I'd go for the quad-core but it depends on what you're doing. They give us 13 inch dual-cores at work and there are some tasks where it takes a long time and gets hot - mainly video encoding. I use my own Quad-Core 15 for work which makes things better. One day I'll get a six-core and see if that makes things better.
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Stick with MBP, or exchange for new MBA?
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Hopefully fixed with a driver update. I sometimes use a dual AC fan system to keep one of my Macs cool when running some heavy programs.
Apple’s obsession with thinness resulted in the last generation “butterfly“ keyboard, which had a very shallow travel, was unreliable and sounded awful to type on. The new keyboard is really the old (for those with an iMac) magic keyboard with a slightly reduced key travel.
Having owned both, I can tell you that the new keyboard is way better and way way more comfortable to use. And I didn’t really dislike the “butterfly” keyboard, either.
As for your original question, you’d be fine with either machine. If you really get into photo and video editing you’ll benefit from the 16 inch model because it’s the only laptop in Apple’s lineup that comes with dedicated graphics processor in addition to the integrated one.
Storage is something you’ll have to decide. I know a lot of people who work with video use external thunderbolt storage because even 1TB or more of internal storage is simply not enough.
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I see a lot of comments about the fan running high and the machine running hot from those who also have the 16 inch. Is yours the base model? That seems to be the problem unit. I have the upper-specked 16 and it runs very quiet and fans are not noticeable unless under heavy workflow. I am running the 5K Ultrafine with it. Maybe a software issue?
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I like the touch bar a lot and use it daily. I honestly don’t understand all the hate it’s getting, especially now that the esc key is finally a physical key. Otherwise, touch bar is brilliant. I love it.
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Has anyone tested a MacBook Air with an external monitor to see how loud the fans go? I know my 2013 sounded like a jet engine when the external monitor was attached.
I’d be surprised. It says it can run the 6k monitor, but 2 4ks may be too much. Edit- huh, well I’ll be damned. 2 4ks is less than the 6k pixel wise. Maybe it can!
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I’m in a similar position but I’m wondering whether to buy an MBA or wait and see what the new MBP pro looks like. I already have a very powerful windows PC for games and video editing etc, but I want something portable and Mac almost exclusively for logic and probably a bit of lightroom. Covid-19 may mean that I can’t get an air until we hear something further on any new mbp anyway...
I’m trying to work out what the base level specs and price would likely be for any new 13”/14” mbp. If I got an air it would be either the £1299 version with an i5 and bigger SSD, or £1499 with 16gb RAM (£200 for 8gb ram lol) - but I have no idea whether logic actually needs that amount of ram for amateur use. If the new mbp follows a similar pricing pattern to the new air, the base one could be something like £1299 for a base i5, 8gb ram and 256gb ssd. But in that case, why would anyone buy the more expensive version of the air? Surely it’s going to have a price bump or something to differentiate it a bit.
I’m trying to work out what the base level specs and price would likely be for any new 13”/14” mbp. If I got an air it would be either the £1299 version with an i5 and bigger SSD, or £1499 with 16gb RAM (£200 for 8gb ram lol) - but I have no idea whether logic actually needs that amount of ram for amateur use. If the new mbp follows a similar pricing pattern to the new air, the base one could be something like £1299 for a base i5, 8gb ram and 256gb ssd. But in that case, why would anyone buy the more expensive version of the air? Surely it’s going to have a price bump or something to differentiate it a bit.
I'm also in a similar boat and have cancelled an order for an i5 Air (+16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, so £1499). I think for 9/10 things I do, the Air will be more than powerful enough and I prefer the tapered form factor. But I'm kind of interested to see what the new 13/14" looks like.
One thing about the Air I wish they'd done is put a USB-C port on either side. I very rarely use more than two ports at any one time, but its nice to have the option of charging from either side.
I'm guessing prices will be similar to what they are today but with double the storage. I do wonder if they'll drop the two-port model now given the spec you can get the new MBA in - that would then make the overall lineup make perfect sense.
One thing about the Air I wish they'd done is put a USB-C port on either side. I very rarely use more than two ports at any one time, but its nice to have the option of charging from either side.
I'm guessing prices will be similar to what they are today but with double the storage. I do wonder if they'll drop the two-port model now given the spec you can get the new MBA in - that would then make the overall lineup make perfect sense.
It would be nice to have a thin and light to go with my two 15s and one 13 so I took a quick look at the specs. I'm just spoiled by faster processors - I suspect that I will always be a MBP person. I love the idea though.
Its weird there's still a rumour for a high end 13" 2020 pro (note the 28W TDP):
Upcoming 13-Inch MacBook Pro Models to Use Intel's 10th-Generation Ice Lake Chips
Apple is rumored to be working on a refreshed version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro following the launch of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro in October, and the new 13-inch machines could adopt Intel's 10th-generation Ice Lake chips. Over the weekend, a Twitter leaker shared a 3D Mark Time Spy...
forums.macrumors.com
If they were keeping both models I would expect at least that model to go directly to 14.1" if for nothing else then because adjusting two chassis versions of what is almost the same machine to use the magic keyboard, only to discontinue it later in the year for a screen size bump seems an uncharacteristically wasteful use of Apple's resources!
I would have put money on the $1,299 model being updated alongside the Air when its delivery dates started slipping in mirror of what was happening to the Air, but it didn't happen, and now has gone back to normal. So at this point I'm not even sure what to expect. Merging both 13" models back into one 28W, dual fan, 4 Thunderbolt 3 14.1" model and starting the price from maybe $1,499-$1,599 seems the most logical path to me, but I don't know how to reconcile that with continued rumours of 13" models for some point this year. Even more so if they don't appear before WWDC/ summer time...
Not sure if anyone mentioned this above, but you can order the air now and keep it until Apple reopens their stores. Their policy right now is that any item purchased after Feb 20th or after is available for in store return 14 days after Apple reopens their stores. This was confirmed to me several times over the phone and through online chat with Apple support.
So as long as you take care of the Air and don't damage it (which you won't be going anywhere with it anyway) you can return it in store once the COVID pandemic settles down (whenever that will be) and Apple reopens their stores.
Some of the confusion could be that if the 13” increases screen size proportionately to how the 16” increased, it will still be smaller than a 14”. It would still be a 13 inch MacBook Pro, it’s just that it would be 13.8 or something.