Recommendations for an Apple laptop?

[scarlet knight]

Looking for something more on the small and portable side. Already have an iPad.

[polaris72]

MacBook Pro, consider USB-C ports, adapters available. Other then that, I am disappointed with Apple as a brand after Steve Jobs left. Not the same company. No real inventions.

[denmanproject]

Love everything about my MacBook Pro except the loud keyboard

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by scarlet knight

Looking for something more on the small and portable side. Already have an iPad.

What do you want to do with it? For general use and portability it's between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13". If you want to store a lot of large files (photos, video) it's worth upgrading the internal drive to 512GB if that's not already standard on the model you select. Standard RAM and base processor are plenty for most applications and users.

The alternative is that if you don't need something running MacOS and are okay with the mobile OS on your iPad, you can get the magic keyboard if you have a compatible recent iPad Pro model. The keys on that keyboard feel way better than my 2016 MBP, and you get a trackpad with a pointer that, while different from MacOS, brings you closer to a typical laptop experience.

[JasoninDenver]

I’m upgrading to a Macbook Air 13 with i5 processor, 16gb RAM and the 1 tb SSD.

[TheDude]

If you don’t need it right this second, wait.

The ARM processor changeover will yield much smaller and more interesting form factors than what they could do with Intel.


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[Beo3]

I have just bought a MacBook Pro yesterday, and I am finding the transition from a PC to a Mac frustrating!!!!!!!

[breitlings]

I'd wait unless you want bootcamp or have specific x86 based programs you want. Apple is about to release ARM based laptops and tbh, it should be quite a bit better for a laptop.

The basic differences in terms of how it will benefit a laptop are complex instruction chips can leave large sections of the chip unused. RISC chips use nearly all of the chip all of the time.

On top of that apple is going to release their version of an ARM chip and I bet it will be tailored to what they want todo. The same way apple currently dominates in performance with vertical integration, I would imagine will extend to the macbook. That being said I do like the 2020 16" pro

[gnuyork]

I have the 13' Macbook Pro and it has been great for everything I use it for... which quite frankly is mostly web surfing, but I use it for mobile video and audio editing too. I did get the maxed out version with the most ram it could take and 1TB drive.

The 15" would have been more powerful yet, but I like the form factor and compactness of the 13"

Originally Posted by denmanproject

Love everything about my MacBook Pro except the loud keyboard

Lol yes

[JD305]

stay the course

I've had everything from an Apple IIe back in the 80's ... then I spent 17 years in IT with all manner of PC from DOS to Windows 95, etc ... using Dell computers of all generations ... desktop and laptops.

Sometime in 2009 or so ... I bought my first Apple MacBook. (and I should have bought 1000 shares of Apple as well, but I didn't )

Anyhow ... it is the most elegant piece of hardware and operating system you will find anywhere. The hardware itself is top quality. The operating system is solid and handles alot of tasks behind the scenes.

You will get use to it ... and after a year or so, you will wonder how you ever lived with a windows operating system.

These MacBooks keep their value and also they maintain their performance over the years ... never have I experienced a virus or a blue screen of death (I am vigilant in what software I load on it). I have paid full price for a MacBook and then 3-4 years later sold it and recouped 50% ... where as a PC laptop would be worthless at that point. You can get great deals on Apples Refurbished area of their website, and those products come in white boxes exactly as if New! Except you save several hundred dollars.

I have the latest MBP 16" and it is my desktop replacement ... the only gripe I have is that Apple has eliminated ports/slots over the years ... so the new MBP do not have SD card slots, and they only have USB-C ports. I really don't miss any of those slots ... as I find other ways to upload photos and connect other devices to MBP. The USB-C ports serve many multiple purposes ... and it is the way all devices are going .. so Apple is just adopting the newest standard of ports.

Originally Posted by Beo3

I have just bought a MacBook Pro yesterday, and I am finding the transition from a PC to a Mac frustrating!!!!!!!

[scarlet knight]

Thank you, all!

[JD305]

If you find yourself storing lots of photos, videos and music files ... I always recommend minimum the 512GB hard drive ... the entry level SSD drive is 256Gb is very adequate is you are the type of user that uses the Cloud to store many your files. Apple tries to steer you this way so that if you have multiple Apple products ... your data is available 24/7 on all Apple devices.

I also have an iPad 11 with the newest magic keyboard case. ... it's really cool and portable .. like a mini MacBook Pro

I little secret .... eventually Apple is transitioning so that the exact motherboard and electronics, hard drive, etc ... that they fit inside an iPad .. will be the same electronics inside a MacBook ... and most likely the same electronics they fit inside their standard iMac ... with addition of a few ports and different video board.

Originally Posted by scarlet knight

Thank you, all!

[barneb10]

The Macbook Air is meant to be the most portable in Apple's lineup, however, I really do recommend the new Macbook Pro 13.3 inch - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 16GB Memory - 512GB SSD

[logo]

My suggestion is a PC. I’ll show myself out...

[swils8610]

Love my MacBook Air. I have a Pro for work but rarely use it. The Air is fantastic.


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[Phooi]

Originally Posted by scarlet knight

Looking for something more on the small and portable side. Already have an iPad.

This is coming from a long time Mac user. If you’re coming from a PC, windows has come a long way and there are lots of great choices in PCs. For what you’re looking for, I’d look into the new Dell XPS line, Razr and Lenovo.

If you’re set on getting a Mac, there are a number of options. There’s a lot of talk about the new ARM processors but it’s useless if you need one now. So if you need one now, this is actually a good time to get a Mac.

First bit of advice is to only buy a current generation Mac because Apple finally fixed their keyboard. DO NOT BUY an older version because you may end up with keyboard problems.

The next thing is based on use case and budget. If you are not doing heavy media work (video editing, photo editing, animation), almost any mac laptop would work. If you have a lot of budget, the macbook pros are always better than the macbook airs. You will get better screens, thermals and video performance. As for deciding on 13” vs. 16”, it depends on budget and your eyes. A bigger screen will cost more but you’ll have more screen real estate if you have to go to a larger font size. 16” machines also perform better than 13” but you will pay for it.

Finally, when you configure your machine, choose the best configuration you can afford. If you can push it past your budget a little, I would recommend that because Mac laptops are NOT UPGRADABLE. Focus on getting a solid mid-grade processor (high end i5) and as much RAM and HD space as possible. Macs can’t really use the i7+ because there are thermal limitations to their designs.

Hope this helps.

[Chewbacca]

An Apple store Genius will answer all your questions better than anyone here.

[-lenny-]

I have a macbook pro, i have lots of data stored on it and run some heavy programs. My wife has a macbook air, some programs but definitely not as much data as me. We both like what we have, and dont want to switch. Depends what you are going to do with it.

[meloncap78]

I just looked at the new pro the other day as my late 2008 MBP won’t keep up anymore. I needed something for live capture imaging and heavy image processing. I ended up with a Lenovo Yoga C940 15.6” with an i7 Coffee Lake at 4.5GHz 16GB DDR4 and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 w/ 4GB dedicated. I upgraded the 512GB SSD to a 1TB Samsung 970 immediately after purchasing. All said and done I still ended up about $300 less than Inwould have paid for the MBP and I am happy. Still loving my iPhone 11 Pro Max though.

[Boothroyd]

Macbook Air from 2011 still serving me well. After having to play CIO of the household with Dell computers for years, I just love Apple in general. No issues. When I finally need to replace this MacBook Air, it will be with another Apple.

Use Lenovo for work, and they have made great strides since the early days. Very stable platform as well.

[SpeakWithMichael]

Originally Posted by Beo3

I have just bought a MacBook Pro yesterday, and I am finding the transition from a PC to a Mac frustrating!!!!!!!

It's normal because of the change in software. In 6 months you'll never want to go back to PC's. Trust me. Only Apple computers and phones since 2008, here. No plan to change. They work hard, work long, and never give issues. My sister is still using my 2008 iMac.

[J!m]

I got my wife the pro in 2011 or so, and it died. Like terminal hard drive failure and $2,000 for file extraction from smoldering fragments of hard drive dead.

So for her birthday, I told her to pick which one she wants, and that hasn’t happened yet (the decision that is). I think the air is perfect for her- lighter and more powerful than the pro she has (had) and a 1Tb SSD should be good for ten years of files and photos.

She is leaning toward the pro, mainly for screen size, but I learned about “sidecar” and I think that will solve that issue for her with her iPad.

Any thoughts? Would the air with a sidecar be just as useable as a pro? She honestly doesn’t need the horsepower of the pro.

[mountainjogger]

I am running a 2014 MB Pro 15 and a 2015 MB Pro 13. Both have 16 Ram and are running Mojave with an Office 365 subscription that my spouse also uses on her home Dell computers.

The bottom line is that MB Pros take a beating. And at least for me, they work. The cost is higher, but I have found that they are worth it.

I use a ScanSnap scanner with my MB Pros. They also take a beating.

The only down side to a MB Pro is that remoting to a Windows based server is less than optimal. I encounter problems printing. But that just may be me.

When it's time to replace my MB Pro's, I cannot see getting anything else.

Stay safe.

[mountainjogger]

Originally Posted by SpeakWithMichael

It's normal because of the change in software. In 6 months you'll never want to go back to PC's. Trust me. Only Apple computers and phones since 2008, here. No plan to change. They work hard, work long, and never give issues. My sister is still using my 2008 iMac.

Agree. My brother in law is still using my 2007 MB Pro. Mac's make great hand me downs.

Stay safe.

[Carrera911]

I have an oldschool 2014 MB Air 13'. It's surprisingly a work horse. At some point in my life I became old and decided I'm keeping my winning horses - If the MB Air breaks I'll get the same exact model, not the newer ones. Same goes with my iPhone 6s.

[gnuyork]

Ha I also still use a circa 2011 12 core Mac Pro... it's still great, I am having trouble with it being outdated for certain software, that's why I got the Macbook Pro, but the 12 core is still a workhorse, fast, and trouble free. I've done my best to upgrade it to keep it up with the times, like more RAM and a PCI powered SSD boot drive, and USB3 card slot and RAID system.

I have a 27" color calibrated monitor and a Wacom Intuos pen tablet instead of a mouse. Great desktop set up for video/audio/photo editing.

I have recently been thinking about getting a current Mac Pro, but damn a mid speced one is near $20K! I'll have to really need some bigger projects to justify that one... right now the Pandemic has reversed that situation... so no Mac Pro for the short term.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Carrera911

I have an oldschool 2014 MB Air 13'. It's surprisingly a work horse. At some point in my life I became old and decided I'm keeping my winning horses - If the MB Air breaks I'll get the same exact model, not the newer ones. Same goes with my iPhone 6s.

If the MBA breaks, before popping for a doppelgänger, check where your MacOS and iWorks gating is going to land you. Could be a hiccup as they roll the new architecture out later this year.


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[Orwic]

Originally Posted by Beo3

I have just bought a MacBook Pro yesterday, and I am finding the transition from a PC to a Mac frustrating!!!!!!!

Don’t worry - you’ll get used to it. I used PCs when they first became available (still the DOS OS then), and didn’t get a macbook until 2011, after being introduced to them by a work colleague. A moderately steep learning curve to start with, but quite quickly I came to prefer Macs to PCs. I had a PC desktop in my work office (company policy) - but if you went to meetings about half of the people had macbooks. No issues linking to the company internet from outside, by the way, in case that concerns you.

[Beo3]

Thanks everyone for the words of support.

I am getting used to the operating systems and format, but I am still in a world of confusion when it comes to the Mac thing.....

Slowly but surely I'll figure it out.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by Carrera911

I have an oldschool 2014 MB Air 13'. It's surprisingly a work horse. At some point in my life I became old and decided I'm keeping my winning horses - If the MB Air breaks I'll get the same exact model, not the newer ones. Same goes with my iPhone 6s.

I have like a 2015. I upgraded the SSD to an NVME 1tb. It still works really well. Apple replaced the screen due to delimitation in a day.

In terms of Mac OS you get security, privacy, with Windows 10 you can have one of those at best.

In terms of the laptop besides touch screen the 16" mbp with discrete graphics is the best portable laptop you can get in terms of build quality, screen, performance (yes some of the new AMD laptop chips are faster right now).

In terms of the storage, I would prioritize RAM, processor, and graphics over storage because you can use USB C external nvme storage which can be extremely fast (and is fairly cost efficient compared to trying to run a gpu over usb-c).