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How much of an overkill is the new 16" MBP for occasional video editing, but mostly web & Office work?

Fishrrman said:
OP:

What do you have now?
Is what you have working well enough, at least for now?

If so, there's no rush to upgrade... yet.

But if you have money that's burnin' a hole in your pocket...
... the "base model" MBP 16" may be just what you're looking for!
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mid '10 15" MBP . . . my display acts up once in while, especially when hot, so I think the GPU is having issues. I have a really old '09 Mac Pro too. Thinking I will do like most people is just have a laptop henceforth. Both have lasted much longer than planned so I do have the money set aside. I was waiting for the MBP to go back to the old reliable keyboard is now it's here. Also glad that Apple essential has the Magic Keyboard that I'm using with the Mac Pro on the new 16".
 
Get whatever makes you happy and can afford. Life's too short.

For example my dad is far from a power user, he is not even doing video editing - mostly working in the web browser and doing some stuff online, and editing photos from time to time and guess what - he has MacBook Pro as well. Does he need it? I don't think so, but does he like it? Absolutely!
 
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My wife finally wants to switch from Windows to a Mac, she has the same usage profile as the original poster, some Office and Internet, no image or video editing.

Is thera any reason to buy anything but the base modell? I assume, that the better equiped modells will not receive operating system updates for longer than the base modell?!
 
I bought my wife a MacBook Air just last week. She likes the more compact format, and there is more than enough power to meet her needs. If you are a light user probably the only thing to consider is the size of the SSD. I went with 256 GB for the Air.
 
I bought my wife a MacBook Air just last week. She likes the more compact format, and there is more than enough power to meet her needs. If you are a light user probably the only thing to consider is the size of the SSD. I went with 256 GB for the Air.
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I suggested an Air, but she wants a bigger screen, mainly for working with spreadsheet tables.
 
OP wrote:
"mid '10 15" MBP . . . my display acts up once in while, especially when hot, so I think the GPU is having issues. I have a really old '09 Mac Pro too"

Well, in that case, if you have money to spend on the 16", I'd get the base model and be very, very happy with the purchase.

After 9 years, you deserve something new...!
 
Spudlicious said:
Someday, sooner than you think, it will be too late.
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So true. I have had 3 of my beloved relatives all pass away in the last 1 year (1 year go, 2 months ago, and 1 week ago 😪). Life is so fragile. Enjoy today, responsibly but dont overthink it.
 
Personally I finally have reliable wireless network in my home. My company isn't going to WiFi 6 any time soon and I'm lucky to see reliable AC wireless when I travel, so I think the current WiFi on the Mac is fine.

For true speed and low latency I have a 10G fiber at home and it'll take a while before WiFi is reliable enough for that.
 
Don’t forget about the iPad Pro with a keyboard (and maybe a mouse). If you only do light tasks it might be even better than a MacBook Air. iPadOS makes them so much more potent now.
And to answer the original question, yes it’s a total overkill but as others have said, if that’s what you want and can afford it, then by all means go for it!
 
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Don’t listen to any of us.
If you want one, get it, however you want to use it.

We can all blow more hot air than a hair dryer and none of it matters one iota.
 
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Alwis said:
My wife finally wants to switch from Windows to a Mac, she has the same usage profile as the original poster, some Office and Internet, no image or video editing.

Is thera any reason to buy anything but the base modell? I assume, that the better equiped modells will not receive operating system updates for longer than the base modell?!
Click to expand...

My wife's Windows laptop died so I could get her over to a Mac and after long thinking she finally decided to go with MacBook Air - since there's a return window she said she will try the Air as she liked it the most.

iIt's lighter and smaller than 13" Pro thus easier for her to carry around. (Heck it's nearly the same as my iPad Pro size wise).

Her workflow is basically the same as OP's and she's more than happy with the machine. Honestly, I was quite sceptical at first since I've been all my life using 15" Pro's but in the end I'm truly amazed how this little machine performs even on Catalina .1 and battery life is over 10 hours of web browsing.

She's happy and I'm happy that she's happy.

Although it's just a dual core i5, for some office and internet it's more than enough.
 
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Spudlicious said:
You don't get it? I'm saying dead folks buy no new toys, just as they no longer get the chance to be nice to people. I'm saying enjoy and be grateful for every day, and be who you want to be remembered as.

I must be in a philosophical mode this morning.
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I'd say I agree, but that's an undisputable fact. And a dark one, at that!
 
Overkill? Absolutely, but if you want a full size laptop from Apple it's the only option. To me paying over the top for extra power is still less of a waste of money than going for an ostensibly 'more suitable' MBA with a screen that's too small to comfortably work on (for me). The biggest arguments against it currently come from the Windows side, the Razer blade, XPS 15 and surface laptop 3 15" all offer quite compelling options for less cash. Ultimately though the Mac is my first choice, so if I can make it work within reason it's my intention to stay. With the base model now being a very usable machine, no upgrades necessary, I think Apple have just about brought the machine within reason.
 
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