Hi Everyone,
Having not yet unboxed the MacBook Air I bought last week, I’m faced with the old dilemma: do I stick with the proven sure thing that folks have raved about for two years or stall until the faster, lighter, possibly even more amazing but also possibly problematic untested, supply-chain inhibited new device comes out? I’m remembering all those folks that rushed out and got stuck with the horrible keyboards on a machine that was released to the usual Apple fanfare. But I’m also remembering buying an intel machine days before the M1was released. The stakes are higher because this time it’s my money rather than my employer’s.
Thanks!
-P
I think the same advice persists….if you need it now get it now….there is always going to be something “better” on the horizon.
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It sounds like you currently have a computer that works, so I’d return the unboxed Air and buy the new one when orders start. I think it’s pretty unlikely that the new Air will be a step backwards. You can always rebuy the old Air at the same price if the new Air turns out to be difficult to get or otherwise problematic.
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I’ve all but decided that I’m ordering an M1 Mac Mini. I was waiting to see if the M2 surfaced today, but alas…
My choices are to wait and see for another many months, get an M2 Air and use it primarily in clamshell mode as a desktop (which seems silly), or just get the M1 and hope that whenever the M2 surfaces it isn’t THAT big a difference. Honestly, the fact that it’s replacing a 2014 5K Retina iMac which is doing all I need (albeit sluggishly) probably makes the M1 enough of a quantum leap in computing for me.
No one has the hardware yet, but is anyone able to speculate on the actual practical differences an end user would notice between M1 and M2? If it’s only that I’ll wait another 12 seconds for my video to render on the M1, then I really don’t care.
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Improved multi core (~20%), improved GPU (but still not as much as a 14" M1 Pro with 14 or 16 GPU cores so it’s not a powerful GPU yet). To summarise - it’s a bit faster, but an M2 MBA is almost twice the price of a refurbished M1 Mac Mini so why would you bother? Save the cash and get a much better device in a couple of years, or jump all the way to a 14" Pro if you really need performance imho.
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Thank you for your feedback! I know what you mean about waiting, but the old iMac stopped taking OS upgrades as of last year, and that’s always a good sign to upgrade. Worst case, the Mini is less expensive than most and will get me back to current, and if future generations of M chip prove to be super stellar, I can always move the Mini to a server role in the house someday. Currently running a 2009 Mini to file things for me; it could replace that someday. 
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It’s not just the processor and GPU being better (and keep in mind GPU is used all the time on these, not just when doing specialized tasks and playing games.) The screen is bigger and brighter, the camera is 1080 instead of 720 and the speakers are way better (I’ve heard the old Air speakers) and the laptop is thinner and weighs less.
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I have had my M1 since the end of December. It sure is nice. Depending on the workload you’re asking of the M1, it should offer many years of use. Sure, new is nice. But is it always needed?
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I bought the M1 Air well after the leaked renders, and with full knowledge that I would curse now.
I’m cursing, but not enough that I would rather have been stuck only using my work laptop for the last eight months.
I am considering upgrading, but I wouldn’t get enough back for the old one to justify it, and the new one has had its price raised A LOT in local currency, so the reviews would have to be shocking…
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I’ve had my M1 MBA since the month that it started shipping, and I’m still as smitten with it as the day I’ve gotten it. While M2 is appealing from a speed and efficiency perspective, the M1 is quite literally still overkill for everything that I use it for even now. I’m comfortable in stating that I will probably hold onto this laptop until it’s no longer supported, (hopefully many years from now), even if/when I grab a more powerful MacBook Pro in the near future.
I would say get what you need now, you may find that the M1 is more than capable for your specific use case(s), you won’t suffer a lack of high quality experience in the slightest.
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This is exactly what I ended up doing. And smitten is a good word!
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