Options
In terms of options, both the 13” and 15” M2 MacBook Air laptops offer you the choice of 8 GB, 16 GB, or 24 GB of memory and 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB of storage. Each step up costs you a bit more. Those are the only choices you get to make about the computer itself, other than the color of the case (starlight, midnight, space gray, or silver for both the 13” and 15” versions). Color choices have no impact on the price. I should note that you can choose a more powerful charging block than the one that comes with the computer as well. You can choose between the 35 W dual USB C block that comes standard with the computer or a 70 W block with a single USB C port. The cost remains the same. Upgrading the power block to the 70 W unit allows you to charge the computer more rapidly. Apple says that it lets you charge the MacBook Air to 50 percent in 35 minutes.
Price
At the base level, the 13” starts at $1,099 and the 15” at $1,299. The base level includes the computer, 8 GB of memory, and 256 GB of storage. Going to 16 GB or 24 GB from the base of 8 GB costs $200 for each step. Going from 256 GB to 512 GB increases the price by $200, going up to 1 TB adds another $200, and taking it to 2 TB adds another $400 beyond that. Step increases for memory and storage are the same for both the 13” and 15” versions.
From my perspective, the sweet spot is 16 GB of memory and 1 TB of storage. That’s how I configured mine, and it’s worked just fine—plenty of power and sufficient storage for my programs. The cost of the 15” Air configured this way is $1,899.
When I need more storage, I connect an external SSD. I keep some data on the built-in storage, but mostly, I store it on an external device. External SSDs up to 4 TB have become common and easily available. Most of them take up very little space and weigh next to nothing. I have a particular partiality to Samsung’s and SanDisk’s SSDs and use both. At the time I write this, the 4 TB SanDisk Extreme costs $257 at Amazon; the 4 TB Samsung T7 Shield costs $299 at Amazon. I use those currently. You can get other brands and lesser iterations from Samsung and SanDisk that run more slowly and cost a bit less. I have used the Samsung and the SanDisk SSDs for the last several years and have found them highly satisfactory. From my perspective, getting one of those 4 TB drives for $299 makes a lot more sense than paying $400 for a second TB of built-in storage from Apple.
Criticisms
Some reviewers have faulted Apple for not including a touch screen on the MacBook Air. Certainly, it does not have one, but I won’t fault Apple for that, as I don’t particularly like a touch screen on a laptop and don’t make use of it when available. If you want a touch screen on your laptop, you will have to get a Windows machine, as Apple has no laptops with that feature.
Another possible negative is that the system will support only one additional monitor. The frequency with which I use an external monitor has decreased for a variety of reasons, including the extra real estate offered by the 15” display. I have rarely used a third display, and then only for testing purposes. Accordingly, the ability to add a third display means little to me personally. If you are a three-display person and want to stay in the Apple line, you need to go to the MacBook Pro for a laptop. The Pro costs considerably more than the MacBook Air and, other than the ability to add an additional display, does not provide a great deal more for the uses normally required by an attorney. While I used the MacBook Pro for many years, I cannot justify the premium cost in comparison to the MacBook Air 15”. You can also address the problem of adding a third monitor by getting a docking station for the MacBook Air 15”.
I do criticize Apple for the lack of ports on the MacBook Air 15”. Like the 13” M2 MacBook Air and the M1 MacBook Air, the 15” M2 Air comes with only a pair of Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. Adding a third and maybe even a fourth port would not have killed Apple, nor should it have significantly raised the cost of the laptop. It would have made things much easier for users, who now have to buy a third-party dock or hub to attach to the computer to expand the number of available ports. If you want to plug more than two things into the MacBook Air 15”, you need to buy that extra piece of hardware. Apple does not make one, so you will have to get it from another provider. You have many options from which to choose. The options range from very portable pieces that add a few extra connections to very powerful docking stations that add many more connections. Some of the add-ons simply use the power in the Thunderbolt ports, while others add an external electrical connection. If you get a docking station or a hub with many ports, you will want one that adds its own electrical connections to ensure sufficient power for everything you plug into it. Some pieces require more power than others, so consider the power demands of what you will add, even if you only add a few peripherals.
Some of the nicest docking stations and hubs that I have found come from Hyper. Prices vary depending on the number and configuration of additional ports that you wish to add. Hyper offers solutions ranging from as few as two to as many as 18 additional ports, with various combinations of USB A, USB C, HDMI, Ethernet, Thunderbolt, 3.5 mm audio, and an SD card reader. Some of the devices also have the option of supporting two additional monitors. Depending on the options, the cost runs from $59.99 to $349.99. Hyper also has add-on ports for desktop computers and tablets. Most of their devices work with Windows as well as Apple products.
Conclusion
Through the years, I have had many laptop computers in my practice and for personal use. Of all the laptops I have had, I consider the 15” M2 MacBook Air the best package of power, efficiency, size, weight, and price. I do not hesitate to recommend it to you.
Note: In the world of technology, nothing ever stays the same, and you can count on the fact that a newer, better, more powerful version will come out with respect to almost any technology you acquire. Apple has already announced the release of the M3 chip. I have not learned of any planned release date for an M3 MacBook Air, but you can count on the fact that there will be one, probably later in 2024. The M3 will provide more power than the M2. Whether you wait for that is your choice, but the M2 provides plenty of power for the type of work normally done by an attorney. Undoubtedly, if you wait for an M3, it won’t be long before the M4 becomes available. You get the picture.