Should Anyone Buy the M2 MacBook Pro?

Marques and Andrew discuss the new M2 MacBook Pro and why it might be the most confusing product Apple has released in a long time.

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[Respectable_Username]

There's a trick in marketing where sellers introduce a third, "middle" option to a lineup to get more people to get the more expensive option. If there's two options, people will default to the cheapest. If there's three options, people will default to the middle one. So if you can sit the middle one such that the upgrade to the top one from middle is a decent cost/benefit, more people will buy the more expensive option than if there were only two options.

[sayonaras]

Im that mystery guy who purchased the M2 MBP.

I ordered a 24gb RAM, 1TB 13". Heres why I went with this laptop over the 14" or Air:

• Portability, this laptop is noticeably lighter than the 14 Pro"
• No ports, YES, no ports! I like the idea of being able to leave behind the additional ports on a dongle at home when I travel with this machine.
• Better Battery life, this machine has been known to go OVER the 20hr mark on the right settings.
• Touch Bar, I find it useful and think it looks cool. never really cared much for actual function keys as long as the esc key is an actual key.

Coming from a 15" retina that weighs almost the same as the new 14" I didn't want another big laptop (or the Air because I do need a machine that can run multiple apps at a time and not overheat.)

for most people I definitely recommend the 14" over the 13" because it has the better display, speakers, camera and ports.

I personally prefer sacrificing those upgrades for reduced weight, better battery life, and a fan.

Also in my opinion the 13" body looks more modern than the 14" or air designs.

I will be using this machine mostly for work (product graphic design), web, zoom meetings and occasional netflix/streaming.

Hope this answers who that small % of people this laptop is actually for!

[misterdragzon]

I think as geeks we underestimate the value of the “Pro” branding to average customers.
I just had to talk my cousin out of this laptop. He insisted on a Pro MacBook even though I told him the Air was better, so now he’s getting a 14”.

Your upsell worked Apple…

[alphateilchen_]

1) They have a bunch of chassis and want to get rid of them (as mentioned)
2) Production on the M2 is already ramped up, but other parts of the MacBook Air aren’t ready for mass production yet. Instead of sitting on a bunch of M2 chips and paying to store them, you put them in an existing computer and sell them immediately to anyone who who’ll buy it.
3) Maybe also to appease Touch Bar fans, but I doubt it, personally.

[DudeMungus]

I actually love the touch bar literally my main reason for getting 13 pro m2

I currently have the Intel version 2020 model 13 pro

[nchmusic]

The touchbar is actually good, its quite handy for me to switch musics or replay it, change brightness, volume control, bookmark pages, refreshing page, I use those a lot, and its more aesthetically pleasing to look at than the non-touchbar, which looks generic like other laptops out there. I don’t get the hate

[obviousgreyman]

I think it exists to push people who want a “pro” into a more expensive model. They know people will pay that extra if they’ve already decided on a pro model but then see the small price difference but large performance increase and just get the 14”.

[davidfirth]

The 13" MBP is a good machine. It isn't a sexy one. It just works. I think that many in the Apple watcher community expect all the new machines to be glittering showcases of new. Sometimes, old reliable but a little better isn't a bad thing.

[mattjdeboer]

I have the m2 pro, love it. wanted a fan, but also wanted the Touch Bar. also my first Mac so maybe there's something there, coming from the pc world where every lap I've had, had fans.

[samknowlton]

As someone who just purchased the M2 MacBook Pro it came down to availability as this was the only machine available right now with the M2 chip and a good amount of storage and unified memory. Would’ve purchased the new air had it been available currently.

[egyptian_noob]

I think it’s just nice to still have the option for a touch bar for those who really want it, but i’d rather pick up the M2 air

[innnews]

Touchbar is the main reason why I even consider this M2 MBP. Please keep it and don’t discontinue the touchbar, Apple.

[realcrys]

The base version of the M2 MBP with 256gb has only half the SSD speed of the M1 model because they use a single storage chip now instead of 2x128GB, so in some tasks it even slower than the old one 😅

[markturner]

I'm one of those strange people that actually chose the M2 13" MBP over the MacBook Air or the 14" MBP. I previously had an M1 13" MBP but cheaped out and had the 8GB / 512GB model. I was so happy with the form factor, weight, size, screen and power of the M1, but after a year or so decided I really needed more memory and more storage. I'd have probably gone for another M1 13" MBP if the M2 wasn't available, but I chose the M2 13" 24GB / 1TB instead. I did consider the models either side, but I prefer USB C over MagSafe, don't care either way about the touch-bar, and don't need more ports or horsepower. I usually buy the latest and greatest Mac every few years, but this time a better version of what I already had was the right choice for me.

[VonaMc]

The reason that I had to go with the MacBook Pro M2 is because I wanted something that I can take with me but also allows me to work 12 hours a day with blacking out... I am hoping it will be a major change for the base model M1 air 😢

[jeffhardy]

Especially in Europe the M1 Macbook Air makes more sense than the M2 air, because it is much cheaper (you can get it for around 900-950€, whereas the M2 Air costs 1500€). This upgrade is just not worth it for that price

[maxperson]

I just started a new job where I received a new 13" M1 pro. I could def see in the future companies buying the m2 pro to save on costs but still give employees a "professional " machine

[rickystafford]

m2 macbook air also doesn’t make much sense given the price hike and likelihood of screen improvements next year. Either get the M1 MacBook Air or base 14” MBP in my opinion.

[ymi_yugy]

I can imagine a couple of scenarios where someone would pic up the M2 MacBook Pro.
1st, you computer just broke and you can't wait a few weeks to get a new one.
2nd, all you care about is sustained performance and battery life at the lowest possible price. It seems that a 512GB version of the Air and Pro cost the same.
3rd, the Pro is in stock. We don't know yet what the situation for the Air will be. It could be the only one you can get.

[edisantiago]

I just bought the M2 MacBook Pro rather than the Air. I honestly didn't mind having the inferior screen and speakers. I don't have a notch to deal with and the speakers sound superb anyway. I wanted a fan to protect the heat-intensive M2 chip, so I was willing to make the sacrifice for that extra oomph in power that cooling brings. I also don't use much peripherals so having two Thunderbolt ports is plenty for me. I can always get a dock if I need more. I don't care about the Touch Bar either way. It's there, it's nice. But that's all.

But My case is SUPER specific. For most normal people, I'd recommend the Air. But my case was special, so to speak.