A workhorse for consumers, Apple's new 15-in. M2 MacBook Air.

 

Can a 15-inch MacBook Air handle running your business? I've been using one for almost a week, and I believe the majority of people can. It offers everything that the current M2 MacBook Air does well, but with a larger screen and a more affordable pricing.

Outside the norm

You may anticipate the typical Apple "wow" factor right out of the box. The Midnight 512GB model I tested is 0.45 in. thin, 3.3 lb., and looks amazing, however I have a slightly compulsive tendency of wiping my fingers off the chassis. (This particular model costs $1,499.)

Even the packaging tells a tale. Apple continues to make efforts to lessen its influence on the environment, thus it has mostly given up on using plastic for packaging. Instead, ingenious paper tabs, glue, and highly effective design elements adapted from origami are now often used in Apple's packaging.This is significant because it allows businesses that buy a lot of these devices to immediately profit from satisfying environmental and CSR goals due to the increasing usage of recycled components, long battery life, and low power consumption.

Speedy and power-saving

Because it is a Mac, the computer inside the box runs macOS, connects nicely with the larger Apple ecosystem, and emulates Windows using third-party Parallels software. On these devices, you can run different Linux distributions in VM mode if you'd like.

The M2 Apple Silicon processor is found in the MacBook Air. Although it is the entry-level chip in the M2 lineup, it has a lot of power. According to Geekbench tests, you are outperforming an M1 Max Mac Studio or a 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro in terms of single-core performance.

The M2 MacBook Air still outperforms the late 2019 2.7GHz Mac Pro and iMac Pro when it comes to multi-core performance, however things have changed.

Low power needs allow you to receive all this performance while lowering your electricity costs. According to Apple, the battery may last up to 18 hours while maintaining its power. The Air was still ready to go when I returned to it after leaving it for a few days.

To put this in context, here is one more statistic: Apple's 16-inch Intel Core i9 MacBook Pro debuted in late 2019. The capabilities of that Mac astounded me. It produced multi-core performance of 6,341 on Geekbench. The 15-inch MacBook Air achieves 9,593—on a home computer.

This is a striking example of the brilliance of Apple Silicon, which allows Apple to redefine performance on Macs with each new version. You are getting professional performance from a consumer gadget, no denying it.

Some users may require more

There are a few concessions. The device's 15.3-in. Liquid Retina display is a notable consumer feature. Do not misunderstand me; it is a fantastic, sizable display with P3 wide colour and support for 1 billion colours. It has lots of workspace, is pleasant to look at, and has vibrant, satisfying colours.

However, this is not the reference display XDR output you receive in a MacBook Pro, and it makes no claim to be. So, if your task requires the greatest display available, you should either consider going Pro or using this Mac with an external display. My LG 4K display was easily driven by it using one of its USB-C ports.

Slots, did someone say? There are only two USB-C ports on these Macs, which could be a deal-breaker if you need to use a lot of external devices. That's not a significant concession for the majority of us, but some enterprise pros might prefer more I/O options.

The Mac does come with a lovely woven MagSafe cable, however it does not have an SD card slot or an HDMI connector. When someone slips over your cable while passing by your desk, don't undervalue the value of MagSafe since even though the cable will come out, your Mac won't fall with it.

Whether you use a Mac for professional or personal purposes, you'll mostly use the trackpad and keyboard of the device. The good news is that these are fantastic, especially given that Apple has abandoned its butterfly keyboard experiment. The significantly sized (and sensitive) trackpad is one of my favourite features, and the keys are comfortable and quick.

Moreover, the six-speaker audio system is excellent. It's an AI-optimized audio delivery unit that sounds terrific whether you're sitting down to listen to classic Morcheeba recordings or brainstorming ideas in Webex and Freeform (which comes with the Mac). There's nothing little or tinny about the sound it produces.

A resourceful machine

There are many other great features on this Mac, but the integration with other Apple products is particularly noteworthy. It means that if you use an iPad, it can serve as a second screen or that the trackpad and keyboard on your Mac can be used on an iPad. If you have an iPhone, you can quickly connect your Mac to the internet anyplace your Apple smartphone can receive a data connection, use it as a webcam, and make calls from your Mac.