Here's the Thing about the M3 Macbook Air...
Summary
TLDRThe video discusses the recent refresh of the MacBook Air, highlighting a new anodization for a slightly more fingerprint-resistant exterior and the inclusion of the M3 chip, which offers a 10-20% performance boost over the M2, with a focus on graphics improvements and ray tracing. However, the video argues that the M3 MacBook Air may not be the best recommendation for regular users due to its higher price and the availability of a cheaper M2 model. It criticizes Apple's high markup for upgrades and advises viewers to consider their computing needs before opting for the M3, suggesting that for basic tasks, the M2 or even the discounted M1 MacBook Air could be more suitable.
Takeaways
- 💻 The MacBook Air has been refreshed with two main updates: a new anodization for the exterior and the M3 chip.
- 📦 The new anodization is supposed to be more fingerprint resistant, but it still shows fingerprints without a skin or case.
- 🛍️ A skin from Dbrand is recommended for better fingerprint resistance and a break from the standard MacBook colors.
- 🔋 The M3 chip is a known quantity, having been introduced in the iMac and MacBook Pro, offering performance improvements over the M2.
- 🚀 The M3 chip brings about 10-20% performance improvement, with a focus on graphics and the addition of ray tracing capabilities.
- 🔄 The base storage on the M3 MacBook Air has been improved, addressing the slower storage issue found in the M2 model.
- 💰 The introduction of the M3 MacBook Air has led to a price drop for the M2 model, making it a more attractive option for some users.
- 💡 The MacBook Air is typically easy to recommend, but the M3 model's pricing and the availability of the cheaper M2 model make it less so.
- 💡 The base spec of the MacBook Air (8GB RAM and 256GB storage) may be sufficient for light users but can become expensive with upgrades.
- 💸 Apple's pricing for upgrades is considered high, making the base model seem less of a deal than it appears.
- 🛒 For users needing a MacBook Air for basic tasks, the M2 model offers a cost-effective option, and the M1 model can still be found at retailers like Walmart and Best Buy.
Q & A
What is the main update in the refreshed MacBook Air?
-The main updates in the refreshed MacBook Air are the new anodization on the outside, which is slightly more fingerprint resistant, and the new M3 chip inside.
How effective is the new anodization in preventing fingerprints on the MacBook Air?
-The new anodization is only marginally effective in preventing fingerprints. It still gets fingerprints if handled regularly without a skin or a case. The speaker suggests relying on a skin from Dbrand for better fingerprint resistance.
What are the improvements of the M3 chip over its predecessor?
-The M3 chip offers a performance improvement of around 10 to 20% over the M2, with a heavier lean on graphics improvements and the addition of ray tracing capabilities.
Why might the MacBook Air with the new M3 chip not be the best recommendation for everyone?
-The MacBook Air with the M3 chip might not be the best recommendation because the price of the M2 model has been lowered, and for regular, light usage, the M2 chip provides sufficient performance. Additionally, the base spec of the M3 model may not offer the best value due to Apple's high markup for upgrades.
What is the starting price for the new M3 MacBook Air and the M2 MacBook Air?
-The new M3 MacBook Air starts at $1,099, while the M2 MacBook Air, after the price drop, starts at $999.
Why did Apple discontinue the M1 MacBook Air?
-The script does not provide a specific reason for discontinuing the M1 MacBook Air, but it mentions that Apple has introduced the M3 chip and lowered the price of the M2 model.
How does the base storage on the M3 MacBook Air compare to the M2 model?
-The base storage on the M3 MacBook Air appears to be much improved compared to the M2 model, which had a slower storage module in the base 256 GB model.
What are the additional features of the M3 MacBook Air that justify its higher price?
-The M3 MacBook Air offers dual external display support with the lid closed and one external display with the laptop open, and it has a more capable M3 chip with improved graphics and ray tracing capabilities.
Why does the speaker suggest that the base spec of the MacBook Air in 2024 might not be usable for some users?
-The speaker suggests that the base spec might not be usable for users who need more than the standard 8 GB of shared RAM and 256 GB of storage, as Apple's markup for upgrades is very high, making the base price seem less attractive.
What is the speaker's advice for users who only need a MacBook Air for light computing tasks?
-The speaker advises users who only need a MacBook Air for light computing tasks to consider the cheaper M2 MacBook Air or even the M1 model if available, as the M3 model's capabilities may be unnecessary for their needs.
How does the new M3 MacBook Air compare to other Apple devices in terms of performance and capabilities?
-The new M3 MacBook Air is a more capable machine than its predecessors, offering improved performance and features like ray tracing and external display support. It is positioned as a high-end device that can handle more demanding tasks compared to the base models.
Outlines
💻 MacBook Air M3 Update: A Mixed Bag
The MacBook Air has received a refresh with two main updates: a new anodization for a slightly more fingerprint-resistant exterior and the introduction of the new M3 chip. While the new coating is subtle and still prone to fingerprints, the M3 chip is a known quantity, having been introduced in the iMac and MacBook Pro previously. The M3 offers a performance improvement over the M2, particularly in graphics and with the addition of ray tracing. However, the base storage on the M3 has seen improvements over the slower base storage of the M2. Despite these updates, the video suggests that the refreshed MacBook Air isn't the straightforward recommendation it once was due to the price drop of the M2 model and the discontinuation of the M1, making the lineup more complex for consumers.
💸 The High Cost of Apple's Base Specifications
Apple's pricing strategy for upgrades on its MacBook Air lineup is criticized for being excessively high. The base model of the MacBook Air in 2024 comes with 8GB of shared RAM and 256GB of storage, which may be sufficient for basic computing needs but can become costly when considering upgrades. Upgrading to 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage adds $400 to the base price, which the video suggests is a significant markup. The video argues that while the base specifications may be adequate for light users, the high cost of upgrades makes the 'starting at' price point less attractive. It advises consumers to consider the M2 MacBook Air for cost savings or even the M1 model if they do not require the latest features, while acknowledging that the M3 chip does offer enhanced capabilities for more demanding tasks.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡MacBook Air
💡Anodization
💡M3 chip
💡Fingerprint resistance
💡Dbrand
💡Performance
💡SSD module
💡Base storage
💡Dual external display support
💡Markup prices
💡Base spec
Highlights
MacBook Air has been refreshed with a simple update.
New anodization on the outside for a slightly more fingerprint resistant look.
Inclusion of the new M3 chip inside the MacBook Air.
Dbrand skin recommended for better fingerprint resistance than metal treatment.
M3 chip was previously introduced in iMac and MacBook Pro with M3 PRO and M3 Max.
Question raised on the staggered release of the M3 chip across different Apple products.
MacBook Air is the most popular Mac for its entry-level appeal.
Performance of the M3 chip shows a 10-20% improvement over M2.
M3 chip leans heavier on graphics improvements and introduces rate tracing.
MacBook Airs, especially the 15-inch model, are known for great battery life.
New dual external display support with the lid closed and one display with the laptop open.
Base storage on M3 has been improved compared to the slower M2 base model.
M3 MacBook Air not necessarily the best recommendation due to pricing and availability of M2.
Price drop of M2 MacBook Air by $100 and discontinuation of M1.
Discussion on the base spec fallacy and Apple's high markup for upgrades.
RAM and storage upgrades for MacBook Air are expensive, making the base price seem deceptive.
For basic computing needs, the base spec MacBook Air M2 is recommended over the M3.
For heavy computing tasks, the M3 MacBook Air is a strong contender and worth considering.
Apple silicon has lowered the minimum level of machine needed for various workflows.
Transcripts
(Intro music)
- That's crazy that the most interesting things
about this new laptop are the reasons not to buy it.
So the MacBook Air just got refreshed.
It's a pretty simple update, maybe a boring one actually.
There's really only two things new.
It has this new anodization on the outside,
apparently a slightly more fingerprint resistant look to it.
And it has the new M3 chip inside.
So the coating, I don't know,
it barely makes a difference if I'm being honest.
It still gets fingerprints if you handle it regularly
without a skin or a case.
I would much rather depend on something like a skin
from channel sponsor Dbrand.
It lets you break out from one of the three
really simple colors and it's gonna hide fingerprints
a million times better than any metal treatment ever could.
Plus these are real leather,
so they have a nice plush texture
and it'll patina over time.
So I'll leave a link to this one below.
But the other new thing is this M3 chip inside.
So we've seen this M3 chip before, this is what Apple does.
They put the same chip everywhere.
This came out in October of last year
and they immediately put it in the new iMac.
And then we also got a new MacBook Pro that launched
with this and the M3 PRO and the M3 Max.
So okay, new M3 Apple silicon, third generation, great.
So now we're finally getting this new base M3 chip
in the new MacBook Air, side note, why does it take so long?
I don't know, it feels like Apple kind of staggers it
probably on purpose, but like it's the same chip everywhere.
They've done the iMac, they've done the MacBook Pro
and MacBook Air, but the Mac Mini just staying
on M2, kind of weird.
Also the new iPad Pro still on M2.
When's that gonna get it?
Anyway, you already know that the MacBook Air
is the most popular Mac for a reason.
This is the base like entry level Mac
that most people are seeing
as the way to get into the Mac world.
And so the base MacBook Air has typically been one
of the easiest to recommend laptops in the world by design.
But this one, interestingly, for two reasons, isn't.
Now, this has nothing to do with performance of M3
or anything weird like that.
Like it's the performance you were expecting.
If you look at benchmarks, it's right around that 10
to 20% improvement over M2
depending on what you're doing.
Definitely leans heavier
on graphics improvements this generation.
And there's the rate tracing now finally.
So any applications
or rendering that are taken advantage of that,
that's gonna be a noticeable improvement for M3.
And it's clearly a more capable chip.
And also MacBook Airs, especially the 15 inch,
just constantly get great battery life across the board.
You also get now dual external display support
with the lid closed,
but one external display with the laptop open.
And it also appears
that the base storage on M3 is much improved.
So this was one of those concerns from,
if you look back at M2,
you know obviously Apple seeds reviewers
with higher end MacBooks, so most of us aren't getting that.
But if you look back at M2
the base 256 gig model used a single SSD module instead
of two SSDs.
Long story short, that storage module was way slower
than M1, like 50% slower on paper.
Would you have noticed if nobody told you
and had never benchmarked it?
Maybe, possibly not,
but obviously it's a bummer having way slower storage
on a new M2 and that extra time transferring large files,
that adds up over time.
So I'm happy to report that I've seen really good benchmarks
on the base storage of the M3 Air.
It appears that they fixed it, awesome.
So what's the deal with this M3 Air then?
Why am I saying it's not necessarily
the best recommendation?
Well, historically, MacBook Air has been super easy
to recommend, but with this M3,
they also lowered the price of M2 by a hundred bucks
and discontinued the M1.
So now the lineup is M3 MacBook Air starts at 1099,
then M2 MacBook Air starts at 999
and then M1, it's kind of gone from Apple,
but you can still find stock
that's left at like Walmart or Best Buy.
Now the thing about the MacBook Air being easy
to recommend is we're talking about regular people,
which it's very light, regular,
normal usage like web browsing, listening to music, a bunch
of tabs open, work stuff, occasionally compiling
or rendering some small things, photo editing
and chopping a video or two sometimes,
but really very light.
So these people, like type of people
who would buy a laptop at Walmart would be totally fine
with the cheaper identical looking MacBook Air
with the slightly slower M2 chip and slower storage.
I think they would be totally fine.
But the other thing which I need to talk about
is this whole base spec thing.
This is not exactly new to the industry, but the base price
and the base spec has almost become like this weird fallacy.
Like I think it was Linus who did a video
about how starting at is like the biggest lie in tech.
And he's right, it's not just tech,
like the car industry does it all the time too.
Starting at, you know, this super low price,
but nobody actually gets it at that price.
You're not gonna get a totally bare base model car.
The base price is really more to give you an idea
of how much you're about to spend
when you actually option it up the way you want to.
And the issue with these is Apple's markup prices
for above base spec is crazy high.
Like Apple charges way too much for the most basic upgrades.
Obviously Apple Silicon computers are all a system
on a chip, so they cannot be upgraded ever
after you buy them, right?
So once you buy it, you know, you're kind
of incentivized if you're gonna keep it for a long time
to splurge a little bit
and give yourself some extra headroom and future proof it
and bump up that spec.
But Apple charges so much for bumping up that spec
that the base price feels like kind of even more
of a lie than usual.
So the MacBook Air starts in 2024,
again, at eight gigs of shared RAM and 256 gigs of storage.
Now, ignoring the fact that the phone I'm using also has
more than eight gigs of RAM
and 256 gigs of storage, if you want to upgrade to 16 gigs
of memory, the first available RAM upgrade, that's $200.
And if you wanna bump up to just the half a terabyte
of storage, that's another 200 more dollars.
Compared to to how much that actually costs Apple,
especially at the scale that they're operating,
that is just crazy, brutal, ridiculous pricing.
So even if you do just that,
suddenly the MacBook Air M3 is $1,500.
So either you're cool with knowing you're actually buying
a 1500 plus dollars MacBook Air or the real question is,
is the base spec in 2024 actually usable?
And my take is actually sometimes yes, sometimes yes.
So again, if you're the people I talked about earlier,
you're you're buying a laptop from the showcase at Walmart
or Best Buy, you just need it to do the basic stuff
I mentioned earlier,
you actually can do that with eight gigs
of shared memory, no problem.
This might seem like a hot take,
but I've spent a lot of time doing this stuff.
You rarely actually get close to hitting the max
and hitting memory swap.
And even when you do, it's very much still fine.
It's when you get into the heavier stuff like media encoding
or exporting or gaming that it's a whole nother story.
So if you're watching this video,
you already know which group of people you're in.
So for that massive group of people who are doing a lot of
that normal, baseline computing stuff,
don't buy the new M3 MacBook Air.
You can very easily get an M2 MacBook Air
and save your money.
Matter of fact, if you don't need the brighter display,
the MagSafe, the external display support,
which you probably don't at this rate,
it's also a great idea to look into Best Buy
or Walmart's like six, $700 M1 MacBook Airs
that they're selling right now.
I think Walmart first announced they would have it for 699
and then a few days later Best Buy announced
that they'd sell it for 649, which is pretty sick.
So clearly M3 is a much more capable overall chip
and brings the floor of a laptop up.
But the way I see it, what Apple silicon has done
to Apple's lineup is it's brought down the minimum level
of machine that you can get away with doing your workflow.
Does that make sense?
So like me, I edit a lot of videos
and so I need a powerful machine for Final Cut Pro
and that sort of stuff, right?
So for the longest time I could only use an Apple Desktop,
the highest end iMac Pro, the Mac Pro, and I still will,
but I am now able to use Mac Studio and I can actually edit.
I've had an M1 Max MacBook Pro for a while
and I've been editing on the go with a laptop,
which is a huge like enabler for me.
And the same sort of thing applies if you're doing like
gaming stuff or if you have a whole bunch of coding
and heavy, maybe even just encoding photos
or whatever you're doing at that level,
you'd typically rely on a MacBook Pro.
But with these new chips and with Apple silicon,
you can do that on a high-end MacBook Air, which is again,
a pretty sweet enabler.
So that's what the new M3 MacBook Air is.
If you do that sort of stuff, it's an amazing computer.
It should be on your shortlist.
Great all around, easy to recommend.
But again, if you're doing the lightweight, normal stuff
and you need a MacBook Air, don't get this one.
Get the cheaper one.
Okay, that's it.
Thanks for watching.
Catch you guys the next one, peace.
♪ It's the money, it's it's the money, it's the money♪
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