Yes, in that era when notebooks were generally big bricks, the adoption of wedge-shaped design and the thinnest part of MacBook Air completely changed the rules of the game of notebooks, especially in thin and light industries. Wedge has also become the most iconic design of MacBook Air, which has been used to this day.
It was not until WWDC 22nd that the M2 version of MacBook Air was released.
Completely redesigned around M2 chip.
From the data point of view alone, the width of the M2 version of the MacBook Air is exactly the same as that of the M 1 version of the MacBook Air, but the depth is slightly increased, but it is slightly lighter, which can be understood as the size and weight have hardly changed except for the thickness.
The M 1 version of MacBook Air adopts a wedge-shaped design, and the fuselage is not of equal thickness, but from thick to thin, so the thickness is in a range of 0.41–1.61cm. The M2 version of the MacBook Air has been changed to the same design as the MacBook Pro, with the same thickness, which is 1. 13cm.
Compared with the thinnest part of the M 1 version of the MacBook Air, the M2 version of the MacBook Air is indeed much thicker, but if the average value is calculated, it is about 1mm, which is basically negligible. From the point of grip, I prefer this design with the same thickness as the fuselage. Before using the wedge-shaped MacBook Air, I used to hold the thick side, because the thin side was a bit awkward to hold.
on:m 1 MacBook Air； ; Below: M2 MacBook Air
Of course, from the perspective of identity and inheritance, I am still a little lost. After all, I have used several generations of wedge-shaped MacBook Air. As for some old fruit powders over 10, it is normal for them to be reluctant.
At WWDC 22, Apple said that the new MacBook Air was "completely redesigned" around the M2 chip. This remodeling is actually from the inside out. M2 chip has a larger size, and the configuration of screen, camera and speaker has also been upgraded. Wedges are really difficult to meet the needs of internal stacking.
The changes brought about by the structure and size adjustment of the M2 version of MacBook Air are also reflected in the outside. All the 12 function keys above C are upgraded to full size, including touch ID, and the area is also larger. The positioning accuracy and hand feel are improved compared with the M 1 version of MacBook Air.
In addition, the speaker opening of M2 MacBook Air is also hidden in the rotating shaft of the fuselage. Except for a few interfaces, there are no other openings in the whole fuselage, so it has better waterproof and dustproof performance.
This one in my hand is starlight color, which is one of the new color schemes this time. The previous iPhone and iPad product lines are already available, which is the first time on the Mac. When the M2 version of MacBook Air was released, I saw everyone talking about the midnight YYDS. I originally thought so, but now I have changed my mind when I see the real opportunity of starlight color. It's really beautiful.
If you are going to buy the same 8-core CPU+ 10-core GPU+8GB memory +5 12GB hard disk or higher, then you can choose 35W dual USB for free? C charging head or 67W single USB-C head, I choose the former. You can take one less charging head on business trip, and the volume is relatively small. You can also charge two devices at the same time.
Routine iteration, improvement but not exaggeration.
Although they are all 8-core CPUs, the speed of M2 is 18% higher than that of M 1, and the GPU can choose 10 core, which greatly improves the graphics performance and the speed of M2 is 35% higher than that of M 1.
Of course, these are official data, and how the actual experience is, we still have to test it to know. In order to give you a clearer and more intuitive concept, I also prepared an 8-core CPU+8-core GPU+8GB memory +5 12GB hard disk version M 1 MacBook Air for reference.
In Geekbench 5' s test, the CPU single-core and multi-core scores of M 1 MacBook Air are 1738 and 753 1, while those of M2 MacBook Air are 1930 and 8933, respectively. Single-core scores increased by 1 1%, and multi-core scores increased by 65438+.
In the running score of GFXBench, which mainly tests the performance of GPU (I take all integers), the off-screen scores of 4K and 1440p Aztec ruins (high-rise) of M 1 MacBook Air are 35FPS and 80FPS, respectively, while those of M2 MacBook Air are 47FPS and 9 1FPS, with an increase of/kloc-0.
Among the two benchmark performance testing softwares, CPU and GPU, the M2 version of MacBook Air achieved the same results as the official data, and Apple really didn't bully me.
In addition to running scores, I also tested the video rendering performance of M2 MacBook Air. Considering that M2 chip has a higher bandwidth media codec engine and the hardware acceleration function of ProRes coding, I chose 4K H.264 coding and 4K ProRes coding video for testing, both of which are 10 minutes long. The software is iMovie that comes with MacOS.
The results show that the rendering time of 4K H.264 video of M 1 MacBook Air is 12 minutes and 32 seconds, while that of M2 MacBook Air is only 4 minutes and 22 seconds. The rendering time of 4K ProRes video of M 1 MacBook Air is 19 minutes and 38 seconds, while the rendering time of M2 MacBook Air is still 4 minutes and 22 seconds, which is exactly the same as that of 4K H.264 It can be seen that M2 chip has improved the encoding and decoding performance of ProRes video.
It is not difficult to infer that although there are still some problems in size and versatility, Apple is bound to promote the ProRes format to the end.
In the aspect of fever, a round of running test and video rendering test were carried out with M2 MacBook Air. In the room of 25, the highest temperature of C-plane keyboard area was 42.3, and the touchpad was 34.8. The highest temperature in the C-plane keyboard area of M 1 MacBook Air is 43.6, and the touchpad is 32.9, which are basically the same.
On the whole, compared with M 1, M2 has definitely improved, but the extent is not as exaggerated as the transition from Intel platform to M 1 platform, and more is the improvement of daily experience and efficiency, such as higher video rendering efficiency per unit time, higher and more stable frame rate when playing games, and so on.
A number of peripheral configuration experiences have been fully upgraded.
As mentioned earlier, the M2 version of MacBook Air has been completely redesigned around the M2 chip. This bonus is not only reflected in the core configuration level, but also includes many peripheral configuration upgrades, including screens.
The screen of the M2 version of MacBook Air is 0.3 inches larger than that of the M 1 version of MacBook Air. In addition, the black edges of the left, right and upper borders become narrower. From the visual effect, it is still slightly larger. However, due to the use of the same bangs screen as 14/ 16-inch MacBook Pro, in many interfaces, the redundant display area serves the menu and toolbar, or is blacked out together with the Liu Haikuan area, so the improvement of the effective display area is really limited.
In terms of display effect, the liquid retina screen does look brighter and more saturated. In addition, the screen brightness of the M2 version of MacBook Air is higher than that of the M 1 version of MacBook Air 100 nits. In terms of perception, especially in the case of bright ambient light, it is still relatively comfortable on the whole.
In addition, the camera resolution of the M2 version of MacBook Air has also been upgraded from 720P of the M 1 version of MacBook Air to 1080P, which obviously improves the definition of both Facetime and video conferencing. I think this upgrade is very valuable when the epidemic is not over and home offices and online meetings become the norm.
In addition to video, its audio system has also been upgraded. Not only has the number of speakers been upgraded to four, but whether using speakers or connecting AirPods series, M2 MacBook Air supports spatial audio function when playing Dolby panoramic music or video. Using AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, dynamic head tracking can be realized, greatly improving the audio-visual experience.
From my listening sense, the M2 version of MacBook Air is superior to the M 1 version of MacBook Air in loudness, transparency and sense of space, especially in the vocal part, which has the feeling that the protagonist is speaking in front of me.
Left: M2 MacBook Air；; ; Right: M 1 MacBook Air
Write it at the end
After several days' experience, my suggestion is that if you use the M 1 version of MacBook Air, you don't need to upgrade, especially if you don't think its performance is insufficient. On the other hand, if you are still using the MacBook series based on Intel platform, then don't hesitate. Believe me, the M2 version of MacBook Air is not your old MacBook Air.
Of course, if you don't require so much performance, or like the classic wedge design, the M 1 version of MacBook Air from 1500 yuan is still worth choosing, and its performance and experience are more than enough to meet most daily needs.
Looking back on the development of MacBook Air 10, we can feel Apple's persistence and helplessness. They always want to provide users with the best notebook products, but in the past, limited by the performance and power consumption of Intel platforms, it was always difficult to achieve a perfect balance between thinness and performance. Until 2020, Apple made up its mind to launch M 1 series chips, which changed the notebook and even the whole PC industry again.
It is not difficult to speculate from the M2 version of MacBook Air that the design and development of Apple's subsequent Mac product line will focus on M series chips. Although the MacBook Air will still be light and thin, performance and configuration will not bring any constraints to it.
If the MacBook Pro with M 1 Max chip is the most productive notebook at present, then the M2 version of MacBook Air is the best thin notebook at present, and it is the best equipment for most users to work on the move.