Is the M2 MacBook Air doomed to fail?
Why I ignored YouTubers and bought the 256GB SSD model
Oh my word, the drama!
I love a bit of benchmark testing as much as the next person but in the real world, what really matters is how it feels to use the product.
I wasn’t going to write or make a video about this but so many people were asking me why I chose the 256GB SSD drive version, given all the “noise” that people on YouTube seem to be making about this specific configuration.
I am not disparaging or dismissing the good work that some of the big YouTube channels do in testing and benchmarking of Apple products; I really think it helps people when making a purchasing decision.
What these channels don’t seem appreciate — in my opinion — is that only a tiny percentage of people will notice these so-called issues that they seem to be flagging.
In one example I watched, it was quoted that the 256GB SSD drive on the M2 MacBook Pro was 15 seconds slower than that of the the 512GB version.
And we can argue ‘till cows come home’ here but realistically, that really is not significant.
So my honest recommendation is to only get the 512GB or higher if you really appreciate the convenience of having local storage over the performance — and I put my money where my mouth is — that 256GB is the spec I bought with my M2 MacBook Air!
But here’s the thing that I also believe is brushed aside in such videos:
512GB or even 1TB is much of a ‘muchness’. That 1TB space can go really quickly, especially if you’re generating many high quality images or videos.
I just find it a little bit irresponsible to say that the 256GB SSD is so much slower than the 512GB and is pretty much a no-go for customers.
One thing that no one seems to be mentioning is that application developers haven’t really had a chance to optimise their apps for the M2. Of course that is not much of a jump from the M1, but it is a change nonetheless.
It wasn’t long ago that even Apple apps such as Final Cut Pro were struggling with the M1 chip. I saw that first hand with my workflow when using the M1 Pro MacBook Pro.
So I think it’s a little premature to be comparing something like Adobe apps and saying that the 512GB model is the one to go for, purely based on how Adobe Lightroom performed.
Computing is simpler with Apple Silicon, but the foundations of how memory is managed are still the same.
It’s rather simple: Apps need memory to run. MacOS needs enough internal storage to manage those apps by using swap memory when memory gets busy.
But even in that scenario, we are talking four to five pro apps running at the same time, with some high intensive processing like RAW photos, 4K videos, 3D modelling and the such.
If your workflow is nowhere near that level of multitasking and high graphic intensity then even the base model will be just fine. More than just fine!
Why is it important to keep the internal SSD free of clutter?
The only upgrade I’d recommend — I know this is a broad brush — if you plan to run some heavier graphic intensive apps like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro is the memory.
I’d go to 16GB RAM as the only upgrade.
With a caveat. Keep your SSD free of clutter. And why is that?
It is my belief that some of these upgrades are designed to get you to spend more money with Apple. I base this on my recent purchases and a great example was the M1 iPad Pro with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Yes, I fell for that!
And I’ve also proven with my own workflow that editing 4K, 10 bit and ProRes videos is entirely possible with a fast, affordable external SSD drive.
Something like this will help you keep the internal SSD free of clutter and let MacOS manage the memory like it’s supposed to, internally. And this is ultimately what will help you keep the M2 MacBook Air running faster. No drama needed!
Is Apple being greedy with the upgrade options?
16GB of RAM is definitely good enough to let you run multiple apps and have some headroom should you need it. The 8GB model is mainly for lighter use cases, where multitasking with high intensity apps is not needed and make no mistake, pro apps can absolutely run on much less than 8GB and perform very well.
As long as MacOS can manage memory well and as long as there aren’t many other heavier apps running at the same time as an intensive process such as exporting RAW photo edits.
Why am I not recommending the 24GB or 1TB? Mainly because of the cost!
When you add those upgrades you start to get close to the M1 MacBook Pro prices. And I just think it’s way too early to recommend those upgrades.
Do you prioritize mobility OVER performance?
So unless you are really ‘sold’ on the form factor of the M2 MacBook Air or perhaps you can’t wait for those first reviews to come in, then I’d say waiting is the best option for you. Waiting means you will be able to make a better informed decision in two to three weeks time when the initial real-world reviews start to come in.
In other words, if the M2 MacBook Air with those upgrades completely outperforms M1 MacBook Pro by a large margin, then spending that extra cash might be the way to go.
Especially if you are looking to get the best of both worlds with mobility and performance.
I will be comparing those as soon as I get mine. I will specifically be testing video editing but I appreciate that you might not care about that, so I am accepting suggestions.
Let me know what you’d like to see me test or compare when I get my M2 MacBook Air. I ordered pretty much the base model, with that 16GB being the only upgrade for me.
I have to be pragmatic too. Perhaps the 256GB model is not going to be for you, but that’s only if your workflow requires you to do high performance tasks such as export dozens, if not hundreds, of high definition images in RAW format. Whilst at the same time running other three or four pro apps!
In that scenario the 512GB SSD might be the better option, but again, if budget is a concern I’d wait for the first couple of software upgrades and reviews to come in.
This is because these benchmark videos on YouTube are not very realistic in my opinion.
Even the ones that show apps being open and photos being edited; They all seem to be the same photo or the same footage. It is better than nothing but I don’t think it emulates a ‘real user’ on the machine.
As I mentioned earlier, Adobe for example is renowned for being slow in their development when it comes to Apple silicon.
I’ve actually had to move away from Adobe because of reliability issues on the M1 chip.
So I’d not be surprised if those so called ‘major’ issues or ‘SSDGate’ are simply software optimisation issues. I am not discounting that there could be a limitation with that SSD, but I keep going back to the real world examples and how people use the machines.
And frankly, if all you have to is to close some apps or browser tabs when you are doing something a little more intensive like exporting 4K videos or lots of RAW images, I’d say it’s a fair compromise.
But if you see this as an issue because you do need to multitask and do those exports really frequently, then let’s face it, is the M2 MacBook Air really the best option for you? I’d say the MacBook Pro would be way to go here.
These are exciting times, no doubt. I can’t wait to get my hands on mine and do some proper reviews but what I am doing and and I suggest you do the same is to try and keep your decision as logical as possible with some practical examples.
And most importantly, weighing up what really matters to you.
