{"id":41343,"date":"2023-12-07T15:12:56","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T20:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=41343"},"modified":"2023-12-07T15:13:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T20:13:38","slug":"the-macbook-air-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/07\/the-macbook-air-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"The MacBook Air Gap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joe Rosensteel<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Why do I care about the “Pro” chip so much? Despite the name the Pro is really the middle chip, but there’s no middle laptop for it. The base M2 and M3 can be configured with more RAM (to a point) but they can’t be configured with extra ports, or even drive more than one external display. They’re not like pokey Centrino chips — they do have the ability to perform — but they are inflexible for certain workflows that require additional connectivity, like dual displays.<\/p>

It’s pretty easy to argue that dual displays is a high-end feature, and thus demands a $1999 or more computer, but that wasn’t true of Apple’s Intel-based laptops. It has always felt like a regression to me since the introduction of the first M1 chips, and it’s not something apple wanted to correct in the M2 or M3.<\/p>

[…]<\/p>

If the base M chips could work with dual displays in clamshell mode it would be a no-brainer and I would get the 15” MacBook Air.<\/p>

[…]<\/p>

That means there’s a price umbrella between $1499 (15” M2 MBA 8\/512 GB) and $2499 (16” M3 Pro MBA 18\/512 GB). A thousand dollars where the only thing that can fill that gap is custom RAM and SSD sizes, no chip variation at all.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Mike Rockwell<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

My recommendation for almost anyone that wants a desktop Mac now is to get a Mac Mini and an external display. You could get a Mac Studio or a Mac Pro, but if you’re the kind of person that needs the additional performance or connectivity, you already know that the Mac Mini isn’t enough for you.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Unlike the iMac and MacBook Air, even the base Mac mini can support two large displays. And the Mac mini also has an option for a Pro processor.<\/p>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n