(Early) 2020 MacBook Air owners feel like they got screwed

[seek3r]

I knew that new ARM MacBooks were coming, but I thought it would be the Pro and the regular MacBook line. Now I feel like I got screwed over buying a MacBook air, released in 2020, and it's already outdated!!

I don't... I knew ARM macs were likely coming, but I wanted the last gen intel one to wait until the kinks were ironed out with the ARM machines, and the 2020 MBA delivered on everything I had been waiting for a long time on (and keeping my 2012 MBA running because of): quad core, 16GB RAM, and, most importantly: a return to a good keyboard

Machine is plenty performant, and should last a while while AS gets any early probs out of the way (it also lets me run VMs and bootcamp while I wait and see how things shake out there on AS)

Besides, rule 1 of buying Apple gear: don't buy a first gen product unless you are willing to get burned

 

[Abazigal]

I have ordered an Air and I hope it will throttle. That's how fanless computers work. If it doesn't throttle it means that it is not using performance which is available for short duration, but not for sustained load.

Nothing wrong with throttling, it is a legitimate design choice to avoid the cost, noise, weight, size and reliability penalties of a cooling system in machines which are not primarily used for sustained load.

Having been using a 12" MacBook for three years I also know that throttling is not as extreme as usually thought, so sustained load jobs get done, just take a bit longer.

I don't know if I am reading this comment out of context, but this has me scratching my head.

It's like saying everyone dies. Sure, that's true ultimately, but there's a difference between someone kicking the bucket at the age of 20 in his prime and dying peacefully in his sleep at the ripe age of 90 surrounded by his great grandchildren.

The point you quoted isn't saying that a M1 MacBook won't throttle at all, but that with intel processors, the thin and lightweight design was causing them to throttle very quickly, to the point of limiting performance to less than ideal conditions.

Of course the new AS Macs will (eventually) throttle under heavy workloads as well. But the whole point is that throttling should kick in much later, and the user would get better performance overall, because that's really the whole point of switching to AS - better performance in a thermally-constrained envelop and longer battery life.

 

[saffeon]

Yea idk about you guys but either she has a defective Air (unlikely) or the standard is low for a $1400 laptop in here lol. She can't even open a few chrome tabs without the fans kicking on and it almost coming to crawl. 20% better cooling or whatever they marketed it as is still far too low.

 

[mlourenco9]

I just can't understand the business rational of providing returns months after purchase unless you can show you had had a problem e.g. USB not being recognised or it didn't do something that was advertised. Imagine if everyone returned their 2020 intel air, what a waste and a big environmental impact. People were clamouring for a fixed keyboard and got it! I suspect in the UK where consumer law is good, but balanced by a culture of 'you choose the item - you stick with it' I would not expect people to have a hope of this exchange.

Some people really need an automatic upgrade every year scheme like for the iPhone.

The irracional is an update of a product and 6monthes after that, a big upgrade. As an Apple consumer, considered fanboy, I feel very sad. I feel that I have an old product. The environment is not an argument. Apple will refurbish all the returned MBA.

 

[deeddawg]

Yea idk about you guys but either she has a defective Air (unlikely) or the standard is low for a $1400 laptop in here lol. She can't even open a few chrome tabs without the fans kicking on and it almost coming to crawl. 20% better cooling or whatever they marketed it as is still far too low.

Somethings not right with that system. Or somethings going on in those chrome tabs that’s forcing cpu activity.

I regularly have several Safari tabs open, plus other apps including Mail and Lightroom, and my 2020 i5 MBA remains silent and cool and snappy.

What happens when she opens tabs in Safari?

 

[thunng8]

I bought my 13" i5 Air in March. I needed it. It's been great and I much prefer it to the 2013 15" MBP I had before.

I'm waiting for some real reviews of the M1 version to come out, but this is just out of curiosity as I won't be in the market for a new laptop for a while. "Newer laptop better and faster than old laptop "is not really a shock headline.

(I'm ignoring the geekbench scores at the moment, as I read they re-wrote geeekbench for the new chip and changed how it benchmarks, so it can't be used to compare back to the Intel version.)

They did not rewrite Geekbench. I have no ideas where you get these plainly false information from. Possibly from intel fanboys??

 

[adrianlondon]

The irracional is an update of a product and 6monthes after that, a big upgrade. As an Apple consumer, considered fanboy, I feel very sad. I feel that I have an old product. The environment is not an argument. Apple will refurbish all the returned MBA.

Using this logic, with everyone wanting an M1 laptop, who will buy the refurbished ones?

 

[adrianlondon]

They did not rewrite Geekbench. I have no ideas where you get these plainly false information from. Possibly from intel fanboys??

The intel version ran on the M1 chip without any change? I can't find where I read the original comment now, so maybe they took it back after realising it was rubbish, in which case my comment about the differences is also rubbish

 

[Mike Boreham]

I don't know if I am reading this comment out of context, but this has me scratching my head.

It's like saying everyone dies. Sure, that's true ultimately, but there's a difference between someone kicking the bucket at the age of 20 in his prime and dying peacefully in his sleep at the ripe age of 90 surrounded by his great grandchildren.

The point you quoted isn't saying that a M1 MacBook won't throttle at all, but that with intel processors, the thin and lightweight design was causing them to throttle very quickly, to the point of limiting performance to less than ideal conditions.

Of course the new AS Macs will (eventually) throttle under heavy workloads as well. But the whole point is that throttling should kick in much later, and the user would get better performance overall, because that's really the whole point of switching to AS - better performance in a thermally-constrained envelop and longer battery life.

I am afraid I don't follow your old age analogy at all ?

I think the problem with the 2020 Airs is that they had a partial cooling system which resulted in throttling for some usage cases sooner than was expected. Expectations being a key word here. Because it had a cooling system many people were not expecting it to throttle at all, and for some people it did.

I expect any fanless computer to throttle back quite quickly under high load, but it will not be perceptible in normal usage. The only alternative is to deliberately constrain the chip by stopping it using power which is available for short durations, which is not want I want.

Throttling is not on/off....it is a seamless continuum to keep using the most performance possible within the thermal envelope.

This is how it was with my 12" fanless MacBook. Of course I am expecting the M1 to be a whole different level of capability in both normal and throttled state.

 

[thunng8]

The intel version ran on the M1 chip without any change? I can't find where I read the original comment now, so maybe they took it back after realising it was rubbish, in which case my comment about the differences is also rubbish

Yes it is rubbish

 

[Bel Marduk]

Of course they do.
That's why Apple should have made the 12 inch Macbook instead.

 

[rambo47]

I bought the 2020 MBA and I do not feel cheated or screwed. Not one bit. The new M1 devices look super-cool. Potential game changers. But buy a first-gen new Apple device?? No sir, not me. Ima see how things shake out in real world usage. Meanwhile I'm happily working away on my Intel-based MBA, and it's working exactly like it did before the M1 release.

 

[rambo47]

I don't feel like I got screwed. I bought it knowing full well the ARM Macs would be coming out and assumed that I'd be fine with it. I can't stand how bad the thermals are, though, and I hate how it screams at me whenever I look at it for too long.

I'm happy to be selling it on and buying an M1 MBP. Very excited to see where ASi goes and from all the information coming out today... it looks to be going places.

I have an i5 MBA and I heard my fan for the first time when I updated to Big Sur. My usage patterns are such that I rarely tax the system.

 

[Lucifer666]

You thought it was only the pro, when absolutely everybody said also an Air? ? And you.... I’m not sure I get it

sorry ?

if You hadn’t heard about it, this thread would work.

 

[4sallypat]

Look at the bright side: at least the M1 MacBook Air costs the same as the previous one. It would have hurt more if Apple dropped the price to 899$
...

Education pricing for the M1 Air is $899

 

[roygnelson]

I’ve emailed about this issue - will see if I get a satisfactory response.

Any response?

 

[KevinC]

I knew that new ARM MacBooks were coming, but I thought it would be the Pro and the regular MacBook line. Now I feel like I got screwed over buying a MacBook air, released in 2020, and it's already outdated!!

 

[nepats81]

wish I had held off on buying my 2020 i5 air , and got the M1 instead.

Maybe ill see if they can make an exception on a return. Its been like 45 days

 

[snakes-]

The first announcement and speculation about apple ditch intel was over 18 months old. I dont understand people who scream here or feel screwed. Intel is now an outdated oldtimer only for strange winboys.

Solution, sell the old mac and buy the M1, problem solved.

 

[Modernape]

I tried to return my i5 yesterday - 45 days is the limit for them to exchange.

 

[RegularGuy09]

I’ve emailed about this issue - will see if I get a satisfactory response.

What email address did you write to? I wrote to apple feedback, dunno if I'll get a response.

I tried to return my i5 yesterday - 45 days is the limit for them to exchange.

Same, I tried to return it, and they said I can't, and that they cannot exchange my device unless there's something wrong with it.

Maybe I'll try to call again and be more nagging, but I don't think it will work.

Oh well. Its worth a shot.

 

[Pair]

As soon as you purchase any piece of technology it should be with the acceptance that you are doing so in the knowledge it will be superseded whether that is a year, six months or the day after your purchase it. Otherwise you will constantly find yourself disappointed.

 

[phl92]

I tried to return my i5 yesterday - 45 days is the limit for them to exchange.

I had a similar experience last week with my MBP 2020, returned after almost a month (bought in store), and they seemed even happy to give me back money within minutes, and telling me to come back in 2 weeks for the new ARM laptops with a smile.

I recommend everyone who bought their devices after late September to give it a try! Make an appointment (issue: battery fast draining / getting very hot) and explain your issues. You cannot lose anything!
And it's on their highest priority now: get world domination with M1 chips on the market!! They will offer you amazing things

 

[JBGoode]

And those that bought the ARM Macs this week will feel screwed in less than a year when Apple redesigns the machines.....et cetera, et cetera. No one will ever be happy.

 

[aleni]

You’re screwed! Lol. Enjoy your current laptop. It’s not suddenly being obsolete overnight. Or does it? ?