Here is a summary from the tidbits article that might help you decide. Do note that the MB pro computers do have a brighter display, but if you aren’t really using the display I would go for the top of the line AIR over the bottom of the line Pro.
https://tidbits.com/2024/03/04/new-m3-macbook-air-models-can-drive-two-displays/ <https://tidbits.com/2024/03/04/new-m3-macbook-air-models-can-drive-two-displays/> Purchasing Decisions These new MacBook Air models are compelling for anyone buying their first MacBook Air, but do they provide sufficient improvements to prompt an upgrade? It all depends on where you’re coming from. If budget is paramount, you can save a little money by purchasing the M2 MacBook Air for as little as $999, though adding memory or storage pushes you into a range similar to the M3 models. If you’ve held onto an Intel-based Mac this long and are considering a MacBook Air, upgrade immediately to an M3 MacBook Air. The performance jump from any Intel-based Mac will knock your socks off, and the M3 models will enjoy a longer lifespan than their M2 counterparts. For those—like me—with an M1 MacBook Air, the main reason to upgrade is if you need more performance than the M1 chip can provide. The M3 benchmarks show it to be 25% to 35% faster <https://nanoreview.net/en/cpu-compare/apple-m3-vs-apple-m1> than the M1, and Apple cites more specific examples with larger gains <https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/03/apple-unveils-the-new-13-and-15-inch-macbook-air-with-the-powerful-m3-chip/>. But if performance is a concern, also consider a MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro or M3 Max processor. If you have an M2 MacBook Air, the M3’s performance gains of 10% to 20% <https://nanoreview.net/en/cpu-compare/apple-m3-vs-apple-m2>probably aren’t significant enough to warrant upgrading. Regardless of what you have now, if you want to drive two external displays from a laptop, the M3 MacBook Air models are a great buy. They’re much cheaper than the M3 Pro MacBook Pro models you’d otherwise need that start at $1999 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro and $2599 for the 16-inch model. Best wishes, Jonathan Cohn > On Mar 15, 2024, at 8:50 AM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries > <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> wrote: > > Hi Dave, > > I can only answer for myself, but here you go. In 2017, I bought my one and > only MacBook Pro. All my other Macs, including my current 2023 M1 have been > MacBook Airs. > > Brad makes a strong case that for an extra $100, the MBP is the better > machine. But I’ve always liked the smaller form factor and the lighter > weight of the MBA. When I taught face-to-face, I had to carry my computer > with me around campus. I also like to take it when I travel, so the smaller > and lighter, the better. The MBA has always met my computing needs, but I’m > not an artist, graphic designer, etc. I liked my MBP a lot, but I also > thought it was probably overkill for my use case. So, in 2020, when the M1 > chips came out, I went back to a MacBook Air. That said, From the specs Brad > sent last night, the difference in weight between the two seems pretty > negligible. I was thinking I might upgrade to the M3 Air, but now I’m not > sure, either whether I will upgrade, or, if I do, which machine I’ll get. My > current leaning is to just hold off and see what next year brings. > Cheers, > Donna > >> On Mar 14, 2024, at 11:53 PM, Dave Carlson <dgcarlson0...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Brad, >> Thanks for this. Saw it after my question post Air vs. Pro. But still I >> wonder the use case. I used to think that the Air was designed to pull >> everything it needed to run (programs/apps) from the Internet, so not >> needing to store anything large on the machine except for data and >> personalizations. Is that no longer the push? >> >> Dave Carlson >> Oregonian, Woodworker, Farfar, Engineer, Musician >> dgcarlson0...@gmail.com >> >> >> >> >> On Mar 14, 2024, at 5:51 PM, Brad Snyder <wb...@swbell.net> wrote: >> >> M3 15-inch MacBook Air vs M3 14-inch MacBook Pro -- Comparison... >> https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/03/13/m3-15-inch-macbook-air-vs-m3-14-inch-macbook-pro----comparison >> >> <https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/03/13/m3-15-inch-macbook-air-vs-m3-14-inch-macbook-pro----comparison> >> >> - Brad - >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the Mac >> Visionaries list. >> >> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if >> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or >> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> >> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: >> mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at >> caraqu...@caraquinn.com >> >> The archives for this list can be searched at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/2BD981EB-2508-45F9-B219-BE2D733B3CF8%40swbell.net >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/2BD981EB-2508-45F9-B219-BE2D733B3CF8%40swbell.net?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. >> >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the Mac >> Visionaries list. >> >> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if >> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or >> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> >> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: >> mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at >> caraqu...@caraquinn.com >> >> The archives for this list can be searched at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/2DCB3891-9324-4292-9F2B-4E5CF3CC3716%40gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/2DCB3891-9324-4292-9F2B-4E5CF3CC3716%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. > > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: > mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at > caraqu...@caraquinn.com > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ > <http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/> > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > <mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/818971C1-65D8-4BFC-9926-22E392A0BED0%40me.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/818971C1-65D8-4BFC-9926-22E392A0BED0%40me.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. -- The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/8AFE711F-501B-4749-BF22-8287DF78A9AA%40gmail.com.
