Don't you mean that they raised prices and to compensate they gave it a greatly inferior ssd with half the transfer rate. Huge backwards steps on this version and well worth skipping.
Apple increased the price of the entry-level M2 MacBook Air by US$200 over the M1 MacBook Air. To justify the price bump, Apple redesigned the laptop with the second iteration of Cupertino's in-house silicon at the notebook's core. The 2022 MacBook Air also has an improved IPS display with a divisive notch.