I bought a MB Air M2 several months ago and I come from a heavy Windows background and beyond. DOS 1.0 and Windows 3.1 come to mind. I also did software development in the Windows environment.
There are some differences between the two environments and it will take some adjustment. I am not going to debate the merits of either system, just relay the differences that caused me issues.
The first is the Delete key. On Windows the delete key deletes to the right of the cursor. On Mac it deletes to the left of the cursor, something the backspace provided on Windows. There is no backspace key on Mac as the delete key replaces that function. There is no equivalent of the Windows delete key despite the naming.
CTL-C, CTL-X and CTL-V do not work the Mac like they did on Windows. Instead the Command-C, Command-X and Command-V are used instead. It is an adjustment in the placement of the fingers and sometimes requires some thought to the OS environment in which a person is operating.
Moving files around is different. Dragging files, or folders, to the same physical storage unit (well at least on the Mac), will move the files rather than copy. In Windows doing the same would copy. To copy press the Option button to drag and drop with a copy. The plus sign around the objects being copied helps.
The top menu changes depending on the app that has focus. There are no menus on each window, just a main menu at the top of the screen. This is different than Windows.
The window resize, close, maximize are on the left on the Mac as opposed to the right side for Windows.
When using the red dot to "close" a Mac app, the app is not really closed. Just taken off the screen. To truly close an app on the Mac requires the app to the active app, with it's menu at the top, then click on the app name and click on Quite [app-name]. Different than Windows where closing an app, truly closed the app.
If you get a Mac Magic mouse be certain to configure the mouse for right click or get a true two button mouse. There are many 3rd party rodents that are better, and cheaper, than the Apple Magic mouse in my opinion.
Scrolling is different in the default option for the Mac when using the trackpad or mouse. This can be changed in the Settings to function the same as Windows. That will make the transition easier.
Have patience, use the Web if you have issues and you will generally find a solution.
I have a Surface Pro laptop along with my Windows desktop. On a recent trip to Europe I took the Mac. There are a couple of Windows apps that I need and I used Parallels for those apps. The reason for taking the Mac rather than the Surface was the integration of the Mac with my iPhone and Watch. Pictures taken on my iPhone were uploaded to iCloud and I could easily view, modify, and manipulate on the Mac. The pictures were also safely stored in iCloud so the loss of images was a moot consideration. The integration is second to none.
You may also want to consider getting a second charger, Apple or other brand (Anker is excellent), and an extra power cable. USB-C to USB-C or the USB-C to MagSafe cable. A few extra dollars and I can carry a charger in my bag without having to get under my desk to retrieve the charger.
After 10 months I am still adjusting and find myself having to think about the way Mac does things. Things I do in Windows without much thinking require pausing and thinking about what I am doing. That comes from dozens of years of using Windows and muscle memory.
The M2 Air is an excellent machine. As is the Microsoft Surface Laptop. I use both. And I marvel at the capabilities, the speed, the storage, the ability to run sophisticated apps, connectivity that current laptops provide. Stuff that 20 years ago required a beefy desktop or laptop that cost a small fortune. We are in truly amazing times.
My advice is skip the M1 Air and instead go for the M2 Air. The minimal configuration will serve you well to learn. Maybe in two or three years you will move up the scale. I found the M2 Air with 16 Gig and 1 TB for my use to be an overkill combination for myself and my use. I use Lightroom and Photoshop extensively. They run flawlessly in my configuration. Even photos that are huge with several dozen layers work just fine. I could have worked well with the minimal configuration. But Adobe, being Adobe, I figure Adobe will need more and more resources so I wanted to future proof somewhat.
