MacBook Pro 2017 15" vs new MacBook Air M1?

[lyle.sambrook]

Debating trading in my MacBook Pro 2017 version [15", Retina, Touch Bar] for the new MacBook Air M1 Model. Think this is a good idea or not? Aware that it's an Air vs the Pro I've got, just really like the idea of having that extra power as well as keeping touch I.D., Retina screen and wouldn't be that bothered about the loss of the Touch Bar.

 

[nothingtoseehere]

To help you with your decision, there are some standard questions to be asked:

• Do you rely on Windows, via Bootcamp and/or Parallels/VM etc., or not?
• Do you rely on software that still is not M1 optimized and has known issues with Rosetta2? (If you do not know, you could describe your use case, i.e. what software do you use and for what purpose.)
• Do you use your machine for making your money?
• Would a smaller screen be fine for you?

I hope these questions explain themselves. They are intended for clarifying whether an available M1 machine would generally suit you.

 

[lyle.sambrook]

To help you with your decision, there are some standard questions to be asked:

• Do you rely on Windows, via Bootcamp and/or Parallels/VM etc., or not?
• Do you rely on software that still is not M1 optimized and has known issues with Rosetta2? (If you do not know, you could describe your use case, i.e. what software do you use and for what purpose.)
• Do you use your machine for making your money?
• Would a smaller screen be fine for you?

I hope these questions explain themselves. They are intended for clarifying whether an available M1 machine would generally suit you.

• No don’t rely on those
• No don’t rely on this software. I’m a teacher so only use it for Office and Apples document programs
• I use it to sell things on amazon/ebay but not main source of income
• I’m not sure it would matter a lot a smaller screen

How long do Macbook Pros last before they slow down/need to be replaced? (if they don’t break, of course). Sorry probably seems very amateurish questions! 😂

 

[nothingtoseehere]

OK it is very clear now that there are no objections to a purchase of a M1 MBA for you!

This is good news 🙂 but leaves you to make your own decision ;-)

Air vs. Pro does IMO not matter in your case. The MBA can easily do anything you want. (But also the MBP can, or is there any specific reason for your wish for "extra power"?) "Pro" in the Apple world does not mean that the machines are more solid in general but have additional features and are better suited for heavy workloads as video editing, rendering, that sort of stuff. For example, your MBP has 4 ports to plug things into. The MBA has two.

How long Apple Macbooks last is a tricky question. The hardware as such is good for 7 to 10 years (there are always exceptions but your device has worked well for 3-4 years so why not some years longer). With newer software, computers tend to slow down but Office should not be a problem. I also think your MBP should receive macOS support until 2027 so that a 10-year-lifespan for your computer is reasonable.

It seems to me that it could be a matter of taste? You could easily keep your device, the specs are good. But maybe you want a new one? No touch bar, maybe you also don't like the keyboard at your MBP (?), and at the moment, you still get something when trading it in.

So, it boils down to "do what you want " 🙂

 

[lyle.sambrook]

OK it is very clear now that there are no objections to a purchase of a M1 MBA for you!

This is good news 🙂 but leaves you to make your own decision ;-)

Air vs. Pro does IMO not matter in your case. The MBA can easily do anything you want. (But also the MBP can, or is there any specific reason for your wish for "extra power"?) "Pro" in the Apple world does not mean that the machines are more solid in general but have additional features and are better suited for heavy workloads as video editing, rendering, that sort of stuff. For example, your MBP has 4 ports to plug things into. The MBA has two.

How long Apple Macbooks last is a tricky question. The hardware as such is good for 7 to 10 years (there are always exceptions but your device has worked well for 3-4 years so why not some years longer). With newer software, computers tend to slow down but Office should not be a problem. I also think your MBP should receive macOS support until 2027 so that a 10-year-lifespan for your computer is reasonable.

It seems to me that it could be a matter of taste? You could easily keep your device, the specs are good. But maybe you want a new one? No touch bar, maybe you also don't like the keyboard at your MBP (?), and at the moment, you still get something when trading it in.

So, it boils down to "do what you want " 🙂

Thank you very much for all that info, much appreciated!

One weird quirk, currently, the Mac I have is selling for about £1100-£1200 GBP on ebay uk in excellent condition as mine is.
With most electronic retailers in the UK, the 2020 Macbook Pro 13 inch screen, M1 256GB SSD (still with touch bar) is £1192 GBP? Why is this? Surely it should be loads more expensive than my pre owned Macbook Pro 2017 model especially brand new?

Also would I notice much difference between 256 SSD and 512SSD?

 

[nothingtoseehere]

One weird quirk, currently, the Mac I have is selling for about £1100-£1200 GBP on ebay uk in excellent condition as mine is.
With most electronic retailers in the UK, the 2020 Macbook Pro 13 inch screen, M1 256GB SSD (still with touch bar) is £1192 GBP? Why is this? Surely it should be loads more expensive than my pre owned Macbook Pro 2017 model especially brand new?

Your MBP is still a remarkable powerful machine, with big display, dedicated graphics card, and a lot of desirable features. Plus, Apple products tend to keep good value over the years.

MBPs 13" play one class lower. (I also have a 13" which is enough for me, I don't do many graphics. And I always have an external monitor.)

Also would I notice much difference between 256 SSD and 512SSD?

Again, this depends how much you use. There should be a certain amount of free space on a SSD, between 10 and 20%. If at the moment, at your 512 GB SSD, you do not use more than, let's say, 150 GB, then 256 would be ok. Otherwise...
There are many people around who do not mind having a rather small internal SSD and plug in a big external one when space is needed. Personally, I prefer big internal space but everyone is different.

 

[lyle.sambrook]

Your MBP is still a remarkable powerful machine, with big display, dedicated graphics card, and a lot of desirable features. Plus, Apple products tend to keep good value over the years.

MBPs 13" play one class lower. (I also have a 13" which is enough for me, I don't do many graphics. And I always have an external monitor.)


Again, this depends how much you use. There should be a certain amount of free space on a SSD, between 10 and 20%. If at the moment, at your 512 GB SSD, you do not use more than, let's say, 150 GB, then 256 would be ok. Otherwise...
There are many people around who do not mind having a rather small internal SSD and plug in a big external one when space is needed. Personally, I prefer big internal space but everyone is different.

Thanks - i've got 512Gb and use nowhere near that as most of my stuff is on different cloud services [OneDrive, GoogleDrive, iCloud]. So i'm wondering if it would be more worth paying extra £180 for 16GB unified memory and have 256GB SSD? Rather than 8GB and 512GB SSD? If i was to only have one upgrade!

 

[nothingtoseehere]

So i'm wondering if it would be more worth paying extra £180 for 16GB unified memory and have 256GB SSD? Rather than 8GB and 512GB SSD? If i was to only have one upgrade!

That is easy: In that constellation, always take the 16 GB. There is no way ever to expand RAM after purchase but SSD can be attached externally.

 

[jagooch]

Debating trading in my MacBook Pro 2017 version [15", Retina, Touch Bar] for the new MacBook Air M1 Model. Think this is a good idea or not? Aware that it's an Air vs the Pro I've got, just really like the idea of having that extra power as well as keeping touch I.D., Retina screen and wouldn't be that bothered about the loss of the Touch Bar.

can you post the specs for your Pro? CPU, RAM, Storage, GPU ?