving more than half a kilo when lugging it around is a game changer
People always think you can't get used to an 'inferior' screen. In my experience, you forget about it after two days. Went from a 5K iMac to a MacBook Air connected to a 4K Dell monitor. It's completely fine.