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Sell me a Mac, sell me M1, sell me Big Sur, sell me Apple!
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With due respect to the point made regarding upgrading in #21, this definitely strikes a cord with me. If I was more familiar with what I was getting in to then maxing out RAM and getting more storage would be a different decision.
The 'standard' 8GB seems well up to the job anyway, so spending a considerable amount more (let's be honest, Apple definitely make you pay for upgrades!) is a struggle.
Furthermore, spending £999 on a base MBA and not having a micro SD card slot is a sore point nevermind spending considerably more on a Pro and still not having one!
For someone like me taking an entirely pragmatic view of the whole thing that's just taking the pee.
One reason for maximizing RAM is to maximize SSD life. If the system is doing a ton of page/swap, then this could result in a material loss of life for page/swap over time in a device where you can't replace the SSD.
Remember this very important note...
The M1 Macs are the first generation of their kind. As such, compatibility (hardware/software), stability, and the like are very much in question compared to the existing INTEL Mac lineup.
You are going to be a pioneer... so if you don't like dealing with issues as they arise, this may not be the first Mac you should invest in.
They will be releasing more Macs throughout the next year... you may find they are more stable than the first generation and likely offer more options to you.
You cannot future proof these new M1s as they were designed to be replaced once the technology matures.
The M1 Macs are the first generation of their kind. As such, compatibility (hardware/software), stability, and the like are very much in question compared to the existing INTEL Mac lineup.
You are going to be a pioneer... so if you don't like dealing with issues as they arise, this may not be the first Mac you should invest in.
They will be releasing more Macs throughout the next year... you may find they are more stable than the first generation and likely offer more options to you.
You cannot future proof these new M1s as they were designed to be replaced once the technology matures.
As someone who has NO experience in the Apple/Mac ecosystem, I must warn you, do NOT think MacOS will be like Windows... at all. They may look kinda similar, but you will discover they are FAR from it. If you do not have the mental fortitude to "switch gears" and deal with the differences of the MacOS environment, you will likely be throwing your hands up in short order. Switch to MacOS when you are READY to change gears and deal with whatever it entails. No turning back, no matter what comes. That is the only way you will succeed in this venture.
Biggest irritant for me (and I have many years of past experience with MacOS/Windows) is remembering that the Close/Minimize/Full widgets are on the OTHER side of the Window! Used to them on the right, with Windows? They're on the LEFT, in MacOS! And they're colored circles, not a "-", square, and "X". That, alone, may take a bit of getting used to. Always trips me up.
Biggest irritant for me (and I have many years of past experience with MacOS/Windows) is remembering that the Close/Minimize/Full widgets are on the OTHER side of the Window! Used to them on the right, with Windows? They're on the LEFT, in MacOS! And they're colored circles, not a "-", square, and "X". That, alone, may take a bit of getting used to. Always trips me up.
I'm pretty pig-headed, when I'm done with something that's generally it. I haven't been comfortable with Windows since XP and it's just come to a head with 10.
I detest Android, I have an Android phone out of necessity to fly my drone but I do not and will not use it as a phone.
Linux has been good to prolong the life of my old laptops, but it's not a long term solution and not really ideal when you need to purchase new hardware.
No, as we say in these parts, I'll be giving Mac a good aul lash as it seems my way forward.
I detest Android, I have an Android phone out of necessity to fly my drone but I do not and will not use it as a phone.
Linux has been good to prolong the life of my old laptops, but it's not a long term solution and not really ideal when you need to purchase new hardware.
No, as we say in these parts, I'll be giving Mac a good aul lash as it seems my way forward.
If you are taking the plunge, I'd go all-in on the Apple ecosystem with the following (US prices):
- MacBook Air ($999)
- iPhone 12 mini ($699)
- iPad Air ($599)
Base models seem fine for what you are proposing, though if you do want to upgrade, I'd suggest the RAM over the SSD, as you can always add cloud storage or an external drive for seldom-used files. The M1 Air can handle video editing. Sure, the Pro will be faster, but unless you are editing large files, the Air should handle it.
My rationale is that you want to leave Windows, and aren't in the Google ecosystem at all, so you might as well get a taste of what Apple has to offer for both "desktop" (MacBook) and mobile (iPhone and iPad). For about the price of a loaded MacBook Pro you have 3 baseline devices, all of which are running a version of Apple's latest chip.
What's nice is that the MacBook can use the iPad Air as a second monitor, no additional software needed. With an Apple ID, your three devices can stay in sync. For example, your iPad, iPhone, and Mac will "know" which tabs are open in Safari on all your devices. You can share files and photos wirelessly. While Microsoft has recently added similar functionality to Windows, it seems to work better in the Apple ecosystem.
Apple Watch too.
I have a Windows Desktop, iPad Mini, iPhone and Garmin Smartwatch - so I go with what works best for me at the time. But it's definitely easier if you stay completely in the same ecosystem.
Technically the best timing to quit Windows was with Vista. At this point, you're just trying to avoid more sunken cost
I have to echo KPOMs suggestion to upgrade the RAM over the SSD. You can buy external SSDs that will take full advantage of USB4/Thunderbolt for far less than you'd pay Apple to build it into the system, and your transfer speeds will not suffer as a result.
I get the point that you can't upgrade the RAM or the SSD after purchase, so you are correct it is difficult to future proof them.
However I am not sure I can agree that these are designed to be replaced.
While I am sure a number of people have bought these to 'kick the tyres' of the new Apple Silicon Macs, and plan to upgrade to a larger screen notebook or desktop with more performance and features. These new Macs are very powerful computers in their own right. In all metrics outperforming the low end models that they replace and in many cases out performing in terms of performance, battery life and noise higher spec Intel Macs Apple is still selling.
Apple has been developing Apple Silicon for 10 years, so it is not entirely being a pioneer. I have had my M1 Mac for 4 days and it has been an amazing experience, quiet, fast and stable. I bought the first iPad Pro that is now 5 years old and still is a great iPad, I have not replaced it yet.
Yes I am sure Apple will be bringing out some great 2nd Generation devices, but this Mac is by far the biggest improvement I have ever seen in upgrading my Mac over the last 18 years I have been using them.
If you have anyone in your household that is a student you could buy through the education store for a discount. I purchased the MacBook Air with 512gb and the 8th GPU core for 1149$ USD through the education store. You could go with an external SSD but keep in mind that USB4/Thunderbolt external drives are VERY pricey. I personally wanted more internal storage. I was reluctant about the 8gb of ram but decided to get that model because we dont really know how this integrated ram performs but the current winds show that it is probably sufficient for most tasks and I wanted to keep that money in my pocket. A bit of a risk I suppose and time will tell but clearly the M1 is faster with 8gb of ram than any Intel Mac machine ever thought of being.
Concerning SD cards while this is an external solution it does the trick and adds HDMI and USB-A as well:
Concerning SD cards while this is an external solution it does the trick and adds HDMI and USB-A as well:
Anker USB C Hub, 5-in-1 USB C Adapter, with 4K USB C to HDMI, SD and microSD Card Reader, 2 USB 3.0 Ports, for MacBook Pro 2019/2018/2017, iPad Pro 2019/2018, Pixelbook, XPS, and More
Model Number: A8334 Compatible Devices Include: MacBook Pro (2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019) MacBook Air (2018 / 2019) XPS (13 inch / 15 inch) Pixelbook (2017) Incompatible Devices: Nintendo Switch Apple USB SuperDrive Supported Systems: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Mac OS X 10. 6 or later, Lin...
www.amazon.com
Concerning SD cards while this is an external solution it does the trick and adds HDMI and USB-A as well:
Anker USB C Hub, 5-in-1 USB C Adapter, with 4K USB C to HDMI, SD and microSD Card Reader, 2 USB 3.0 Ports, for MacBook Pro 2019/2018/2017, iPad Pro 2019/2018, Pixelbook, XPS, and More
Model Number: A8334 Compatible Devices Include: MacBook Pro (2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019) MacBook Air (2018 / 2019) XPS (13 inch / 15 inch) Pixelbook (2017) Incompatible Devices: Nintendo Switch Apple USB SuperDrive Supported Systems: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Mac OS X 10. 6 or later, Lin...www.amazon.com
Highly recommend stepping up to a version supporting power passthrough. Then you have just a single cable to connect to the laptop and you're good to go.
Upgraded model of the quoted Anker is here. Haven't used it but have other Anker products and they've all been good:
If you don't need SD card in the hub directly, this is a nice passthru option since it has a good length of cable between the hub and the laptop. I have this and I'm able to keep it sitting at the back of my desk:
LENTION 3.3FT Long Cable USB C Multiport Hub with 4K HDMI, 4 USB 3.0, Type C Charging Compatible 2023-2016 MacBook Pro, New Mac Air/iMac/Mac Mini, More, Stable Driver Adapter (C35-1M, Space Gray)
LENTION USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter with 4K HDMI, 4-Port USB 3.0 and Power Delivery (3.3FT)
www.amazon.com
Amazon also has a bunch of USBC card readers, as well as some combo units with both USBC and USBA.
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I had an original Macintosh back when they first came out for a weekend: I returned it (still glad I did). I wanted a computer to tinker with and that machine was not it.
I'm never liked windows - and only used it when I was forced to.
I do love unix and know it like my back pocket - professionally.
So how did I tip my toe in the mac world:
I was on a business trip near Washington DC and a colleague (also a unix guy) insisted to go to a mall and into an Apple store to check out OS X. I honestly thought he had lost his mind.
But the unexpected happened: the store did not have aggressive sales, they let him play with a machine, even as he opened a command line window, and started using the underlying unix machine, they let him be for so long that I got bored and grabbed the machine next to him to have a look for myself. I lost track of time in that store. Was NEVER bothered or approached by a sales. They just let us explore and play with the machines at will, they let us have complete and free access - both of us were wondering when they'd stop us - but they never did).
I left that store impressed by two things:
- The concept of an Apple Store: free to use what they sell for as long as you want. I suspect the current virus makes it harder, but I can only recommend the trip to an actual Apple Store if you never used a mac: go and play with one! It's worth it.
- The OS of the machine: It was a combination of FreeBSD underneath, a very well made graphical layer on top of it, (at the time: an X windows server), and had commercial applications like Word and Excel
I bought a iMac after I returned home from that trip. Never looked back.
I currently have no copy of windows at all running anymore anywhere. And I'm proud of that.
Buying a mac now from what your needs seem to be: I'd go for a MacBook or MacBook Pro. Up to you which you want, it's not that much of a difference, but if you need to transcode 4K video a lot: got for the Pro as it has active cooling for a bit of extra oomph, esp. on long tasks.
RAM: cannot be upgraded: order it with the RAM that you will need.
If you're balancing a purchase of a laptop with more or less internal components with the need for an external monitor: All I can say is rather simple: a laptop will not last 10 years. Newer and better will lure you to sell on the old one (2nd hand macs retain a lot of value!) and get a newer one. A monitor OTOH: it's something that easily sits 10 years on your desk.
Ordering online from Apple: no fear they're great at it. I have order from them online from a simple cable to a pretty well loaded Mac Pro in the past. It's fully streamlined (even in Europe - I live in Belgium).
In fact I strongly prefer to order online vs. to go to a reseller as the resellers push to sell while Apple does not.
I'm never liked windows - and only used it when I was forced to.
I do love unix and know it like my back pocket - professionally.
So how did I tip my toe in the mac world:
I was on a business trip near Washington DC and a colleague (also a unix guy) insisted to go to a mall and into an Apple store to check out OS X. I honestly thought he had lost his mind.
But the unexpected happened: the store did not have aggressive sales, they let him play with a machine, even as he opened a command line window, and started using the underlying unix machine, they let him be for so long that I got bored and grabbed the machine next to him to have a look for myself. I lost track of time in that store. Was NEVER bothered or approached by a sales. They just let us explore and play with the machines at will, they let us have complete and free access - both of us were wondering when they'd stop us - but they never did).
I left that store impressed by two things:
- The concept of an Apple Store: free to use what they sell for as long as you want. I suspect the current virus makes it harder, but I can only recommend the trip to an actual Apple Store if you never used a mac: go and play with one! It's worth it.
- The OS of the machine: It was a combination of FreeBSD underneath, a very well made graphical layer on top of it, (at the time: an X windows server), and had commercial applications like Word and Excel
I bought a iMac after I returned home from that trip. Never looked back.
I currently have no copy of windows at all running anymore anywhere. And I'm proud of that.
Buying a mac now from what your needs seem to be: I'd go for a MacBook or MacBook Pro. Up to you which you want, it's not that much of a difference, but if you need to transcode 4K video a lot: got for the Pro as it has active cooling for a bit of extra oomph, esp. on long tasks.
RAM: cannot be upgraded: order it with the RAM that you will need.
If you're balancing a purchase of a laptop with more or less internal components with the need for an external monitor: All I can say is rather simple: a laptop will not last 10 years. Newer and better will lure you to sell on the old one (2nd hand macs retain a lot of value!) and get a newer one. A monitor OTOH: it's something that easily sits 10 years on your desk.
Ordering online from Apple: no fear they're great at it. I have order from them online from a simple cable to a pretty well loaded Mac Pro in the past. It's fully streamlined (even in Europe - I live in Belgium).
In fact I strongly prefer to order online vs. to go to a reseller as the resellers push to sell while Apple does not.
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Daughter has the only other Apple device in the family, an extremely well-worn iphone 7, which she loves dearly.
However, she'll be finding a new iphone 11 under the Christmas tree so that will give me an idea of what the phones are like.
I'm using an iPhone 7+ and didn't upgrade. Was tempted on the 12 Mini. Keep the old one for a backup.
Thanks for the pointers.Highly recommend stepping up to a version supporting power passthrough. Then you have just a single cable to connect to the laptop and you're good to go.
Upgraded model of the quoted Anker is here. Haven't used it but have other Anker products and they've all been good:
If you don't need SD card in the hub directly, this is a nice passthru option since it has a good length of cable between the hub and the laptop. I have this and I'm able to keep it sitting at the back of my desk:
LENTION 3.3FT Long Cable USB C Multiport Hub with 4K HDMI, 4 USB 3.0, Type C Charging Compatible 2023-2016 MacBook Pro, New Mac Air/iMac/Mac Mini, More, Stable Driver Adapter (C35-1M, Space Gray)
LENTION USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter with 4K HDMI, 4-Port USB 3.0 and Power Delivery (3.3FT)www.amazon.com
Amazon also has a bunch of USBC card readers, as well as some combo units with both USBC and USBA.
It does hack me off that after spending up to £2k on a device you then need a selection of hubs and/or adapters to do pretty much anything.
Good job I'm really hacked off with Microsoft or I'd be thinking that Apple are having a laugh as well! But as explained above, I need to suck it up and try it.
We looked at the 12 mini, and the SE.
The 11 seemed a good balance between improvement (camera especially), but with an eye on cost as well.
Thanks for that, it's always nice to know peoples personal experiences of these type of things.
There's an Apple store 30-40mins away (Northern Ireland is small, nothing is any more than an hour or so away) but firstly, I'm quite old and extremely unfashionable, the incompatibility factor between me and an Apple store would be off the scale! And secondly, all non-essential retail is shutting down over here for a fortnight starting next week, so I'm staying rural for the time being.
But who knows, in a future not yet determined I may feel the desire to visit it.
Agreed. These M1 MacBooks appear to be keepers. They are massive improvements on their predecessors. Sure, Apple will likely switch to the ARMv9 ISA for more powerful Macs, and these, like the first Intel Macs, will likely be the first Apple Silicon Macs to be dropped from future macOS releases, but that won’t be for a while. These are as fast as or fast than the 16” MacBook Pro for many tasks. They will serve many customers well for years to come.
The 12 mini is really nice because of its size. The battery isn’t great, but it’s OK.
I'm a runner and the 7+ is sometimes a pain for size and weight. The 12 Mini is nice because you get the big screen, small size and lesser weight. Yes, battery life suffers but I think that I can live with that.
+1 for all in. It's really a treat to airdrop, copy/paste from one device to the other and use iCloud for the whole plethora.
Just get the 8GB base model. It has relatively the highest resale as people value a more recent base model higher over an older one with better specs, the jewelry factor if you will. In two or three years sell it on a site like swappa.com and buy the new latest model (14" edge-to-edge screen?) with the difference for barely more than the extortionate prices you would pay to Apple now to make your MacBook "future proof".
Just get the 8GB base model. It has relatively the highest resale as people value a more recent base model higher over an older one with better specs, the jewelry factor if you will. In two or three years sell it on a site like swappa.com and buy the new latest model (14" edge-to-edge screen?) with the difference for barely more than the extortionate prices you would pay to Apple now to make your MacBook "future proof".
The SE is a great option but you can’t go wrong with either the 11 or the new 12 mini.
Budget the initial cost but also the years of usage. The 5G might give the 12 mini a longer shelf life (or pocket life)
This is my first OLED iPhone and I’m really digging it !!!
The SE is a great option but you can’t go wrong with either the 11 or the new 12 mini.
Budget the initial cost but also the years of usage. The 5G might give the 12 mini a longer shelf life (or pocket life)
This is my first OLED iPhone and I’m really digging it !!!
Xfinity Mobile had $250 off all iPhones a week ago but it's only on the more expensive models now. I'll wait for next year and to see if I want a 12 Mini. I suspect that Apple might skip a year on the next Mini.