A University Students Perspective: M3 MacBook Air One Week Later!
Summary
TLDRThe video script reviews the new M3 MacBook Air, praising its performance and everyday usability while criticizing its base storage of 256GB as insufficient for creators. The M3 chip offers a snappy experience, but struggles with 4K 60 video editing and multitasking in Google Chrome. The design remains premium with reduced smudges, and the laptop supports dual external monitor outputs. The keyboard and display are satisfactory, with good battery life, but the M3 MacBook Air is in a tough position against the M3 MacBook Pro for power users and the M2 MacBook Air for budget-conscious buyers.
Takeaways
- 💻 The M3 MacBook Air is praised as an excellent laptop by the reviewer after using it as their primary computer for two weeks.
- 📦 The base model of the M3 MacBook Air is priced at $10.99 USD, offering an 8-core M3 processor, 8 GB of unified memory, and 256 GB of storage.
- 🚫 The reviewer finds the 256 GB storage capacity to be insufficient for a laptop in 2024, especially for creatives and heavy users.
- 🔧 Upgrading to 512 GB of storage would cost an additional $200, which the reviewer believes should be the base storage for a laptop at this price point.
- 🚀 The M3 chip offers fast performance, making everyday tasks like video calling, Google Docs, and general productivity feel snappy.
- 🎥 For content creation, particularly video editing, the base model struggles with handling 4K 60 footage smoothly, which disappoints the reviewer.
- 🌐 The 8 GB RAM shows limitations when multiple tabs are open in Google Chrome, suggesting that 16 GB would be more appropriate for heavy multitasking.
- 🖥 The design remains the same as the M2 MacBook Air, but Apple has made improvements to reduce smudges and fingerprint marks.
- 🔗 The M3 MacBook Air can support two external monitors, an upgrade from the M2 model which only supports one.
- ⌨ The keyboard is still considered good for typing, and the 13-inch display with a notch offers good brightness and visibility.
- 🔋 The battery life is consistent with other MacBook Air models, providing up to 18 hours of use without needing to be plugged in.
Q & A
What is the base model of the new M3 MacBook Air used in the video?
-The base model of the new M3 MacBook Air used in the video comes with an 8-core M3 processor, 8 GB of unified memory, and 256 GB of storage.
How does the reviewer feel about the price of the base model M3 MacBook Air?
-The reviewer appreciates that Apple has kept the price the same as the previous model, but finds the 256 GB storage for a $10.99 USD laptop, especially from Apple, to be insufficient in 2024.
What are the reviewer's thoughts on the performance of the M3 chip in everyday tasks?
-The reviewer finds the M3 MacBook Air to be fast and snappy in everyday tasks such as video calling, using Google Docs, and general productivity, attributing this to the updated M3 chip.
How does the M3 MacBook Air perform in video editing tasks?
-The reviewer experienced difficulties editing 4K 60 footage from a Sony fx30 on the base model due to the limitations of the 8 GB RAM, which caused the timeline to stutter and made editing challenging.
What issue did the reviewer encounter when using Google Chrome with many tabs open?
-The reviewer found that with many tabs open, the 8 GB RAM in the base model started to show its limitations, causing the system to become rough and highlighting the need for 16 GB of RAM.
What design change did Apple make to the M3 MacBook Air that the reviewer appreciates?
-Apple made a change to reduce smudges and fingerprint marks on the laptop, which the reviewer is happy about, especially for those who prefer the midnight color.
What is the M3 MacBook Air's capability regarding external monitor support?
-The M3 MacBook Air can support two external monitors, an improvement over the M2 MacBook Air which supports only one.
What is the reviewer's opinion on the keyboard and display of the M3 MacBook Air?
-The reviewer is pleased with the keyboard, having written scripts and Instagram reels with it, and appreciates the brightness of the 13-inch display with a notch, which houses the 1080p webcam.
How does the M3 MacBook Air compare to the M1 and M2 models in terms of battery life?
-The M3 MacBook Air's battery life is on par with the M1 and M2 models, offering an 18-hour battery life without needing to be plugged in, which the reviewer continues to appreciate.
What is the reviewer's recommendation regarding the purchase of the M3 MacBook Air?
-The reviewer finds it difficult to recommend the M3 MacBook Air due to its price and the availability of better value alternatives like the M3 MacBook Pro for more power or the M2 MacBook Air for less cost.
Outlines
💻 MacBook Air M3: A Week of Everyday Use
This paragraph reviews the M3 MacBook Air, focusing on its performance as a daily driver for tasks like email, video editing, and admin work. The reviewer appreciates the laptop's speed and workflow efficiency due to the M3 chip, but criticizes the base model's 256GB storage as insufficient for its price point, especially for content creators. The summary also touches on the laptop's inability to smoothly handle 4K 60 video editing and its struggles with Google Chrome when multiple tabs are open, highlighting the need for higher RAM.
🔄 MacBook Air M3: Design, Display, and Decisions
The second paragraph delves into the design and functionality of the M3 MacBook Air, noting the lack of significant changes from the M2 model but appreciating the reduced smudges and fingerprint marks. It discusses the laptop's ability to support two external monitors, the need for an external keyboard and mouse when doing so, and the quality of the keyboard and display. The paragraph also covers the 1080p webcam, speaker quality, and the impressive battery life that can last through a full workday or more without needing to be plugged in. The reviewer concludes by questioning the M3 MacBook Air's value proposition, suggesting that potential buyers might find better options in the M3 MacBook Pro for more power or the M2 MacBook Air for a lower price.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡M3 MacBook Air
💡Unified Memory
💡Storage
💡Content Creation
💡4K Video Editing
💡Google Chrome
💡External Monitors
💡Battery Life
💡M3 Chip
💡Value for Money
💡Productivity
Highlights
The M3 MacBook Air is an excellent laptop with a new chip and offers a pleasant user experience.
The base model of M3 MacBook Air is priced at $10.99 USD, maintaining the same pricing strategy as before.
For the price, the M3 MacBook Air comes with an 8-core M3 processor, 8GB of unified memory, and 256GB of storage.
The 256GB storage is considered insufficient for a 2024 laptop, especially from Apple, and particularly for creators.
Upgrading to 512GB storage costs an additional $200, which is a significant increase.
The M3 chip provides fast performance and a snappy workflow in everyday tasks.
The base model struggles with editing 4K 60 videos due to hardware limitations.
Upgrading to higher specs like 16GB or 24GB of RAM can improve video editing capabilities.
The M3 MacBook Air does not perform well with Google Chrome when many tabs are open, indicating the need for more RAM.
The design of the M3 MacBook Air remains the same as the M2 model, maintaining a premium feel.
Apple has improved the laptop's resistance to smudges and fingerprint marks.
The M3 MacBook Air supports external display output to two monitors instead of one.
Using the laptop's trackpad or touch ID disables one external display, requiring an external keyboard or mouse.
The keyboard is praised for its quality, suitable for writing scripts and social media posts.
The display is bright and clear, even on the hottest winter days, with a 13-inch size and a notch housing the 1080p camera.
The speakers are on par with the M2 MacBook Air, offering good sound quality with a decent bass.
The battery life is impressive, lasting up to 18 hours and allowing for full power usage without being plugged in.
The M3 MacBook Air is in a difficult position as its value proposition is overshadowed by the M3 MacBook Pro and M2 MacBook Air.
The M2 MacBook Air offers similar features at a lower price, making the M3 model less recommendable.
Transcripts
I have spent the last 2 weeks using the
cheapest version of the new M3 MacBook
Air as my only computer and in that time
how has it held up if we're completely
being honest the M3 MacBook Air is an
excellent laptop and while I did not
really expect to hate it over the last
week because let's face it this is just
a refresh with a new chip nevertheless I
enjoyed my time but also over the last
week there are a few things that haven't
exactly sat well with me which we'll
dive into very soon but for now you may
wonder what exactly I have used this for
in the past couple of days for one this
is just a base model so I didn't really
do anything crazy simple things like
attending to emails or editing videos
admin work Excel sheets basically using
this the same way students or the
working professionals will use a new
brand new Apple laptop so sit back relax
and let's get started on knowing if this
is worth your
time speaking of knowing if this is
worth your time let's start this off
with the price and what you get like I
said this is the cheapest model so this
is about $10.99 USD so apple is keeping
the price the same way which is great
don't get me wrong it might be the
cheapest but in reality there is
absolutely nothing cheap about it for
$10.99 you get an 8 core M3 processor 8
GB of unified memory and 256 gig of
storage which brings me to things that I
did not like 256 gig of storage for a
computer in 2024 is ridiculous
especially from Apple for that matter
especially a laptop that cost 1,00 USD
having 250 gigs of storage means if you
use this for a core 95 or as a Creator
you need to carry around a hard drive to
accommodate the lack of space on a
computer you realistically get around
220 225 just because the operating
system takes about 20 to 25 gig on its
own if you then said to yourself okay
let me upgrade to 512 gig it'll cost you
$200 more now I've been singing this
song since the M1 MacBook Air laptops
should have a base storage of 512 it's
just the way it should be now moving on
to something that made me happy and
disappointed at the same time is the
performance of the M3 chip now when it
comes to speed and workflow the M3
MacBook Air is really fast and I'm not
really talking about the benchmark
scores I'm talking about using it in my
everyday workflow video calling Google
Docs and just being productive
Everything feels Snappy and has to do
with the updated M3 chip compared to the
M1 and in some cases the M2 MacBook Air
it feels faster now while apple is
marketing this as a Content creation
tool that gives a lot of power if you're
into video content creating and
everything you do is within Final Cuts
or Premiere or denture resolve you might
have a hard time using the base model of
this laptop with the way different
cameras are getting sophisticated in
2024 whether it be on your mobile phone
a DSLR or mirrorless camera there are
certain specs a computer has to have to
utilize each 4K 30 or 4K 60 file and the
M3 MacBook Air does not do a great job
in that regard again this is just a Bas
model and in my experience in the last
week it struggled editing 4K 60 from my
Sony fx30 it started a lot my timeline
was not smooth so it was difficult
cutting and placing Clips where I wanted
it to be and it is safe to say that I
was very disappointed because editing
videos is what I do every day it goes
without saying that if you upgrade the
specs to say 16 GB or 24 GB of RAM it
will give you better results but with
the base model it does everything else
but edit videos the way you want it to
now also I want to add it does not do
well with Google Chrome while a lot of
tabs are open once I started opening
many tabs at the same time it began to
get rough the 8 gigs of RAM began to
show why it should be 16 gig instead
remember a lot of websites are now
basically programs that are active all
the time and take a lot of memory so if
you're buying the cheapest or the Bas
model you can't have a lot of tabs open
in the background like many other
expensive Apple laptops in apple fashion
this is just a refresh of the M2 MacBook
Air so the design is exactly the same
don't get me wrong it is still a premium
laptop it's not the heaviest so you can
definitely move this around to different
coffee shops or if you're traveling It
just fits into most backpacks now even
though this is the same design there is
one fundamental change change Apple made
and I'm really happy about it they found
a way to reduce the smudges and the
fingerprint marks on your laptop so if
you wanted to get the midnight color for
example you can go right ahead so that
is a major W another major W with the M3
MacBook Air is you can out export to two
external monitors instead of one like
the M2 MacBook Air personally exporting
to One display you know One display
right here is fine by me but there are
people who love to use two displays for
their work so managing multiple projects
coding and the likes are just easier but
there's always a butt FYI if you're
going to export to multiple displays you
need to bring along your own keyboard or
your own Mouse because if you open the
laptop to use the trackpad or touch ID
it turns off One external display why it
does that I absolutely have no idea now
if you're going to use the keyboard
itself I'm happy to say that it is still
pretty good I have written two scripts
so far with a few Instagram reals and
it's done a good job the display is also
standard from the M2 it is 13 in with a
notch I appreciate the brightness a lot
currently it is one of the hottest days
in the winter and I can perfectly see
with this display without any issues and
with the notch itself it houses its
camera it is still a 1080p webcam so
that's okay I guess the speakers are
pretty good and on par with the M2
MacBook Air I am really particular about
speakers on my laptop so I can say that
this is pretty good and it's loud enough
with good base and finally we have the
battery life which has been pretty on
par with the rest of the MacBook Air
lineup this will easily get you through
a day of work or even multiple days if
you aren't really pushing the processor
to his utmost limit also continue to
love that you don't really need to be
plugged in into a wall to get the full
power of your laptop all that power and
visibility matched with an 18-hour
battery life is what makes the M1 the M2
and now the M3 one of the best laptops
out there the fact that you can do all
this without having to worry about your
battery life is pretty amazing so now
the question is should you buy the M3
MacBook Air and I believe that is the
biggest glaring issue with this laptop
it is in a weird position because when
you start upgrading the specs to CER to
your needs you should just get an M3
MacBook Pro instead if you're looking
for power that is definitely the route
you should go if you want to spend less
money then just get the M2 MacBook Air
instead it is currently $9.99 in the
Apple Store it is honestly the same
laptop that's why it is very hard to
recommend the M3 MacBook Air especially
when there are just better value laptops
out there thank you guys for watching
this video and if you love this click
that like button and consider
subscribing to the channel my name is KJ
and I will catch you guys in the next
[Music]
one
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