I am refusing to part with my M1 air over this. I really like how it feels and how easy the device is to grab. I wish Apple reintroduced it. What do you think?
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Do you think the wedge design will ever return?
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It's possible, but certainly not anytime soon. They just changed it to an overall design that is significantly better and uniform with the rest of the lineup.
Is it “significantly better” though? I concede it looks better. And it has an additional port after accounting for charging, which can be useful.
But – and this might be a minority opinion – Jony Ive really nailed the ergonomics and functionality of most of his products, even as they flew in the face of the prevailing concerns of every era (most notably by dropping ports and prioritising lightness and slimness).
So the wedge-shaped MacBook Air, for example, was comfortable to type on, easy to pick up from a table, and amazingly packable in a bag. Pretty important benefits for this kind of product. The 11-inch Intel MacBook Air weighed 1.08 kg – astonishingly, a lot lighter than any of today’s MacBook Airs powered by far more efficient Apple Silicon.
no.
and the reason i say that is because the wedge design is from the jony ive era of design.
once cook managed to finally squeeze jony out, he turned to a different school-of-thought (and younger) designers and hence the current flatter more uniform shapes of devices we have today.
steve and jony got along famously - with cook, not so much.
anyway, that's my take on it …
ps. my wife has the last of the intel airs and she refuses to update to the newer design, so you have an ally there
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Agreed. We might yet see another wedge, Ive or not. Though the fashion cycles are long – many years.
Not sure what you mean. The M2 Air has battery cells under the keyboard. See the x-ray on this page:
M2 MacBook Air Teardown | iFixit News
Video teardown of the M2 MacBook Air—with battery specs and details, mystifyingly meager heat management, and some snazzy X-rays!
www.ifixit.com
Not sure what you mean. The M2 Air has battery cells under the keyboard. See the x-ray on this page:
M2 MacBook Air Teardown | iFixit News
Video teardown of the M2 MacBook Air—with battery specs and details, mystifyingly meager heat management, and some snazzy X-rays!
My bad, was thinking "trackpad" but typed "keyboard" for some reason. MacBook Pro takes advantage of the chassis design by putting two cells under the trackpad, but MBA doesn't.
Unlikely. The new/current design offers more benefits in terms of the engineering because, with being a rectangular cuboid, components can be arranged in a uniform fashion that maximises volume. The wedge design was largely driven by aesthetic had little functional benefit; even the battery had to be 'terraced' just to fit into the wedge.
I still think Apple could re-use it for a "MacBook SE". Apple loves to re-purpose older designs for entry level products (iPhone SE, Apple Watch SE, even the entry level iPad for years was the original iPad Air design). If Apple is serious about wanting a more entry level MacBook (say sub $800), the older MacBook Air form factor would be perfect for that. Just update the internals every couple of years or so.
The MBP case is thicker so there is space beneath the trackpad for battery, but the MBA case is so thin that there is no extra space there.
I understand that, but what was the point in making M2 MBA chassis thicker to begin with? It's thicker than the M1 wedge, but not thick enough to put a battery under the trackpad.
As I said originally, the current MBA design is for aesthetics only to match MBP.
I totally prefer the wedge
I think they've lost all of what made the Air .. .the "Air"... with this redesign.
It's really a shame
I think they've lost all of what made the Air .. .the "Air"... with this redesign.
It's really a shame
I had that machine too. The move to the M1 was like night and day, it was so much better. Same design, triple the battery life and feels twice as fast. If she ever gets a chance to upgrade, it's well worth it.
The recent MBA is thinner than the wedge MBA except at the front where the older case tapered. There was not room for battery in that wedge either.
I don’t think that there is a strong reason to try to put more battery under the trackpad. The battery life is excellent as it is. Adding more battery would likely add more weight but not provide much incremental value.
100% agree. My M1 MBA is running strong, see no need to replace it for at least another 2 years, and it will not be replaced with the current design ...
I think part of the reason to part with the wedge was the 15" MBA, wedge design for that, I'm not sure about it ...
I prefer the new shape. Your M1 is still great with many years left so maybe it will come full circle.
That doesn't answer why the shape of M2 MBA chassis became rectangular. Why not make the M2 MBA thinner at the palm rest area like M1 MBA?
Specs indicate M2 MBA battery pack weighs 254g with 52.6 Whr. Apple could have added a 20% larger battery while maintaining the same weight as M1 MBA. I doubt anybody would suggest that offers zero value.
The only reason for not putting additional cells under the trackpad is M2 MBA battery life would start cannibalizing MBP features.
she hates change - which kinda explains why we're still together after all these years 🤓
Tech forums tend to be dominated by men, - which means that what one reads (and sees), tends to reflect the male experience or preference in the area of tech, but, in my experience, an awful lot of women (your humble scribe included) loved (and love) that (original) MBA design, as it was powerful, portable (very portable), looked great, and worked perfectly without giving any trouble.
I'm starting to consider whether I would upgrade to an M3 air when it comes out, but I'm also not a super fan of the flatter design. Those of you who are fans of the new design, do you own one and previously owned a wedge Air? I see a lot of opinions, but not necessarily first-hand experience. At the store I'm not convinced, but that's not the same as using it for a few months.
Agree that it is personal preference irrespective of gender, but, I am willing to wager that you will find that a great many women (who are not as prominent, nor as vocal, as men, on tech platforms), loved the (original) MBA for its power, portability, reliability and aesthetic, and bought it in large numbers.
Moreover, it should be clear from the volume of sales alone (of the classic MBA), that its market wasn't confined to simply college students.
And, anecdotally, on these threads, you will find a good many chaps writing that their wives, or significant others, had loved the MBA.