Checked out the new MacBook Air at the Apple Store

[Mr. Dee]

I stopped by my local neighborhood Apple Store to pick up my mom’s iPhone SE 3 for her birthday. After completing that purchase I used the opportunity to segway to the MacBook table and check out the new Air on display. Initial impressions I have to say were underwhelming. I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between old generation 13.6 MacBook Pro with USB C only. They both look indistinguishable. Even the Apple store rep who helped with my check out, while escorting me over to the table mentioned, the best way to tell difference is by the Notch.

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The streamlining of the design with its larger siblings (14 and 16 inch) is aesthetically welcome. One of the immediate contrast though is how thin it is to the Pro MacBooks. The 16 inch for instance looks gargantuan, almost like a grotesque ‘Dude You’re Getting a Dell’ Latitude 8200. The Air serves a middle ground for users who don’t want the added expense, power and weight of a 14 inch, but at the same time, its not an answer for those who might want something a little bit more. A bigger screen for instance, say, 15 inch.

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Of course, this is a notebook for a specific audience, basic office productivity, streaming music and videos and the occasional video editing - which I even rarely do on my M1 MBP anyway. But, the relief is that you are not gonna be locked into mediocre performance if you have a system like this. Sure, its not a replacement for a editing bay like its higher end siblings, but it does hit a sweet spot.

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I tried out my usual Apple Store visit test runs, which includes typing in MS Word and I must admit, the keys feel a bit shallow. Its not a detracting experience and you will get enough tactile feedback not hesitate using it everyday. Of course, its super fast, opening up Safari felt instantaneous, browsing Macrumors, and zipping between Photos and Finder. My M1 MacBook Pro two years later feels just as fast. The web cam looks great but then again, this is the Apple Store; with great lighting, everything in there looks great.

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The Charlie Chaplin Notch is apparent when you first interact with the MacBook Air and something about the Monterrey wallpaper makes it stand out a bit, but subconsciously it fades away when you start using it. The Midnight color is nice, its not anything special to be honest. At certain angles, it looks like a dark navy blue. Its quite hard to capture on camera. At the times, you might mistake it for a deep space gray. If you want this color though, do expect finger prints will make it every crime investigators paradise.

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During my tour of the new Air, a couple came by and started checking out the new models as well as the older tapered M1 model still on sale. The spouse didn’t seem impressed with the new models and even said she preferred the older design. The cost for both was also deterrent with her partner further recommending the M1 Air as a better choice based on what she is doing anyway.


Eventually, the MacBook Air will become the new defacto standard for many and within time, we will see many of them popping up at coffee shops, campuses, airports and light rail. For many today, the M1 MacBook Air still makes a lot of economical sense. It will still be supported for years with numerous macOS releases being developed for it. But if you are looking for a convincing tangible reason to jump off the older design, especially those still on much older Intel models, this is a great start. For personally, I am not looking at another Apple MacBook until 2025. I just hope by then a 15 inch model is introduced for those who just don’t want the expense compromises of todays MacBook Pros.

Related:

Checked out the Mac Studio at the Apple Store​

Hands on with the 2021 MacBook Pro | MacRumors Forums​

M1 MacBook Pro Review - One Year Later | MacRumors​

Show off your 24" iMac (Apple Silicon)

I was able to play with all the colors at Apple, the best are Blue, Purple and Green. The red if you are looking at it from behind is too loud, orange feels the same but is tolerable, yellow is probably the fourth safest choice along with silver. If I didn’t purchase the M1 MacBook Pro last...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Caviar_X]

I can’t wait until mine ships!

 

[kp98077]

Nice comprehensive summary, in the store I had the same impression, I think mainly because of the color (Navy) and then it had thousands of finger prints! then mine arrived, and its an amazing LITTLE machine! It is nice to hold and carry around the house, feels like nothing!! honestly feels thinner than my pro max 13.. lol
a 15 version indeed would be nice!

 

[Shirasaki]

If one can mentally check out the notch, that’s a nice boost to the overall usability. I can’t, unfortunately. A fake bezel is a must if I want to use notched macbook.

Overall design doesn’t look too “striking” like the color iMac back in the day, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. And such design would still standout in the windows crowd.

MagSafe is nice I’d say. 13” MBP never came one in design, a shame.

Idk if it is because of the camera but that color doesn’t look fantastic. Maybe things will change when seeing it in person.

 

[calstanford]

I ended up going with Starlight and cancelling my Midnight order after checking them out in the store. The fingerprints did it for me and the fact the midnight color too often just looks antracite gray/black-ish like a company windows laptop. Sadly now I have to wait two weeks longer. Oh well.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I ended up going with Starlight and cancelling my Midnight order after checking them out in the store. The fingerprints did it for me and the fact the midnight color too often just looks antracite gray/black-ish like a company windows laptop. Sadly now I have to wait two weeks longer. Oh well.

View attachment 2030880View attachment 2030881

Yeah, I didn't think the fingerprints were going to be a bother to me and was even making mental excuses for it - its a computer, its not intended to be looked at. But, I can only imagine the sense of bother every time you pull this thing out to use it. The starlight is really gorgeous. I have a space gray M1 MBP, but I my next MacBook upgrade, I'm switching back either boring silver or starlight.

 

[Adelphos33]

I check it out as well. A few of my impressions

1) I currently have a M1 MBA, 16 GB, 512, 8 core / 8 core. I can tell pretty quickly that this M2 MBA will basically have no noticeable performance upgrades at all in terms of processing power if I get a comparable configuration. M1 remains very capable for my needs

2) The new design is fine - I don't think it is better than the old wedge design, like many fo the reviews are saying. It optically looks a bit clunkier, even though it really isn't - I do think the raised feet (which I don't like on any of the new Apple MacBooks) contributes to the clunky look.

3) Midnight was my least favorite of the four colors. It just doesn't look like Apple IMO, and fingerprints were noticeable (these are obviously store units with a lot of people trying them out)

4) I picked up a few of the laptops, and MagSafe kept falling out. I have no real desire to jump back to Magsafe.

5) The screen and camera on M2 are better, but not that much better

6) The minimum spec I would consider costs $1,599 (Basically upgrading the RAM and SSD up). To me, that's the minimum most people should get with these machines. The problem is that the base 14" MacBook Pro, which is a much better machine technically (the screen is noticeably better than M1 and M2 MBAs, for example, better cooling, two monitors, still somewhat portable, etc).

Coming from a M1 MBA, especially one with 16 GB RAM, I am not really drawn to upgrade to this particular upgrade. I think I would need more improvements in speed, power, screen, etc to really justify it. There MBP 14" base model really seems to be technically the perfect computer for most people - I just wish it was a bit slimmer.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I saw the M2 Air's the other day, too, and came away not feeling impressed.

The black one, especially, was not black but dark dark blue and such a fingerprint magnet.

The silver one was, honestly, the best looking of the bunch IMO. The notch didn't bother me, but in the end I felt like Apple was charging a $300 premium for essentially a magsafe connector.

I have an M1 Air, and have no desire to replace it with an M2 air.

 

[Chateaunole-du-Pape]

I check it out as well. A few of my impressions

1) I currently have a M1 MBA, 16 GB, 512, 8 core / 8 core. I can tell pretty quickly that this M2 MBA will basically have no noticeable performance upgrades at all in terms of processing power if I get a comparable configuration. M1 remains very capable for my needs

2) The new design is fine - I don't think it is better than the old wedge design, like many fo the reviews are saying. It optically looks a bit clunkier, even though it really isn't - I do think the raised feet (which I don't like on any of the new Apple MacBooks) contributes to the clunky look.

3) Midnight was my least favorite of the four colors. It just doesn't look like Apple IMO, and fingerprints were noticeable (these are obviously store units with a lot of people trying them out)

4) I picked up a few of the laptops, and MagSafe kept falling out. I have no real desire to jump back to Magsafe.

5) The screen and camera on M2 are better, but not that much better

6) The minimum spec I would consider costs $1,599 (Basically upgrading the RAM and SSD up). To me, that's the minimum most people should get with these machines. The problem is that the base 14" MacBook Pro, which is a much better machine technically (the screen is noticeably better than M1 and M2 MBAs, for example, better cooling, two monitors, still somewhat portable, etc).

Coming from a M1 MBA, especially one with 16 GB RAM, I am not really drawn to upgrade to this particular upgrade. I think I would need more improvements in speed, power, screen, etc to really justify it. There MBP 14" base model really seems to be technically the perfect computer for most people - I just wish it was a bit slimmer.

I really don't think you're the target for this iteration, though. You already have a decently specced M1 MBA, and certainly it should be a very useful and capable machine for several years to come.

This is going to be a great machine for those who don't yet have an M1, for whatever reason. Perhaps their Intel machine has more or less been holding its own but they're now realizing that the writing is on the wall. Or maybe they have never cared for the wedge design of the previous MBA, or saw the return of MagSafe to the Pros last fall and decided they'd wait for that to return to a new version of the MBA rather than buy an M1 or the heavy 14" Pro. (I fit into the final two categories, though I can't claim to belong to the first, as my MBP dates to 2009, and I am excited to finally be replacing it tomorrow.)

It's not realistic to expect that every iteration of a product is going to be a quantum-leap improvement over its predecessor, particularly when these products come out every 18 to 24 months. (I am not saying that you think this way but I do think that some people do.) I also really don't understand the notion of upgrading your computer every time a new one comes out, any more than I do the idea of changing cars every year or two.

 

[DMG35]

Very nice summary. I returned my Midnight because at the end of the day its uncomfortable for me to use a laptop that small and I just don't like it. Its a beautiful littlle machine but I am sticking with the 16" MacBook Pro until Apple give us a 15", if they ever do.

 

[Asiatic Black Hebrew]

I check it out as well. A few of my impressions

1) I currently have a M1 MBA, 16 GB, 512, 8 core / 8 core. I can tell pretty quickly that this M2 MBA will basically have no noticeable performance upgrades at all in terms of processing power if I get a comparable configuration. M1 remains very capable for my needs

2) The new design is fine - I don't think it is better than the old wedge design, like many fo the reviews are saying. It optically looks a bit clunkier, even though it really isn't - I do think the raised feet (which I don't like on any of the new Apple MacBooks) contributes to the clunky look.

3) Midnight was my least favorite of the four colors. It just doesn't look like Apple IMO, and fingerprints were noticeable (these are obviously store units with a lot of people trying them out)

4) I picked up a few of the laptops, and MagSafe kept falling out. I have no real desire to jump back to Magsafe.

5) The screen and camera on M2 are better, but not that much better

6) The minimum spec I would consider costs $1,599 (Basically upgrading the RAM and SSD up). To me, that's the minimum most people should get with these machines. The problem is that the base 14" MacBook Pro, which is a much better machine technically (the screen is noticeably better than M1 and M2 MBAs, for example, better cooling, two monitors, still somewhat portable, etc).

Coming from a M1 MBA, especially one with 16 GB RAM, I am not really drawn to upgrade to this particular upgrade. I think I would need more improvements in speed, power, screen, etc to really justify it. There MBP 14" base model really seems to be technically the perfect computer for most people - I just wish it was a bit slimmer.

I saw the M2 Air's the other day, too, and came away not feeling impressed.

The black one, especially, was not black but dark dark blue and such a fingerprint magnet.

The silver one was, honestly, the best looking of the bunch IMO. The notch didn't bother me, but in the end I felt like Apple was charging a $300 premium for essentially a magsafe connector.

I have an M1 Air, and have no desire to replace it with an M2 air.

As M1 owners, neither of you were the target demographic for the M2 Air anyway. It was never meant to be a huge upgrade over the M1. If you were expecting a drastic improvement, then expectation management is probably the best advice I can give you.

 

[JamesGoodman]

As M1 owners, neither of you were the target demographic for the M2 Air anyway. It was never meant to be a huge upgrade over the M1. If you were expecting a drastic improvement, then expectation management is probably the best advice I can give you.

Exactly. This machine is not for people who already have an M1. It is the upgrade of the AIR for people who have a much older version or don't have one at all. Or people like me, who bought the 14 inch PRO when it came out in the midst of the pandemic and we weren't traveling or traveling less and now want (again) a lighter machine. The .75 of a pound will make a difference to me on my public transportation commute and as a teacher and writer the additional "power" (I rarely use one external monitor let alone two or three; if I need more screen space, I pull out my iPad 12.9 and use that) means little to nothing to me. Every machine has strengths and weaknesses and not every new machine is a sensible upgrade for all or even most users. But some of the people here sound as if they are simply trying to talking themselves out of buying the upgrade by knocking it. As Shakespeare would have said: They protest too much.

 

[Asiatic Black Hebrew]

Exactly. This machine is not for people who already have an M1. It is the upgrade of the AIR for people who have a much older version or don't have one at all. Or people like me, who bought the 14 inch PRO when it came out in the midst of the pandemic and we weren't traveling or traveling less and now want (again) a lighter machine. The .75 of a pound will make a difference to me on my public transportation commute and as a teacher and writer the additional "power" (I rarely use one external monitor let alone two or three; if I need more screen space, I pull out my iPad 12.9 and use that) means little to nothing to me. Every machine has strengths and weaknesses and not every new machine is a sensible upgrade for all or even most users. But some of the people here sound as if they are simply trying to talking themselves out of buying the upgrade by knocking it. As Shakespeare would have said: They protest too much.

Exactly. A lot of the overly negative posts about a new product, usually just come off as a way for people to cope or try to convince themselves they don't need it. Lots of times people are just looking for a co-sign or reassurance from other users in an effort to make themselves feel better. Personally, when I have no interest in something, I don't usually spend a lot of time talking about it online.