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13-Inch vs. 15-Inch MacBook Air Buyer's Guide

Gengar said:
The latest M2 13” (technically 13.6”) has the same exact design as the new 15” if I’m not mistaken?
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darngooddesign said:
You are correct, but I think they were talking about the 13” M1 (old wedge design) not the 13” M2 (new design).
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It's hard to keep track! I'm just looking at the Apple site now and see this:

MBA (M2) 13"
Height: 0.44inch
Width: 11.97
Depth: 8.46

MBA (M2) 15"
H: 0.45
W: 13.40
D: 9.35

www.apple.com

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www.apple.com

Those dimensions don't look like the same to me. The H is pretty much the same, but the W is 1.4" more, and the D is 1" more. Maybe I'm missing something?
 
msackey said:
It's hard to keep track! I'm just looking at the Apple site now and see this:

MBA (M2) 13"
Height: 0.44inch
Width: 11.97
Depth: 8.46

MBA (M2) 15"
H: 0.45
W: 13.40
D: 9.35

www.apple.com

Mac - Compare Models

See what makes each Mac laptop and desktop different. And find the one that’s perfect for your life, your work, and your budget.
www.apple.com

Those dimensions don't look like the same to me. The H is pretty much the same, but the W is 1.4" more, and the D is 1" more. Maybe I'm missing something?
Click to expand...
Those are M2 Airs; same height but obviously the 15” is larger in width and depth. The 13” M1 Air uses the old wedge design.
 
Only about 13 years late... we should have had the option of a thin and light MacBook with a larger screen ages ago. Only reason we didn't was to drive business to the Pro 15 and later 16...
 
Drewps5co0tt said:
Why do people need to connect to two external displays from a laptop? That's always intrigued me. Ya'll acting like you Oprah or something. 😂🤣
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It's standard work practice for a lot of people. What's Oprah got to do with it? (I'm not American, btw)
 
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ric22 said:
Drewps5co0tt said:
Why do people need to connect to two external displays from a laptop? That's always intrigued me. Ya'll acting like you Oprah or something. 😂🤣
Click to expand...
It's standard work practice for a lot of people. What's Oprah got to do with it? (I'm not American, btw)
Click to expand...

'Ya'll acting like you Oprah or something.' probably means 'You are all acting like you are Oprah or something.'

In other words, you shouldn't have the arrogance to think you're someone like Oprah Winfrey. Meaning, only people with the status of Oprah Winfrey are allowed to connect two monitors to their Mac :)
 
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ThomasJL said:
I agree. The “Air” in the MacBook Air name was meant by Steve Jobs to be a reference to its light weight and it being the lightest product in a given product line. Tim Cook is a man of mediocrity who doesn’t care about the logic behind naming conventions, which is why he approved the use of the name “MacBook” for a computer that was lighter than the MacBook Air. Clueless Cook also approved of the name “iPad Air” for an iPad that is not the lightest in the iPad line. He also approved the use of the name “MagSafe” for a phone charger which does absolutely nothing to keep the phone safe from a fall.
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In my view, the MBA shifted from uniquely ultra portable to an everyday computer for most consumers in 2010. Steve Jobs did the keynote launch for that MBA, and that model became the most popular laptop in Apple’s line up. It was no longer a niche ultraportable. It was designed and priced to be the new everyday laptop for most consumers, students, and office workers. To this day, the MBA is still the lightest laptop in Apple’s line-up. So, I guess I don’t get the beef with Cook, since the current MBA is just a continuation of product branding that Jobs started for their most popular laptop.

As for the 12 inch MacBook, it doesn’t exist anymore. Perhaps Apple could have named it the MacBook Mini or something like that, but there was no way they were going to mess around with the product branding and naming of the MBA, which is the most popular and recognizable laptop in their lineup. Heck, it might be the most popular laptop in the world! That’s Marketing 101. You don’t change the name of a winning product just to satisfy a technical nuance for a few geeks on a forum.
 
I am not sure if I should get one of these new Air models or a M2 MBP that's on sale for $999. My only concern about the MBP is all have the Touch Bar. Is that bad? I hear horror stories but not sure. I use AutoCAD but light work, I'm a student.
 
one more said:
MacBook Air is undoubtedly a great computer, however do you remember how proud Steve Jobs was pulling the original one out of that envelope during the presentation? The whole point of Air was to have a very light and portable computer to carry around. So to me it feels kind of sad to see Air getting bigger and heavier.

View attachment 2213862View attachment 2213863
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The 13 in M2/M3 MBA is lighter than the previous MBA models. It has a smaller footprint than the 2010 MBA that really broke the market open for ultraportables. All while have a larger screen and smaller bezels. Of course, the 15in MBA is larger and heavier than the original MBA, but that's not a fair comparison.
 
Mainsail said:
The 13 in M2/M3 MBA is lighter than the previous MBA models. It has a smaller footprint than the 2010 MBA that really broke the market open for ultraportables. All while have a larger screen and smaller bezels. Of course, the 15in MBA is larger and heavier than the original MBA, but that's not a fair comparison.
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Yes, my mistake when I was posting that comment was that I thought that Apple’s original MBA had a 11”, rather than a 13” inch screen.
 
I have the M2 15" MacBook Air, and is my favorite ever Mac laptop. I have owned various 13" MacBook Pros (first non retina, then retina) than the M1 MacBook Air.

1) The 15" screen is very expansive, and makes multitasking much easier relative to 13" screens

2) The laptop is very thin and light for a 15" - it fits in my work Tumi briefcase perfectly. Yet, it is also sturdy and solid

3) Apple silicon, paired with 16 GB of RAM, handles whatever I throw at it

To me, this is the best standard Apple laptop available as it pairs screen size, portability, power and price.
 
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one more said:
Yes, my mistake when I was posting that comment was that I thought that Apple’s original MBA had a 11”, rather than a 13” inch screen.
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Yeah, they actually made both sizes. And, to your point, there are many that miss that 11" model.
 
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needsomecoffee said:
If you want a computer with 16gig/1T SSD your only option is the 14 inch MBP ($1,999) because the max for the MBA is the 15 inch is 16gig/512gig MBP ($1,699). Both are 8/10 M3s. Wish there was a 1T MBA option (Apple obviously has the SOC to support it they just refuse to put it in a MBA). Weird how Apple has foregone supporting consumer choice and instead seems totally focused on upselling. Really Apple... a 512gig limit on what is likely your most popular portable Mac is just F***KING mean. Hope Tim retires soon.
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This is completely false information. The MBA 15 is available with up to 24 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of SSD (1 TB is also available).


Screenshot (61).png
 
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gugy said:
I am not sure if I should get one of these new Air models or a M2 MBP that's on sale for $999. My only concern about the MBP is all have the Touch Bar. Is that bad? I hear horror stories but not sure. I use AutoCAD but light work, I'm a student.
Click to expand...
Might be too late at this point to find one in stock in-store, but Costco has been clearancing out the M2 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro 16/512 for $1,199.97 (Item # 1601622) since last month.

This is what I'd get if I was in the market.


MBP.png
 
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one more said:
The whole point of Air was to have a very light and portable computer to carry around. So to me it feels kind of sad to see Air getting bigger and heavier.
Click to expand...

except it hasn't. the original MBA was 3 pounds. the current MBA 13 is 2.7 pounds. Now yes, the MBA 15 is both larger and heavier, but thats called choice.
 
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one more said:
MacBook Air is undoubtedly a great computer, however do you remember how proud Steve Jobs was pulling the original one out of that envelope during the presentation? The whole point of Air was to have a very light and portable computer to carry around. So to me it feels kind of sad to see Air getting bigger and heavier.

View attachment 2213862View attachment 2213863
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This moment is so sentimental to me and solidified as a core memory.
I bought the first generation MBA and strangers would stop me in class or coffee shops to ask about it.
I don't remember the last time that ever happened with a MacBook.
To me, the Air was always supposed to be the most premium, portable version of the 12 inch pro / iBook line.
I'm very inclined to order a max-spec'd 13 inch M3 Air, as 'impractical' as everyone says that is
 
one more said:
MacBook Air is undoubtedly a great computer, however do you remember how proud Steve Jobs was pulling the original one out of that envelope during the presentation? The whole point of Air was to have a very light and portable computer to carry around. So to me it feels kind of sad to see Air getting bigger and heavier.

View attachment 2213862View attachment 2213863
Click to expand...
it is a design illusion, the back of the original design is thicker than the actual design. The current model is the perfect machine.
 
sw1tcher said:
Might be too late at this point to find one in stock in-store, but Costco has been clearancing out the M2 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro 16/512 for $1,199.97 (Item # 1601622) since last month.

This is what I'd get if I was in the market.


View attachment 2355818
Click to expand...

sw1tcher said:
Might be too late at this point to find one in stock in-store, but Costco has been clearancing out the M2 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro 16/512 for $1,199.97 (Item # 1601622) since last month.

This is what I'd get if I was in the market.


View attachment 2355818
Click to expand...
I believe this is the same model of the ones I saw with the Touch Bar I mentioned on my post. I guess I'll dismiss the worries about the Touch Bar and just get one. Especially at that price, $999
Update: nope, the one, on sale is the M2 with the touch bar. The one Costco shows, has no touch bar and is the Pro chip. Yep, that's a nice one but no longer available. The MBP M2 seems still better deal than get an Air model.
 
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gugy said:
I believe this is the same model of the ones I saw with the Touch Bar I mentioned on my post. I guess I'll dismiss the worries about the Touch Bar and just get one. Especially at that price, $999
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The 14" MacBook Pro they linked to is a far superior machine to the 13" Pro you're looking at...
 
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