Okay so I'm still using a 15" MBP from 2015. Overall for every day tasks like web browsing and email and such it still works very well. I do get the fans spinning up for things like watching youtube. But I know that my Mac cannot be updated to the latest MacOS so I know at some point I will have no choice but to upgrade. I think I've pretty much narrowed it to either a 15" M2 MBA or a 14" M3 MBP. Either one I would get 16GB/1TB options which is what I have on my 2015 MBP. I still have almost half my SSD free so I'm not worried about running out of space. However I do realize I cannot upgrade any component myself on the current models. But the price to upgrade is so expensive. I really feel like Apple is ripping people off. The only reason I am considering this upgrade is because my brother works for Apple and is letting me use his mega discount which he gets every few years. He doesn't get as big a discount on refurbished models so looking there is almost pointless. Does it make more sense to go with the MBP over the MBA? Pricing them out it seems the MBP would be $100 more than the MBA. Also keep in mind I'm in Canada so every thing is more expensive here than in the US.
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Still using a 2015 15" MBP. Looking to finally upgrade. What is my overall best option?
- Thread starter bigpoppamac31
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You haven’t really described your computing activities or needs or your set up (external monitors, drives, peripherals, etc). Without this input, I lean towards the MBA M2.
Also, why do you feel “Apple is ripping people off”? Did you not get 8 years of use out of your current MBP? That’s pretty good. If you are brave enough to try Open Core Legacy Patcher, you could probably install Ventura or Sonoma on your 2015 MBP and glide along for another 3-4 years. Now that’s getting the most out of your Apple hardware.
Also, why do you feel “Apple is ripping people off”? Did you not get 8 years of use out of your current MBP? That’s pretty good. If you are brave enough to try Open Core Legacy Patcher, you could probably install Ventura or Sonoma on your 2015 MBP and glide along for another 3-4 years. Now that’s getting the most out of your Apple hardware.
Well I don't do anything graphically intensive such as video or photo editing. I use my Mac for day to day stuff like web browsing, email, YouTube, listening to music. Those sort of things. I don't know what Open Core Legacy Patcher is or how difficult it would be to use. My mac is considered "vintage" by Apple standards. I think Apple is ripping people off because the cost of Ram and SSD is outrageous. I know that Apple fan boys on this page will praise Apple no matter what and they will claim the prices are justified because of how Apple designs their hardware. But I'm not one of those people even though I have used Apple for most of my life since first having a computer in the home as a kid.
Ok. You weren’t clear. I agree the prices to “upgrade” from a base configuration is ridiculous, however, the current M-series hardware, especially the M2 MBA, is the best computing value for the dollar Apple has ever had. Based on your declared usage, a base config M2 MBA should suit you perfectly.
Well I base M2 15" MBA with 16GB/1TB upgrade is $2499 CAD. A base M3 14" MBP with 16GB/1TB upgrade is $2599 CAD. This is before calculating any of my brothers Apple discount. Would it not make more sense to get the MBP?
EDIT: Also the display on the M3 MBP seems to be overall better quality. I was checking out the Air and Pro at the Apple Store and the MBP was a definitely better display.
"Base" is typically the 8GB/256GB config. Your assessment above is spot on, however, your replies seemed to indicate you were reluctant to spend money on the "outrageous" upgrades to higher capacity memory and storage, so I was thinking you were looking for least expensive options ... especially since your computing usage is pretty basic and the "base" configurations are more than capable. Of course, go with a configuration you feel best supports your computing needs and your budget. Either way, base config or upgraded memory and storage, you are going to be blown away by Apple Silicon.
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This is a video I came across recently that explains very well the outrageous upgrade costs from Apple. The comparisons made in the video I don't think are completely "apples to oranges".
I want more SSD storage because I have over 10,000 songs in my Music library (I wish Apple would rename the app iTunes again). Plus I still buy CDs and import them into my Mac.
I could also just leave the SSD spec alone and get an external SSD drive. They are small and light enough that it would not be a big issue. Plus I could get much more storage for far less than what Apple is charging.
base model MBA or MBPro - your choice.
external dvd drives are still available cheaply for your cd/dvd requirements.
external SSD are relative inexpensive also and fast.
that said, the Pro has more ports available than the Air.
Op im in exactly the same situation as you, but i would wait until March to make a decision, as they hopefully should announce the M3 MBA models. With me the decision is the 15.4” (larger display) vs 14.2” screen sizes (smaller but has Micro LED and promotion).
Check below for non Apple fanboy comparisons:
Prices are very similar.
Help us, help you. What specific "rip off" are you concerned with?
Help us, help you. What specific "rip off" are you concerned with?
For your needs base 15” MBA would be fine. And if you willing to pay the ‘outrageous’ prices for upgrades, then add 16GB RAM and 1TB storage.
Other option would be base 14” MBP M3 Pro, not M3 version, this will last you easily as long as your correct MBP.
If I read your ‘MacBook usage’, I don’t know why you would buy new. As said, use OCLP, OpenCore Legacy Patcher. It’s is very easy. I use my 2012 MacBook Pro (16GB, 500Gb SSD) as you, with Sonoma running beautiful.
if your fans spin when watching youtube, you should consider cleaning your MPB, I think it is full of dust. Maybe also re-paste the CPU.
if your fans spin when watching youtube, you should consider cleaning your MPB, I think it is full of dust. Maybe also re-paste the CPU.
I went from a late 2013 15" rMBP to a 15" M2 Macbook Air, and I love the Air. The screen isn't quite as nice as the 14" or 16" macbook pro screens, but it's close, and the MPB screens aren't $hundreds better. I use mine for all the usuall office-y tasks, which sounds like your usage as well.
I did go with 16GB and 1TB; the 16GB because I occasionally need to do compiles and things that use a lot of memory, and 1TB storage just because. I probably should have stopped at 512GB storage and planned on an outboard drive for archival stuff; the old rMBP had 256GB, which was tight but workable. OP could probably stop at 8 GB memory; for storage, it would depend on how (in)convenient an external drive would be.
I did go with 16GB and 1TB; the 16GB because I occasionally need to do compiles and things that use a lot of memory, and 1TB storage just because. I probably should have stopped at 512GB storage and planned on an outboard drive for archival stuff; the old rMBP had 256GB, which was tight but workable. OP could probably stop at 8 GB memory; for storage, it would depend on how (in)convenient an external drive would be.
MacBook Pro 14" with m3pro CPU.
I believe the base model comes with 16gb RAM and a 512gb SSD.
Way, WAY ahead of the MacBook Air.
You DO NOT want to buy any m-series Mac with 8gb of RAM.
It's no longer "enough". Buy only 8gb, and you will come to regret the purchase in time.
I believe the base model comes with 16gb RAM and a 512gb SSD.
Way, WAY ahead of the MacBook Air.
You DO NOT want to buy any m-series Mac with 8gb of RAM.
It's no longer "enough". Buy only 8gb, and you will come to regret the purchase in time.
That really depends on your use case. For many users 8/256 is plenty for email, web surfing, and other non-memory intensive applications.
The 14" MBP M3 Pro with a 1TB ssd is $2,949 CAD before taxes. With my brothers Apple employee discount I can get it down to $1,821 with tax. It already has 18GB ram.
The RAM and SSD upgrade prices are carrying the burden of pricing a product on a ladder, from lowest cost and upwards, intended to bring in the revenue needed to make the product viable.
Other companies do the same thing (e.g., Lenovo in pricing some memory and SSD upgrades.)
To put another way: the upgrade prices make possible the relatively low price for the base model and sustained life-cycle support of the product.
Because RAM and SSD are the only two things that can be put on a price ladder (notice there is no keyboard upgrade, no trackpad upgrade, no screen upgrade, no audio upgrade, etc.) they are priced as they are.
There is still no way the prices for the upgrades can be justified. For example a 1TB SSD NVMe M.2 is well under $150 CAD whereas Apple wants $250 CAD to upgrade to 1TB ssd. 16GB ram sticks are all well under $100 whereas Apple wants $250 to upgrade to 16GB. Now yes I know I can't buy a stick of Ram or SSD and put it in these mac laptops. But it's the same tech. Apple just chooses to solder there's onto the motherboard instead of having a slot to put one in. What Apple uses is not significantly faster. Plenty of the SSD on Amazon claim around 7,000MB/s which is around the speed of the ones Apple uses.
Well, Apple could charge $100 for RAM or SSD upgrade instead of $250. But then they would have to charge several hundred more for the base product in order to make the same amount of profit, especially as fewer people would buy the base product.
It is just optional feature pricing stategy. Nobody is pretending the upgrade prices are "justified." Airlines and car manufacturers do it all the time. It is just a type of differential pricing: charging (much) more of those that can afford more. Else they would have to charge more for the base products and consequently the overall sales would be less. This would not be a competitive strategy.
I'm afraid I can't agree, unless one is going to use the laptop for intensive work. For everyday stuff, the Air is more than enough in terms of performance, and as I said, the screen is fine. (I did a direct comparison of the 15" Air to the 14" MBP in the store, and decided that the 14" MBP screen was definitely nicer; but not hundreds of dollars nicer.)
For web browsing, email, some youtube, ordinary office documents, and the like, the M2 Air is as snappy as I could want. I'm not sure I would be able to notice even if it were twice as fast.
As for the 8 GB, I think that depends strongly on the user. Someone who will be using the machine for office type stuff, and who is reasonably disciplined (meaning, doesn't try to keep 100's of tabs open), can almost certainly get on just fine with 8 GB. Someone dealing with large documents, photos, videos, tab monsters, etc should start at 16 GB.
Apple would not have to raise the base price if they lowered the cost of the upgrades. They would still make tons of profit. It all comes down to greed. Apple knows that they can charge a high price because it's the only option the buyer has. They have a monopoly on their own product. That should not be allowed. There is a reason Apple is a trillion dollar company and it's not due to honest business practices. This is the biggest reason I have held onto my 2015 MBP for so long. The cost of a new Mac is so ridiculous.
Well the 14" MBP is not much heavier than the 15" Air. Either one is still very portable. But yes I did notice the Pro having an overall better display when I was checking them out in the store.