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Apple Announces New MacBook Air With 15.3-inch Display and M2 Chip Starting at $1,299

I was really hoping the display would be 15.6", watch next year it will get bumped up. Why not just match the 13.6" air with a 15.6" air and call it a day? Furthermore, I'm assuming buying the base at 8GB/256GB will still have the same slow SSD as the 13.6" model does? It's funny how they didn't even bring this up lol

Surprised the M1 is still staying in the lineup, I didn't see that coming at all! I thought for sure it would be discontinued.
 
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Tagbert said:
If you look back at the last 10-12 WWDC there have been hardware announcements at nearly every one. Usually it is just one or two products, but this year was a bonanza !

The platform state of the union presentation afterward is where they focus more on the software details and you start seeing actual code.
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Yeah I know they mostly had hardware. But I thought they would at least start with OSs.
 
75Batt said:
Not for many customers
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Keep in mind Apple knows exactly how many Intel MacBooks are out there, and the people owning these have no idea how much faster the M series chips are.

IMO it's great marketing.

Tech geeks like myself were waiting for the M1 long before it came out, I was tracking geekbench on iPad and realizing that is an absolute killer product with super low power use and blazing speeds, and I immediately got the first M1 Air.

But normal people - also thanks to the Mac clientele in general - have no idea. To them, a MacBook Air is a MacBook Air - they don't know there's a huge difference between M1 and Intel. The old Intel MacBook Air was very, very slow.
 
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ISignedUpToAskThis said:
Really, REALLY hope the UK pricing is the same or not too far off. £1,299 is so tempting. Currently have an 18 month old 13" M1 and was hoping the price point appealed enough to want to upgrade.
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Starting at 1399 GBP ~= 1740 USD - significantly more than the UK's 20% VAT would add to a USD 1299.

Apple Euro prices are just terrible.
 
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Rookbird¥ said:
I say shame on Apple. It still comes with only 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. It’s time for them to come with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. To make it usable with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage will cost you $1,699.
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This is a shame, so close to being an awesome product. I want one but having to buy upgrades to RAM and storage gives me pause.
 
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MacGekko said:
Dumb question but will the new 15" Macbook Air with 8gb ram be faster for most tasks than a mid 2015 Macbook Pro 2.2 with 16gb ram?
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100% affirmative. M class processors run rings around these old Intel chips. RAM doesn't matter as much thanks to the integrated SoC design.

At the same time, I like to have 16GB even on M processors as I have a ton of apps open during development. The MBA M1 with 8GB gets into trouble, but my 16" MBP 16GB never missed a beat. Finding it impossible to Max out RAM on this beast.
 
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Rookbird¥ said:
I say shame on Apple. It still comes with only 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. It’s time for them to come with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. To make it usable with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage will cost you $1,699.
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Yeah the upgrade prices are obscene. Top tier 4TB SN850X NVME SSD is $299 now. I guess Apple likes us to pay 2020 prices for NAND these days?
 
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Too bad the screen isn't detachable from the keyboard and also from the CPU. Then the CPU could attach to audio interfaces, and the laptop and screen could be moved. Can't they make wireless screens by now? OK if it still needs a thunderbolt cable that's also power. Having the CPU built in to the laptop screen and keyboard is convenient as long as you don't need to hook up audio and usb interfaces and instruments to it. And it will still get hot. So can we please go back to separatable screen and computer and keyboard, like the mini, but minuscule?
 
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Surprisingly not bad American pricing. Ugly international pricing, however. Especially considering the utterly pathetic 256GB storage it comes with.

A third USB port, on the right side of the device, would be useful too.
 
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I guess all of yesterday's keynote points towards trouble finishing the M3 family of chips, and we won't see those for nearly a year. They can't exactly release their new VR ski-goggles with an out of date CPU...
 
I am seeing the same machine, the right one with a bigger HD, but why make it like two different machines, when you can upgrade it anyway? I don't see any difference in CPU, GPU etc.
Screenshot 2023-06-06 at 09.01.01.png
 
ric22 said:
I guess all of yesterday's keynote points towards trouble finishing the M3 family of chips, and we won't see those for nearly a year. They can't exactly release their new VR ski-goggles with an out of date CPU...
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Yes a little weird now the ski goggle won't come before next year, that they didn't advertise them with m3, if m3 is ready for iPhone 15 in a few months. I guess iPhone 15 is not coming with m3 then.
 
When did Apple last sneak up the prices on the MacBook Pros in some European countries? Yesterday?? A near 50% premium on US pre-tax pricing is insane.
 
Woa... slam dunk in my view :D, the laptop many have been waiting for and it seems like they even adjusted the EUR/USD conversion, as the 13" dropped by 200 euros.
 
ggx12 said:
Woa... slam dunk in my view :D, the laptop many have been waiting for and it seems like they even adjusted the EUR/USD conversion, as the 13" dropped by 200 euros.
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Yes, in US, the official price of 13" dropped by $100, while in EU by 200 euros.

In US though the difference between 13" ($1100) and 15" ($1300) is only $200, while in EU is 300 euro (1300 vs 1600) euro.
 
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Did you guys notice MacBook Pro price changes in your countries (in either direction)?
 
Stoianski said:
Yes, in US, the official price of 13" dropped by $100, while in EU by 200 euros.

In US though the difference between 13" ($1100) and 15" ($1300) is only $200, while in EU is 300 euro (1300 vs 1600) euro.
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I think they probably wanted to hit that sub-1300 pricing threshold for the 13" which I think makes it feel more like 1000-plus than 1350 or above which makes it 1500.
 
HowardEv said:
Too bad the screen isn't detachable from the keyboard and also from the CPU. Then the CPU could attach to audio interfaces, and the laptop and screen could be moved. Can't they make wireless screens by now? OK if it still needs a thunderbolt cable that's also power. Having the CPU built in to the laptop screen and keyboard is convenient as long as you don't need to hook up audio and usb interfaces and instruments to it. And it will still get hot. So can we please go back to separatable screen and computer and keyboard, like the mini, but minuscule?
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iPad Pro is the closest you will get to that for now.
 
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