Pre purchase questions- please help!

[Jays1022]

Hey everyone.. I’m new to macrumors and I would like some insights and opinions. Any would be appreciated! Since I’ve decided to wait till BTS promo to get anything, I’ve been having some time to look into more stuff.
So... im torn between 2 choices.

For context: I am a grad student. I use chrome for most things because our school uses chrome as a platform for certain extensions. I usually have 15-20 tabs open for articles. At the same time, I might have MS office and YouTube open.

I’m upgrading from a 2013 4GB RAM MacBook Pro- chrome just keeps crashing. As you can see, I’m looking for something to keep for the next 5-7 years. Or one that has better resell value if Apple comes out with ARMs next couple of years.

I can’t say I’m a pro user because I don’t do any hard core editing- just chrome. I’m worried about air’s thermals but I’ve seen posts that say it’s okay...but chrome???
I’ve been eyeing the iPad Pro as well because I want to do some art and just use it for leisure. I thought maybe just getting air with iPad would be nice since I can just keep air as a writing utensil and pro as leisure/YouTube/Netflix machine With p3.

Basically, My choices are:
- MBP 8th gen i5/16/256
- MBA i5/16/256 + iPad Pro 128Gb.
Which one should I get? Please help....

 

[ctjack]

That is easy. Get the Air and free $300 Beats.
Also get the Ipad Pro and get another free $200 Beats.
And for the tasks that you've listed - you don't need i5 Air with 16gb. i3+8gb will suffice for that with a headroom.

 

[Jays1022]

That is easy. Get the Air and free $300 Beats.
Also get the Ipad Pro and get another free $200 Beats.
And for the tasks that you've listed - you don't need i5 Air with 16gb. i3+8gb will suffice for that with a headroom.

Would i3 be good for chrome? I’m worried 8gb ram is not going to be enough if I have a lot of tabs open
I think I’m gonna go air and iPad route too.

 

[ctjack]

Would i3 be good for chrome? I’m worried 8gb ram is not going to be enough if I have a lot of tabs open
I think I’m gonna go air and iPad route too.

The only problem of Chrome is twice the power usage when compared to Safari. So it will just drain your battery faster and that is it.
Here is the screenshot at idle. Consuming only 2.5Gb of RAM with Safari open.

This is 25 Chrome tabs of various heavy websites and one of them Full hd Youtube video playing in the background.(6GB of Ram used).

This is a screenshot of previous 25 tabs in Chrome with Youtube video still playing + 73 RAW images from 24MP Sony export in Lightroom.(4.2Gb Ram used)

So why would you need more than 8Gb of RAM?
P.S. Edited. Forgot to mention that it was 2012 MBP 13.

 

[Grohowiak]

Forget about 8GB.
Like seriously. Forget it.
16GB is the sweet spot now unless you want to close browsers or some apps while working.

 

[Jays1022]

So why would you need more than 8Gb of RAM?
P.S. Edited. Forgot to mention that it was 2012 MBP 13.

thank you for the graphs, I do think 8gb is alittle snug forlong term use. I had the 4Gb model 2013 MBP and the only reason I’m upgrading is because 4GB is not enough now. I also understand that 5 years later, app are going to consume more ram.
I was watching some of the preview for WWDC and was wondering if it’s still worth it to get the air if 2021 theyre gonna come out with an ARM air? I do need a laptop now tho, for school. So...I don’t know.....
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Forget about 8GB.
Like seriously. Forget it.
16GB is the sweet spot now unless you want to close browsers or some apps while working.

Yeah, I think 16GB is good. Would you recommend MBP or MBA+IPP?

 

[ctjack]

I had the 4Gb model 2013 MBP and the only reason I’m upgrading is because 4GB is not enough now. I also understand that 5 years later, app are going to consume more ram.
I was watching some of the preview for WWDC and was wondering if it’s still worth it to get the air if 2021 theyre gonna come out with an ARM air? I do need a laptop now tho, for school. So...I don’t know.....

It is all about money or wise spending of it. If you are going i5+16gb, then you hit the price point of $1200, which is $100 more than recent BestBuy promotion for MBP 13, or you hit exactly price point of MBP 13 base at Apple store.
Base MBP has 50% more power than any Air out there. In terms of real work it is also 2 times faster. And no 16gb can help you to stand against MBP 13 base.
Getting $1799 MBP 13 with base 16gb is Good. Upgrading to 16gb on Air is Bad, because it doesn't make that much sense.
Think of a car. If you drive regular Toyota, you don't need special $500(1pcs) tire that can go up to 150MPH, because your Toyota can't do that speed also it is illegal to drive more than 70MPH. Base tire from factory will be OK for you.
But if you own Ferrari, getting those speedy tires for $500 each, will help you to gain stability, higher speeds and security while racing on a closed track while hitting speed limits. Actually cheap tyres are prone to blow out at high speeds.
=================
When you do a lot of upgrades from Apple, just think about guys from last year, buying MBP 15 inch in 2019. When they bought their laptops, they specced it up by adding $200 increments and after 2 months Apple dropped MBP 16 with better GPU, double the storage and the same price. Which means consuming base models get you more utility for your money. Of course you can Max Out your Air at $2129, but then it transforms from "cheap/capable" laptop into luxury product for people who can afford it without even thinking of a price.

I had the 4Gb model 2013 MBP

I have started my computer experience from 256MB of RAM at school. Going 512MB for my personal PC was a huge upgrade. 2 GB of RAM was a game changer. 4GB of RAM was helpful when Win became ram eater. 8gb of Ram is truly the point, when you always hit 6GB mark and have 2 left. 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 GB of RAM will not have a difference for a casual user, unless you are doing appropriate work to utilize those things.
4gb of RAM is a no go now and going from 4GB to 8GB is a real game changer now for you and everyone else. 16GB is good only if you know how and where to use it.

 

[Jays1022]

It is all about money or wise spending of it. If you are going i5+16gb, then you hit the price point of $1200, which is $100 more than recent BestBuy promotion for MBP 13, or you hit exactly price point of MBP 13 base at Apple store.

4gb of RAM is a no go now and going from 4GB to 8GB is a real game changer now for you and everyone else. 16GB is good only if you know how and where to use it.

Yeah I know what you mean. Unfortunately I’m in Canada and bestbuy doesn’t have that promo. I’m also going to use the education discount so I’m okay. So do you think air base? Or mbp base? I mean, I won’t upgrade it cause I want to resell it 2-3 years later for arm....like you said, base is probably good enough? I3/8gb/256? Or mbp 8th gen i5/8gb/256?

 

[ctjack]

So do you think air base? Or mbp base? I mean, I won’t upgrade it cause I want to resell it 2-3 years later for arm....like you said, base is probably good enough? I3/8gb/256? Or mbp 8th gen i5/8gb/256?

Personally me also waiting BTS to pick up i5 Air and hold on to it for 1 year and buy $1799 MBP 13 2021 or refurbished MBP 16 2019 from Apple.
I am saving $200 by not going towards base MBP 13. I am saving additional $200 by not upgrading the RAM. So that adds up to $400 saved towards future purchase of MBP 13 2021. Also i will sell almost base Air with no cost incurred. I will lose only $100-$200 on that, but that is covered with free beats.
I am going i5 Air just because i do have a Sony camera and do love spending time in FCPX, DaVinci Resolve video editing and Lightroom for my photo edits. I do have 2012 MBP 13 and I am considering changing it just because new Air is faster at video edits.
For example, 1 min 1080P video edits 18 min on my current 2012 MBP 13 and it will render in 1 minute or so on new Air i5.
If i hadn't been doing photo and video edits, then i would buy base i3 in a heartbeat.

 

[Jays1022]

Personally me also waiting BTS to pick up i5 Air and hold on to it for 1 year and buy $1799 MBP 13 2021 or refurbished MBP 16 2019 from Apple.
I am saving $200 by not going towards base MBP 13. I am saving additional $200 by not upgrading the RAM. So that adds up to $400 saved towards future purchase of MBP 13 2021. Also i will sell almost base Air with no cost incurred. I will lose only $100-$200 on that, but that is covered with free beats.
I am going i5 Air just because i do have a Sony camera and do love spending time in FCPX, DaVinci Resolve video editing and Lightroom for my photo edits. I do have 2012 MBP 13 and I am considering changing it just because new Air is faster at video edits.
For example, 1 min 1080P video edits 18 min on my current 2012 MBP 13 and it will render in 1 minute or so on new Air i5.
If i hadn't been doing photo and video edits, then i would buy base i3 in a heartbeat.

Hm... I understand. I think I’ll go with i3 then? I’ll try it out first and see if it’s okay for my usage. I have many people tell me to pick up a mbp but honestly I don’t do pro stuff. I want a iPad Pro for videos and art and all and air just for typing and school

 

[ctjack]

I think I’ll go with i3 then? I’ll try it out first and see if it’s okay for my usage. I have many people tell me to pick up a mbp but honestly I don’t do pro stuff. I want a iPad Pro for videos and art and all and air just for typing and school

Go with the base Air. Anyway you always can return in 14 day window anyway.

 

[Grohowiak]

thank you for the graphs, I do think 8gb is alittle snug forlong term use. I had the 4Gb model 2013 MBP and the only reason I’m upgrading is because 4GB is not enough now. I also understand that 5 years later, app are going to consume more ram.
I was watching some of the preview for WWDC and was wondering if it’s still worth it to get the air if 2021 theyre gonna come out with an ARM air? I do need a laptop now tho, for school. So...I don’t know.....
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Yeah, I think 16GB is good. Would you recommend MBP or MBA+IPP?

In your case I would go MBA i5/16/256 + iPad Pro 128Gb.
I would also stay away from i3. Chrome is CPU hungry.
iPad is such a wonderful media device that nothing comes close to it.
There is a big chance you will end up using it a lot more than the MBA especially for personal stuff. It's just a joy to use.
If you take notes get something like Good Notes app for iPad and mac and you are gold. You can use pencil for natural feel and by the time you get to the desk the note will already be updated on the mac.
One of many perks that become super convenient when using both devices.

 

[Jays1022]

In your case I would go MBA i5/16/256 + iPad Pro 128Gb.
I would also stay away from i3. Chrome is CPU hungry.
iPad is such a wonderful media device that nothing comes close to it.
There is a big chance you will end up using it a lot more than the MBA especially for personal stuff. It's just a joy to use.
If you take notes get something like Good Notes app for iPad and mac and you are gold. You can use pencil for natural feel and by the time you get to the desk the note will already be updated on the mac.
One of many perks that become super convenient when using both devices.

I understand, but as some of other commented, I should just buy the base model air and use it for a year or two until ARM machines come in. Do you think i5/16/256 is too much? I’m also worried that when ARMS comes out, Intel machines will be less valuable to for resell?

 

[LinkRS]

Hey everyone.. I’m new to macrumors and I would like some insights and opinions. Any would be appreciated! Since I’ve decided to wait till BTS promo to get anything, I’ve been having some time to look into more stuff.
So... im torn between 2 choices.

For context: I am a grad student. I use chrome for most things because our school uses chrome as a platform for certain extensions. I usually have 15-20 tabs open for articles. At the same time, I might have MS office and YouTube open.

I’m upgrading from a 2013 4GB RAM MacBook Pro- chrome just keeps crashing. As you can see, I’m looking for something to keep for the next 5-7 years. Or one that has better resell value if Apple comes out with ARMs next couple of years.

I can’t say I’m a pro user because I don’t do any hard core editing- just chrome. I’m worried about air’s thermals but I’ve seen posts that say it’s okay...but chrome???
I’ve been eyeing the iPad Pro as well because I want to do some art and just use it for leisure. I thought maybe just getting air with iPad would be nice since I can just keep air as a writing utensil and pro as leisure/YouTube/Netflix machine With p3.

Basically, My choices are:
- MBP 8th gen i5/16/256
- MBA i5/16/256 + iPad Pro 128Gb.
Which one should I get? Please help....

This might be an unpopular opinion, but bear with me. Chrome is not end-all-be all browser that some folks make it out to be. It is a memory and battery hog, and there are better options out there. If Safari (which is what I use on my Mac) just don't cut it, you can now get the new Chromium version of Edge on Mac (https://www.imore.com/microsoft-edge-mac-review). It is basically a better version of Chrome. From what I understand, when you are talking about an iOS device, any browser that is not Safari, is just a skin on-top of Safari, so there is no point to use anything else.

For the question at hand, is it depends on what your workload is, and what you want to do on your laptop. If you spend the majority of your time in a browser, then your options are wide-open. Unless you absolutely must have Chrome (which is possible), an iPad with the new Magic Keyboard Stand is a fantastic option. Despite Apple's advertising, iPads are great for content consumption, and just ok for content creation (due to the lack of professional level options, but this is slowly changing), If you are mainly a content consumer, an iPad (with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil) would be great. iOS works brilliantly for using browser apps and has a huge variety of apps in the Apps store. However (just my opinion again), if you say you spend 40 - 60% of your time creating content, you should really consider going the Macbook Air route. If you spend more than 60% of your time creating content, or think you will want to do video editing, the MacBook Pro is your best option. This may all change after WWDC this month though...

Good luck!

Rich S.

 

[Grohowiak]

I understand, but as some of other commented, I should just buy the base model air and use it for a year or two until ARM machines come in. Do you think i5/16/256 is too much? I’m also worried that when ARMS comes out, Intel machines will be less valuable to for resell?

2 year old baseline mba’s are not that valuable either when you look at eBay.
Not to mention we have no idea about arm at all at this point.
Nobody knows how many childhood problems will those machines have, potential delays or when you will have a environment of something else than a glorified web browser.
At this point i would just wait for WWDC and see what they are talking about but I have this feeling a lot of people will be disappointed simply because they do not understand what a gigantic task it is to port your entire system to a different architecture without killing half or more of your user base cause they got stuck with a novelty that needs years before it will mature yet they go to work everyday and need their tools to get paid.

 

[Jays1022]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but bear with me. Chrome is not end-all-be all browser that some folks make it out to be. It is a memory and battery hog, and there are better options out there. If Safari (which is what I use on my Mac) just don't cut it, you can now get the new Chromium version of Edge on Mac (https://www.imore.com/microsoft-edge-mac-review). It is basically a better version of Chrome. From what I understand, when you are talking about an iOS device, any browser that is not Safari, is just a skin on-top of Safari, so there is no point to use anything else.

For the question at hand, is it depends on what your workload is, and what you want to do on your laptop. If you spend the majority of your time in a browser, then your options are wide-open. Unless you absolutely must have Chrome (which is possible), an iPad with the new Magic Keyboard Stand is a fantastic option. Despite Apple's advertising, iPads are great for content consumption, and just ok for content creation (due to the lack of professional level options, but this is slowly changing), If you are mainly a content consumer, an iPad (with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil) would be great. iOS works brilliantly for using browser apps and has a huge variety of apps in the Apps store. However (just my opinion again), if you say you spend 40 - 60% of your time creating content, you should really consider going the Macbook Air route. If you spend more than 60% of your time creating content, or think you will want to do video editing, the MacBook Pro is your best option. This may all change after WWDC this month though...

Good luck!

Rich S.

Hello! Thank you for your reply! I do need to use chrome for school extension. I know it’s stupid but unfortunately I have not found any other options. I’m thinking to use the air just for school work: chrome, doc, articles? I’m usually opening 10+ tabs on chrome so I’m worried air won’t be able to handle it? Also, I do favour air + iPad Pro because as I understand it, air doesn’t have P3 colour and iPad Pro does. I will mainly use ipp to watch movies and do some art with it.

 

[LinkRS]

Hello! Thank you for your reply! I do need to use chrome for school extension. I know it’s stupid but unfortunately I have not found any other options. I’m thinking to use the air just for school work: chrome, doc, articles? I’m usually opening 10+ tabs on chrome so I’m worried air won’t be able to handle it? Also, I do favour air + iPad Pro because as I understand it, air doesn’t have P3 colour and iPad Pro does. I will mainly use ipp to watch movies and do some art with it.

Howdy Jays1022,

Quite a few Chrome plugins just work in the new Chromium version of Edge. Edge is better on memory use and battery life than Chrome. Regardless, as long as you outfit a MacBook Air with 16 GB of RAM, you should be just fine doing the workload you mentioned. That should give you plenty of room, even with Chrome. Here is a video talking about amount of RAM you need, granted it is specifically talking about Windows version of Chrome, but it gives you a good primer:

. If you decide to branch out and do photo or video editing, you could get into a situation where you would need more than 16 GBs, but then you would be using expensive programs, and would already know that LOL.

Good luck!

Rich S.

 

[Jays1022]

Howdy Jays1022,

Quite a few Chrome plugins just work in the new Chromium version of Edge. Edge is better on memory use and battery life than Chrome. Regardless, as long as you outfit a MacBook Air with 16 GB of RAM, you should be just fine doing the workload you mentioned. That should give you plenty of room, even with Chrome. Here is a video talking about amount of RAM you need, granted it is specifically talking about Windows version of Chrome, but it gives you a good primer:

. If you decide to branch out and do photo or video editing, you could get into a situation where you would need more than 16 GBs, but then you would be using expensive programs, and would already know that LOL.

Good luck!

Rich S.

Thank you! I did check the extension and unfortunately it’s only on chrome. Maybe I should go for 16GB. Do you think i3 or i5 matter? Which one should I go for?
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2 year old baseline mba’s are not that valuable either when you look at eBay.
Not to mention we have no idea about arm at all at this point.
Nobody knows how many childhood problems will those machines have, potential delays or when you will have a environment of something else than a glorified web browser.
At this point i would just wait for WWDC and see what they are talking about but I have this feeling a lot of people will be disappointed simply because they do not understand what a gigantic task it is to port your entire system to a different architecture without killing half or more of your user base cause they got stuck with a novelty that needs years before it will mature yet they go to work everyday and need their tools to get paid.

True. I guess everyone is expecting a lot from WWDC. If MacBooks are going ARM I am assuming it’s gonna take a few years alreast for it to be stable?
If MBA isn’t selling well, do you think upgrade MBA will do any difference? Or MBP I’m just worried MBP isn’t gonna do well either since it’s already using 8th gen chip

 

[LinkRS]

Thank you! I did check the extension and unfortunately it’s only on chrome. Maybe I should go for 16GB. Do you think i3 or i5 matter? Which one should I go for?
[automerge]1591999049[/automerge]

True. I guess everyone is expecting a lot from WWDC. If MacBooks are going ARM I am assuming it’s gonna take a few years alreast for it to be stable?
If MBA isn’t selling well, do you think upgrade MBA will do any difference? Or MBP I’m just worried MBP isn’t gonna do well either since it’s already using 8th gen chip

Howdy Jays1022,

If you are going to pay $1000+ for a laptop, you really should have at least 16 GB of RAM. The Apple options are a bit tricky, as RAM upgrades are expensive. When I ordered my 16" MBP, it would have cost $370 (had vet discount) to go from 16 GB to 32 GB, so I opted to not do it. The cost to go to 16 GB on the MBA seems to be $200, which is pricey (for example I orders a 16 GB upgrade kit for my son's Windows PC last week, it was $101 shipped), but it will be worth it in the long run. As far as i3 or i5 go, that really won't make much of a difference for Chrome and basic use. If you are trying to keep the costs down, the cost of upgrading the CPU would be better used for the RAM or a bigger SSD. If you could swing it, I always suggest folks get the most CPU (and/or GPU) they can afford, but don't do it if you aren't going to be able to upgrade the RAM too. Good luck!

Rich S.

 

[Grohowiak]

Thank you! I did check the extension and unfortunately it’s only on chrome. Maybe I should go for 16GB. Do you think i3 or i5 matter? Which one should I go for?
[automerge]1591999049[/automerge]

True. I guess everyone is expecting a lot from WWDC. If MacBooks are going ARM I am assuming it’s gonna take a few years alreast for it to be stable?
If MBA isn’t selling well, do you think upgrade MBA will do any difference? Or MBP I’m just worried MBP isn’t gonna do well either since it’s already using 8th gen chip

I'm pretty sure MBA sells extremely well especially due to their price point. I know at least 3 people in my close family that use them and all love it. They use last generation and have no intent to upgrade because they just work for them and work well. Current generation MBAs are great for everyday stuff.

With ARM I worry more about software than hardware though you never know. I'm typing this on the $2400 16" MBP that I can't use in certain conditions or it crashes completely and it does it every single time. It's just how things are with apple.

If you buy a computer now or after WWDC it doesn't matter it will still be a great computer for years to come. This is a fact no matter what apple does. Don't read into all the doomsayers because computers change every single year. Whatever is that you buy now it will be replaced by something technically superior in matter of 12 months.
I just bought the 16" now and I don't care if something better comes out in 3 months time simply because 1. I'm almost sure something will and 2. because I need this to work not to look at tech specs and feel good for few months that I have a shiny hardware.
To be perfectly clear here, if something groundbreaking comes out then I am willing to sell / take a hit and get the new version but that will be determined for most part on the premise that the new system grants me significant advantages for professional work.

At the same time if you want to get a "even broader perspective" on technology around us just look at windows owners laughing at you because they use 2080 GPUs and their laptops don't melt cause they wanted to play for 30 minutes (for most part at least)
Don't stress so much about things you can't control cause it is a never ending cycle.

 

[Jays1022]

Howdy Jays1022,

If you are going to pay $1000+ for a laptop, you really should have at least 16 GB of RAM. The Apple options are a bit tricky, as RAM upgrades are expensive. When I ordered my 16" MBP, it would have cost $370 (had vet discount) to go from 16 GB to 32 GB, so I opted to not do it. The cost to go to 16 GB on the MBA seems to be $200, which is pricey (for example I orders a 16 GB upgrade kit for my son's Windows PC last week, it was $101 shipped), but it will be worth it in the long run. As far as i3 or i5 go, that really won't make much of a difference for Chrome and basic use. If you are trying to keep the costs down, the cost of upgrading the CPU would be better used for the RAM or a bigger SSD. If you could swing it, I always suggest folks get the most CPU (and/or GPU) they can afford, but don't do it if you aren't going to be able to upgrade the RAM too. Good luck!

Rich S.

Hm... thank you for your post! I guess I’m not sure what to get at the moment... some say I should just get the base and some say I have to get i5/16 to make it run smoother...

 

[Blueberry123]

I guess I’m not sure what to get at the moment... some say I should just get the base and some say I have to get i5/16 to make it run smoother...

If you are buying a laptop to last 5-7 years for your workload, it would be wise to buy the base 8th gen MBP with 16gb. The MBP gives you a better screen, better speakers, active cooling and you would not be concerned by its performance using multiple chrome tabs. The MBA, i3 or i5 is only better value if it can do your workload, which because of the poor thermals (increase in heat and fan noise, slowing down with multiple chrome tabs), you would need to test it and return if necessary.

Your buying decision is being complicated because you are worried by the transition to ARM. If you do intend to sell in 2 or 3 years time, then you should just buy the base MBA or MBP with 8gb. Buying an intel mac today should receive 5 years of software support and updates. Decisions to make.

Personally I am considering waiting to 2021 because my 11" MBA is still working well. My eyes want to move to the retina screen. A new ARM 13" MBA or 12" Macbook should improve the performance and battery life, compared to the underpowered intel cpu's in the 2015-17 Macbook and 2018-20 MBA. I love the MBA form factor, but if I do decide to buy in 2020, like you, I have to consider the base MBP because of the MBA limited performance due to it's passive cooling.

 

[Grohowiak]

Unfortunately 5 years from now 8GB has a big possibility of being a major bottleneck for whatever is that you do. Divide the $ difference between 8 and 16gb by the number of years/months/days and ask yourself if that’s a bad investment to guarantee a rather worry free experience. Not to mention nobody in their right mind will buy a 8GB mac in 2025.

 

[Jays1022]

If you are buying a laptop to last 5-7 years for your workload, it would be wise to buy the base 8th gen MBP with 16gb. The MBP gives you a better screen, better speakers, active cooling and you would not be concerned by its performance using multiple chrome tabs. The MBA, i3 or i5 is only better value if it can do your workload, which because of the poor thermals (increase in heat and fan noise, slowing down with multiple chrome tabs), you would need to test it and return if necessary.

Your buying decision is being complicated because you are worried by the transition to ARM. If you do intend to sell in 2 or 3 years time, then you should just buy the base MBA or MBP with 8gb. Buying an intel mac today should receive 5 years of software support and updates. Decisions to make.

Personally I am considering waiting to 2021 because my 11" MBA is still working well. My eyes want to move to the retina screen. A new ARM 13" MBA or 12" Macbook should improve the performance and battery life, compared to the underpowered intel cpu's in the 2015-17 Macbook and 2018-20 MBA. I love the MBA form factor, but if I do decide to buy in 2020, like you, I have to consider the base MBP because of the MBA limited performance due to it's passive cooling.

Yeah, if I could wait for 2021 I would. Unfortunately, I’ve sold my MBP and in need of a laptop ASAP. I think I’m going to order the i5/8 to try first and then if it’s not okay. I’ll return and get MBP. However, I think it should be okay. If I can get half the price 2-3 years later, I think I’m okay.
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Unfortunately 5 years from now 8GB has a big possibility of being a major bottleneck for whatever is that you do. Divide the $ difference between 8 and 16gb by the number of years/months/days and ask yourself if that’s a bad investment to guarantee a rather worry free experience. Not to mention nobody in their right mind will buy a 8GB mac in 2025.

Thank you for Your last 2 posts! I didn’t see your second last post and I think you have a great point! If anything, MBA seems to be great and fitting for my usage. Chrome sucks but I will try it out with i5/16. If it doesn’t work, I will try MBP. However, I think I’ll enjoy my iPad Pro and air combo much more. I just hope IPP can last me a couple of years. Unlike MacBook lineup, iPads refresh at a lighting speed. I just hope I’ll still feel satisfied 5 years to come. My iPad mini started to really slow after 3-4 years and I’m not too sure why.

 

[LinkRS]

Yeah, if I could wait for 2021 I would. Unfortunately, I’ve sold my MBP and in need of a laptop ASAP. I think I’m going to order the i5/8 to try first and then if it’s not okay. I’ll return and get MBP. However, I think it should be okay. If I can get half the price 2-3 years later, I think I’m okay.
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Thank you for Your last 2 posts! I didn’t see your second last post and I think you have a great point! If anything, MBA seems to be great and fitting for my usage. Chrome sucks but I will try it out with i5/16. If it doesn’t work, I will try MBP. However, I think I’ll enjoy my iPad Pro and air combo much more. I just hope IPP can last me a couple of years. Unlike MacBook lineup, iPads refresh at a lighting speed. I just hope I’ll still feel satisfied 5 years to come. My iPad mini started to really slow after 3-4 years and I’m not too sure why.

Howdy Jays1022,

I think you will be happy 16 GB MBA with an i5 CPU. That should run your workload with plenty of room to grow. It is true that Apple seems to release new iPads every 12 months or so, but I don't upgrade but once every 2 to 3 years. Apple is so far ahead in the tablet arena, even the "new" entry level 10.2" iPad ($379) runs apps wonderfully. My wife's almost 3 year old iPad Pro (1st one) also still works wonderfully. You should be able to easily keep a new iPad for 3+ years without worry of it becoming too slow. I am "still" rocking a 2018 iPad Pro 11", and probably won't look at upgrading until next year (2021). Good luck!

Rich S.