It’s obvious that M2 is technologically superior to Meteor Lake. But I think @Zest28 do have a point. The Meteor Lake ZenBook offers comparable performance, same weight, and somewhat comparable battery (the Air will be better for general productivity/office/web). And the display is quite nice too. Given the relative price points, I’m sure that many consumers will choose the Asus as they might perceive it as better value. Not many will care about the fact that M2 uses less than half the power, has a more premium build, or is passively cooled.
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New Intel laptop CPUs out - no need to worry.
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It’s obvious that M2 is technologically superior to Meteor Lake. But I think @Zest28 do have a point. The Meteor Lake ZenBook offers comparable performance, same weight, and somewhat comparable battery (the Air will be better for general productivity/office/web). And the display is quite nice too. Given the relative price points, I’m sure that many consumers will choose the Asus as they might perceive it as better value. Not many will care about the fact that M2 uses less than half the power, has a more premium build, or is passively cooled.
I am on Mac because of the Unix BSD Based System and MacOS not because of the Hardware.....but the MBA M2 made me buying a new one because i love the Hardware. (With Mac´s since 1986 btw.)
I can also build an Hackintosh on a 50 Bucks 2013 HP8300 and to be honest, i do not give a d s about what Intel does now with there CPU´s while using the MBA M2 - why should i.
It is the same situation when passing the 500kw Porsche on the Highway in Jet Mode fashion while i do need less Gallons and can pay it because the buying of my Car did not empty my Pocket..... ( German Highway )
Windows PC Laptops typically have a shorter Lifetime what payed off my Apple Hardware as better value anytime.
If you want to use Windows or Linux the Competition to Apple Hardware is good for you.
The Fans in Laptops with Intel or AMD CPU´s drive me nuts in addition.
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Nothing @Zest28 is saying is really new. The historical norm was for Windows machines to be better value than Macs, if we're just going down the spec sheets. The M1 MBA was (and remains) an outlier - it really is a phenomenal value.
Macs tend to have a lot of things that don't really come across on spec sheets, though - every glossy screen I've seen on a Windows machine was horrid, while Macs remain usable in pretty much all lighting conditions. Mac trackpads are in a class of their own. Mac speakers are better than any Windows machine in a comparable size/weight class. They usually have very good color gamut and accuracy. (BTW, OLED isn't necessarily better. It has its own disadvantages, and many folks who need color accuracy still prefer IPS.) They tend to be built well and last a long time. You usually only get comparable longevity out of workstation-class laptops, and when you're talking about those the price advantage vanishes.
And then there's the benefits of Apple Silicon. I'm pleased Intel finally seems to be getting out of its slump, but they still can't match ASi in either performance (in laptops) or efficiency. And I don't expect them to until maybe their 18A process, which we probably won't be seeing until 2026. Assuming they stay on track, which isn't necessarily a safe one given their recent history.
Is all that worth the premium? That depends on you and your needs. It's great that Intel's finally going to start making decent laptops again, but spec sheets don't tell you everything.
Macs tend to have a lot of things that don't really come across on spec sheets, though - every glossy screen I've seen on a Windows machine was horrid, while Macs remain usable in pretty much all lighting conditions. Mac trackpads are in a class of their own. Mac speakers are better than any Windows machine in a comparable size/weight class. They usually have very good color gamut and accuracy. (BTW, OLED isn't necessarily better. It has its own disadvantages, and many folks who need color accuracy still prefer IPS.) They tend to be built well and last a long time. You usually only get comparable longevity out of workstation-class laptops, and when you're talking about those the price advantage vanishes.
And then there's the benefits of Apple Silicon. I'm pleased Intel finally seems to be getting out of its slump, but they still can't match ASi in either performance (in laptops) or efficiency. And I don't expect them to until maybe their 18A process, which we probably won't be seeing until 2026. Assuming they stay on track, which isn't necessarily a safe one given their recent history.
Is all that worth the premium? That depends on you and your needs. It's great that Intel's finally going to start making decent laptops again, but spec sheets don't tell you everything.
The other difference is support costs. The Zenbook is a few hundred dollars cheaper, assuming you don't manage to pick up an M2 Air AFTER the inevitable M3 version comes out (there will probably be deals on M2 Airs around). It REQUIRES an Anti-Virus subscription (the free Windows Defender might or might not be good enough - and, as it gets better, the chances of Microsoft turning it into a paid subscription service increase)...
Many of the features of Defender are already locked behind the Microsoft 365 subscription (which you may well already be paying for because of Word and friends). Many Mac users, of course, ALSO have to pay for Microsoft 365 - nothing is as compatible with Word as Word! Microsoft is loudly dedicated to a Software As A Service model, although consumer Windows itself isn't a subscription - YET (but will that change in this machine's lifespan?). Many businesses have ALREADY had Windows subscriptions rammed down their throats.
It's likely to last a year or two less (none of the inexpensive Core Ultra machines are likely to have a Mac's build - the more expensive ThinkPads and EliteBooks DO, but those are at least as expensive as Apple). The much hotter chip will also put more wear on internal components, even in a beautifully built ThinkPad. The base M3 MacBook Pro is remarkable for how little thermal stress it has (a fanless Air will have more).
Windows machines are also much more likely than Macs to have a software issue that requires IT support to fix - and there's no free Genius Bar. For an individual, that probably means taking it to Geek Squad or something similar. Geek Squad is nationwide (it's Best Buy), so it seems a fair comparison. There is a VERY basic remote service for $39, but almost everything is going to require their next tier for $149, since all malware support is $149, and they define malware very broadly (an accidentally installed ad-spawning extension in your browser is malware, for example, even if it was announced on page 23 of the Terms of Service for something you installed on purpose).
The other option is a My Best Buy Total subscription for $179/year (which includes Geek Squad), which is more than twice as expensive as AppleCare+ for this level of machine. My Best Buy Total also includes similar extended warranty and tech support on OTHER electronics you buy through Best Buy during the membership - so if you buy several computers or, say, a computer, a home theater and a game console, it may make more sense. It even (supposedly) includes appliances - but the protection is limited to two years, and a lot of appliances' original warranties are longer than that!
I'd guess that adding $200/year to the price of most individually owned Windows machines for support is pretty much fair. If you really know Windows, you may well be able to skip it. In an institutional environment, you'll have help from school, corporate, government, etc. IT - but Windows costs those IT shops a lot of money. The studies I've seen say that Windows is anywhere from two to ten times as time-intensive for IT to support as an equal number of Macs. IT departments love Windows because it increases their relevance and power.
Many of the features of Defender are already locked behind the Microsoft 365 subscription (which you may well already be paying for because of Word and friends). Many Mac users, of course, ALSO have to pay for Microsoft 365 - nothing is as compatible with Word as Word! Microsoft is loudly dedicated to a Software As A Service model, although consumer Windows itself isn't a subscription - YET (but will that change in this machine's lifespan?). Many businesses have ALREADY had Windows subscriptions rammed down their throats.
It's likely to last a year or two less (none of the inexpensive Core Ultra machines are likely to have a Mac's build - the more expensive ThinkPads and EliteBooks DO, but those are at least as expensive as Apple). The much hotter chip will also put more wear on internal components, even in a beautifully built ThinkPad. The base M3 MacBook Pro is remarkable for how little thermal stress it has (a fanless Air will have more).
Windows machines are also much more likely than Macs to have a software issue that requires IT support to fix - and there's no free Genius Bar. For an individual, that probably means taking it to Geek Squad or something similar. Geek Squad is nationwide (it's Best Buy), so it seems a fair comparison. There is a VERY basic remote service for $39, but almost everything is going to require their next tier for $149, since all malware support is $149, and they define malware very broadly (an accidentally installed ad-spawning extension in your browser is malware, for example, even if it was announced on page 23 of the Terms of Service for something you installed on purpose).
The other option is a My Best Buy Total subscription for $179/year (which includes Geek Squad), which is more than twice as expensive as AppleCare+ for this level of machine. My Best Buy Total also includes similar extended warranty and tech support on OTHER electronics you buy through Best Buy during the membership - so if you buy several computers or, say, a computer, a home theater and a game console, it may make more sense. It even (supposedly) includes appliances - but the protection is limited to two years, and a lot of appliances' original warranties are longer than that!
I'd guess that adding $200/year to the price of most individually owned Windows machines for support is pretty much fair. If you really know Windows, you may well be able to skip it. In an institutional environment, you'll have help from school, corporate, government, etc. IT - but Windows costs those IT shops a lot of money. The studies I've seen say that Windows is anywhere from two to ten times as time-intensive for IT to support as an equal number of Macs. IT departments love Windows because it increases their relevance and power.
We actually got Apple Silicon because Intel said “No” to the iPod.
Once that decision was made, the road to Apple Silicon was set.This is Intels biggest Scam yet and Why I’ve decided to eliminate ALL Intel products.
#1. they deliberately scripted ALL the YouTubers and Influencers to say “competes with Apples latest M3 chips” it’s confusing on purpose And disingenuous.
#2. The benchmarks are Vs an M3 not the M3 Pro or M3 Max Youtubers or influencers were not allowed to show that or mention that delta.
#3. The new naming scheme is deliberately designed to be confusing 🫤.
#4. The chips are “better” but are laughable Vs Apples M3 line or Vs What AMD has around the corner.
#1. they deliberately scripted ALL the YouTubers and Influencers to say “competes with Apples latest M3 chips” it’s confusing on purpose And disingenuous.
#2. The benchmarks are Vs an M3 not the M3 Pro or M3 Max Youtubers or influencers were not allowed to show that or mention that delta.
#3. The new naming scheme is deliberately designed to be confusing 🫤.
#4. The chips are “better” but are laughable Vs Apples M3 line or Vs What AMD has around the corner.
Nobody ****ing uses touch screens on laptops with desktop operating systems. They forget it is there after a week or they get fed up with cleaning prints.
These PCs are garbage. Stop comparing them. It’s the same story going back to the PowerPC days. They are always less efficient, hotter and run a **** OS.
There’s simply nothing by Intel that competes per watt against M3 and nothing by Nvidia/AMD that competes per watt against Apple GPU.