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If you were new to Macs desktop and Macbooks laptops which would you buy as your first machine?

I have an M1 13 MBP (8GB, 512 SSD), totally love it and easily meets all my needs. The 15 MacBook Air is also a great machine. Previously owned a Mac mini, totally loved that, and if you want a headless machine, pick your own display and keyboard - that is the way. Mac Studio is nice, but way overkill for me.

I hear whining on this forum that 8GB is not enough RAM for "pro" apps without defining them. Yes you can construct a case where you max out ram and it could slow down, but that is pretty much a contrived instance, specifically to prove a point. I decided to go with 8GB after I had 16 GB in my previous Mac and never used it. Using Activity monitor, I have never created memory pressure with 8GB. Of course I don't use chrome which has a incompetently bad memory model.

So what do I do in my use case? 1) Safari, Safari Technology Preview, and Brave for browsers, 2) handbrake including running filters and upscaling, 3) iMovie for video enhancing, 3) Pages, Numbers and Keynote, 4) Xcode, script editor and shortcuts, 5) Preview and Adobe Acrobat. A common theme - built in applications, unless there is a reason to use another for a specific task (and yes, I stay away from known problems like chrome). Not a Pro workflow by any means, but my MBP works for me just great.

So, if you are concerned about 8GB because of pro apps, ask yourself what are they, and what are the motivations of those testing the use case, are they making a point, and devising a test to prove it - probably? I am not saying in the least that there are not "pro" apps that require a lot of RAM and need more than 8GB, and if you use them, well - enough said.

Finally, I am in the long list of people who think that Apple overcharges for RAM and SSD capacity. With the chip shortage more or less over, isn't it about time to make the cost of upgrades more affordable and competitive?
 
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Allen_Wentz said:
I strongly disagree. Why send a new user to old hardware, Apple's lowest end laptop? The OP did not say he was destitute, just new to Mac. Why intentionally send him to old low end hardware?
Click to expand...
The M1 may be Apple's most affordable Mac but it's extremely capable and an excellent deal and I'd recommend it to anyone dipping their toe into the Mac world. There's nothing "low end" about it.
 
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max2 said:
Where would you buy it too?

That if you wanted to switch to Mac from Windows.

What are the dos and don'ts to do this as well ?
Click to expand...
A MacBook Air is a great first Mac (that's what I did in 2013).

prices.appleinsider.com

Apple's 2022 MacBook Air is on sale now

Grab exclusive deals on Apple's newest MacBook Air with the M2 chip.
prices.appleinsider.com prices.appleinsider.com

I would suggest trying to find a deal on one with 16GB of RAM / 512GB SSD. Microcenter isn't tracked in the above link but they are another great place to get one.

This gets debated endlessly here, but honestly, IMO 8GB RAM just isn't enough anymore. I bought a base M1 Air (8GB RAM 256GB SSD) when it came out. It was swapping to disk a lot, from just having maybe a dozen Safari tabs open.

Beware of B&H....they won't let you return an open box. Apple will, as long as you're within the return period (usually 14 days). This might matter if a person wanted to see if they could live with a base model.
 
Unless you require portability, I would also consider a M2 mini. A very capable machine that will support 8 years of macos and can be found in the sub-$500 price point for used units on google.
 
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For a desktop:
- M2pro Mini, 16gb RAM, 1tb SSD
or
- Mac Studio (M2max?), 32gb RAM, 1tb SSD

For a laptop:
- M3pro Macbook Pro 14", 16gb RAM, 1tb SSD
or
- the 16" version of the above.

You didn't mention "price" as a main consideration, so I didn't factor that in.
The above units give you a good mix of "power" and "longevity"...
 
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max2 said:
Where would you buy it too?

That if you wanted to switch to Mac from Windows.

What are the dos and don'ts to do this as well ?
Click to expand...

I would personally go laptop if it's in your budget. Although I do love desktops, laptops are just more versatile. Need to take on vacation? Easy. Need to set up an external monitor for more screen real estate? Easy. Want to sit on the couch and write emails? Easy.

If you don't have enough budget for a laptop a Mac mini is great.
 
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To the OP: The upcoming M3 MBA 13" 24GB/512GB for portability (having in mind basic usage and light pro work), the M3 Pro 12C MBP 16" 36GB/512GB for more pro work/heavy workloads (or the M3 Pro 11C counterpart if your workload is smaller), the M3 iMac 24GB/1TB for a desktop targeting basic usage and light pro work and having a very good monitor, or the upcoming M3 Pro 11C or 12C Mac Mini 36GB/1TB + the monitor of your liking for a more pro desktop (and probably a little bit higher overall cost than the M3 iMac - and maybe even a worse display). These are the most meaningful/VFM options in the lineup, IMHO.

M3 Max with 14C or 16C (either in a MBP or Mac Studio format), although an amazing piece of equipment performance-wise, targets a very specific audience that should handle extreme workloads or niche use cases. If this does apply to you, it is an amazing value in terms of performance/cost, otherwise, it is overkill.
 
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MauiPa said:
With the chip shortage more or less over, isn't it about time to make the cost of upgrades more affordable and competitive?
Click to expand...
While I was disappointed that Apple did not change their pricing structure with the M3 machines, given the chip shortage (of the early pandemic years) is over, I also think that Apple is likely to not want to change for a simple reason: the base configs have but a small profit for Apple.

People complaining about memory prices on Apple products never seem to consider that the base configuration exists because Apple is willing to sell some products at minimal margins, because Apple is an aspirational brand for many and thus Apple can charge premium prices for add-ons.

IOW, that $499 Mini can only exist because some people will pay the additional $200 or $400 for the upgraded versions. Or that $1,249 base iMac can only exist because some people will buy the 16GB or 1TB SSD versions.

And so on.

Reviewers often claim that the base models of Mac products are good deals. I agree with them, and base models are competitively priced. The upgrades are luxury priced, and that is where Apple makes their profit.

And also overlooked by many is that OS upgrades are not priced, nor are the Apple bundled apps, because a non-trivial fraction of your purchase price goes into supporting a large infrastructure at Apple that allows them to do software upgrades.

A whole lot goes into a pricing a product, and simply looking at off-the-shelf pricing of this or that part does not represent how a finished product should be priced.
 
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throAU said:
Samsung T7 external SSDs aren't too expensive these days and perform well. However if its just for time machine backups, i personally use a 4TB external hard drive for that, for my 1 TB storage.

This way i can have MANY backups going back literally years. I leave the external disk at work on my desk (it's encrypted) so that if i ever have a house fire, etc. my data is safe at work (as well as most of it in iCloud).
Click to expand...
I think Time Machine allows you to allot the space you want to use for backups doesn't it? if it did a 4TB+ external would start to get interesting
 
If I wasn’t so invested in Macs I would for sure get a Lenovo for a laptop and build a rocking desktop workstation custom.

I would be rid of the Apple tax!
 
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max2 said:
Where would you buy it too?

That if you wanted to switch to Mac from Windows.

What are the dos and don'ts to do this as well ?
Click to expand...
My first Mac was a 2010 MacBook Pro, because at that time iPads weren’t as capable as today, and I spent a lot of time outside my main home.

If it was nowadays, I’d buy a Mac mini, because I spent more time at home and I use my iPad Pro outside (and on my desk as well, but I still need to have a Mac for some tasks).

If Apple had a 12” MacBook, I’d probably buy that as my only device. But that machine doesn’t exist, so…

I’d buy it from Apple or Amazon if the latter had a much better price. But because I would get a Mac with more than 8GB, I’d probably buy directly from Apple.
 
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MauiPa said:
I have an M1 13 MBP (8GB, 512 SSD), totally love it and easily meets all my needs. The 15 MacBook Air is also a great machine. Previously owned a Mac mini, totally loved that, and if you want a headless machine, pick your own display and keyboard - that is the way. Mac Studio is nice, but way overkill for me.

I hear whining on this forum that 8GB is not enough RAM for "pro" apps without defining them. Yes you can construct a case where you max out ram and it could slow down, but that is pretty much a contrived instance, specifically to prove a point. I decided to go with 8GB after I had 16 GB in my previous Mac and never used it. Using Activity monitor, I have never created memory pressure with 8GB. Of course I don't use chrome which has a incompetently bad memory model.

So what do I do in my use case? 1) Safari, Safari Technology Preview, and Brave for browsers, 2) handbrake including running filters and upscaling, 3) iMovie for video enhancing, 3) Pages, Numbers and Keynote, 4) Xcode, script editor and shortcuts, 5) Preview and Adobe Acrobat. A common theme - built in applications, unless there is a reason to use another for a specific task (and yes, I stay away from known problems like chrome). Not a Pro workflow by any means, but my MBP works for me just great.

So, if you are concerned about 8GB because of pro apps, ask yourself what are they, and what are the motivations of those testing the use case, are they making a point, and devising a test to prove it - probably? I am not saying in the least that there are not "pro" apps that require a lot of RAM and need more than 8GB, and if you use them, well - enough said.

Finally, I am in the long list of people who think that Apple overcharges for RAM and SSD capacity. With the chip shortage more or less over, isn't it about time to make the cost of upgrades more affordable and competitive?
Click to expand...
The counterpoint to that argument is that you’re already spending a lot of money on a machine with 8 GB only to have the primary, non-upgradable limiting factor be half capacity for like 10-15% (i haven’t checked lately, but the point is… its a reasonable fraction) additional cost. The first tier memory upgrade is not a huge investment.

Which means the useful life of the machine is likely to be significantly degraded for an insignificant saving.

If you upgrade machines regularly (e.g. every 3-5 years) all good. If you’re wanting to stretch or have a machine that’s likely to be useful as a backup machine for a few years, the first tier memory upgrade makes a lot of sense.
 
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max2 said:
Where would you buy it too?

That if you wanted to switch to Mac from Windows.

What are the dos and don'ts to do this as well ?
Click to expand...

Probably Best Buy. Mac mini and a monitor or an mba. Consider Best Buy’s total membership that includes AppleCare for all your purchases.

You’ll want other things. AppleCare adds up if that’s your thing. Get base units. Better resale. You most likely don’t need better.

Wait for a deal. I’ve got like 10 different things covered for two years then you can opt to do monthly afterwards which is good for the kids. Daughters Mac. Mine. Phone. Their phones. AirPods. Watch. Etc.
 
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I would buy a MacBook Pro 14" M3 Pro right now. That's the best value laptop they have right now. Or, if I had less computing needs, I'd buy a 15" MacBook Air.
For desktop, I'd either grab an M2 Pro Mac Mini or a M2 Max Mac Studio (although I would probably wait until they come out with the M3 models).
 
MacBook Air M2 13” would probably suit your needs plenty if you’re just starting out with Mac. It’s ultra portable and the screen is a good size. Plus it has the advantages of a faster processor, MagSafe/extra usb-c port, better camera, and smaller bezels compared to the M1 Air, and its lighter, thinner, and (purportedly) easier to type on than the 14” MacBook Pro.

Just don’t cheap out and get the minimum storage and RAM.
 
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J.A.K. said:
Err... really? How so? I, err... I'm asking for a friend... who may be receiving an iMac M3 with 24GB and 256GB tomorrow... you know... hypothetically...
Click to expand...
You should be fine as long as you have enough space to run the OS and all your apps off of the internal drive, or you don’t have hundreds of GB of files syncing to iCloud Drive stored locally, since as stated above, it’s system folder.

Get a fast external SSD to store your music and photos libraries, iMovie/Garage band projects, etc. since those tend to take up a lot of space. Crucial now makes the X10 that’s about 2000MB/s read and write. That’s plenty fast if your mostly accessing the data and not doing tons of heavy writes—even then, while it certainly won’t be as quick as Apple’s blazing fast internal SSDs, it should still be pretty darn fast.

Then if you want a local backup you can just back up your internal drive and the external SSD with a second hard drive using Time Machine or whatever you prefer.
 
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If I didn't already have kit I'd buy an iMac with 16Gb of RAM and 512GB disk. It's good enough for anything I need to do and will need to do in the next half a decade.

I will never buy another Macbook. They are too expensive, have difficult to replace batteries and keyboards and I never use the things away from home anyway.

But here I am with an M1 Pro MBP 14" 16/512 and a Studio display. Guess I'll have to live with it 🤣
 
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max2 said:
Where would you buy it too?

That if you wanted to switch to Mac from Windows.

What are the dos and don'ts to do this as well ?
Click to expand...
It's a pretty open-ended question, and frankly, one of virtually no relevance.

What is your objective? What is you level of tech-savvy-ness? What do you want to do with the Mac? Do you want a desktop or a laptop? What is your budget? Is this a "for real" Mac or are you just wanting something to play with and "try out"?

Way too many options and way too little information with the question the way that it is asked.
 
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throAU said:
If I didn't cart my machine to work every day to avoid using the pile of crap HP elite books we buy, I'd do the same (and use an iPad for the couch).
Click to expand...
My commiserations.

Could be worse though. We use Dell. I've got a $4500 machine (Precision 7670 - 12850HX/64Gb/RTX/2TB/OLED) that rattles when you type, crashes twice a day, eats a $350 dock every 3 months and sounds louder than the aeroplanes taking off from the airport over my house only 2 miles away...
 
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