OT: Time for a new Mac - thinking lap top

[William]

So this will be a first LT for me so I don't know a whole lot about the them. We've been isusing the large screen iMacs for years but it's getting time to replace and I'm thinking maybe it's time. I've been using Mac since the first Apple's came on the scene. I do a lot of video editing with iMovie and some graphics stuff though not necessarily enough to think I need professional grade software/graphics cards. Would like a screen large enough to do this comfortably in laptop form.

Any suggestions or experience with Mac's current offerings would be greatly appreciated.






W.

[Veloo]

I've done lots of video on a 15" Powerbook using Final Cut.
Go for the 16", not the 13.

You always have the option to plug in a larger monitor to it as well so I'd say if you have the money to spend on the portability then go for it.

[rkhatibi]

I have the 16" MBP for work. It's not huge 14" x 10" just slightly larger than a recent 15" Dell. New screens go right up to the edge which really reduces the overall size. The 16" also has the new keyboard which avoids the magic keyboard with butterfly switches problem of the 2016-2019 15" MBP series.

I use mine with a second 27" 4k monitor ($500-ish) when I need the screen real estate. You might consider a 13" and external monitor as the best compromise between portability and screen size.

Thing to remember with modern Apple laptops is that RAM and disk are not user accessible. 1TB disk (standard) should be fine and an upgrade to 32GB is reasonably future proof. Annoying that RAM from Apple is a 3x markup over retail.

[Ken Robb]

Leslie has always been a Mac-user. I was a PC guy because that was needed to run Realtor programs when I was still working. When I retired I knew I would no longer have access to our company PC guru so I converted to Macs because Les is quite good with Mac stuff so I have had my in-house guru.

The first thing I noticed about my first Mac Book Pro was the quality "feel" of the hardware. Then I learned about the quality of tech support on-line and at The Genius bar in Apple Stores.

I know I could get a PC for much less that would theoretically perform any function I would ever want to use but---------I question whether I would get tech support good enough for a computer dunce like me.

When Les bought her latest Mac Book Pro a couple of years ago she wasn't sure that the then-new touchbar that replaced the function buttons across the top of the keyboard was worthwhile but she quickly came to love it. We both like how well our laptops, i-pads, and phones work together.

The sales people in the two Apple Stores I have been to have been very good about explaining the various models even to me. Les catches on much quicker. I'll bet one of these folks can listen to what hardware/software you have and how you use it and recommend a good laptop solution. No One older than 16 should try to learn a whole new system.

[kppolich]

If you need more than 13" of screen real estate without a second monitor wait til the M1X processors come to the larger pro's and iMacs.

If you are OK with your main machine being a 13", new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro 13" with the M1s are no joke.

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

The first thing I noticed about my first Mac Book Pro was the quality "feel" of the hardware.

No kidding. I've always been a Mac guy but my current real estate company has me on a Dell laptop. When I go back to my Mac it's like jumping out of a Nissan Sentra rental and back into a Mercedes E Class. Considering how much time we spend on laptops the feel really does make a difference.

[veloduffer]

I would suggest getting a model with the M1 chip or wait until the model you want is upgraded to a M1.

Software based on Intel chips are likely to be legacy. The newer chips run faster and much cooler, and basis for future software.

I’m looking to upgrade my 2014 iMac ( with full RAM ) as it gets sluggish with some of the new photo editing software. Not sure whether to with a new Mac mini or wait for iMac to get the M1 which will probably occur in 2021.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[stien]

I have a bunch of Macs for work and at home between myself and my wife. 2019 iMac 27", 2x 13" Airs (2014 and 2018?), a 2015 13" Pro and some brand new Mac minis that I'm setting up for some new work stations.

I really like the form factor of the Minis and the fact that they still have USB-A ports (all our dongles and adapters are USB-A and will be for some time). Couple that with the native Mac wireless trackpad/keyboard and I'm not seeing much difference between the iMac and the Mini. I'll still hold onto a laptop for meetings but not as my main machine anymore. I don't love the Touch Bar and USB-C only on the new ones.

I too hear good things about the new processor.

[sg8357]

Originally Posted by rkhatibi

I[snip]
Thing to remember with modern Apple laptops is that RAM and disk are not user accessible. 1TB disk (standard) should be fine and an upgrade to 32GB is reasonably future proof. Annoying that RAM from Apple is a 3x markup over retail.

For Mac SSD the bigger is faster. The Mini w/Intel version is still ram upgrade able, though a bit fiddly. iFixit is the ParkTool site for PC/Mac upgrades.

Using a Late 2012 Mini, that has had it HD and ram upgraded.

[Black Dog]

I am on my 3rd Mac laptop. Currently using a 2014 15" MacBook Pro. Total workhorse and only recently replaced the battery. I run it daily with an external monitor and a data projector and being 6 years old it is still very fast and can handle everything that I throw at it. They are not cheap but last for a long time and actually provide good value over their lifetime. Go for the 16" and get as large a SSD drive and Ram as you can afford.

[C40_guy]

I'm running an older Mac Mini with a 38" curved Dell screen (and a second 27" monitor). Having this much screen real estate is an absolute game changer. I spend a lot of time on video calls these days, so it's handy to have multiple doc/sheet/slide tabs + a full size Google Meet tab open at the same time.

If I were to do it over (and the 27" wasn't free from my company) I'd go with a single next size up curved screen. Mine has Picture in Picture, so I can run my work computer (a ChromeBox) in part and my personal Mac in another part.

New Mac Mini with Apple chip is pretty inexpensive...not sure how it compares performance wise to Mac Pro.

Either way, go with an Apple Trackpad and the older shaped keyboard (not the newer flat one)

[572cv]

Originally Posted by kppolich

If you need more than 13" of screen real estate without a second monitor wait til the M1X processors come to the larger pro's and iMacs.

If you are OK with your main machine being a 13", new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro 13" with the M1s are no joke.

This is an important point. My Macbook Pro 15" is fabulous, solid. I just plug in the USBc cable and I'm tied into a large monitor as well on my office desk and while I don't use the graphics programs you are using, it does fine with all my architectural CAD stuff. Mine is about 3 years old at this point. But the new processors look to be a real step up, particularly in extending battery life, and being quiet and cool operators.

[duff_duffy]

Just bought a MacBook pro for my wife who has been asking for one for over 5 years! If you know any educators you can get a discount through Apple website. They did not check that I was in education when I did store pickup (although I am) if you want to save few bucks.

[tbike4]

I have a 13" MacBook Pro that is now 6 years old. I travel with it and at home connect it to a 23" monitor. It has been great but at some point I will need new hardware so this is a very relevant thread.

If you want new right now the Air, 13" Pro and Mac mini have the M1 chip. The 16" Pro still has the Intel chip. In the past I have had the 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro and now the 13". And a bunch of desktop Macs. I really miss the G-5.
My next buy will be the 13" Pro w/ M1 chip. I don't want to lug anything bigger around when I travel and it will do what I need and then some.
I always buy hardware with higher specs than I need to future proof the machine. It has worked well so far.

Not sure when the rest of the hardware line up will get the M1 chip.

Yes I am an Apple fan boy. Remember this? We have come a long way.

[dgauthier]

+1 on the new M1 laptops. I wouldn't buy an Intel mac now unless I had no other option.

If you're used to a 27" desktop, you're probably going to find even a 16" laptop screen will feel small. As others have mentioned, any Mac laptop can drive a 4K monitor or television without breaking a sweat. (I drive a 43" 4k tv from a tiny 2015 MacBook for WFH. It's huge and it's great and it just works.)

So go with the portability of a 13", to say nothing of the lower price. The M1 MacBook Air will do everything an optioned-out 27" iMac will and it costs a grand.