Apple Announces New MacBook Air Models With M3 Chip

[Cape Dave]

what? I only found rumours.

Rumor: Windows 12 will require at least 16GB of RAM

As many already know, Microsoft is currently working on the next major update for Windows 11, codenamed Hudson Valley. Be it branded Windows 11 24H2, or

winaero.com

Yeah, I guess it is a rumor type thing. But sure was nice to see one company admit that 16GB should be the min.

 

[bgillander]

Yeah, I guess it is a rumor type thing. But sure was nice to see one company admit that 16GB should be the min.

Okay, now I guess I have to take back my earlier comment that few of us want a bloated OS.

I have a Microsoft Surface Pro 7 and Microsoft Surface Go 2 that were both purchased within the last three years that both have 4 GB RAM. I have a Samsung Galaxy Book Go (ARM based) that I got less than 2 years ago that has 4 GB of RAM and appears is still being sold at Best Buy Canada. None of these have upgradable RAM, and the grass is not greener on this side of the fence.

The 8 GB minimum configuration on Mac is actually higher than that of Windows.

Edit: I checked and the Surface Go 3 is still being sold with 4 GB RAM by Microsoft. And that linked article about the rumour talked more about many of the PCs that already had the required NPUs still only having 8 GB, so even they were making it sound like they thought the rumour had little basis in reality.

 

[Velli]

Yeah, I'm sure they still will at least for a few more generations

Leave it to Apple to do quite the comparisons with their fancy graphs and everything

One thing that has always peaved me though is that instead of just referring to computers that aren't theirs as Windows ones, they always have just said PCs

Imagine the hordes of snarky Linux users if they didn’t.

In all seriousness, Apple is of course painting a picture of Macs being superior, and Windows being part of the Grey mass. It makes sense branding-wise not to acknowledge your main competitor, especially when they are bigger than you.

The same mindset leads them to call their platform “Mac”, not “The Mac”.

 

[Rookbird¥]

I feel it's more that the messaging is targeted at the more likely group of upgraders. The M1 MBA was released in end 2020, more than 3 years ago. This group of users (like me) would be in the market for a new laptop (ie: the M3 MBA), so it would be more meaningful to let them know exactly how they get to benefit from getting a new device.

In contrast, the owners of an M2 MBA probably aren't thinking of upgrading anytime soon, so no point marketing to them right now.

Excellent point! You’re probably right. Apple knows that owners of M2 chips and not going to want to upgrade (because the M2 and M3 are not much different) but the M1 users might so they are targeting those users.

 

[ric22]

Excellent point! You’re probably right. Apple knows that owners of M2 chips and not going to want to upgrade (because the M2 and M3 are not much different) but the M1 users might so they are targeting those users.

Why would M1 users upgrade? There's near zero incentive. M3 is aimed at old Intel users. The difference between M1 and M3 is small.

 

[Abazigal]

Why would M1 users upgrade? There's near zero incentive. M3 is aimed at old Intel users. The difference between M1 and M3 is small.

New form factor, MagSafe and larger screen? 3 years sounds about right to start thinking about whether you want a new laptop.

 

[Mainsail]

Why would M1 users upgrade? There's near zero incentive. M3 is aimed at old Intel users. The difference between M1 and M3 is small.

From a purely performance perspective in day to day use, you are probably right. However, there might be some folks with M1 MBAs interested in the M3 for other reasons besides simply performance: MagSafe, 1080p camera, 13.6in screen, much better battery life (11.5 hours vs 18 hours), new form factor, smaller bezels, and some minor stuff: 500 nits vs 400 nits peak brightness, slightly lighter, support for 2 external displays, smudge resistant midnight color.....stuff like that. I don't think there are a huge number that would trade up from M1 to M3, but probably enough that Apple's marketing department thought it was worthwhile to highlight the differences.

 

[ric22]

New form factor, MagSafe and larger screen? 3 years sounds about right to start thinking about whether you want a new laptop.

I asked because there's no meaningful improvement beyond getting MagSafe for 95%+ of people. 2mm extra screen won't make sane people spend over $1,000, and the form factor? Or are you specifically talking about those swapping to a 15 inch version? There will be some of those. Re form factor: you think some people like to buy it just because it looks newer in the coffee shop?

 

[ric22]

From a purely performance perspective in day to day use, you are probably right. However, there might be some folks with M1 MBAs interested in the M3 for other reasons besides simply performance: MagSafe, 1080p camera, 13.6in screen, much better battery life (11.5 hours vs 18 hours), new form factor, smaller bezels, and some minor stuff: 500 nits vs 400 nits peak brightness, slightly lighter, support for 2 external displays, smudge resistant midnight color.....stuff like that. I don't think there are a huge number that would trade up from M1 to M3, but probably enough that Apple's marketing department thought it was worthwhile to highlight the differences.

What gave you the impression the M3 Air has better battery life than the M1 Air? Neither Apple's claims nor testing show that...


I'll give you the webcam as a selling point for the new model, as it is appalling on the M1 Air- astonishingly bad.

 

[JiggyJaggy]

My M1 battery lasts the same if not more then my M2

 

[ric22]

My M1 battery lasts the same if not more then my M2

My M1 has always been impressive, even if now it's lessening due to age. The TDP from M1 to M3 has gone from 18-22w, hence the need for a bigger battery. https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-apple_m1-vs-apple_m3

 

[Abazigal]

I asked because there's no meaningful improvement beyond getting MagSafe for 95%+ of people. 2mm extra screen won't make sane people spend over $1,000, and the form factor? Or are you specifically talking about those swapping to a 15 inch version? There will be some of those. Re form factor: you think some people like to buy it just because it looks newer in the coffee shop?

Speaking for myself, if I were to upgrade, it would be to the 15" MBA. I work heavily with documents, and wouldn't mind a larger display for viewing spreadsheets and running documents in split-screen mode. Currently, I typically run single apps in full-screen mode.

I may or may not use MagSafe that much, because there is currently a single usb-c cable running through my desk which I use to charge my M1 MBA, my work laptop, my nintendo switch or even my iPad Pro if I need to charge it while using it. So a MagSafe cable would mean running one more cable, and it is useable with only 1 device. Still, I do like the idea of having both usb-c ports free while charging my laptop, though I have largely been able to make do with just 1.

I don't know how significant the leap to M3 will be, because frankly, I don't find my M1 slow or lacking at all (heck, it can even run Diablo 3). Apple has leaned into the whole AI marketing pretty heavily this time round, and I wonder if it foreshadows something for WWDC this year that specifically leverages the M3 processor?

Appearance-wise, I have been staring at pretty much the same wedge-shaped form factor since my first MBA in 2012, so I suppose something new is always welcome? But I also don't hate the current design either (it is so very comfortable), and what's that saying? You don't mess with a classic?

This is partly why I am been on the fence since well, the M2 15" MBA was released last year. My desire for a larger display vs keeping a perfectly fine laptop that by my estimates, should still be good for another 2-3 years at least because honestly, my needs as a teacher are pretty basic.

 

[chucker23n1]

I asked because there's no meaningful improvement beyond getting MagSafe for 95%+ of people. 2mm extra screen won't make sane people spend over $1,000, and the form factor? Or are you specifically talking about those swapping to a 15 inch version? There will be some of those. Re form factor: you think some people like to buy it just because it looks newer in the coffee shop?

But what kind of upgrade would you be looking for?

Most people don't upgrade for performance reasons unless they perceive the current performance as poor. So, even if the M3 were a bigger bump compared to the M1 (personally, I think 26%/39%/57% single-core, multi-core, Metal¹ is perfectly respectable, even if it isn't huge), it wouldn't incentivize those people, because they perceive the M1 as more than good enough.

Whereas, the Air getting a more modern-looking chassis with new colors, MagSafe, a smaller bezel (at the cost of a notch), better webcam, speakers, and mics, a little bit more brightness? That's probably the kind of stuff that gets people. "It looks newer." The 2020 design, even though that iteration had technically only been introduced in 2018, was starting to look dated, like the umpteenth iteration of the 2008 Air. The 2022 design does not. We see this especially with the iPhone, where Apple seems to be changing the design back and forth in part to have a new design to brag about, and while I find that silly, it does seem to sell.

¹) or, about 8%/11.5%/16% y-o-y, assuming ~3 years

 

[ric22]

But what kind of upgrade would you be looking for?

Most people don't upgrade for performance reasons unless they perceive the current performance as poor. So, even if the M3 were a bigger bump compared to the M1 (personally, I think 26%/39%/57% single-core, multi-core, Metal¹ is perfectly respectable, even if it isn't huge), it wouldn't incentivize those people, because they perceive the M1 as more than good enough.

Whereas, the Air getting a more modern-looking chassis with new colors, MagSafe, a smaller bezel (at the cost of a notch), better webcam, speakers, and mics, a little bit more brightness? That's probably the kind of stuff that gets people. "It looks newer." The 2020 design, even though that iteration had technically only been introduced in 2018, was starting to look dated, like the umpteenth iteration of the 2008 Air. The 2022 design does not. We see this especially with the iPhone, where Apple seems to be changing the design back and forth in part to have a new design to brag about, and while I find that silly, it does seem to sell.

¹) or, about 8%/11.5%/16% y-o-y, assuming ~3 years

Usually I replace personal laptops when the replacement's CPU is roughly twice as fast at single core tasks. This has historically always been accompanied by SSD and RAM increases. I still expect all 3. At ~15% increase per year that would take 5 years, which sounds around right. More ports, better screen tech, better speakers, etc are all nice too, and after 5 years, usually there's a few improvements to enjoy.

Removal of the notch from MacBooks would be cool too. Personally, I'd opt out of even having an integrated webcam on a laptop while they can't manage to get Face ID to work. External ones are miles better.

By the way, having used the M1 and M2's speakers a fair bit, I'm surprised you mentioned those as improved. They're a little poorer on the M2. I didn't realise that was in dispute.

What are your preferences when upgrading, Chucker? How often do you do it for personal devices too? (I separate work and personal devices as 'work me' often has different requirements/budgets)

Edit: Are we really down to just 8% y-o-y for single core increases on the M series? Yikes. That's slower than iPhone progress has ever been, isn't it?

 

[chucker23n1]

Usually I replace personal laptops when the replacement's CPU is roughly twice as fast at single core tasks. This has historically always been accompanied by SSD and RAM increases. I still expect all 3. At ~15% increase per year that would take 5 years, which sounds around right. More ports, better screen tech, better speakers, etc are all nice too, and after 5 years, usually there's a few improvements to enjoy.

Well, first, we're talking Air here. I think most Air customers are very different than "I care about CPU speed" customers. It's different once you get to around $2k and beyond.

But also, 15% y-o-y is, these days, the exception rather than the norm.

Removal of the notch from MacBooks would be cool too. Personally, I'd opt out of even having an integrated webcam on a laptop while they can't manage to get Face ID to work. External ones are miles better.

I find that the notch doesn't bother me that much in daily use, but it does bug me more than on my iPhone, perhaps because I'm less used to it, but also perhaps because, for high-end apps like IDEs, it does cut off some of the menus. (On the iPhone, it also eats into the status bar, but that's less important. You can always get the full status bar by swiping down Control Center. Æsthetically speaking, the thing about the notch that bothers me on iPhones is when you have a widescreen app such as a game or a video, and the left side has it and the right side doesn't. It's a minor thing, but it's… a bit odd.)

External cameras are inevitably much better, but as far as video conferences with clients go, I find that mine is among the better ones. I find that whole conversation a bit overblown; voice quality and latency probably matter more than how many details of their living room I can make out.

By the way, having used the M1 and M2's speakers a fair bit, I'm surprised you mentioned those as improved. They're a little poorer on the M2. I didn't realise that was in dispute.

Yeah, fair enough.

I'd say it's a bit of a wash. On the one hand, they're poorer because the grill is less accessible than before. On the other hand, it's more speakers.

What are your preferences when upgrading, Chucker? How often do you do it for personal devices too? (I separate work and personal devices as 'work me' often has different requirements/budgets)

I don't separate them, and I've tried to stick to a ~4-year schedule, but the 2016 era really messed that up. I had, in terms of Mac laptops:

• a 2002 iBook
• a 2006 MacBook Pro
• a 2010 MacBook Pro (unibody)
• a 2014 MacBook Pro (retina)
• …crickets. In part because of the neverending 14nm era, in part because of the keyboard. In part because the 2014 was still "good enough".
• a 2022 MacBook Pro (M1 Pro)

I'll see what the M4 Pro or M5 Pro is like. Especially if I can get a little bit more RAM without needing a Max. Perhaps 48?

Edit: Are we really down to just 8% y-o-y for single core increases on the M series? Yikes. That's slower than iPhone progress has ever been, isn't it?

iPhone had some crazy jumps at times, which skews the results a fair bit.

That's an absurd average of 72.6%, or a median of 46.24%.

The A5 is basically nothing, because it's pretty much a dual-core version of the A4. The A6, OTOH, is the first SoC where the CPU design is Apple's, rather than Cortex-based.

In Geekbench 4, the move from A5 to A6 (Cortex to Apple-custom) again skews the result a bit. The average is 56.3%, but the median is still an impressive 50.1%.

But, we see a slow-down starting with A11.

In Geekbench 5, the average is a more reasonable 25.8%, and the median 20%.

Finally, in Geekbench 6, an average of 22%, and a median of again 20%.

If you take just the A14 through A17 Pro (compared to the A13 through A16), the average is just 14.2%.

Which is why I'm curious how many more tricks they have up their sleeves. Are they preparing more significant CPU design changes for the A18, A19, whatever? Or have they hit walls?

 

[profcutter]

Well, first, we're talking Air here. I think most Air customers are very different than "I care about CPU speed" customers. It's different once you get to around $2k and beyond.

But also, 15% y-o-y is, these days, the exception rather than the norm.





I find that the notch doesn't bother me that much in daily use, but it does bug me more than on my iPhone, perhaps because I'm less used to it, but also perhaps because, for high-end apps like IDEs, it does cut off some of the menus. (On the iPhone, it also eats into the status bar, but that's less important. You can always get the full status bar by swiping down Control Center. Æsthetically speaking, the thing about the notch that bothers me on iPhones is when you have a widescreen app such as a game or a video, and the left side has it and the right side doesn't. It's a minor thing, but it's… a bit odd.)

External cameras are inevitably much better, but as far as video conferences with clients go, I find that mine is among the better ones. I find that whole conversation a bit overblown; voice quality and latency probably matter more than how many details of their living room I can make out.



Yeah, fair enough.

I'd say it's a bit of a wash. On the one hand, they're poorer because the grill is less accessible than before. On the other hand, it's more speakers.



I don't separate them, and I've tried to stick to a ~4-year schedule, but the 2016 era really messed that up. I had, in terms of Mac laptops:

• a 2002 iBook
• a 2006 MacBook Pro
• a 2010 MacBook Pro (unibody)
• a 2014 MacBook Pro (retina)
• …crickets. In part because of the neverending 14nm era, in part because of the keyboard. In part because the 2014 was still "good enough".
• a 2022 MacBook Pro (M1 Pro)

I'll see what the M4 Pro or M5 Pro is like. Especially if I can get a little bit more RAM without needing a Max. Perhaps 48?

Hah, good on you. I wonder how many of us skipped the lousy thin, overheating, terrible keyboard era. I had a 2017 for two weeks while apple was fixing my 2013, and I was shocked that it was no faster, and overheated continuously, fans at full blast and bottom uncomfortable to touch. I was so relieved when they went to Apple silicon, with all the compromises that entailed.

 

[ric22]

Well, first, we're talking Air here. I think most Air customers are very different than "I care about CPU speed" customers. It's different once you get to around $2k and beyond.

But also, 15% y-o-y is, these days, the exception rather than the norm.





I find that the notch doesn't bother me that much in daily use, but it does bug me more than on my iPhone, perhaps because I'm less used to it, but also perhaps because, for high-end apps like IDEs, it does cut off some of the menus. (On the iPhone, it also eats into the status bar, but that's less important. You can always get the full status bar by swiping down Control Center. Æsthetically speaking, the thing about the notch that bothers me on iPhones is when you have a widescreen app such as a game or a video, and the left side has it and the right side doesn't. It's a minor thing, but it's… a bit odd.)

External cameras are inevitably much better, but as far as video conferences with clients go, I find that mine is among the better ones. I find that whole conversation a bit overblown; voice quality and latency probably matter more than how many details of their living room I can make out.



Yeah, fair enough.

I'd say it's a bit of a wash. On the one hand, they're poorer because the grill is less accessible than before. On the other hand, it's more speakers.



I don't separate them, and I've tried to stick to a ~4-year schedule, but the 2016 era really messed that up. I had, in terms of Mac laptops:

• a 2002 iBook
• a 2006 MacBook Pro
• a 2010 MacBook Pro (unibody)
• a 2014 MacBook Pro (retina)
• …crickets. In part because of the neverending 14nm era, in part because of the keyboard. In part because the 2014 was still "good enough".
• a 2022 MacBook Pro (M1 Pro)

I'll see what the M4 Pro or M5 Pro is like. Especially if I can get a little bit more RAM without needing a Max. Perhaps 48?



iPhone had some crazy jumps at times, which skews the results a fair bit.

View attachment 2357833

That's an absurd average of 72.6%, or a median of 46.24%.

The A5 is basically nothing, because it's pretty much a dual-core version of the A4. The A6, OTOH, is the first SoC where the CPU design is Apple's, rather than Cortex-based.

View attachment 2357834

In Geekbench 4, the move from A5 to A6 (Cortex to Apple-custom) again skews the result a bit. The average is 56.3%, but the median is still an impressive 50.1%.

But, we see a slow-down starting with A11.

View attachment 2357835

In Geekbench 5, the average is a more reasonable 25.8%, and the median 20%.

View attachment 2357836

Finally, in Geekbench 6, an average of 22%, and a median of again 20%.

If you take just the A14 through A17 Pro (compared to the A13 through A16), the average is just 14.2%.

Which is why I'm curious how many more tricks they have up their sleeves. Are they preparing more significant CPU design changes for the A18, A19, whatever? Or have they hit walls?

Good post 👍🏼

I agree that Air customers are generally not nerding out over CPU gains, but probably appreciate a device that is twice as quick as what they had before. They're also not gaming so probably don't care about GPU performance. As RAM and SSD haven't increased for a while, that takes pretty much all performance out of the equation.

2 iterations of micro gains doesn't seem enough to bother to update. I wouldn't be surprised if the most common reason to buy a new Mac is filling up the tiny SSD on their old one... I know that's what always happens to my relatives 😂

Over on iPhone I was quite happy with the jump from an A13 device to an A17 device- nearly double single core gain and strong gains on multi and GPU, and that was just 4 years. Going forwards gains might be more iterative, which means longer cycles- basically until the battery dies, the device breaks or the user fills up the SSD.

 

[Mainsail]

What have you the impression the M3 Air has better battery life than the M1 Air? Neither Apple's claims nor testing show that...
View attachment 2357775

I'll give you the webcam as a selling point for the new model, as it is appalling on the M1 Air- astonishingly bad.

I stand corrected. I thought I saw it in a review, but I can not find it so my mistake. I checked your data, and it is correct. Wherever I got the numbers, it must not have been an apples to apples comparison.

 

[Rob9874]

Appreciate the discussion about M1 owners upgrading. I thought about getting the M2 when they released, as I liked the form factor, midnight color, and magsafe, but that wasn't enough to upgrade. Told myself I'd wait till the M3. Now the M3 is here, I'm having second thoughts, for much of the reasons listed above. I'm a casual user on my MBA, mainly web browsing. Not sure I need to drop $1299 (I need 512GB hdd) for the minor improvements. Guess I'm waiting another 20 months before considering an upgrade. Might as well ride this M1 into the ground.

 

[lindros2]

Yeah, I guess it is a rumor type thing. But sure was nice to see one company admit that 16GB should be the min.

Windows will not require 16GB RAM.
Win11 only requires 4GB. I run VM's of Win10 with 2GB RAM.

Even though hardware vendors would love this, their woody hardon over AI and AI chips means Windows RAM specs aren't the rage any more.

 

[lindros2]

Appreciate the discussion about M1 owners upgrading. I thought about getting the M2 when they released, as I liked the form factor, midnight color, and magsafe, but that wasn't enough to upgrade. Told myself I'd wait till the M3. Now the M3 is here, I'm having second thoughts, for much of the reasons listed above. I'm a casual user on my MBA, mainly web browsing. Not sure I need to drop $1299 (I need 512GB hdd) for the minor improvements. Guess I'm waiting another 20 months before considering an upgrade. Might as well ride this M1 into the ground.

My family has two M1 MBA, one M1 iPad Pro, I use a work MBP 16" M1 Pro, and just purchased a M2 15" MBA to replace my 2019 MBP 15" i9 which had thermal issues from day 1.

Honestly the M2 Air is no better than the M1 Air. Comparatively, my M1 Pro (w/ 32GB RAM) feels the most sluggish of all since it's plugged into an external display. When it's unplugged, even on low power mode, it feels quicker than the M2 for obvious reason.

The biggest benefit of the M2 over all of them (with M1 MBA a close second) is/are software updates/upgrades.

My corporate-managed work M1 Pro is a nightmare.

 

[lindros2]

Well, first, we're talking Air here. I think most Air customers are very different than "I care about CPU speed" customers. It's different once you get to around $2k and beyond.

But also, 15% y-o-y is, these days, the exception rather than the norm.
...
Finally, in Geekbench 6, an average of 22%, and a median of again 20%.

If you take just the A14 through A17 Pro (compared to the A13 through A16), the average is just 14.2%.

Which is why I'm curious how many more tricks they have up their sleeves. Are they preparing more significant CPU design changes for the A18, A19, whatever? Or have they hit walls?

Based on the number of transistors (now 25 billion, up from 20 billion in the M2), and die size (3nm, headed down to 2nm)... I would argue we're damn near close to a wall.

But NVIDIA, Micron, etc. would have me disagree.

I dunno - 2-3 years from Mac to Mac (mid-90s and maybe mid-aughts) was almost like we were taking massive steps. While raw speed was noticeable, part of it were major changes in MacOS... and SOME of this was/were peripherals - DVD > Blu-Ray; additional floppy storage; more storage bays; network improvements not "Wi-Fi 6E" which is about 10% diff on my home network...

Now you could shove a M1 Air in front of me and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference with a M3 Pro if both were plugged into external displays.

Sure if I was transcoding video I'd notice. But I'm not.

(from Reddit, 4 months ago:
Just tested 15” Air vs M3 Pro, both base. Video transcode from SD ProRes to 4K h264.
Air 5:06, M3 4:59. What a joke.
Also just tried M2 Max 64gb 38 core gpu = 2:52, and M3 Max 48gb 40 core gpu = 2:47)

 

[ric22]

Just tested 15” Air vs M3 Pro, both base. Video transcode from SD ProRes to 4K h264.
Air 5:06, M3 4:59. What a joke.

A base M2 Air equalling an M3 Pro? Hardware decoding?

 

[Tagbert]

…

I find that the notch doesn't bother me that much in daily use, but it does bug me more than on my iPhone, perhaps because I'm less used to it, but also perhaps because, for high-end apps like IDEs, it does cut off some of the menus. (On the iPhone, it also eats into the status bar, but that's less important. You can always get the full status bar by swiping down Control Center. Æsthetically speaking, the thing about the notch that bothers me on iPhones is when you have a widescreen app such as a game or a video, and the left side has it and the right side doesn't. It's a minor thing, but it's… a bit odd.)

…

Does it really cut off the menus or just shift them to the right? I’ve yet to run into an app with enough menus that some don’t show up. Usually if any are shifted to the right is is just the Window and Help menus and those aren’t used much.

 

[chucker23n1]

Does it really cut off the menus or just shift them to the right? I’ve yet to run into an app with enough menus that some don’t show up. Usually if any are shifted to the right is is just the Window and Help menus and those aren’t used much.

It shifts menus to the right, but removes status items altogether if needed.