M3 air or is the M4 just worth the wait

[roadkill401]

I am doing music production and have an M2Pro Mac mini to do most of the production heavy lifting. I am not planning to get rid of this Mac so power performance isn't a deciding factor. My priority need to get a MBA is to be able to take a DAW with me to create the basics of a song when I am out or going down to the studio isn't a practical option. I will still do all my major production and mixing on the mini with it's 27" 4k monitor and external drive array.

Apple has been making chips for a while now, and the M series of chips is just the evolution upgrade to the cell phone A series chips that are in the phones. The A17 chip that is the 3nm version in the current iPhone Pro is known to have heat issues. The M3 chip inside the MBA is known to get hot when under load. I can't say how under load it will get for my purposes. I am not going to be using the laptop for casual browsing or looking up fashion on TikTok. I will be using it for Logic Pro right now, but can see myself doing stuff inside of Final Cut in the next few years. It won't be editing 4k video, but its not light grade stuff.

Does the M3 MBA overheat? Will the life expectancy of this laptop be reduced from design to fit a hot chip into a thin body with no fan? Will waiting for the M4 MBA that I know won't be until likely mid 2025 be a definite worth while wait.

A MBA isn't cheap. here in Canada for a reasonable powered 15" with 16gb ram and 512gb storage costs over $2500 after taxes so if I buy one I will be wanting it to last be a good 6-8 years. It's a clear strong want to own, not an imperative must have to own, so if there is a strong reason to wait I will, but I wouldn't want to just wait because an M4 would be newer tech and maybe a bit faster. The year without having a laptop is a year lost of enjoyment to make music easier.

Are there any real red flags to the current M3 15" MBA now that its been out for a bit and knowing enough about the M4 as that has been announced and released in an iPad format now.

 

[joeblow7777]

If you need it now or in the near future, buy it now. The M3 MBA is less than 3 months old. It's still a very current device that will likely meet your needs for years to come. The thing about tech is, there's always something better coming out within a year. By the time the M4 comes to the MBA, there'll probably be leaks about the M5.

With regards to your questions about performance, I'm not a power user. It sounds like your workflow is more demanding than mine, which is mostly just web browsing and office/productivity stuff. That being said, my MBA is always cool to the touch. If performance or thermals are a concern at all for you, maybe consider getting a Pro so that you have a fan.

 

[backstreetboy]

Rather wait. The M5 is coming soon... https://www.tomsguide.com/computing...nm-chipsets-for-iphone-17-pro-and-m5-macbooks

 

[casperes1996]

M3’s improvement over M2 was mostly in the gpu. M4’s advancement over M3 is mainly CPU. If DAW usage is likely to make use of SME/AMX it’s looking like a worthwhile upgrade. I have no idea if those instructions are relevelant to music production though or if it’s only the non streaming mode SVE and Neon instructions that make sense.

All MacBook airs will “overheat” under sustained use. I put it in quotes because it’s expected operational temperatures but it will slow down. It shouldn’t harm longevity to a noticeable degree I think. Apple silicon is very efficient and while it can reach its maximum temperature under full sustained load it takes a lot to push it there. Even short breaks every now and then from the continuous work or work not pushing it fully will allow maintaining full speed.

I think you could be happy with M3. But if SME can be used to accelerate it you’d be noticeably happier with M4. Otherwise it’s not too big a deal I’d say.

 

[casperes1996]

Also. I would actually expect M4 Air by November.

 

[joeblow7777]

Also. I would actually expect M4 Air by November.

Only 8 months after the M3?

 

[TSE]

Man up and wait for M5. That's what I'm doing.

 

[jdb8167]

Only 8 months after the M3?

Maybe. It is likely that the M4 is cheaper to manufacture than the M3. Also, if the M4 really has a much improved neural engine and Apple wants to showcase the AI features of macOS 15 later this year then moving people to the M4 as soon as possible makes sense.

 

[roadkill401]

Only 8 months after the M3?

well, didn't the M3 MBA come less than a year after the M2 MBA was released? its hard to say what apple is going to do as they might release the M4 just to get a kick onto the AI market and stay relevant.

Now for my needs, I really don't care about AI and don't know if I was even planning on upgrading my OS from 13 on my Mac mini. In the music industry, standardization is considered paramount and if it ain't broke then don't upgrade it mentality seems to be key

 

[GMShadow]

well, didn't the M3 MBA come less than a year after the M2 MBA was released? its hard to say what apple is going to do as they might release the M4 just to get a kick onto the AI market and stay relevant.

Now for my needs, I really don't care about AI and don't know if I was even planning on upgrading my OS from 13 on my Mac mini. In the music industry, standardization is considered paramount and if it ain't broke then don't upgrade it mentality seems to be key

Not really. The 15" was less than a year because it was introduced later, but the M2 MBA 13" was nearly 2 years old when it was finally updated.

 

[jdb8167]

well, didn't the M3 MBA come less than a year after the M2 MBA was released? its hard to say what apple is going to do as they might release the M4 just to get a kick onto the AI market and stay relevant.

Now for my needs, I really don't care about AI and don't know if I was even planning on upgrading my OS from 13 on my Mac mini. In the music industry, standardization is considered paramount and if it ain't broke then don't upgrade it mentality seems to be key

No. June 2022 to March 2024.

 

[Torty]

Also. I would actually expect M4 Air by November.

And in summer 2025 M5? I would wait for M5.

 

[Rychiar]

I couldn’t buy an m3 knowing the m4 was out

 

[casperes1996]

Only 8 months after the M3?

Wouldn't be the first time. Early and Late 2011 MacBooks were about 8-9 months apart for example

 

[Howard2k]

It won’t overheat, but if you’re worried about thermal throttling get something with active cooling.

 

[roadkill401]

It won’t overheat, but if you’re worried about thermal throttling get something with active cooling.

thank you

 

[xboxbml]

It won’t overheat, but if you’re worried about thermal throttling get something with active cooling.

Right.. The MBP has another TB/USB port and SD reader as well.. more money of course.. but for heavy lifting and anti-throttling measure, it's most likely the best.

 

[Torty]

Right.. The MBP has another TB/USB port and SD reader as well.. more money of course.. but for heavy lifting and anti-throttling measure, it's most likely the best.

There is no another TB/USB port if you get the standard M3 MBP.

 

[xboxbml]

There is no another TB/USB port if you get the standard M3 MBP.

ahh, you're right.. I didn't notice that. I've got an M1 MBP worked issued and that one does.

 

[mike.coulter]

Buy whichever device suits your needs whenever you happen to require it. I really don't understand playing the waiting game.

 

[raythompsontn]

Waiting for the next iteration is a fools game. You will never win. Buy what you want/need now and don't worry about the future "what-ifs". The ONLY time I would wait is when Apple announces a new product, not when the rumor mills run with their click-bait (of which this site is founded and is guilty).

 

[roadkill401]

i ended up ordering an M2 MBA this morning. i figure i'd give it a try as we have 15 days to return it here in Canada.

the choice was made in that I found on the Apple refurb section a 15" M2 with 16 and 1tb for less than i was looking to pay for the M3 with only 512. I pondered about it enough that I don't think that the speed difference between the M2 and M3 would be enough for me to even likely notice in any of the work that I will be doing. The extra storage capacity will likely be of more use. That was driven home on the weekend by an external NVME drive i have hooked up to my mac mini giving up the ghost. I was using the drive to store my project work. luckily for me i had timemachine running every hour so I didn't loose any data, but it drives home that storage you can get exactly what you paid for. If I buy it from Apple, hopfully it will be of a higher quality drive than my external.

The second thought that I had was thinking that Apple makes two different M4 chips for the iPadPro. they sell the lower storage units with a 9core and the large storage with the 10. I would think that likely Apple will do the same with the MBA. sell the units with a 9core (3 performance) and then charge or require a large storage to get the better 10 core cpu. it would be a smart way to drive users to the more profitable MBP. so for me using Logic that only runs on performance cores the M4 will be likely slower or have less track capacity before it locks out.

 

[mercedx]

Not a bad move. Congrats on the new machine! 15" Air is an incredible machine. I downgraded of sorts from a 16" M1 MacBook Pro to the 15" M3 MacBook Air for the better form factor and haven't regretted it. It's the perfect combination of screen real estate and weight for me.

 

[krspkbl]

I see you have updated with what you have done but my advice is always buy whatever is out right now (that fits your needs/budget) if you need it right now. If you can wait then wait but remember if you always wait for the next new thing you'll be waiting forever.

When the M2 15" Air came out I was going to buy it but I didn't need it then so decided to wait. When the M3 air came out I did need it so it worked out perfectly for me. I won't lie I'm a little annoyed that the M4 came so soon...even though it's only in the iPad atm but it's cool. The M3 Air is more than enough for me so I'm happy. And when the time to upgrade comes it will be more exciting because I might get an Air with M6 or M7.

 

[jmoore5196]

Not a bad move. Congrats on the new machine! 15" Air is an incredible machine. I downgraded of sorts from a 16" M1 MacBook Pro to the 15" M3 MacBook Air for the better form factor and haven't regretted it. It's the perfect combination of screen real estate and weight for me.

What processor did your MBP have? I have a 2021 16" with an M1 Max (64/4) and I'm considering doing the same thing. I imagine I'll miss the expansive SSD, but lugging the 16" when I travel gets a bit old.