![]() The 12.9 iPad Pro is 1.5 pounds (sans-keyboard case, mind). The default weight of the 14-inch model is 3.5 pounds. What strikes you first on unboxing the new Pro, however, is the weight. The final port is an HDMI output that supports 8K displays - a first for the MacBook line and an extremely appealing feature for the creator class. But the magnetic detachment is a little extra peace of mind for the clumsier among us (I do claim to be one of these, however), and it frees up the other ports for other, noncharging tasks. It’s worth noting that, in spite of being custom built for the purpose, it actually charges a bit slower than USB-C. It was one of the more beloved features of MacBooks past, and an odd thing to drop along the way. I’m among those who welcomed the return of MagSafe. Here, thankfully, the third sits on the other side. Putting one on either side makes more logical sense in instances where the plugged-in object blocks the second port. One of my highly specific issues with the Air is the decision to place the two USB-C ports on top of each other. Like the Air, the Pro sports a pair of USB-C ports on the left side, just below the MagSafe connector. If you’re a professional photographer (I’m certainly not claiming to be one, mind), I don’t need to tell you how essential a tool it is. A relatively unique set of circumstances, certainly, but it drove home how much I’d missed having a built-in card slot after jumping from the Pro to the Air. My external SD reader had completely given up the ghost sometime between my last in-person event and CES. ![]() I suddenly found myself attempting to navigate the labyrinthian Forums shops at Caesar’s at 8:00 p.m. If, on the other hand, you’re a creator looking for a lot of power on the go, you’ll want to listen up. If you’re more content consumer than creator, there isn’t exactly a load of reasons to make the leap. The MacBook line has tended to be a bit more porous. It’s always been wholly clear that the Mac Pro, for instance, is designed for professionals than regular old consumers. This is, perhaps, a very long-winded way of saying the “Pro” in MacBook Pro is a less nebulous concept than ever before. It’s just that the $800 gulf between the starting price for the M2 Air and M2 Pro MacBook Pro (kind of a mouthful) ultimately doesn’t make a ton of sense for your average user. That isn’t to say such power won’t be required in the future, of course, given the trajectory of computing requirements. For most users, the power gains offer diminishing returns, if you’re not, say, editing multiple 8K videos or rendering 3D. But there’s also a sense in which the company painted itself into a bit of a corner, moving forward. The M1 model has stuck around as the “budget” entry, but the Air was - and continues to be - the best choice for a majority of users.Īfter years of relying on Intel, Apple cracked things wide open in 2020 with the arrival of in-house silicon. With the disappearance of the standard MacBook, the Air has shifted from travel-minded ultraportable to what is effectively the company’s default laptop. Apple’s lineup has ebbed and flowed quite a bit over the years. It’s true that the Air is currently at its point of least compromise, but making a product thin and light has always meant some manner of compromise. In fact, as a line, the Air has always been defined as much by the things it leaves out. Regardless of all the innovations it’s built on top of, no mass-produced computer will please everyone. Even with this month’s arrival of two new Pro models, last year’s Air remains the best mainstream laptop Apple has ever made. Taken as a whole, I don’t think I’ve ever liked an Apple laptop more than I like the 2022 MacBook Air, and I don’t anticipate that changing soon - at least not until the 2023 Air arrives, perhaps. It’s a kind of platonic ideal for the category, and the culmination of key updates to the product line, including the arrival (and upgrade) of Apple silicon and the company’s acceptance that some things ( bad keyboards, Touch Bar) simply weren’t working, no matter how hard it tried. ![]() The M2 Air is as close as Apple has ever come to the perfect MacBook. ![]()
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