this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2023
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Although I think this is a cool new technology and Apple could implement this.
I would argue 99% of the userbase for the macbook air wouldn't actually care. This laptop has always been the laptop for word processing, basic web browsing and just normal day to day computer usage. This laptop was never meant to handle long renders or any tasks that require 20+min of constant 100% load dumping heat into the system.
For the 99% of userbase for the macbook air, the passive cooling is plenty sufficient. Apple sacrificed cooling that wouldn't really affect the majority of air user anyways for lighter weight, thinner device, cleaner built and absolute silence. For the user that the air is targeted for, these sacrifices are well justified.
I believe this technology would be very nice to be implemented in a new 13in macbook pro of some kind. Small laptop able to handle long load with some "pro" features (promotion, etc). But it's unnecessary for the air as the majority of its userbase would never see those benefits.
I personally own a 13in M1 air, for what I do with it, it never needs more cooling than it has now and I would happily trade the potentially more cooling for the benefits listed above. I also have a full PC for when I need more power.
I think people are focussing too much on the specific machine and concluding this wouldn't be worth it for the Air.
I don't think it would make business sense in that making the Air equivalent to the Pro wouldn't be a thing Apple would do.
I think it's more of an opportunity to make the Pro line thinner / pack in more battery etc...
Too much focus on the Air rather than what the overall technology could open up.
I agree, hence my suggestion to put this in a new 13in pro of some sort. The air doesn't really need this improvement, but other laptops definitely can benefit from it. I really don't understand why so many people since M1 air have been criticizing the air's cooling performance, it really doesn't matter to the userbase it's targeted at. Id definitely describe myself as a power user, it doesn't bother me cause the job of my air is as it was intended for; word processing, homework and a thin and light laptop to carry all day.
From the Macbook Air Apple page.
Do you have a problem editing a video on a MacBook Air?
It can edit videos and the M2 air is more than capable of doing so. Just won't hold the same performance for extended periods of time. This marketing material also doesn't defunk the fact that 99% of air users don't put their air through long heavy workloads. Speak to anyone that actually does video editing as a job or just does heavy loads on a consistent basis, they are going to need 16gb of ram and at least 512gb storage. When air is upgraded to that, you might as well go for the 14in pro that gives these editors significantly more processing power. The targeted consumer for the air simply don't care about long, heavy load performance.
Keyword here is "for class", which is not a "pro" use.
I’m pretty sure people use it to do advanced web browsing too…
There’s a whole range of things people do on a computer that doesn’t involve 20 minutes of 100% CPU load but also isn’t just “basic” web browsing and email. Picture stuff, audio stuff, slow-ass shit-optimized apps and processes of various kinds, uh a bunch of Excel formulas.
Sure nitpick at my wording. But that doesn't change the fact that none of those tasks you mentioned will put the CPU to 100% load for 20+ min, which was the only scenario tested in that video and also the only time that the performance difference from active and passive cooling is significant enough to not be margin of error.
Even at that point, you will still only see a 5% decrease in performance with passive cooling.
My point stands, 99% of air users will never see the benefit of 5% performance increase when at full tilt for extended periods of time. Your advanced web browsing (whatever that means) still wouldn't benefit from the additional cooling.