Does anyone prefer the design of the M1 Air to the M2?

[CausticSoda]

I absolutely prefer the M1 design! I went to the Mac store to buy the M2 Air but when I went there I compared it with the M1 Air. I abandoned the M2 immediately and purchased a maxed out M1 Air online. I think Apple protested too much about how thin the M2 is when they released it... I watched their stooge reviewers on YouTube and they all seemed to devote a suspicious amount of time to telling us how amazingly thin it was, as instructed by Apple, presumably. The bottom line is that it absolutely does not feel or look thinner. Even comparing the two right next to each other, the thick end of the M1 seems barely any thicker than the whole of the M2. I assume what Apple say about the reduced volume is factually correct, which just shows what a clever design the M1 is. I think Apple realised themselves it looks and feels less thin, so they had their puppets line up to emphasise we are all wrong. I am absolutely delighted I went for a maxed out M1 and I will keep it for as long as possible; no notch as well, of course, as a bonus. My next Air will probably be the model where they lose the notch and my M1 is starting to feel slow. Maybe M5/M6?

 

[CausticSoda]

Yet there are many reports of spontaneous screen cracks for the M1 MacBook Air and none or near enough for the M2 MBA. Making the bezels smaller on the M1 MBA was probably a non-starter because the screen is already too fragile

News to me... "Spontaneous cracks" I doubt very much. My M1 feels very sturdy and I'd have to stand on it or throw it around like a demented idiot to crack the screen.

 

[2ilent8cho]

I prefer the M1 Air design.

Apple should just add MagSafe, call it MacBook and have it as the entry level portable Mac.

on the iPads you have iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro. So do the same on portable Mac's. MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I don't prefer either. I do think the M1 MBA design looks better per se, but it also looks quite dated.

Neither of them holds a stick to the Macbook Retina design, which is still Apples best by far IMHO.

 

[weezin]

I absolutely prefer the M1 design! I went to the Mac store to buy the M2 Air but when I went there I compared it with the M1 Air. I abandoned the M2 immediately and purchased a maxed out M1 Air online. I think Apple protested too much about how thin the M2 is when they released it... I watched their stooge reviewers on YouTube and they all seemed to devote a suspicious amount of time to telling us how amazingly thin it was, as instructed by Apple, presumably. The bottom line is that it absolutely does not feel or look thinner. Even comparing the two right next to each other, the thick end of the M1 seems barely any thicker than the whole of the M2. I assume what Apple say about the reduced volume is factually correct, which just shows what a clever design the M1 is. I think Apple realised themselves it looks and feels less thin, so they had their puppets line up to emphasise we are all wrong. I am absolutely delighted I went for a maxed out M1 and I will keep it for as long as possible; no notch as well, of course, as a bonus. My next Air will probably be the model where they lose the notch and my M1 is starting to feel slow. Maybe M5/M6?

Agreed on all of this!

I prefer the M1 Air design.

Apple should just add MagSafe, call it MacBook and have it as the entry level portable Mac.

on the iPads you have iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro. So do the same on portable Mac's. MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro.

I agree with this as well, but would also want the 12" to come back as a regular "Macbook" (or whatever they want to call it).

I don't prefer either. I do think the M1 MBA design looks better per se, but it also looks quite dated.

Neither of them holds a stick to the Macbook Retina design, which is still Apples best by far IMHO.

Absolutely - the 12" is the best laptop for my purposes bar none. Fix the keyboard, give it Magsafe, pop an M1/2/3/whatever in there, and call it done.

 

[Zest28]

I like the M2 MacBook Air better and that is mainly due to more screen real estate and more ports (the charging port is now seperate so you have 2 ports free all the time).

Not a chance I'm trading in my 13" M2 MacBook Air in for a 13" M1 MacBook Air.

 

[ignatius345]

Absolutely - the 12" is the best laptop for my purposes bar none. Fix the keyboard, give it Magsafe, pop an M1/2/3/whatever in there, and call it done.

This really would be a dream laptop for me as well. Sadly I get the impression Apple now considers the iPad to be their current version of an ultralight "laptop". I'd love to be wrong about that.

 

[jdb8167]

Or perhaps there isn't really an M1 Air screen crack epidemic so to speak - there are more M1 Airs than M2 Airs

News to me... "Spontaneous cracks" I doubt very much. My M1 feels very sturdy and I'd have to stand on it or throw it around like a demented idiot to crack the screen.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/m1-macbook-air-screen-failed-cracked-uk-costs-ideas.2396391/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/lcd-damage-to-macbook-air-with-no-discernable-cause.2396165/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/screen-cracking-on-m1-mba-whats-the-latest.2350185/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/has-apple-addressed-the-m1-screen-issues-in-the-m2.2396795/

There was a post on Apple Support Community with over 900 replies that Apple has apparently deleted. MacBook Air screen crack for no apparent reason.

I've been skeptical of how widespread this issue is because any problem that comes up on an Apple device is always over hyped. But it is certainly a real problem for at least some customers.

Edit: The massive 900 post was linked in another identical support post but clicking on the link brings up the same lost post page as my link above.
My MacBook Air M1 screen cracked for no apparent reason

 

[h.gilbert]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/m1-macbook-air-screen-failed-cracked-uk-costs-ideas.2396391/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/lcd-damage-to-macbook-air-with-no-discernable-cause.2396165/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/screen-cracking-on-m1-mba-whats-the-latest.2350185/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/has-apple-addressed-the-m1-screen-issues-in-the-m2.2396795/

There was a post on Apple Support Community with over 900 replies that Apple has apparently deleted. MacBook Air screen crack for no apparent reason.

I've been skeptical of how widespread this issue is because any problem that comes up on an Apple device is always over hyped. But it is certainly a real problem for at least some customers.

Edit: The massive 900 post was linked in another identical support post but clicking on the link brings up the same lost post page as my link above.
My MacBook Air M1 screen cracked for no apparent reason

I mean I don't have the resources to prove it but I think my point is still valid. If both the M2 and M1 Air suffered a 0.00001% screen crack rate but there were about 3x more M1 Airs in the wild then it would be expected to have more talk about the M1 Air screen issues than M2. And then of course multiple tech review websites would pick it up for clicks and it would snowball. Here's a few reports about M2 Air screen cracking:

https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/11xi2o3
https://www.reddit.com/r/macbook/comments/y0806a
https://www.reddit.com/r/macbook/comments/15dqvlv

My new Macbook Air M2 has a small point c… - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

Internal crack MacBook Air M2 - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

This one with a few other M2 Air owners reporting the same issue:

Cracked Bezel MacBook Air M2 - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

The M1 Air was released in 2020, the M2 Air in 2022. Give it a couple of years for more M2 Air sales and also just more people using their M2 for longer and you might see a similar amount of reports of screen cracking for the M2 Air.

 

[LeafsFanNL]

I moved from a mid 2014 MBP to a 512 GB 2020 M1 MBA. I'll keep this machine until it isn't supported, and as a teacher who is close to retirement, I'm not sure I'll need another.

 

[jdb8167]

I mean I don't have the resources to prove it but I think my point is still valid. If both the M2 and M1 Air suffered a 0.00001% screen crack rate but there were about 3x more M1 Airs in the wild then it would be expected to have more talk about the M1 Air screen issues than M2. And then of course multiple tech review websites would pick it up for clicks and it would snowball. Here's a few reports about M2 Air screen cracking:

https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/11xi2o3
https://www.reddit.com/r/macbook/comments/y0806a
https://www.reddit.com/r/macbook/comments/15dqvlv

My new Macbook Air M2 has a small point c… - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

Internal crack MacBook Air M2 - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

This one with a few other M2 Air owners reporting the same issue:

Cracked Bezel MacBook Air M2 - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

The M1 Air was released in 2020, the M2 Air in 2022. Give it a couple of years for more M2 Air sales and also just more people using their M2 for longer and you might see a similar amount of reports of screen cracking for the M2 Air.

The M2 MacBook Air has been out for 15 months. The initial reports of the M1 problem were very much within the first year. I can't prove that the M1 MBA screen is fragile (and it probably isn't that fragile) but the evidence is there that the M1 screen is more fragile than the M2.

Those posts you show mostly seem to have been caused by physical damage. They bear no resemblance to the spontaneous cracks that appear on the M1 MBA. A couple look like manufacturing defects but most show that something got stuck between the display and keyboard. Anyway, I never claimed that the M2 MBA doesn't get cracked screens just that the apparent spontaneous cracks that the M1 gets doesn't seem to happen on the M2 MBA.

 

[msackey]

I owned two versions of the MBA. The first one I owned was the wedge-shaped one that had curves and flip down ports. The second one I owned was the wedge-shaped one without the curves and no flip down ports.

I guess I don't really miss that design. I still like the form factor of my 13" MacBook Pro touchbar. The current MBA and MBP models are nice, except I don't like the way they designed the feet. On my 13" MBP, the feet curves into the body of the computer whereas the current MBA and MBP feet design is like literally sticking round circular felt furniture pads underneath. An example of what I'm talking about: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Scotch-...ion-Felt-Floor-Pads-4-Pack-SP871-NA/300756304

It really is a bit ugly.

With the exception of the design of the feet, I do like the rest of the design of the current MBA/MBP.

 

[h.gilbert]

The M2 MacBook Air has been out for 15 months. The initial reports of the M1 problem were very much within the first year. I can't prove that the M1 MBA screen is fragile (and it probably isn't that fragile) but the evidence is there that the M1 screen is more fragile than the M2.

Most of the links about M2 Air screen cracking I posted were also within a year of it being released. I don't see the evidence of the M1 screen being more fragile - I see it as a reporting bias becuase there are more M1 Airs out there than M2 Airs.

Those posts you show mostly seem to have been caused by physical damage. They bear no resemblance to the spontaneous cracks that appear on the M1 MBA. A couple look like manufacturing defects but most show that something got stuck between the display and keyboard.

All of those M2 Air users with cracked screen also didn't understand why it cracked so it's just as sponteneuos as with the M1 Air. It might be a different failure mode, which is why it looks different to M1 Air cracks.

Anyway, I never claimed that the M2 MBA doesn't get cracked screens just that the apparent spontaneous cracks that the M1 gets doesn't seem to happen on the M2 MBA.

You did say:

Yet there are many reports of spontaneous screen cracks for the M1 MacBook Air and none or near enough for the M2 MBA.

Look, all I'm saying is that you can't compare the number of online reports about M1 vs M2 Air issues without knowing how many units of each have been sold and then conclude that one has a problem while the other doesn't. I think that's quite a reasonable remark.

 

[derekww]

Nah. Not that I think the M1 is ugly. But the bezel thickness feels primitive in comparison...

I'm an artist and I frame most of my paintings with a mat. Surrounding the subject with negative space elevates the presentation. Likewise, having a bezel helps presenting the screen.

I also prefer the old wedge design. It's more elegant. I choose timeless style over new and fashionable.

 

[Elusi]

I'm an artist and I frame most of my paintings with a mat. Surrounding the subject with negative space elevates the presentation. Likewise, having a bezel helps presenting the screen.

I also prefer the old wedge design. It's more elegant. I choose timeless style over new and fashionable.

They improved on that negative space in a more elegant way with the M2

 

[lezmace]

The wedge shaped MacBook Air was one of Apple (Ives) most iconic design in the whole Notebook history. . .

Also how Steve presented it on stage.

 

[msackey]

The wedge shaped MacBook Air was one of Apple (Ives) most iconic design in the whole Notebook history. . .

Also how Steve presented it on stage.

It was definitely ingenious to present the MBA in an interoffice envelope.

( Also, these days, do Gen Z even know what are interoffice envelopes? Those things aren’t much used these day.)

 

[navaira]

I prefer the M1 Air design.

Apple should just add MagSafe, call it MacBook and have it as the entry level portable Mac.

on the iPads you have iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro. So do the same on portable Mac's. MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro.

The wedge shaped MacBook Air was one of Apple (Ives) most iconic design in the whole Notebook history. . .

Also how Steve presented it on stage.

To me, MacBook Air *is* the wedge design. I wish they called the M2 version "MacBook" – sure, bezels etc., but without the wedge design it just looks like… a thin Apple laptop.

(Sent from my 2.5 year old wedgy M1 Air without any spontaneous screen cracks I have never heard about until I saw this thread)

 

[satchmo]

While I’m not a fan of uneven bezels, I certainly prefer it over the notch on Apple’s current laptops.

I applaud Apple for going with a 1080 cam where most other manufacturers only have 720p. That’s how they’re able to have slimmer bezels.

However my understanding is that the current Air and Pro laptops only house a camera (no FaceTime sensors). So why not give us a tiny punch hole instead of a large notch?

But knowing Apple, a notch exists so there’s visual consistency with the iPhone.

 

[Acronyc]

I like the M2 Air design better now just because it's a bit different. I've had MacBook Airs in various models since 2010, and they have all had wedge designs. Right now I have an M1 so that's going on 14 years of use with the wedge design. I think the M2 design is a nice change. That said, I got a great deal on my 16/256 config M1 and the new design was the only reason I would have gone to the M2, but it wasn't worth the $400 price increase where I live.

 

[Ma2k5]

Speakers are far worse downwards firing - had to return it due to it sounding tinny/distorted on conference work calls if not on the perfect surface.

 

[azentropy]

Yeah I'd like to see the 12" come back, but I don't think that would happen now. However I do think there is a chance that Apple retains the M1 MBA design and renames it the MacBook SE (or just MacBook) in the sub $800 range. Just updates the processor every couple of years. Maybe the the M2 MBA gets a price cut and sticks around longer after the M3's come out, but I think reusing the M1 MBA design fits more to Apple's profile of reusing older designs (like the iPhone SEs, Apple Watch SEs and even the base iPad 5th through 9th gen which was essentially an updated original iPad Air - not the Air 2).

 

[jim0266]

Couch/travel Mac laptop history: PowerBook 5300 > 2010 plastic Macbook > 2012 MBA > 2015 13" MBP > M1 MBA (Base)

I still cannot believe the capabilities of the M1 Air. Purchased new for $700 (after a $50 gift card) about 6 months ago. Six months later I'm using this computer almost daily as it's so light and easy to pick up and carry around the house thanks to the wedge shape. The keyboard to me feels great as well.

Compared to the 2015 MBP it's blistering fast which makes me want to use it.

Thought I would hate not having mag safe but so far it's not an issue.

I didn't see the value in the base M2 Air over the M1. Zero regrets.

 

[jaehaerys48]

The M2 Air's form reminds me of the old polycarbonate MacBooks from the 2000s, so I kinda like it out of a sense of nostalgia. If they release the Air in space black it'd be a great throwback to the black MacBook.

The M1's form looks a bit tired - which is perhaps ironic, as it's a clear evolution of the original Air which came after those aforementioned 2000s MacBooks. I suppose style is cyclical. It's still a nice looking computer but it doesn't look new.

 

[mrmister]

I watched their stooge reviewers on YouTube and they all seemed to devote a suspicious amount of time to telling us how amazingly thin it was, as instructed by Apple, presumably.

It's amazing how conspiratorial people can't understand that people do not need to be "instructed" by Apple.