The latest MacBook Air doesn’t seem to have a lot to bring to the table — at least, that’s what tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee seems to think. But what were his main criticisms of the new Apple product?
The biggest and most important update the new MacBook has to offer is the inclusion of Apple’s M3 chip; something which has already been introduced in the iMac and MacBook Pros already. The new chip is faster and more efficient compared to the previous M2 and according to MacRumors the M3 outperforms it “by about 17% in single-core tasks and 21% in multi-core tasks.” The GPU was also measured to be around a 15% improvement over the M2.
The only other change worthy of note was the anodization on the outside designed to prevent fingerprints being left on the surface when it’s picked up. So overall, the changes do bring an improvement when compared to the MacBook Air with the M2 chip.
Marques Brownlee’s issues with the MacBook Air explained
The MacBook Air has long been seen as an entry level computer for those who have never used a Mac before; they’re frequently used for regular internet browsing, watching videos, streaming, and playing music. Brownlee’s issue is that most people who buy a MacBook Air won’t even notice the benefits that the M3 offers, such as higher graphics, ray tracing and whatnot. Besides, people can play triple A games on their phones now.
It might be better than the previous generation, but the increase in price doesn’t justify what you get. In his video, Brownlee argues that most people who use MacBook Airs wouldn’t really notice a difference between one with an M3 chip and one with an M2 chip or even an M1 chip. The M3 is around $1099 whereas the M2 is $999 — also, Apple has discontinued MacBook Airs with M1 chips, but they are still available to buy in some places like Walmart for under $700. When you take this into account, the regular user could end up paying a higher price for benefits they won’t really notice.
Also, that price for the M3 is only for the base spec; if you want more RAM or storage, Apple’s markups on the higher specs are incredibly high, so you could end up paying over $2000 for a MacBook Air that has more than the bare minimum. This is another thing that Brownlee criticizes Apple for, considering the company knows that customers can’t upgrade the product. So if they want something that has longevity, they’re going to pay for the upgrades, and Apple is making them pay through the nose for it. Doesn’t Apple make enough money already?
Brownlee admits that the new MacBook’s powerful chip allows users to do a lot more stuff that would typically require a bigger computer, such as a desktop. However, if a person is just looking to do basic stuff with a computer, then they’d be better off getting the MacBook Air M2 (or even the M1), which is a lot cheaper than the base spec M3. Oh, and he also wasn’t a fan of the anodized surface, as he showed fingerprints could still be left on it.
So in the end, it all depends on what you’re using your MacBook Air for; if it’s only regular use then you could go with an older model. If it’s more high end stuff then it works, but it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg thanks to Apple’s exorbitant prices.