Looking at new Macs

[justine]

My 2010 MBP finally died. Ish. I have to be tethered to an outlet now if i want to use it. If that was the only issue, i could live with it. But, since i got my new iMac, i hated using the old MBP pro. The screen looks horrible in comparison. So, i want a new portable. I just can't decide which. I was going to go with the lowest end Macbook Air, but it only has 128G of storage and 6G memory. Then i started looking at the MBP, and i'm thinking it's a better deal. Well, sort of. It's a lot faster, but the storage and memory are the same for $100 more. I'm not sure it's worth $100 more for the increase processor speed for a casual user like myself. Oh, and if i want more memory or storage, it's a $200 increase for each. Not sure that's worth it for me. Oh, and the memory/storage i'm talking about is 8G/128G. On my iMac, which has a lot of crap on it, i have 800G of a 1T drive available. I'm struggling more with the 128G storage than i am with the 8G memory. If i go with the Air and increase the storage to 256G, it'll still be less than the MBP, but not as fast.

Care to chime in?

[Donkey Butter]

Is there a dollar amount, or range, you’d like to stay within?

[macnuke]

new and shiny is always nice.... but you might want to consider keeping an eye on the refurbs.
there are times when an upgrade mac is available. they don't rip them back to base models. so you may score on improved memory/storage/ect.
and they come with new warranty.

[justine]

I really don't want to go over $1500 after taxes and Apple Care. I should also mention i get a 15% discount.

macnuke: i've gone the refurb route before and never benefited from it, and while i'm not opposed to refurbs, i only get the discount on new and shiny.

[macnuke]

15% is better than the 10% refurbs get.
so yes.. buy new and shiny

[justine]

[user]

I'm considering buying an Air that's still under warranty. I'm sure it's got less storage but loading up the drive is what my desktop is for. It'll be an auxiliary device that I'd use a lot but in conjunction with the hackie.

[justine]

I'm considering buying an Air that's still under warranty. I'm sure it's got less storage but loading up the drive is what my desktop is for. It'll be an auxiliary device that I'd use a lot but in conjunction with the hackie.

That's kind of what i've been thinking. I use the iMac for most things, just because i like the bigger screen, and the MBP for playing around. But, the playing around meas music and movies.

[Metacell]

I just hook one of those cheap (like under $100 now) 1TB SSD drives to my MBP and don't worry about the onboard storage. It works fine. I think of the primary drive as my work-in-progress space.

[avkills]

If all you are doing is listening to music and watching movies on it, I'd look for some deals online for "last generation" kit.

[maurvir]

We have been at a point of diminishing returns on new CPUs for a while now. If that is all you are buying, and you aren't a pro user, I'd question that decision. There are still people using 3rd and 4th gen CPUs because the newer parts aren't fast enough to make up the cost difference.

This is one of those rare times when getting a slightly older, or "non pro", rig for a substantial savings makes sense.

[DukeofNuke]

Yeah, but ...

Then you don't get that "New Computer" SMELL !

[justine]

Well, the Air is a non Pro and is likely what i'll go with, but i'm not buying an older Mac.

[macaddict4life]

Based on the limited use you describe, have you considered an iPad Pro?

[user]

I just hook one of those cheap (like under $100 now) 1TB SSD drives to my MBP and don't worry about the onboard storage. It works fine. I think of the primary drive as my work-in-progress space.

The Air that I'm going to get has an SD slot. I'm planning on boosting my storage with that.

[macaddict4life]

I just hook one of those cheap (like under $100 now) 1TB SSD drives to my MBP and don't worry about the onboard storage. It works fine. I think of the primary drive as my work-in-progress space.

The Air that I'm going to get has an SD slot. I'm planning on boosting my storage with that.

An external SSD dramatically outperforms SD cards, and can be quite small if you go with an M2 drive in a small enclosure.

[user]

Eh. I don't care for an external drive flopping about like a big dingelberry on my MacBook.

[justine]

Based on the limited use you describe, have you considered an iPad Pro?

I get enough of IOS on my phone.

[macnuke]

Based on the limited use you describe, have you considered an iPad Pro?

I get enough of IOS on my phone.

remember to let Tim Apple know that

[Pariah]

Based on the limited use you describe, have you considered an iPad Pro?

I get enough of IOS on my phone.

A proper computer is worth having if for no other reason than to be able to use a decent browser. Mobile browsers suck balls to hard it is ridiculous.
All of them.

[macaddict4life]

Based on the limited use you describe, have you considered an iPad Pro?

I get enough of IOS on my phone.

A proper computer is worth having if for no other reason than to be able to use a decent browser. Mobile browsers suck balls to hard it is ridiculous.
All of them.

But with an iMac already, she would still have a normal computer.

Also I've been very happy with Safari on iPad. It's a lot closer to the regular desktop browser experience than the iPhone version.

[macaddict4life]

Based on the limited use you describe, have you considered an iPad Pro?

I get enough of IOS on my phone.

Fair enough. But the iPad is a great on-the-go device.

[TOS]

chromebook!

[maurvir]

chromebook!

Strictly speaking, now that Chromebooks can run most Android apps, they are a reasonable option. Not a great option, but I could see using one outside of the educational or corporate context now.

[macaddict4life]

Eh. I don't care for an external drive flopping about like a big dingelberry on my MacBook.

Fair enough, though the m2 size ones are pretty small. Here's the enclosure I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y5 ... UTF8&psc=1

[user]

Eh. I don't care for an external drive flopping about like a big dingelberry on my MacBook.

Fair enough, though the m2 size ones are pretty small. Here's the enclosure I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y5 ... UTF8&psc=1

VS:

[dv]

Woah, they used to be not available, but apparently OWC is selling a 1TB SSD upgrade for my Early 2013 rMBP and they're "only" $250. (Which is pricey for a 1TB, but not actually THAT pricey...)

Hmmm...

[avkills]

Eh. I don't care for an external drive flopping about like a big dingelberry on my MacBook.

Fair enough, though the m2 size ones are pretty small. Here's the enclosure I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y5 ... UTF8&psc=1

I'd like that a lot better if it was a Thunderbolt3 interface instead of USB3, but that is still pretty cool.

[ukimalefu]

Eh. I don't care for an external drive flopping about like a big dingelberry on my MacBook.

Fair enough, though the m2 size ones are pretty small. Here's the enclosure I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y5 ... UTF8&psc=1

VS:

I think those things were great, but I also think macbooks don't have that slot anymore. There still some tiny USB drives thought.

[user]

I was glad to get a slightly older Air for that reason.

[avkills]

B&H just posted some good deals; here

2017 MB for $999

[iDaemon]

Y’know, Velcro taping the external device to the lid is a solution that works for me. A friend donated me the Velcro tape and suggested I could attach the Super Drive that way. I did.

If the ‘steampunk’ aspect of that don’t throw you off, then an external SSD can be semi-elegantly ‘dongled’.

Best wishes on finding the right fit for your budget and wants/needs, justine. I’m a fan of the Air, fwiw.

[user]

Then you'd have a dingleberry with velcro.

I'd rather get a 128 G card when I feel the need (not yet) and swap it if I need more space.

[iDaemon]

Sure. My 13in 2012 Air has a slot that I put camera cards in.

The more recent 11in - and last - 2015 Air model does not have a slot. I’m surprised how much I miss it.

[Metacell]

Then you'd have a dingleberry with velcro.

I'd rather get a 128 G card when I feel the need (not yet) and swap it if I need more space.

I only plug mine in when I need to play Skyrim.

[macaddict4life]

Eh. I don't care for an external drive flopping about like a big dingelberry on my MacBook.

Fair enough, though the m2 size ones are pretty small. Here's the enclosure I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y5 ... UTF8&psc=1

VS:

I get it. I looked at one of those (or similar units that take a micro SD card in an enclosure that size, giving you more flexibility and future upgradability).

I ended up making an external SSD because speed wise, there's just no contest. Based on my research at time (this was 3 years ago or so), better quality flash drives significantly outperformed SD cards and those jet drive things, though it was only by a 50% margin or less. However a SATA3 SSD in a USB 3.1 enclosure outperformed something like 5X read speed and 10X write speed. I mean it wasn't even close. SD cards and flash drives are closer to HDDs in performance than to an external SSD.

I subsequently moved to a new laptop, used that SATA3 SSD in a media center Hackintosh built from an Intel NUC box, and put together a new SSD using a that enclosure and a SATA3 M2 drive. It got smaller and a bit faster. I don't think SD cards or flash drives have gotten significantly faster since.

[Betonhaus]

I've used one of these in my laptop, though I just ended up upgrading the SSD: https://www.amazon.ca/SanDisk-256GB-Ult ... 07857Y17V/

[TOS]

chromebook!

Strictly speaking, now that Chromebooks can run most Android apps, they are a reasonable option. Not a great option, but I could see using one outside of the educational or corporate context now.

the only thing i miss is video editing