I’m currently bouncing between a M1 MBA & Pro at the moment (both 16GB/1TB). Really hard to decide which one I prefer! Prefer the design,weight and wedge of the MBA (especially for typing), but agree with the others that the MBP has a nicer keyboard. MBA is kinda mushy to type on compared to the MBP (although still an excellent keyboard, it’s just slightly different to the MBP). Hated touch bar, but now I’ve added BetterTouchTool it’s quite useful having quick access to app and my calendar appointments always on show. Battery life is great on both, but on MBP it’s so good I can literally forget about the charger for days. On the MBA it’ll do a solid day and a half, possibly 2 days.
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Whose going with the M1 Air vs Pro?
- Thread starter kp98077
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I thought about getting the MBP but, since I wouldn't really use the Touch Bar, I purchased the MBA yesterday.
I am curious as to the difference in keyboard between the two devices. Is there an actual Apple recognized hardware part number etc. between the two, or is it just a matter of user perception during use?
I am curious as to the difference in keyboard between the two devices. Is there an actual Apple recognized hardware part number etc. between the two, or is it just a matter of user perception during use?
I think the keyboard is noticeably different - from my own experience of 3+ weeks with pro and recently the Air and the other people that have noticed on this thread. Id say at least "15% different (better)"
Watch this from 5:17 - its set to start from here.
Watch this from 5:17 - its set to start from here.
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Thanks for the reply. That is very interesting to read and note that Apple didn't officially note the difference on their packaging.
I was not able to test the keyboard on the pro before purchasing my M1 MBA. If I am able to do that next month, I will do so.
The M1 kind of changes things for me. My previous machines have been Pro variants (PowerBooks > iBooks, Pros > Airs). This has usually been because Pro machines have given the option of dedicated graphics. However, my experience with an M1 mini has been such that the GPU capabilities of the M1 are more than adequate for my needs (even if throttled depending on load on the MBA). So, I’ve now ordered an MBA instead of a Pro for the first time. Other benefits for me are that I have wanted to move to a slightly slimmer form factor and I prefer function keys to the touchbar.
Would be interesting to know if the 'tear down' people have stripped the M1's and found anything different in the keyboards or its fixings to know why its different - just curious.
Fwiw, I used the MBP all yesterday and then I switched to the MBA and noticed the difference, however, an hour later the difference faded, which tells you both keyboards are similar / good.
Plus there isn't anyone with the just the Air saying its a bad keyboard, because it isn't.
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Keyboard on MBA doesn't sound kinda hollow as it does for MBP.
So overall a better built feel with MBA than MBP. ;-)
The keyboard in the new M1 Notebooks are much better than the Prior Butterfly keyboards ( although there are some people who like the butterfly design). I don't think the keyboard on the Air or the Pro is better than the other, as I have seen a number of people why have tried both. Some prefer the Air and some prefer the Pro. I think the Air is softer and Pro firmer, based on the reviews that I have seen.
It's not called "hollow".. pro's keyboard is more similar to a mechanical keyboard than air. And that means pro's keyboard is better with more tactile feedback and provides a better and more satisfactory feel in long (and short) typing sessions... Dont delude yourself thinking that air's keyboard is similar. It's mushy and has a cheap feel... But that's to be expected, pro's a higher end machine for the "pro class" of customers..... keyboard, screen brightness, screen quality, speakers, microphone, graphics, cpu, ssd speeds, trackpad, internal audio card (for better sound output through high end headphones), battery life.. literally everything is better and significant so. And if you get reasonable storage space and RAM, pro is only like 15% higher cost.
Thanks for sharing, I do feel the more “click” on the Pro, which I prefer coming from mechanical keyboards...that being said, I have zero issues with the Air keyboard, both awesome
Ok, so the Air has the Magic Keyboard and the Pro has the Magicker Keyboard™, but the difference is more Chamber of Secrets than Deathly Hallows.
Just wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to the few people on this planet who share my obsession / craziness when it comes down to deciding between the M1 MBP and MBA 😂
My MBA has pretty great tactility. I wonder if the perceived difference is because of the "hollow" sound that the wider MBP case results in?
Unless you need the tactile feedback of physical keys, the functionality is available on Touch Bar with a couple clicks in SystemPrefs->Keyboard to change the defaults to show either expanded control strip or Fn keys.
Plus you retain launchpad key and the keyboard backlight controls -- instead of having to go to control center.
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I think the Touch Bar isn't as bad now that you also get a physical Esc key.
That's really great. I haven't ever tried the Touch Bar but I think it's a really great addition and the only people who dislike it are those who are too slow-witted to be able to customize it and understand all its functionality.
I keep hearing people pushing the MBA but I still wonder how it would take 4k video 2-3h Davinci Resolve color grading or some Fusion? Has anyone tried working on it for some time (not just rendering as most of us would still leave the laptop alone) and 10-20% more render time due throttling seems ok, still pretty fast!
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Not at all
Those of us who touch type and know shortcuts out the kazoo simply value normal keys up there for core functions — and also no light emitting from down there.
Also if you ever dock and clamshell, the TB becomes useless and you can’t really integrate something into your workflow if the hardware is inaccessible for large percentages of usage time.
Calling people who don't care for the Touch Bar option stupid is not logical as you know nothing about those unnamed people.
I had the Touch Bar model as soon as it was released as well as the subsequent year. At that time, said option was very limited in what it could do. I also found that it slowed by work flow having to look down at the bar all the time to make sure I was touching the right section, or having to undo inadvertent key presses from my fingers getting in the way, not to mention all the OS bugs that it was involved with.
I liked the idea of the option but, never found it truly useful for me. As such, I haven't made a point to spend extra money to get the TB MBP.
Using logical fallacy to call other people stupid is not very wise.
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It took more time to type that reply of yours than simply googling it.
Please put at least *some* effort in.
macos clamshell mode
That's what I thought it was; I just thought there was some reason why hiding the Touchbar is worse than hiding a row of function keys. There are a couple of apps which mirror the toucher to external monitors and it's display on iPads via Sidecar.
You haven’t tried it but think those that have, and dislike, are slow-witted. It’s great to have opinions, but they are more valuable when there is an once of fact associated with it.
You - you must be new here.
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