Almost 12 months down the track .... As it played out, I purchased the keyboard for the iPad Pro and then with the software upgrade I was able to use the mouse as well... Still didn't feel quite right to me and in reality, once the keyboard is carried everywhere with the iPad, the benefit of the iPad's portability diminishes somewhat. I also found myself getting into coding, which wasn't on the radar when I first created the post.
My patience (which was partially lack of income) paid dividends in the end ... Many times I almost bought the 2020 but managed to control myself! With the M1, I continued to fight it for a while, mainly on the back of a lot of people saying the first iteration should be avoided... But, around Xmas, I decided to treat myself. The coding study was happening as well as a few other things that were to made a lot easier with a MB. My next dilemma was which MB to go for ... I felt a little sick forking out $ at all, but had always intended on the MBP. In the end, all the feedback suggested that performance between the two machines did not justify the extra price for the MBP. That, coupled with the idea in my mind that I would probably only own this one until the next model came out pointed to getting the cheapest available, which is what I did.
The local shop had a 10% discount and then I was able to utilise a third-party offer to gain an extra $100 off the price, which was handy.
Anyway, I was in a position where I had income again and was in a better position to purchase. Still felt a bit funny handing over the money, but that's just me.
Ultimately, I absolutely love the MBA. I haven't done anything too intensive yet, but it's been unreal to use and such a smooth/quick operation compared to the 2010, which was driving me a bit nuts in the end. Battery life is awesome. At this point, I don't even feel like I will need to upgrade to the next iteration of the MBP (or MBA for that matter). Love the smaller/lighter size of the MBA too. Will likely be getting into some music production software soon, so will see how it handles that, but not expecting any issues.
One thing I have noticed is that the iPad rarely gets used now. I keep it pretty much purely for the stylus. Haven't figured out whether I'll bother holding onto it longer term yet. May still have a role to play.
My patience (which was partially lack of income) paid dividends in the end ... Many times I almost bought the 2020 but managed to control myself! With the M1, I continued to fight it for a while, mainly on the back of a lot of people saying the first iteration should be avoided... But, around Xmas, I decided to treat myself. The coding study was happening as well as a few other things that were to made a lot easier with a MB. My next dilemma was which MB to go for ... I felt a little sick forking out $ at all, but had always intended on the MBP. In the end, all the feedback suggested that performance between the two machines did not justify the extra price for the MBP. That, coupled with the idea in my mind that I would probably only own this one until the next model came out pointed to getting the cheapest available, which is what I did.
The local shop had a 10% discount and then I was able to utilise a third-party offer to gain an extra $100 off the price, which was handy.
Anyway, I was in a position where I had income again and was in a better position to purchase. Still felt a bit funny handing over the money, but that's just me.
Ultimately, I absolutely love the MBA. I haven't done anything too intensive yet, but it's been unreal to use and such a smooth/quick operation compared to the 2010, which was driving me a bit nuts in the end. Battery life is awesome. At this point, I don't even feel like I will need to upgrade to the next iteration of the MBP (or MBA for that matter). Love the smaller/lighter size of the MBA too. Will likely be getting into some music production software soon, so will see how it handles that, but not expecting any issues.
One thing I have noticed is that the iPad rarely gets used now. I keep it pretty much purely for the stylus. Haven't figured out whether I'll bother holding onto it longer term yet. May still have a role to play.
