130$ difference for 5-7 years (M1 air vs pro)

[BenedictBellamy]

From you use-case the Air would probably be enough. Even with a 7 Core GPU.
Although the two may seem the same, the Pro has a few extras such as better microphones and speakers. The thing that made me go for the Pro was the Touch Bar, although some people hate it, I love it. Even though my model has 8GB of memory, it feels like it has 16GB.

In the end, it comes down to personal preference. If you love the Touch Bar and/or want better speakers and microphones then go for the Pro. If you don't mind missing out on those features, then the Air is still a great option.

 

[Argon_]

There is one thing you need to take into account as well, and an apple technician can confirm this too.

if you are planning to use high intensive apps like music software, video editing and gaming hours on end and you want to keep this mac for 4-8 years, then you should go with the pro. The reason is that the active cooling wont wear down the macbook as quickly as the air will be after intensive use in many years..

One important question for long term ownership is battery replacement. With the previous Intel models, Apple used pull release adheasive for the Air's battery, but not on the Pro. Useful if you plan to replace the battery after a thousand cycles.

 

[adrianlondon]

Apple seems too charge a fixed price for a battery replacement. When I needed a new one for my 2013 15" Pro, they had to replace the whole top case. Having a brand new keyboard and track pad for "free" was great!

 

[Argon_]

Apple seems too charge a fixed price for a battery replacement. When I needed a new one for my 2013 15" Pro, they had to replace the whole top case. Having a brand new keyboard and track pad for "free" was great!

I'm referring to DIY. Replacing an Intel MBP battery requires using acetone to weaken the adhesive, then using tools to pry off the highly flammable battery. The MBA's system makes much more sense.

 

[iamBrian]

I was weighing the pro vs the air but my strategic decision was that I would get the Air and be happy that I don't have to use a touch bar. The Air having wide color made it a much easier choice and will give me some flexibility as far as being able to handle my photo/video workflow (after the growing pains of early adoption go away even though I'm not currently feeling any with Lightroom). Also, I won't be in a tough spot as far as being able to upgrade to a newer desktop if/when they deliver some more powerful systems.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

One important question for long term ownership is battery replacement. With the previous Intel models, Apple used pull release adheasive for the Air's battery, but not on the Pro. Useful if you plan to replace the battery after a thousand cycles.

My last MBP made it over 3000 cycles with about 35% degradation.

 

[Bacci]

I have both a 13" 2020 MBP and an M1 Air.
If I had to choose today I would go with a MB Air.
It's thinner which makes it look more modern.
I like the fanless design (no dust can get in) and both have the fingerprint button so no worries there.
The display difference is not really noticeable to me, at least not indoors.

 

[badsimian]

Just gone with the air myself, coming from a 16”/32/1TB to a Air/16/1TB. Can’t wait!

 

[Argon_]

My last MBP made it over 3000 cycles with about 35% degradation.

I've had different experiences. Total capacity wasn't even the main issue. My 2014 MBP started randomly dying under heavy load at about 1350 cycles. It was an issue of peak power delivery. Soon, a spike of 40+ watts would sometimes kill the machine; sustained full load was a non starter. Another seventy later and I bought a 2018.

The 2014 is still a usable machine, either as a desktop or a chromebook.

iamBrian:

I was weighing the pro vs the air but my strategic decision was that I would get the Air and be happy that I don't have to use a touch bar. The Air having wide color made it a much easier choice and will give me some flexibility as far as being able to handle my photo/video workflow (after the growing pains of early adoption go away even though I'm not currently feeling any with Lightroom). Also, I won't be in a tough spot as far as being able to upgrade to a newer desktop if/when they deliver some more powerful systems.

I'd pay to get rid of the touch bar. My current ideal mac would be an ARM 16 with function keys and a battery retained by tabbed tape or screws.

 

[lyngo]

For me it’s the Air all the way. I personally don’t like the TouchBar. I understand how it can be useful for some, but not for my use case and workflow.

 

[iamBrian]

I'd pay to get rid of the touch bar. My current ideal mac would be an ARM 16 with function keys and a battery retained by tabbed tape or screws.

Same. I think if they had it as an option or got rid of it, I would have bought a MBP years ago, but I just can't do it with the way it negatively affects my workflow.

 

[Argon_]

Same. I think if they had it as an option or got rid of it, I would have bought a MBP years ago, but I just can't do it with the way it negatively affects my workflow.

I'm currently running a base 2020 13" Intel MBP, with upgraded RAM. I ended up trading the '18, partly for a better keyboard by orders of magnitude. I'm writing a lot now, and not doing the intense CAD I was in '18. I avoided the air on the basis of thermals alone.

As for the touch bar, I just configure virtual function keys.

 

[vishavg]

Just picked up the MBA base model today! Glad I made the decision. I tested out the speakers, mic, trackpad of the pro and I have to say I couldn't tell the difference. I actually thought I was on the MacBook pro when they let me test the speakers but it was the air. It is an incredible jump from the MBP 2016!

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask me! Thanks for all your guys help

 

[vishavg]

Just opened it up...out of all the macbooks ive owned this wrapping job seems like it was returned and repackaged? Am I reading too much into this? The original box did have the plastic wrap though.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Yup. That looks not straight out of the factory.

 

[vishavg]

I wonder how common this is?

 

[srikat]

Do you have an external monitor you could connect it to check how it performs with about 50 tabs open in Chrome?

 

[Yebubbleman]

Hi everyone,

I have been going back and fourth with different configurations and have finally settled with these two:
View attachment 1672067 View attachment 1672068

I am coming from a 2016 MacBook pro 8gb ram and 256 storage, which has had a coffee spill...

Current day job is as a physician. I will be using the laptop primarily for writing research papers, clinic notes and video conferencing. I take notes using notion and word, with about 10-12 tabs open at a time. VLC for lectures. I don't plan on doing much video editing or playing games. I just need something reliable to last 5-7 years without much slowing down and heating. Another thought I had was to get the base MacBook air and put the money saved towards an iPad mini 5. But I'm not sure how the 7 core GPU will hold up in 5 years as I don't enjoy upgrading to the newest piece of tech.

Thanks for the help I hope others find this useful as well.

I'm guessing you pit an Air with 16GB of RAM with a 13" Pro with 8GB of RAM out of price concerns.

My recommendation is to get a Pro with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. I recognize that this is more than either of the two machines you are torn about cost. Please allow me to explain:

1. As others have said, the Pro will sustain workloads for longer without heating or throttling. Your workload may not ever cause the Air's CPU to throttle. So, it's a gamble. With something as costly as a Mac, I wouldn't gamble. I'd just go with the Mac most likely to not give me any kind of issues. For this reason, I say, go Pro.

2. 16GB of RAM is good future-proofing. Even if 8GB to 16GB isn't ever a dividing line for a future Apple Silicon macOS release, you'll at least be more comfortable on a Mac with 16GB as it ages than you will with 8GB. Also, as has been the case with every MacBook Air that has ever existed, and every new 13" MacBook Pro since 2013, RAM is not upgradable after the fact.

3. I'm assuming you wanted 512GB of storage. You should always get one storage tier higher than you think you will ever need just in case you miscalculate, considering you do not have the option of upgrading after the fact.

4. You will surely cover all of your bases and have a computer that will easily last you the 5-7 years that you're wanting with the 13" Pro. You may get similar mileage with an Air, but the Pro practically guarantees it.