Apple added two new laptops to its range last night. They are beautiful machines, but the range of MacBooks has become a mess in 2022. They are too close in price.
The range of MacBooks is confusing in 2022
About a year and a half ago I bought the MacBook Air with M1 chip. It’s by far the best laptop I’ve ever owned. It’s fast, has a great screen and doesn’t make any noise due to the lack of a fan. At home I hang it on a 4K display and I also have a very decent desktop.
Yesterday, Apple announced its successor: the MacBook Air 2022. The device received the expected improvements: thinner screen edges, a (slightly) faster M2 chip, a sharper webcam and MagSafe to charge it with. There is little to fault about the device. Except for the price. The entry-level model costs 1519 euros. With the M1 model, that was still 1129 euros.
The price difference is not entirely Apple’s fault. High inflation also affects the computer industry. ‘My’ M1 model is still for sale, but now costs 1219 euros. Almost two-year-old computers are usually discounted. Now you pay 90 euros more for it. That’s a bit of a swallow.
Air and Pro are creeping towards each other in price
The difference between the old and new MacBook Air at Apple is therefore exactly 300 euros. That’s a lot of money in this price range. At many other stores, the old Air is currently for sale for less than 1000 euros. The new model is beautiful, but certainly not worth 500 euros extra.
Of course you pay even more if you want to upgrade the machine. I paid 1629 euros for the M1 model with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. If I want to equip the M2 model with the same configuration, it will cost me a whopping 2099 euros.
So a difference of 470 euros. However, my point is not so much that the new MacBook Air is too expensive, but that it is so close to the 14-inch MacBook Pro 2021 in price. For the entry-level model of that laptop you pay 2249 euros and then you also have 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.
The difference in this case is therefore only 150 euros. For that you get a faster M1 Pro chip, a much nicer mini-LED display with ProMotion, even thinner screen edges and more ports to connect peripherals. Who would then opt for a MacBook Air 2022 with upgrades? Unless you attach great importance to the somewhat lower weight, the Pro is simply a better buy.
What is the purpose of the MacBook Pro with M2 chip?
Still, of all the MacBooks that Apple will offer in 2022, the new Air isn’t even the most dubious. That honor goes to the ‘new’ 13-inch MacBook Pro. We put new ones in brackets because the design now belongs in the museum. The device also runs on the M2 chip, but nothing else has changed. Or rather: the price indeed. You now pay at least 1619 euros instead of 1449 euros.
Why this device is still in the range at all is a mystery to me. It is less compact than the Air, not as fast as the higher-ranking Pro models and is the only one that still has the old-fashioned Touch Bar and thick screen bezels. In addition, it is 100 euros more expensive than the MacBook Air. Incidentally, that is only the case if you are satisfied with the entry-level model of the Air that has 8 graphic cores. As soon as you opt for the full M2 chip (with 10 graphic cores), the Pro is suddenly 20 euros cheaper. Do you still get it?
Apple’s own M chips have undoubtedly made MacBooks a lot more attractive than they were a few years ago. But the current collection of laptops that the company offers is especially confusing.
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