The M2 Line-up.

Hello there,

A second article in less than 24 hours? Well, I have a maths exam on Monday (tomorrow) and I will do everything in my power to procrastinate. Anyway, this is the third issue of my WWDC 2022 coverage. You can check out all the previous issues pertaining to WWDC here. Anyway, this issue is going to be all about the M2 Chip that Apple launched, and the two new MacBooks they launched alongside the chip. Let’s get started.

The M line of processors was adopted in November 2020. For a layman, it is just a chip that controls your PC. But you know what, there is more to it than that. For ages, Apple has used Intel’s chip. The same chip that had many performance and efficiency issues. Apple needed to come up with a solution, right? So, Apple developed their in-house chip called the M1. The unique part of this silicon chip is that it houses the RAM, the GPU, and the CPU- all in one unit, which makes this thing inevitably powerful and efficient. This was bleeding-edge technology and Apple disrupted the entire market with its introduction. It has been over 18 months since the first iteration of the SoC, so Apple launched a second, more advanced edition. This chip has about 20b transistors which allow it to deliver 18% better performance levels in terms of efficiency and also allow it to make a 35% leap in graphic performance when compared to the M1. Apple launched two laptops with this chip during their event: The MacBook Air and The MacBook Pro.

Let’s start with the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air is probably the best value-for-money laptop out there. Apple’s MacBook Air was ranked as the world’s best-selling laptop last year! And I can only expect this 2022 model to be the same. The MacBook Air has had a complete redesign, including some very fundamental changes. Ever since the first MacBook Air launched, all of them have been shaped like a wedge- the top of the body being thick, which got thinner as you progressed. But this time, it’s different. Apple has made the entire laptop flat. As flat as the MacBook Pro! They introduced a new display, a new keyboard, and a better camera with a better chip! The MacBook Air now comes with a larger, 13.6” screen with a liquid retina screen with support for 1b colours. The MacBook Air also gets the MagSafe charging port with support for faster charging! The keyboard has also been revamped. The better finish gives more key travel, allowing the user to get a more comfortable typing experience. The keyboard also gets a better TouchID sensor which makes your MacBook’s security system faster and more reliable. The webcam has also been upgraded from 720p to 1080p, allowing for better video quality on calls under any lighting conditions. The MacBook also gets a three-mic array which improves your microphone performance significantly. The speaker system has also been upgraded for spatial audio support. Apple claims that with all of this, your MacBook is 15x faster than the Intel version of the MacBook Air and up to 1.4x faster than the previous generation M1. The new chip allows this laptop to get a good solid 8 hours of battery life on regular usage. This update is wonderful,  and what makes it even better are the colours. The MacBook Air now comes in 4 colours; Starlight (like Rose-Gold), Silver, Space Grey and Midnight (really dark navy blue). Personally, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go with the Midnight model because of how it would decolourise unevenly over the years. The MacBook is also really thin now! Just 11.3mm! Anyway, this update is not only bells and whistles. The laptop now costs $1199 in the US and approximately INR 1,19,990 in India. This is $200, or INR 20,000 more than the initial M1 MacBook Air. Apple knows this and is choosing to continue the previous M1 Air for those who cannot stretch their budgets. If you ask me, the extra 200 dollars are worth it.

Now, let’s go to the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro is really controversial. Apple has made literally no changes to the MacBook Pro other than the new chip! We get the same design as the older MacBook Pro which honestly looks dated in 2022. We get fat-bezels with a relatively low-resolution webcam and we don’t even get the updated display! We still have the dysfunctional touch bar and we don’t get the new charging port! Everything is a mess here. To be honest, I may sound like a critic but this MacBook has nothing wrong with it, the classic design isn’t bad. It's just that it doesn’t seem worth the extra money anymore because the MacBook Air offers the same level of performance with better features at the same price level. I don’t get why people would want to opt for this laptop, it honestly doesn't make sense. The only thing the Pro has over the Air is the longer battery life and sustained performance.

Apple pulled out a classic card. They just gave this new MacBook Pro a face-lift because they may have anticipated higher demand for the M1 Pro 2020 but, the demand wasn’t as high as anticipated so they were left with loads of unused chassis. Instead of disposing of millions worth of stock, they just made minor improvements and launched the M2 Pro. This is understandable from the operative perspective, but it makes no sense to buy this laptop from the consumer’s POV. For people who are thinking that the M2 gives sustained levels of performance, why go for the baseline MacBooks? You should try the 14” inch MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro processor rather than the M2 MacBook Pro. Confusing? Well in simple terms, I would personally recommend everyone to go with the M2 Air instead of the M2 Pro. Here is a simple chart made by MKBHD for comparison.

Yeah, in short, that is all the hardware Apple launched at WWDC. If you ask me, I am still in awe of the new MacBook Air. It is really groundbreaking and Apple is doing some real innovation there. The one thing I have noticed is that Apple is actually listening to consumers and developing all their products based on our needs. From what I understand, previously, Apple was a product-oriented business that asked users to adapt to what they built. But in recent years, they have changed this approach and their products now are based on what the consumers want and need!

Anyway, I’ll just summarise everything that happened in the tech world this week! Apple raised the prices of Apple Music for student subscribers in the US, UK and Canada. Chrome for iOS is getting updates to make it more secure. And the biggest headline— the Nothing Phone (1). This took the tech community by storm. I would love to talk about it but honestly, the article is already a little over the top. So stay tuned, I will be launching an article shortly covering the new phone Nothing launched and I will also be discussing watchOS 9 in detail :)

I know I am asking for too much in terms of patience when it comes to the new watchOS but this is nothing compared to the patience my parents have shown in regards to my grades ;) Anyway, I hope you liked the article as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stay tuned, and don’t forget to update your devices.

Cheers,
Tejas Tagra
6,138 days old