M2 MacBook Air is too heavy

[Technerd108]

Question: does anybody know whether going from Intel chips to Apple Silicon reduces the physical size of the chip and/or the weight? Are these even a factor at all?

Yes Apple silicon has made it possible to have the device completely passively cooled eliminating the need for a fan, less cooling components which both add weight.

To your point about the weight of the microchip itself I doubt the difference is noticeable at all in terms of weight and size of Intel vs Apple Silicon. Since Intel is still using a 10nm process vs Apple current 5nm process there is a difference but then Apple silicon has a bigger GPU and ram integrated into the chip.

But even with all that I doubt there is any meaningful difference.

 

[uffenman]

Yes Apple silicon has made it possible to have the device completely passively cooled eliminating the need for a fan, less cooling components which both add weight.

To your point about the weight of the microchip itself I doubt the difference is noticeable at all in terms of weight and size of Intel vs Apple Silicon. Since Intel is still using a 10nm process vs Apple current 5nm process there is a difference but then Apple silicon has a bigger GPU and ram integrated into the chip.

But even with all that I doubt there is any meaningful difference.

Thank you...

 

[CrysisDeu]

I’m wondering in which real life scenario weight is a problem? Is your bag too heavy with laptop in it? Or is it too heavy to keep on your lap?

I am wondering if you are willing to carry a 10 pound weight around every day? Weight becomes a problem for different people in different situations at different weights.

Given the same functionality (and other aspects Apple need to balance), wouldn’t you agree lighter always better?

 

[raythompsontn]

wouldn’t you agree lighter always better?

Said no Sumo wrestler, ever.😀😂

 

[culo77]

Heavy is relative. Many of us had to lug around Dell or Lenovo cement slabs with their power bricks as heavy as the MacBook Air. Now with the Air's insane battery life I don't even bring a charger with me most of the time.

 

[fisherking]

since 2019, i've been sacrificing chickens (& it's a lot of chickens) trying to conjure up a new 12". i would sell my air (& the rest of the chickens) in a hearbeat for a 12" silicon macbook. but until/if... am happy with my m2 air..

 

[Technerd108]

You know what is too heavy? The 16" MacBook Pro.

But it is a heavy beauty. All those ports, room for the CPU to breath. A proper cooling system. Big @ss speakers. Huge battery.

I am so glad they ditched the thinner is better mantra they had for years with the Pro models.

The M2 MBA compared to the 16" is a featherweight at just over half the weight of the King or Queen of laptops. You know depending on your preference or it could be the Queeing if you are gender fluid. 😂 Lol

 

[DenisK]

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.

Hmm. Both me and my wife were to the store yesterday to see if her glorious 2017 12 inch MacBook could be fixed. So we looked at MBA's and as if on que, having lifted up both the M1 and M2 we noticed that the latter (M2) is lighter. It felt lighter. I was kind of surprised to see by how little lighter it is once I looked up the specs on both.
That, and the better cam (720 cam on a current laptop, Apple, seriously? We're talkin' HP-style evil penny shavings! Shame!), and the larger screen, and seemingly better sound made us not even look at the M1 again, as the price difference is negligible, especially considering that we are not changing our hardware every year.

 

[mi7chy]

I'm suprised you're saying this especially in a forum where tons of people have said they would buy a ~12" MacBook again. I travel all the time so I only need this for web/email. The form factor around two pounds is awesome for travel; and yes, it's a huge difference than the 2.7 lbs MBA. There is no "most people". Not everybody needs a laptop for graphic design/film editing/photoshop. We are all different and have different needs. Executives love small laptops for email/web, so do regular people. Its a big world.

Does no use telling me. Write to companies so they can bring back netbooks, 3.5" phone, 12" laptop, etc. from the dead. Good luck...

 

[eret9616]

nicetry

 

[splitpea]

Apple has IMO been overindexing on battery life in recent generations. That’s the source of most of the extra weight.

Yeah, it makes sense to try to support a full workday on battery. But, like, 12 hours should do the trick for the vast majority, while still leaving the laptop light and portable. 20 hours is just overkill.

 

[Tagbert]

Apple has IMO been overindexing on battery life in recent generations. That’s the source of most of the extra weight.

Yeah, it makes sense to try to support a full workday on battery. But, like, 12 hours should do the trick for the vast majority, while still leaving the laptop light and portable. 20 hours is just overkill.

20 hours is only the battery life under some very light conditions that are not really typical of use. Anyone using an Air knows that the workable life is much short but still long enough to be useful without stress. I would not want to give up any of that for some minor reduction in weight on a device that is already quite light.

 

[NeonNights]

You know what is too heavy? The 16" MacBook Pro.

But it is a heavy beauty. All those ports, room for the CPU to breath. A proper cooling system. Big @ss speakers. Huge battery.

I am so glad they ditched the thinner is better mantra they had for years with the Pro models.

The M2 MBA compared to the 16" is a featherweight at just over half the weight of the King or Queen of laptops. You know depending on your preference or it could be the Queeing if you are gender fluid. 😂 Lol

I feel 4.7 lbs for a desktop replacement 16" laptop is very reasonable, but that's because I'm reminded of my 12.1" plastic Toshiba Satellite college laptop that weighed a "svelte" 6.7 lbs at the time. Of course the Toshiba had a built-in CD-ROM back then. Almost any modern laptop today is considerably lighter. Heck, a 16" MBP + MBA together is still lighter than that old Toshiba laptop with AC adapter, lol!

I alternate between my personal M1 MBA and 4.5-lb 15.6" work laptop and they're both fine, weight-wise. I travel with my work laptop and it actually feels light because of how well the weight is distributed and balanced.

If you're younger than 30 it's easy to complain about laptop weight, but those of us a little older remember a laptop was like lugging a carry-on with you everywhere you went and 2.5 hrs battery life was considered phenomenal. I feel absolutely spoiled by today's options. It is all a matter of perspective.

 

[CPx]

IMO it'd be nice if they got it down to 2.5 pounds, but if it starts to feel flimsy or chintzy, then nevermind.

 

[Richu]

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.

I’m not sure it would have the same engineering properties. The aluminum chassi doubles as a passive heatsink. Plus not sure it would be as durable.

 

[Feek]

If it were carbon fibre, you wouldn't get that gentle tingle when it's plugged into a socket using a charger without an earth.

 

[Wokis]

I’m not sure it would have the same engineering properties. The aluminum chassi doubles as a passive heatsink. Plus not sure it would be as durable.

It kinda doesn't. Due to regulations and comfortability factors, the chip and heatsink is air-insulated from the chassis.

Arguably different materials would still make it hotter in sustained load scenarios, but you could solve that with reintroducing ventilation holes.

I'd want none of that myself, though.

 

[justin.d]

i bought an M2 air to replace my 12” macbook. i miss it. reintroduce it with a better keyboard & i’d without doubt go back

 

[4389842]

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.

Work out a little… heavy…

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

i bought an M2 air to replace my 12” macbook. i miss it. reintroduce it with a better keyboard & i’d without doubt go back

Those keyboards were the best.

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

I'm suprised you're saying this especially in a forum where tons of people have said they would buy a ~12" MacBook again. I travel all the time so I only need this for web/email. The form factor around two pounds is awesome for travel; and yes, it's a huge difference than the 2.7 lbs MBA. There is no "most people". Not everybody needs a laptop for graphic design/film editing/photoshop. We are all different and have different needs. Executives love small laptops for email/web, so do regular people. Its a big world.

I'm equally surprised that you think this forum knows better than Apple's market research. If there was a profitable market for such device from Apple, don't you think they would have continued to pursue it?

 

[uffenman]

Apple has IMO been overindexing on battery life in recent generations. That’s the source of most of the extra weight.

Yeah, it makes sense to try to support a full workday on battery. But, like, 12 hours should do the trick for the vast majority, while still leaving the laptop light and portable. 20 hours is just overkill.

Exactly; however, I think this may be a bit on purpose. They release the heavy model and wow it with the battery life, but the next version with the M3 chip will be more efficient so they'll reduce the battery size and make it a tad thinner, a tad lighter, and thats called innovation. Which is fine. But I'm still on my 2017 12" MacBook and that won't change until it has to or I can buy a 2 lb notebook.

 

[raythompsontn]

I travel all the time so I only need this for web/email.

If that is all you do when you travel, it would seem that an iPad, or iPad Air, would serve your needs and would be lighter than any MacBook. Smaller and lighter.

 

[uffenman]

If that is all you do when you travel, it would seem that an iPad, or iPad Air, would serve your needs and would be lighter than any MacBook. Smaller and lighter.

Thank but no thanks. A keyboard enables lots of typing and document formatting with the full suite of MS Office. Business needs.

 

[raythompsontn]

document formatting with the full suite of MS Office

You initially stated that only web/email was needed. You have now expanded on that requirement which changes the response.