Are Macbooks bad, or are they severely limited in what they can do?
Yes, this is a good perk. It helps a tiny bit. I see more bang from the 3% back in Dell Rewards with the quantities we purchase.
Not bad. But most of the engineering programs, collaboration tools and cad programs are built for the PC.
@jeisensc I know youāre an Apple user. Tell me that Iām not crazy for returning the MB Air M1 and ordering the current MBP 14" (M1 Pro). While the MB Air M1 is likely a great laptop for what it is, Iām just not certain it is a fit for me (us). I contemplated getting into the MB Air M2 (base), but it seems devalued when you can jump into a serious computer for a bit more. I personally believe this is part of Appleās dirty marketing scheme.
I actually had to unwrap the MB Air and rewrap the empty shipping box so there is no suspicion by the treeā¦MBP should be arriving tomorrow 
(Iām purchasing a laptop as one of āourā Christmas gifts) I previously (currently) have the mid-2010 MBP 15.4" and I had loved it, until it really started to slow down. I upgraded to a new SSD and doubled the RAM, but it still is nowhere near what it originally was. I know the computer questions really varies depending on the person, use case, etc. Iām particularly considered of the longevity with getting into a ānewā laptop that has only 8gb of RAM, and Iām not sure if Iām completely comfortable with the Airās (or therefore lack of) heat disbursement. Again, Iāve have my 15.4 for over 12 years LOL. Incredible machine. To me that speaks VOLUMES for Apple and the Pro lineup. I never had 1 issue nor had to ever do any repairs/maintenanceā¦other than the voluntary upgrades I did earlier this year.
Entirely depends on your usage and preferences. I had an M1 Air for a short time before the M1 Pro ā I needed more than 16GB of RAM and 2 TB ports so the M1 Air was never a good fit for me. I know a lot of people who are very happy with it and the M2 Air. The Pro is a much bulkier machine (even bigger than my 13ā MBP).
Iāve had 16GB min since the 2010 Retina Pros were released. I canāt recommend 8GB for anyone, especially in models it canāt be upgraded.
Agreed. The hack with dell is leveraging a deal stacked with either a credit card offer (they often do sizable discounts on Amex and occasionally Chase) or if you have Platinum the benefit (which is of course offset by the hefty annual fee you have to pay).
With Mac, Costco or Amazon have had some deals recently and thereās also buying through the student site.
Yeah, I already donāt love the idea of the lack of ports. That and the Pro has a better (larger) screen, better audio, better cooling, etc. I know the majority of the time I donāt need a Pro as I typically donāt have real heavy usage. It would be primarily used for web browsing, word/excel documents, transferring data to/from my DSLR/GoPro/iPhone, and occasionally editing videos/photos. Really the only hesitation (for me) is spending the additional money for the Pro, otherwise I would always choose a Pro. They are plenty portable enough for me, and the Airs almost seem to vulnerable.
My old MBP had 4 GB IIRC ( 2 2-GB), and I upgraded to have 8 GB (2-4GB). There is discussion that the machine can actually house a total 16 GB (more than the advised), but I didnāt wish to look much further into it. The RAM was another big argument for me not to get the base MB Air (whether it is the M1 or M2). I also donāt wish to pay to upgrade the RAM on either of those laptops - at that point, purchase a Pro and just be done with it.
Pre-Retina many Macbook models were more upgradable, they really arenāt anymore, especially RAM on Apple Silicon models (the RAM is in the same package as the CPU). Ultimately you have to shop the constraints and know if you undershot what you need, youāre selling it and buying a new one.
1 Like
I agree, the older MacBookās are actually quite easy to work on (and upgrade). I havenāt dug much into the new ones, in terms of the actual construction, but that is good to know. I am relieved that they brought the magsafe back to several models. Iām also not sad to see the gimmicky touch bar disappear.
There should be a new MBP with the M2 arriving this spring. Other than the new chip, which is arguably unnecessary, I think the changes should be minimal.