M2 MacBook Air is too heavy

[fisherking]

Only if living in a bubble otherwise it's relatively hefty for a basic clamshell. Spoiled by Surface Pro X which feels lighter while having additional touch screen, pen stored in keyboard, built-in kickstand, better webcam, replaceable storage, etc. Benefit of lighter is being able to carry a companion tablet for second screen instead of constantly command-tabbing.

this is your observation, based on your needs. it speaks for no one else.

i love the size & weight of the air, and am coming from 6 years with a 12" macbook. i don't care about the surface, as i don't own one, and if i did... i wouldn't spend time carrying both around and complaining about one over the other 🙄

 

[Technerd108]

It is funny. People are never happy no matter what.

It is too heavy. So Apple uses magnesium instead of aluminum and let's the case be less rigid.......Now the air feels cheap and too light like a toy that will break easy- I thought this was a premium device....and on and on.

I have even heard people complain on these forums that the device feels less rigid and cheap.

I think Apple hit the balance right. Too light and you sacrifice rigidity and durability. Too heavy and it is uncomfortable and bulky.

Make the air any heavier and it will feel like a Pro, a brick. Any lighter and it will feel like a fragile Galaxy book.


No matter what, people will never be satisfied.

 

[Krypton Deer]

I don't think M2 Air is too heavy at all - rock solid with zero flex. But I get what you are saying:

1. LG gram 17 1.35kg
2. M2 Air 1.24kg
3. X1 Carbon 1.12kg
4. X1 Nano 0.97kg

M2 Air feels most premium in person but YMMV.

 

[Apple_Tiger]

Too heavy? I think my M2 MacBook Air is very light as a feather!

 

[uffenman]

Sure, it would be nice if the M2 Air were lighter but it would probably need to either lose battery life or be made of more expensive materials. As it is, the M2 Air is one of the lightest Air models ever sold. Only the pre-retina Air of 2009 was lighter. (Other than the old 11” Air of course. I still have one of those.)

It is about a quarter pound lighter than the MacBook Pro. That might be hard to judge just picking them up but if you check the specs, there is a difference.

• MacBook Air (2008): 1.36 kg (3.0 pounds)
• MacBook Air (2009-2010): 1.06 kg (2.3 pounds)
• MacBook Air (2011-2015):, and 1.35 kg (2.96 pounds) for the 13-inch model and 1.08 kg (2.38 pounds) for the 11-inch model
• MacBook Air (2018-2019): 1.25 kg (2.75 pounds) for the 13-inch model
• MacBook Air M1 (2020): 1.29 kg (2.8 pounds)
• MacBook Air M2 (2022) 1.24 kg (2.7 pounds)
• MacBook Pro M2 13” (2022) 1.4 kg (3.0 pounds)

BUT some people can't understand why an updated version of the 12" MacBook should be released.....boy are people narrow minded.

 

[uffenman]

I think the 12" MacBook would have been a success if it were first released in 2020 with the M1 and the "Magic Keyboard," even at $1299. It caught a lot of flak in 2015 for being underpowered and having an unreliable keyboard that it was popular only with a niche smaller than what Apple was willing to support.

totally agree. My assumption as to why it was not is that they were too busy with the releases of the new M chips in the more popular mainstream models like the Air and Pro. I still think the ~12" will be released but only after all of the mainstream models are released and the whole transition is done. Only an opinion though....

 

[uffenman]

I will instantly order a new MacBook 12" with an M-SOC when it will be unveiled.
The old 12" was definitely the most beautiful Macbook Apple ever made!
The problems are all fixed now, the butterfly keyboard, the weak processors, I don't know what Apple is waiting for?
Last year there were vague rumours about a new MacBook 12, since then I've been putting a €50 note in my piggy bank every month so I'm prepared!

right there with you! In fact, I'm writing this on my 2017 12" MacBook, it is still an awesome machine! Most beautiful laptop EVER!!!!

 

[mi7chy]

Anyone have spec sheet for aluminum used by Apple to compare against Allite magnesium alloy? Looks like Fujian Nanping Aluminum, a subsidiary of Sichuan Furong Technology, is one of Apple's aluminum suppliers so probably not profitable to switch to something better.

https://alliteinc.com/super-magnesium/

 

[mpetrides]

I can't think of many people that chose a MacBook Air because it's lighter than other laptops? I know that was an original selling point of the machine in 2008, but nowadays it's simply become the "entry level" MacBook.

Well, I for one have considered an M2 MBA because it is so much lighter than my 16 inch MBP. Not to replace the MBP, mind you, just to use when weight really matters.

Can't justify the added cost but if money were no object, I'd get a Midnight Blue M2 MBA 16/1TB to use in situations where I used to bring my iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard.

 

[acorntoy]

The MacBook Air has the double role of being the thin-and-light and the entry-level portable Mac. The second role doesn't allow for more expensive materials. How much would it save anyhow?

You're point is both correct but doesn't hold up, for example even on a -small- device such as an Apple Watch- you can clearly tell the difference on your wrist between aluminum(light), titanium (lighter) and stainless steel (heavy). Hell the 14 Plus is a monster, but because it uses Aluminum unlike the SS in the pro it only weighs as much as the iPhone 8+ instead of being the heaviest iPhone of all time (14 pro max) its missing an extra camera, but they're close to the same phone, the biggest difference is the material used to surround them.

While using different materials would 100% help, the category Apple puts the Air in restricts it them from doing so.

 

[ZiBart]

I think its mostly a marketing issue. When the Air originally debuted, it was revolutionary with its weight and thinness. It hasnt been the lightest/thinnest in years amongst the industry. I think Apple will argue that its the thinnest/lightest laptop for the level of performance it provides and battery life.

They could just rename the current Airs as just “MacBooks” and leave them as is (including the rumored 15”). Then delegate the “Air” branding for a slightly more premium version of the same specs/form factor, but made of Carbon fiber or some other lighter but sturdy metal. Which would differentiate it by weight and maybe thinness - priced higher but not as high as the Pros. I think the M2 Air is a nearly perfect laptop for me but the “Air” moniker makes little sense. Not that i think its heavy by any means.

 

[BellSystem]

I honestly cannot tell the difference in weight between my 13" Intel (10nm with 4 TB ports) MacBook Pro and my M2 MacBook Air. The only way to know I have a M2 MacBook Air in my hand is because it is thinner.

Maybe the MacBook Air should have been made out of carbon fibre to reduce the weight so that the weight difference is more easily noticeable.

I said the same thing (and so did my team) when we replaced the 2015 MacBook with the current......it is heavier. People on this forum that don't have both in hand will tell you that you are crazy. You are not.

 

[dgdosen]

Only if living in a bubble otherwise it's relatively hefty for a basic clamshell. Spoiled by Surface Pro X which feels lighter while having additional touch screen, pen stored in keyboard, built-in kickstand, better webcam, replaceable storage, etc. Benefit of lighter is being able to carry a companion tablet for second screen instead of constantly command-tabbing.

How does the Surface Pro X do on Stockfish?

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Maybe the MacBook Air should have been made out of carbon fibre

One thing they could do is pack a bit less battery in it. Everywhere I look, the students run their notebooks on the plug. All day all I see is a people using a few minutes of battery at a time, moving them from wall outlet to their next class & into another wall outlet, to the library to another outlet, etc. Half the kids think you should never let it charge over 80% and half think never under 80%. Honestly if they put 1/2hr’s worth of battery in the MBA and just said it’s an ultralight puddle jumper to get you from one outlet to the next, quit tracking battery cycles and just offered $25 replacements, they could save half the space and weight in the ultralight “Air” model, & if you want to be working on battery for hours at a time, then that’s a use case for a “pro” machine instead.

If they realized they could charge the same amount for the Air and cut out 2/3 or 3/4 of its battery cost & say it’s more environmentally friendly, the hatchetman would make it happen overnight.

 

[aevan]

Hopefully enough so that is significantly lighter than the 13" MBP.

An other way to get a true "thin and light" MacBook Air while being cheap is bring back the old 12" MacBook but this time powered by Apple Silicon. It could be priced at $899 or $999 while being significantly lighter than the 13" MBP.

It's light enough and super portable. It's almost as light as an iPad Pro, even lighter if you add the Magic Keyboard to the iPad. Making it lighter would have diminishing returns and raise the price.

 

[bmot]

Why does Apple call these devices still „Air“? Because they look airy?

 

[aries81]

I’m also disappointed that my MacBook does not have an inbuilt coffee maker.

 

[subzento]

Thanks folks, it gave me a hearty laugh.😂

 

[MauiPa]

Too heavy for a “thin and light” laptop in comparison to the 13” MBP. The MBA has the thinness but not the lightness.

Additional weight reductions can be made with more premium materials such as Carbon fibre or Magnesium.

10% lighter despite a bigger screen and better speakers is not "significant"? Oh well, to me it is

 

[MauiPa]

Hey, plastic is pretty light!

Sorry, I mean polycarbonate.

dude, you're getting a Dell!

 

[Falhófnir]

Isn't it already the lightest MacBook other than the old 12"? I don't see how you're getting meaningfully lighter without making sacrifices like rigidity, or a smaller battery. That's really what the LG Gram devices do to get the weight down.

 

[Asbow]

That's a horrible idea. Carbon fibre costs $30 per kg, versus aluminum that's $2 per kg. Building a Macbook out of carbon fibre would cause the price to skyrocket and undo all the price cuts and value Apple Silicon has brought that finally killed the "Macs are overpriced" meme and made non-Apple people love the computers again.

What price cuts?

 

[john123]

At nearly 7 pounds, this was heavy.

Perspective is everything.

 

[PauloSera]

No, it's not. /thread

 

[jmoore5196]

I started with the PowerBook 100, and I've had at least one of every iteration of Apple notebook including the original MacBook Air, the 11" MBA and now the 'ultimate' M2 Air. There's no way the current version is 'too heavy.' The old PowerBooks and Duos were arm-benders. We've come a long way.

If you've just gotta 'hate' on something, there are easier targets than the M2 MBA. In my view, it's likely the best laptop Apple has ever made ... and since I've sampled most of them, that's saying something. At the very least, this model has fewer compromises than any other notebook I've used over nearly 30 years.