Apple's latest MacBooks Air are out, and they're impressive. They look exactly the same from the outside as the M2 Airs they supersede, but on the inside, they add some neat extras that make the $100 upgrade to the MacBook Pro make even less sense.
To begin with, let's review the remaining differences between the new M3 Air and Pro MacBooks-other than the more powerful chips in most of the Pro machines.
The MacBook Pros have three USB-C/Thunderbolt vs. two ports, HDMI video, and an SD card slot. They also have beefier speakers and a much brighter, more colorful display.
On the other hand, the MacBook Air is significantly lighter in weight. Because it doesn't have cooling fans, it runs completely silently. It's also much cheaper, starting at $1,099 vs. $1,999 for the most affordable MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip.
Power Book
So why, despite these differences, do we consider the new M3 Air a "pro" machine? Because it's so good. In terms of raw computing power, the M3 Air can handle pretty much anything you can throw at it, short of extreme high-end video work deep app development, and... and that's about it. And if you like to hook your MacBook up to an external display, then the differences between the Air and the Pro get even less critical.
"I just ordered the new M3 MacBook Air. It "only" has four performance cores, but what I've heard from people with M1 MBAs is that the processor still blows the old Intel chips out of the water, so expect the M3 to be better," musician Jakob Bak, aka Videomusik, told Tech Times in an interview. The major advantage of the MBA for me is that it is fanless while still being more than powerful enough. I can't wait to have a silent studio!"
Desktop Laptop
Many of the Pro's advantages disappear once you dock your MacBook and hook it up to an external display. For a start, it's closed, so you don't see its magnificent screen. And it's likely that you won't be using those built-in speakers, either. Those extra ports are also less helpful, primarily if you employ a Thunderbolt dock or USB-C/Thunderbolt display to which you can permanently attach peripherals.
Previously, the M2 MacBook Air could have been better in this situation. You were limited to just one external display, whether or not you closed the laptop's lid. Now, it can power two external monitors simultaneously, as seen in this picture of the new Air hooked up to two Apple Studio Displays.
"The headline feature of being able to connect two displays at once does come with a slight gotcha. It only works when the laptop lid is closed. You can now have a MacBook Air desk setup with two external displays, but the laptop must stay in clamshell mode. If the lid is open, the Air screen is on, and you can only have one active external display, just like the previous M1 and M2 models," said Apple journalist Benjamin Mayo in a Tweet.
More than two displays is a pro feature, and the ability to double the number of external monitors is already good enough for most people. If you want more, you can opt for the $1,999 MacBook Pro and use two external monitors plus the built-in display, or you can drop a minimum of $3,199 for a model with the M3 Max chip and connect up to four monitors.
And when you unplug the Air from those desktop accessories, it's a much smaller and lighter package to slip into your bag or backpack.
"Apple now faces an enviable dilemma-how to differentiate the Pro further beyond just 'more power.' Things like ProMotion displays, Face ID, and more advanced connectivity could be areas to explore," said MacBook user Michael L. Moore, owner of the Devoted to Vinyl website. But the Air's meteoric rise means the MacBook Pro can't rest on its laurels. To justify its premium price, Apple must keep pushing the envelope on performance while also pioneering new productivity features."
Apple's best-selling Mac is the MacBook Air, so it makes sense to make it as capable as possible, even at the perceived expense of the MacBook Pro. That's not to say that today's Pro has no place. Even the now-aging M1 MacBook Pro is still a formidable workhorse. It's just that the Air is so compelling that it's hard to think of a reason not to buy one.
About the author: Charlie Sorrel has been writing about technology, and its effects on society and the planet, for almost two decades. Previously, you could find him at Wired's Gadget Lab, Fast Company's CoExist, Cult of Mac, and Mac Stories. He also writes for his own site, StraightNoFilter.com, Lifewire Tech News, and iFixit.
