MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max • Hacker News Board

Re: MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

#711

Post by jonplackett » Tue, Jan 17, 2023, 7:01 PM UTC

djtriptych wrote: post #395

My new setup as of November is an M2 Air (16GB /1 TB) and an base model M1 Studio. I really couldn't be happier. I run a small WFH / Music Production / Photography studio in my basement and I really wanted an always-on always connected computer, for which the Studio has been perfect. The M2 Air is pretty close to a perfect laptop. My complaints (low audio volume, slighty cramped screen) are absolutely dwarfed by the…

I’d be so up for a 16 inch ‘air’. I so love my M1 Pro Max MacBook, but Christ it’s heavy.

It’s heavier, and I think thicker, than my 2012 MacBook Pro. Now I expected it to be heavier, but was expecting it to drop back maybe one iteration to MacBook 2014 kind of heft. But we’re a full decade back of beefiness.

I need a big screen though so it’s the only option. Unless they make a nice thin 16 inch air. I am pretty confifent it would sell extremely well.

Re: MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

#712

Post by orangecat » Tue, Jan 17, 2023, 7:02 PM UTC

nicoburns wrote: post #39

mpeg wrote: post #16

New Mac mini with the M2 Pro maxes out at 32GB memory, that's quite disappointing compared to the Macbook Pro's 96GB. On the other hand, my M2 Macbook Air is one of the best purchases I've made in a long time, great fanless laptop.

Presumably they are trying to make a clear distinction between the mini and studio.

Possibly, although the M2 Pro mini almost entirely cannibalizes the base Studio. For the same $2000 you can get the the mini with the same memory and storage, a significantly faster CPU (12 core M2 vs 10 core M1) and approximately equal GPU (19 core M2 vs 24 core M1). The Studio now only makes sense if you need the M1 Ultra or lots of memory.

Re: MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

#713

Post by darkteflon » Tue, Jan 17, 2023, 7:02 PM UTC

wpm wrote: post #476

newsclues wrote: post #422

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your laptop complaints are addressed by the MBP models, which aren't much heavier if that is your primary objection.

The 14" M2 Pro is 30% heavier than the M2 Air and 20% thicker. I don't really classify that as "not much". I have a 14" M1 Pro from work and a personal M2 Air and it's always surprising how much heavier the M1 Pro feels from my Air.

I went from an M1 Air to an M1 Pro 14” and agree with you. The Air weight is a bit magical. Very chuckable, makes you want to reach for it whenever you want to get something done quickly or perch it on the arm of the couch.

By contrast the M1 Pro 14” just tips over into unwieldy. So much so that I regret not just going the whole hog and getting the 16”, since at this weight I prefer to have it sitting on a proper table and could’ve used the extra screen real estate.

I had intended to sell the Air but ended up keeping both, mainly for this very reason. The Pro rarely leaves its dock.

Re: MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

#714

Post by masklinn » Tue, Jan 17, 2023, 7:02 PM UTC

breadzeppelin__ wrote: post #666

I am currently waiting to take delivery of a 14" M1 MBP. I assume the move here is to cancel it and order the newer one?

Depends where you live and how long the delay is.

The perf gain should be circa 20%, but in Europe prices got a noticeable bump due to the strong USD (relatively).

Re: MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

#715

Post by skinnymuch » Tue, Jan 17, 2023, 7:03 PM UTC

CharlesW wrote: post #552

londons_explore wrote: post #524

In the feature list, the most underwhelming item to me is the '1080p FaceTime HD camera'. Aren't pretty much all cameras at least 1080p by now? I'd expect a top of the line laptop to have a multi-megapixel camera able to push 240fps for slowmo and windowing abilities to allow software zoom while still outputting a high enough resolution feed that someone viewing on another macbook pro can't see the pixels (ie. more t…

> Can anyone provide insight why Apple didn't put more effort into cameras? I assume because for users who need more than a basic webcam, Apple has Continuity Camera¹². And of course there are lots of people at the high-end using DSLRs as their webcam. ¹ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213244 ² https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209037

I use my phone for stuff. I don’t want to kill the battery and it’s usage as a webcam all day. Maybe that’s just me though, I’m in Zoom meetings all day.

Re: MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

#716

Post by ricardobayes » Tue, Jan 17, 2023, 7:03 PM UTC

JoshTko wrote: post #149

nvrspyx wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They could include both the improvement from the last Intel model and the previous Apple Silicon model, no? EDIT: I see they actually do just that for some specific applications.

Less is more. I'm guessing the % of M2 customers that are upgrading from an M1 is less than 10%. If ~75% (my guess) of target customers for M2 are Intel mac owners, Apple should focus on them first. They can then do more targeted ads w/ relevant stats to win each subgroup in the remaining 25%

That's a tough cookie, some can't switch due to software constraints (e.g. CAD engineers using solidworks etc)

Re: MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

#717

Post by djtriptych » Tue, Jan 17, 2023, 7:03 PM UTC

jrochkind1 wrote: post #662

djtriptych wrote: post #395

My new setup as of November is an M2 Air (16GB /1 TB) and an base model M1 Studio. I really couldn't be happier. I run a small WFH / Music Production / Photography studio in my basement and I really wanted an always-on always connected computer, for which the Studio has been perfect. The M2 Air is pretty close to a perfect laptop. My complaints (low audio volume, slighty cramped screen) are absolutely dwarfed by the…

I got an MBP for the extra USB ports, magsafe power adapter, and HDMI port alone. On processing power, I have no doubt the Air would have sufficed. I was willing to take the weight/size penalty for the ports!

Makes sense!

As a photographer and DJ even the MBP runs out of ports pretty quickly, so I had a standing collection of travel hubs for this already + a CalDigit thunderbolt hub for home.

Re: MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

#718

Post by masklinn » Tue, Jan 17, 2023, 7:04 PM UTC

agloeregrets wrote: post #629

DoingSomeThings wrote: post #589

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does the M1 14inch support 2 monitors? I was under the impression every M-based laptop only supports a single external monitor.

14 inch M1 Pro supports two external displays, 14 inch M1 Max Supports four, all four can be 5K. Sadly, Apple knows exactly how to get my money from me.

> all four can be 5K.

Only 3, the HDMI out is limited to 4K.

Re: MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

#719

Post by spockz » Tue, Jan 17, 2023, 7:04 PM UTC

djtriptych wrote: post #395

My new setup as of November is an M2 Air (16GB /1 TB) and an base model M1 Studio. I really couldn't be happier. I run a small WFH / Music Production / Photography studio in my basement and I really wanted an always-on always connected computer, for which the Studio has been perfect. The M2 Air is pretty close to a perfect laptop. My complaints (low audio volume, slighty cramped screen) are absolutely dwarfed by the…

I am as happy with my 13” M1 mbp 2020 as you with your. My only gripe is that the screen is too small and more importantly after two years I went from a stellar 21h battery life to 13h for lightweight work and it now also seems to drain on sleep. And it seems to lose charge quicker under load.

The battery capacity is still reported as 91%of spec which does not explain this behaviour.

I hope yours holds up better.

Re: MacBook Pro featuring M2 Pro and M2 Max

#720

Post by raincom » Tue, Jan 17, 2023, 7:05 PM UTC

skinnymuch wrote: post #705

nfriedly wrote: post #428

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another reason the Air is a good choice for most people is that it doesn't have a fan. I've cleaned quite a bit of dust/lint/etc. out of various laptops. Without a fan, that's much less likely to be an issue. In one recent case, a family member was about to buy an entire new laptop because their old one was feeling very sluggish. I checked it out and realized that the fan had completely died and the system was consta…

How do you know this stuff? My old 2014 MacBook Pro has the battery swelling up. I can’t afford more than a few hundred to fix everything. It’s a 2nd comp I use for a remote coworking Zoom session all day. I could have the same problems. I’ve never cleaned the laptop either..heh. I am a programmer so I am not afraid of hardware.

Battery swelling = battery replacement. I suggest you replace the battery. Don't wait, as swollen batteries can explode. Apple will charge $200 to replace, or try a local authorized dealer. You can try install the battery yourself by ordering from iFixit.

If I were you, I would just get a refurbished M1 MacBook Air from Apple, instead of spending $200 on the battery.