x

[HackMacDaddy]

Even if you moved your Macintosh HD icon to the right so it wasn't under the notch, every bit as much of it would still be obscured by the menu bar. The solution to this problem is "don't try to shove icons so far up the screen that they're behind the menu bar", and it applies to Macs without a notch too.

If you really want the classic no-notch experience, you can still have it. Go to System Settings -> Displays -> Advanced and turn "Show resolutions as list" on. Click Done and you'll see that not only are the resolutions a list now, there's a switch at the bottom of the list to "Show all resolutions". Turn that on and you'll see many more resolutions listed. Look at whatever your computer is set to (on my 16" M1, the current and default setting is 1728x1117) and right below it, there should be a resolution with the same horizontal and slightly fewer vertical pixels (on my 16", that's 1728x1080).

Click the slightly less tall resolution. You'll find that the menu bar (and active display area) have migrated entirely below the notch. You will not be able to lose your mouse cursor behind the notch any more. Everything will function just as if you had an old school Mac laptop with a pure rectangular display with a blank "forehead" above it.

There isn't even any compromise here. The unbroken rectangle of display area below the notch is still Apple's traditional notebook display aspect ratio of 16:10. In other words, before notches, you got only a 16:10 display, now you get a 16:10 display plus a little bonus strip up top.

And sure, some of that strip is obscured by cutouts for the camera and rounded corners. But these limitations are fine for the Mac menu bar, which seldom has anything in the middle and doesn't need rectangular corners. I predict that even if you try one of the no-notch modes, knowing what I've told you, you'll soon go back. Pushing the menu bar up into the bonus strip leaves you with more room for your windows, it's very practical. This is why Apple puts the menu bar up there by default, and why they've slightly hidden these options to not use it.

Wow thank you so much for that! Just learned something new. Awesome!!

 

[Coreymac84]

As someone who also owned an 11” MBA, the usability was complete trash outside of size and it was barely an enjoyable experience as of a couple years ago before I recycled it. The form factor was amazing but nothing else. It was a glorified Netbook.

Also why do people compare thinness from the front edge and not the clearly fatter back end even on the 11” vs the M2 13”

 

[MBAir2010]

I guess this is an attempt of a joke but have a look at my original post:

„7. Display, webcam, battery life and raw computepower are way better on the new one.“

Yep and yawn.....I scanned the replies quickly during the first cup of coffee and missed that.
this happens much here, I will type a cool comment that others add a page later

And as far as the older great MacBooks, I just boxed my MBA 2010 and MBP2012 for the rest of the year.
these new M chips are incredible!


Now I need to get rid of this : ca button or switch to Monterey since Sonoma is not fit yet.
take care!

 

[MarkNewton2023]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to share my experience with the 2022 M2 Macbook Air coming from the 2013 MacBook Air 11,6“. I wanted to try one of these and compare it against the 11 incher. This is going to be very subjective and I‘m very picky but anyone upgrading from one of these might be interested.

Observations:
1. The difference in weight and especially size (duuh) is very noticable.
View attachment 2293752View attachment 2293753View attachment 2293755View attachment 2293756


2. My palms prefer the wedge design.
View attachment 2293757View attachment 2293758


3. Speakers on the new one have way more bass but totally lack the mids.

4. The keys on the new keyboard have a little less travel. Small difference but I prefer the old keyboard.

5. I hate that it auto boots when I open it (wtf?) and I can‘t turn it off.

6. I don‘t like the new layout of System preferences in Sonoma.

7. Display, webcam, battery life and raw computepower are way better on the new one. I‘m using mine for office and media consumption tasks, but also record vocals in Logic. I don‘t need 8K video editing power.

8. Notch bothers me more than it did on the iPhone. Why isn’t it aligned with the taskbar? Just shy of a couple of pixels. And the mousepointer and icons going behind the notch irritates me. You could literally "lose" a file on your desktop behind the notch. Why Apple?
View attachment 2293759View attachment 2293773

9. I would have preferred keys for adjusting the keyboardbrightness instead of Spotlight and Focus.

10. The rubber feet on the new one are more slippery compared to the old ones. So one handed opening has it sliding away. This might change with time and depends on the tables surface.

11. The biggest gripe by far I have with it is the touchpad! It doesn‘t have any travel which irritates me so much it has me cringing when clicking. Feels like it‘s stuck or like it was "heavy" or something heavy pulling on it so you can't click it. Is this normal?? This alone makes me want to return it.


Additional points:
One USB-A port would have been a life saver when you‘re in other environments. USB-A is still everywhere.

I recently upgraded the SSD in the old one. Not having that option in the new ones is bad when you give it some thought. This has been discussed to death on this forum, but it‘s just the truth.

Oh and Apple needs to bring back the illuminated Logo 😉
View attachment 2293762


A couple of years back I tested the 12“ Macbook. Keyboard was really bad, one port only was really bad, weight and display were great!

Conclusion: 13,6“ is not for me. I‘ll be waiting for a new smaller Macbook and keep enjoying my fully functioning 11,6“.

Thank you for sharing your detail observation on 13.6 M2 MacBook Air. I understand your experience and preference. Let us hope Apple will consider reproducing smaller MacBook for those who prefer the smaller size as before. I am sure if the 11.6” MacBook market sales and gross profit margin can be seen or forecasted to grow again, it will be reproduced. I hope your 11.6” MacBook can fully function for a very long period of time. 😊

 

[HackMacDaddy]

As someone who also owned an 11” MBA, the usability was complete trash outside of size and it was barely an enjoyable experience as of a couple years ago before I recycled it. The form factor was amazing but nothing else. It was a glorified Netbook.

Also why do people compare thinness from the front edge and not the clearly fatter back end even on the 11” vs the M2 13”

You're clearly a 13inch and up type of guy I'm using mine all the time and it's just perfect for what I want. I do wish there was a modern 11"-12" version of it though, that's why I test-bought the latest and greatest 2022 13". I tried to love the iPad Pro 11" but it's thicker and heavier than a Macbook if paired with a keyboard and iPadOS is a joke.

PS: If you're like me and own a Thunderbolt Display too, it's still a really great combo

View attachment 2293917View attachment 2293918

 

[HackMacDaddy]

Also why do people compare thinness from the front edge and not the clearly fatter back end even on the 11” vs the M2 13”

I posted photoes of back and front side by side where you see the thicc back of the old one 😁. The back doesn't bother me at all though, because I rest my hands on the front. The higher front part of the body of the new one cuts deeper into my hands.

Of course you can overlook and ignore all these findings or find them silly, but I am picky as I said and that's all the details that I noticed and I wanted to share them. Maybe someone else will benefit from it in some way. 🤗

 

[HackMacDaddy]

Thank you for sharing your detail observation on 13.6 M2 MacBook Air. I understand your experience and preference. Let us hope Apple will consider reproducing smaller MacBook for those who prefer the smaller size as before. I am sure if the 11.6” MacBook market sales and gross profit margin can be seen or forecasted to grow again, it will be reproduced. I hope your 11.6” MacBook can fully function for a very long period of time. 😊

Thanks, I hope so too!

 

[HackMacDaddy]

Yep and yawn.....I scanned the replies quickly during the first cup of coffee and missed that.
this happens much here, I will type a cool comment that others add a page later

And as far as the older great MacBooks, I just boxed my MBA 2010 and MBP2012 for the rest of the year.
these new M chips are incredible!


Now I need to get rid of this :View attachment 2293911 ca button or switch to Monterey since Sonoma is not fit yet.
take care!

weird, what is that?

 

[NightfallOrchid]

The biggest gripe by far I have with it is the touchpad! It doesn‘t have any travel which irritates me so much it has me cringing when clicking. Feels like it‘s stuck or like it was "heavy" or something heavy pulling on it so you can't click it. Is this normal?? This alone makes me want to return it.

That's completely normal, the trackpad doesn't really move, it basically simulates a physical click through haptic feedback

 

[ch1ptune]

Funny how we see things so differently. I'm actually inclined to say that I disagree with you about every single point you've made, but to each his own! For context, I've had a MacBook Pro 2010, 12-inch MacBook, Macbook Pro 13", MacBook Pro 15" and the MacBook Air M1. The MBA M2 is probably my favourite Mac of all time. What a wonderfully designed beast.

 

[AppleTO]

I agree with some of your points, but after using a Retina display there is basically no going back. Any lower res display becomes practically unusable. Try the M1 MacBook Air.

 

[rgeneral]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to share my experience with the 2022 M2 Macbook Air coming from the 2013 MacBook Air 11,6“. I wanted to try one of these and compare it against the 11 incher. This is going to be very subjective and I‘m very picky but anyone upgrading from one of these might be interested.

Observations:
1. The difference in weight and especially size (duuh) is very noticable.
View attachment 2293752View attachment 2293753View attachment 2293755View attachment 2293756


2. My palms prefer the wedge design.
View attachment 2293757View attachment 2293758


3. Speakers on the new one have way more bass but totally lack the mids.

4. The keys on the new keyboard have a little less travel. Small difference but I prefer the old keyboard.

5. I hate that it auto boots when I open it (wtf?) and I can‘t turn it off.

6. I don‘t like the new layout of System preferences in Sonoma.

7. Display, webcam, battery life and raw computepower are way better on the new one. I‘m using mine for office and media consumption tasks, but also record vocals in Logic. I don‘t need 8K video editing power.

8. Notch bothers me more than it did on the iPhone. Why isn’t it aligned with the taskbar? Just shy of a couple of pixels. And the mousepointer and icons going behind the notch irritates me. You could literally "lose" a file on your desktop behind the notch. Why Apple?
View attachment 2293759View attachment 2293773

9. I would have preferred keys for adjusting the keyboardbrightness instead of Spotlight and Focus.

10. The rubber feet on the new one are more slippery compared to the old ones. So one handed opening has it sliding away. This might change with time and depends on the tables surface.

11. The biggest gripe by far I have with it is the touchpad! It doesn‘t have any travel which irritates me so much it has me cringing when clicking. Feels like it‘s stuck or like it was "heavy" or something heavy pulling on it so you can't click it. Is this normal?? This alone makes me want to return it.


Additional points:
One USB-A port would have been a life saver when you‘re in other environments. USB-A is still everywhere.

I recently upgraded the SSD in the old one. Not having that option in the new ones is bad when you give it some thought. This has been discussed to death on this forum, but it‘s just the truth.

Oh and Apple needs to bring back the illuminated Logo 😉
View attachment 2293762


A couple of years back I tested the 12“ Macbook. Keyboard was really bad, one port only was really bad, weight and display were great!

Conclusion: 13,6“ is not for me. I‘ll be waiting for a new smaller Macbook and keep enjoying my fully functioning 11,6“.

Time to return it.

 

[headlessmike]

The solid trackpad and auto-boot have been in place for a long time now (since 2015 and 2016, respectively). So, they're probably not going anywhere. I find the solid state trackpad superior since the force required to press it is the same over the entire surface, which wasn't the case with the old hinged design, but I still don't understand the auto-boot even though I've gotten used to it.

 

[HackMacDaddy]

I agree with some of your points, but after using a Retina display there is basically no going back. Any lower res display becomes practically unusable. Try the M1 MacBook Air.

I‘ll probably going to test one.

 

[HackMacDaddy]

Time to return it.

It‘s going back

 

[neliason]

What I like is that a 2013 laptop is still functioning and usable. I have a 2011 Air 11.6” that I keep around as an emergency backup. I have the M1 Air and have been very happy with it.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Sounds like you are set in your ways, OP. I don’t see a smaller form factor coming back. Can’t live in the past. Time to move forward.

 

[StoneJack]

Why did you need to upgrade from an M1 MBA to an M2 MBA?

because i wanted to try m2 and have newer flatter macbook air.

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

Well, you preface this by acknowledging it’s subjective (which a lot of people don’t) and that, to me, made this a very fair post.

I even agree with the auto boot and wedge shape. The wedge shape makes for much more comfortable typing imo.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to share my experience with the 2022 M2 Macbook Air coming from the 2013 MacBook Air 11,6“. I wanted to try one of these and compare it against the 11 incher. This is going to be very subjective and I‘m very picky but anyone upgrading from one of these might be interested.

Observations:
1. The difference in weight and especially size (duuh) is very noticable.
View attachment 2293752View attachment 2293753View attachment 2293755View attachment 2293756

The funny thing is, it's actually smaller and lighter. The wedge design is 2.8 lb, the M2 design is 2.7. Not only that but the tallest part of the wedge design is 1.61 cm, while the height of the M2 is 1.13. The reason the wedge design looks smaller is because well, it's a wedge. But on M2, it's in actuality shorter and lighter than the wedge.

Now whether you prefer the wedge design or the flat design of the M2, that's up to you. I know a lot of people prefer the wedge because it looked cooler.

2. My palms prefer the wedge design.
View attachment 2293757View attachment 2293758

Like I said above, whether you prefer the wedge design or the flat design of the M2, that's up to you.

3. Speakers on the new one have way more bass but totally lack the mids.

The speakers are a lot more balanced than the M1 Air's speakers as tested by LMG

4. The keys on the new keyboard have a little less travel. Small difference but I prefer the old keyboard.

Counterargument: The new keyboard has a full sized function key row just like the desktop keyboards. Having endured small function key rows on laptops for years, going from that to the new fullsized keyboards on the new Macbooks felt incredible. I have desktop quality wherever I go now.

5. I hate that it auto boots when I open it (wtf?) and I can‘t turn it off.

That's a problem with every Macbook now. That's not exclusive to the M2 Air.

6. I don‘t like the new layout of System preferences in Sonoma.

And that's a problem with Sonoma (and Ventura for that matter.) Everyone hates System Settings. It's why I downgraded back to Monterey on my Macbook Pro and will stay on Monterey until there comes a point one of my main apps run better on Sonoma.

7. Display, webcam, battery life and raw computepower are way better on the new one. I‘m using mine for office and media consumption tasks, but also record vocals in Logic. I don‘t need 8K video editing power.

That's up to you if you wanna use the Media Engine or not. It's bog standard on ALL M series chips ever since the M1 Pro. Even the iPads have it, and hell it's now on the iPhone 15 Pro.

I will say though, that Media Engine is damn useful when using Handbrake or Compressor. Makes file conversion jobs take only a few seconds, when on Intel Macs used to take 4 minutes to an hour for just one.

8. Notch bothers me more than it did on the iPhone. Why isn’t it aligned with the taskbar? Just shy of a couple of pixels. And the mousepointer and icons going behind the notch irritates me. You could literally "lose" a file on your desktop behind the notch. Why Apple?
View attachment 2293759View attachment 2293773

It's not aligned so it doesn't cut into your content. Below the notch is the same 14:10 resolution you're used to. The space at the notch is added space so in reality you have more screen real estate with the notch present. Not to mention with the notch it means you can have the menu bar on at all times and it's not cutting into anything, allowing you to have your status bar available at all times.

9. I would have preferred keys for adjusting the keyboardbrightness instead of Spotlight and Focus.

You can adjust keyboard brightness from the Control Center.

10. The rubber feet on the new one are more slippery compared to the old ones. So one handed opening has it sliding away. This might change with time and depends on the tables surface.

In the two years I've had my 14 inch Macbook Pro I've never had any issues with my rubber feet. The Macbook Air can't be that different.

11. The biggest gripe by far I have with it is the touchpad! It doesn‘t have any travel which irritates me so much it has me cringing when clicking. Feels like it‘s stuck or like it was "heavy" or something heavy pulling on it so you can't click it. Is this normal?? This alone makes me want to return it.

First time using the force touch trackpads? The trackpads don't have any travel because they're just solid surfaces. They mimic the feeling of being pressed down with haptics, but in reality you don't press down on them hard. You just press down lightly with one finger to click, or two fingers to control click. It's designed like this to simulate touch like on a touchscreen.

You can adjust the trackpad settings to something you're more used to should you desire

How to use the Force Touch trackpad - Apple Support

Learn about the Force Touch trackpad, its features, and how to use it.

support.apple.com

Additional points:
One USB-A port would have been a life saver when you‘re in other environments. USB-A is still everywhere.

Bruh it's been 7 years, we have USB-C flash drives everywhere now and countless dongles and accessories that come with USB-C cords. If this was 2016-2019 you'd be right, but we're now in 2023 with the iPhone finally moved over to USB-C. It's time to move on from USB-A. Mostly everyone's already moved over, and Windows laptops now have less and less USB-A prioritizing USB-C now.

I recently upgraded the SSD in the old one. Not having that option in the new ones is bad when you give it some thought. This has been discussed to death on this forum, but it‘s just the truth.

Oh and Apple needs to bring back the illuminated Logo 😉
View attachment 2293762

No they do not. The glowing logo was removed for a reason. Aside from needing the screen hinges to be thick in the back to accommodate the light, overtime the logo burned through the display.

Don't get me wrong, the glowing Apple logo on Macbooks was iconic, but it had to go for the greater good. In turn, we got really thin displays that honestly are even cooler. Like seriously, it's insane my Macbook Pro has such a thin hinge while the display still being so high quality.

A couple of years back I tested the 12“ Macbook. Keyboard was really bad, one port only was really bad, weight and display were great!

You're preaching to the converted. The 12 inch Macbook was too early to market. If it released with Apple Silicon it would've been a gamechanger. Many are begging for them to bring the design back as an affordable Macbook SE.

Conclusion: 13,6“ is not for me. I‘ll be waiting for a new smaller Macbook and keep enjoying my fully functioning 11,6“.

Most of those issues you listed were minor gripes, and you'd rather use a much slower computer that isn't getting security updates anymore, is horribly outdated in specs and performance, over the faster, quieter, miles longer battery life having, and all around better ARM Macbook?

Okay then~

 

[aParkerMusic]

It's the first time for me to experience the joy of auto-boot. Never heard of it before and I wish it was optional. I hate being force fed Apples visions this way.
Ok so I would have to add a black bar to every wallpaper I'd like to use, right? And I can forget the animated, dynamic ones from Apple...hmm..and stuff can still hide behind it...not ideal.

I suppose most of these things are subjective. I can understand auto-boot being frustrating. I look at it for a different perspective; I always hated how long it took Intel Mac to wake up from sleep after lifting the lid, sometimes like 10-15 seconds (leading me to wonder if it was even on). Compared to that, I love that my MacBook Air is awake instantly when I left the lid.

 

[cateye]

Oh and Apple needs to bring back the illuminated Logo

Disclaimer: I realize this is personal preference and I am in no way suggesting anyone's preference in this regard is "wrong." What follows is my opinion/preference alone. With that out of the way...

No, no, no, no, NO. The light-up logo was obnoxious. Hell, the giant black logo that replaced it is nearly as obnoxious, but at least it doesn't #$&%@! light up like some kind of nerd bat signal. I have zero interest in being a billboard for a trillion dollar company for free. Apple, Nike, etc. can take their logos and ram them. I buy a tool to use, period, not to celebrate your twee precious brand mark.

 

[dgdosen]

As an ex 12" PowerBook, 11" Air and 12" MacBook user, I agree with much related to the latest laptops.

But let's not kid ourselves, Apple Silicon speed and battery life, by comparison, makes those old machines unusable.

 

[missingar]

8. Notch bothers me more than it did on the iPhone. Why isn’t it aligned with the taskbar? Just shy of a couple of pixels. And the mousepointer and icons going behind the notch irritates me. You could literally "lose" a file on your desktop behind the notch. Why Apple?
View attachment 2293759View attachment 2293773

Have you tried not putting your icons behind the menubar? They’re usually more visible when you don’t move them behind core UI elements.

 

[darkelipse04]

Everyone has their own preference. I had a 2015 11” MacBook Air for travel. It did the job with being small and portable. The screen was terrible, it was slow, and the fans spun up quickly, but it did the job I expected out of it. It’s now been given to a 5th grader for school work and basic games. Main machine is a 16” MacBook Pro M1 Pro and it’s blows the little 11” out of the water in every way.