After weeks of speculations, we can finally order the Apple M2 MacBook
Air. But I can’t be the only one who is confused about which specs to go for.
How much RAM? How much disk space?
Do I need a fast GPU? How many cores? What is a core? (Just kidding)
So I’ve put together this video as a “mini guide” for you. But also to share my thinking in the one
that I ordered, and hopefully that can help you. I am Alex and I do down to earth tech videos.
I have split this video into sections for each use case.
I am pretty sure I am not able to cover every single use case out there
(that would be a very long video!) but I tried to cover the most common ones.
And depending on the use case, where it makes sense, we could actually
save some money here… with M1options…
To get us going. Let’s get some ground rules (or rather 3 guidelines here) so that
you KNOW where I’m coming from AND to help you navigate the rest of the video.
### Guideline number 1 If buying the latest and greatest
makes you happy and you can afford it then why the hell not? And who am I right?
I know that’s what I said on the title (because that’s how YouTube works) but
I have no right to TELL you what to do? I’m here to help you, not dictate what you do.
### Guideline number 2 It’s a cliche one… but still applies here.
_Don’t buy something on the promise of what it can do in the future,
buy it based on what it can do now, based on your needs. _ That’s really important.
### Guideline number 3
I’m just a guy on the Internet. But I HAVE bought my fair share of Apple laptops (and
everything else) in my lifetime so I know a thing or two about their tactics and I’ve
been burnt a few times myself… so I can share with you what I’ve learnt with that experience.
**First use case: ** So the first use case is
quite a straightforward one. Who am I talking about there?
This is Joe. - Joe has an older laptop that is NOT an M1
MacBook Air (so it’s like an Intel i5 machine) - Joe really appreciates MOBILITY,
he travels quite a bit,
and is regularly working from cafes and trains - Joe really cares about performance too,
but that’s not Joe’s focus right now. - Joe doesn’t want to be upgrading his
laptop every year. He just wants a laptop that will last and be able to cope with his workload.
- Joe doesn’t really do any graphic intensive work. He does like
the occasional gaming and ONLY sometimes he does some casual video or photo editing.
To me, Joe is Apple’s PRIMARY target for this laptop.
Some.. sensible people will say that Joe should go for a ThinkPad or a Surface…
And if Joe really had a preference for Windows, nothing wrong with that.
But for a lot of people - and you might be in this camp - who have an older laptop
and have been thinking about getting a Mac for a while… this will not be a bad choice.
Okay Alex, great… I already knew that but what specs should I (or Joe) go for?
In this scenario, I would keep everything as close to base model as possible.
The only upgrade I would recommend, is the memory.
Unless… your workload is WAY below the examples of memory usage that you can see here on screen.
The reason why I recommend upgrading the memory in this use case
is because memory, unlike STORAGE is not really something you have a workaround for.
If your budget allows, I would definitely consider going to 16 GB RAM,
and keeping everything else the same.
If you are concerned about space on the hard drive,
I would strongly recommend using a FAST external SSD.
I have a PERFECT solution for this that not only solves the storage problem…
but gives you EVEN more ports….which is the Acasis hub.
I have just reviewed it, and I will leave a link to it here for you.
### Second use case The second use case
is more like a caveat to the first one…
Despite what Apple and some YouTubers tried to tell you,
you don’t always HAVE to have the latest.
> On screen list
If you already have the M ONE MacBook Air or you have a Windows machine that is NOT struggling
for your CURRENT workload, (REMEMBER, GUIDELINE NUMBER 1)
save some money, why upgrade it?
Honestly Apple and other manufactures are not stopping any time soon,
there will be a new machine next year and maybe that’s when you consider it.
Saving cash is always a good option in my book.
### The third use case The third use case is
a more complex one. Who am I talking about?
In this one, you DO APPRECIATE the mobility aspect like Joe did. But you care more about performance.
So in this case, you are looking to be running multiple higher intensity workloads…
Something like editing dozens of RAW photos at
once…whilst dabbling with 3D modelling and perhaps editing 4K videos… just
like this one …so nothing too layered or too complex with lots of visual effects.
Although, I am going to be trying that myself when I get it,
just to push it with real work rather than benchmarks.
But in this case, the GPU and memory would the upgrades I’d focus on,
followed by a little bit more on the storage.
The reason (or reasons) I would upgrade the storage to say 1TB
is because in this scenario is ONE… you’re likely to be generating quite a lot of heavy
files and external storage whilst useful, can be a little inconvenient at times.
And TWO… computers haven’t really changed that much in the way they manage memory.
Sure, it’s much more efficient now, with this new,
more integrated architecture… but memory on the MacOS still uses the internal SSD storage..
You know.. when needed for those really busy periods, for swap memory.
Don’t worry I am not getting into that rabbit hole, but in simple terms - you
don’t want to be squeezing too much into the internal SSD…and running the risk of MacOS
not having enough space to manage the memory.
So I’d go for 16GB RAM minimum, 10Core G P U and 512GB Storage.
And I would put a huge caveat here… and you probably already know this,
but if your upgrade is bringing you closer to the newer MacBook Pro price…
Then I can’t give you a proper recommendation just yet, because
anyone trying to do that now before they actually used it would be irresponsible.
But I would recommend WAITING FOR THOSE first reviews and comparisons to come in…
If you can afford the TIME - which is another consideration.
Because if you don’t pre-order you’re likely to be waiting 6-8 weeks,
if not more. That’s a lesson I’ve learned with my recent purchases from Apple and Samsung too.
If you can wait, then the good news is… I will be comparing the
M2 MacBook Air with the performance of the M1 Pro/M1 Max MacBook Pros.
Which brings me to an important point…YouTube is a bit weird and they don’t always put my videos
in front of the right audience, so I would REALLY appreciate if you liked this video,
to give a thumbs up. It really helps, I am still a small channel…
And I will be pre-ordering this machine so you can expect lots more videos about it,
the best accessories for it and things like that.
The other benefit to you is that I am here at least once a week with a new,
down-to-earth tech VIDEO for you.
Okay, so there’s lots to consider and hopefully I already gave you a nice
breakdown in a ways that’s helpful, but here is also my rationale and
hopefully that will help you even further with your decision.
Sometimes I don’t want to bring my MacBook Pro with me
so I take my M1 iPad Pro and I try to do the best I can with the tablet.
If you’ve been following the channel, you know I am still about SALTY about
the M1 iPad Pro and my relationship with Apple has been very much a love and hate
relationship…but I won’t get into that right now .
The problem is, I’m not as useful with the M1 iPad Pro as I thought I would be.
Despite all that processing power
and the amazing display. Especially when it comes to my video editing workflow.
The MacBook Air for me would slot RIGHT in between those two devices, where it is portable enough
and powerful enough for me to do my work.
If only the MacBook Air had touchscreen right?!
But Apple.. are not that stupid, right? Profit first!
So that’s MY use case. Starting with processor, I’m not going to go
overboard with that because I believe the M1 chip was ALREADY very strong, EVEN for video editing…
And like I said in my case I already have the MacBook Pro completely maxed out.
When it comes to MEMORY though, I do use quite a lot of memory in my video editing as I AM
multitasking with dozens of tabs, open Photoshop and Lightroom, as well as Final Cut Pro.
So in my case, I’m going to upgrade the memory to 16GB.
On the storage side, I’m not gonna touch it . Why?
Because with thunderbolt and something like the Acasis hub or the SSD enclosure,
I have multiple ways of extending the internal storage and have FAST access to it.
And the best thing for my workflow is that I can move between the MacBook Pro and a MacBook Air
using the Acasis hub as the connecting device.
There is another use case which is YOU do you have an M1 MacBook Air, but it is underperforming.
But I think in this case I’d say it’s better to wait because the Pro may be a better option
for you. Unless… you are very certain about sticking with this Air form-factor.
If you are confident based on what you’ve seen from Apple and YouTubers like me that
the M2 will be sufficient, then it’s just a case of choosing the specs.
Without covering every single use case, AND making this video a two hour long video,
this is kind of an educated broad brush… for the typical usages and how much memory,
processing power and storage that they would require.
Just a word of caution, again - as I said in rule number two.
This is PURELY based on my experience and my opinion on what would work best.
Can’t wait to unbox it and test it eventually and I really think you’re gonna like this playlist
I’ve done over here and YouTube reckons you’re gonna love this video over here.
I am approaching 200 videos on the channel
so there’s bound to be one that you like. See you soon