Any Mac Book Users?

BlueSnake01

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I know it would be best to have posted this on the Mac forums but would prefer the input on a more "normal" scenery instead of one sided places.

Has anyone used the newer M1 Macbook's? Was looking into purchasing a last gen's Macbook Pro with the i5 but noticed the M1 was much more battery efficient and going by some benchmarks faster as well.

Is there an actual difference between the Macbook Air and Macbook Pro besides the USB C inputs?

Macbook Air M1 is selling for $900 and Macbook Pro i5 is discounted to $950 after a $250 instant rebate. Will be fine with a 256GB SSD as I already have an external drive along with Backblaze so storage issue isnt an issue.
 

AustinSN

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I'm one of those people that bought a 2020 model before the M1 chip came out. I had an early 2015 MBP that I replaced, so I looked at the Pro quite a bit and ultimately couldn't justify the additional cost over the Air.

It's still a damn fine laptop even though I don't have the baller chip. The battery life and performance are really good. On days I work from home, I'll generally get 8 or so hours of on screen time and the life is in the 40% range by the end of the day. The standby battery is really good too, I think a full charge will hold for about a month and a half assuming the computer isn't trying to update while it's sleeping.
 

ajaf1656

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I have a MacBook Pro I bought a few months ago, but I had to turn on the light on the nightstand to be able to see if it said MacBook or MacBook Pro. I don't know anything about computers. I just know I like the Apple ones.
 

BlueSnake01

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I'm one of those people that bought a 2020 model before the M1 chip came out. I had an early 2015 MBP that I replaced, so I looked at the Pro quite a bit and ultimately couldn't justify the additional cost over the Air.

It's still a damn fine laptop even though I don't have the baller chip. The battery life and performance are really good. On days I work from home, I'll generally get 8 or so hours of on screen time and the life is in the 40% range by the end of the day. The standby battery is really good too, I think a full charge will hold for about a month and a half assuming the computer isn't trying to update while it's sleeping.
Thats pretty good, coming from using Windows and still am for work reasons, battery is just meh. So should be a nice change.

In this case, the Pro is only $50 more than the air, its just last years gen vs this year's Air with the M1 chip.
 

AustinSN

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Thats pretty good, coming from using Windows and still am for work reasons, battery is just meh. So should be a nice change.

In this case, the Pro is only $50 more than the air, its just last years gen vs this year's Air with the M1 chip.
Honestly, if I was in your shoes I would probably go with the new air.

Since they are really damn similar between the two of them, but the air has the better chip, I can see it out performing the old pro and holding it's value a little longer too.

Kind of like buying a 2010 s197 vs a 2011 with a coyote for cheaper but maybe a couple less options.
 

CobraBob

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I have a MacBook Pro 16" that I bought last year I believe, before the M1 chip came out. I could have waited, but couldn't justify it since I really wanted to move up to the 16" MacBook Pro from my old 13" MacBook Pro Retina. I've used MacBook Pro Retinas for well over 10 years, but this is my first 16" Mac. I love it, and I'm so happy I moved to the 16" even though the 13" was excellent. It's really not much heavier and the additional screen size is making my eyes smile. I'll check my specs when I get home and post them.
 

RDJ

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I have a MacBook Pro 2013 retina edition. even at 7 years old I can still do everything I want to do on it. It still even plays world of warcraft without any issues and that is saying something. it has kept up pretty well all in all. I have windows and Mac both. I would like to upgrade but just can't justify the cost when this one is still going strong
 

My Monster

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I have a 2015 15" MacBook Pro, top of the line. I just bought my kid a MacBook Air with the M1 chip and I am envious as hell. That thing is super light weight and seems to perform just as well as my tank of a laptop.
 

CobraBob

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I have a MacBook Pro 2013 retina edition. even at 7 years old I can still do everything I want to do on it. It still even plays world of warcraft without any issues and that is saying something. it has kept up pretty well all in all. I have windows and Mac both. I would like to upgrade but just can't justify the cost when this one is still going strong
My wife is using my old MacBook Pro 13" from either 2013 or 2014 and it's as solid (performance and reliability) today as it was back then. I love the "old" keyboard, although the new MacBook Pros have updated keys which are a nice improvement. But, I still like the old keys. They have a great feel.

I have a 2015 15" MacBook Pro, top of the line. I just bought my kid a MacBook Air with the M1 chip and I am envious as hell. That thing is super light weight and seems to perform just as well as my tank of a laptop.
I saw a post in another thread about the M1 chipped MacBook Air. I've never seen nor used one but they do sound really nice.
 

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i bought an m1 MacBook pro to replace my 2015 MacBook pro. I sent it back a week later. I don't have anything bad to say about really...battery life was great, speakers were great compared to my old pro, but i couldn't get passed just having two usb-c ports and no MagSafe connector.
 

LuuisHernandez

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I bought an M1 pro a couple weeks back. Tbh, unless you’re going to be doing crazy things that need the fans the pro has, they both share the same processor. I run several programs at once and have never heard the fans turn on. I don’t know why I bought the pro. Touch Bar is cool I guess but I didn’t exactly want it haha. But save the money and go for the air.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com
 

GNBRETT

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Get the Air. Its much lighter to move around everywhere. The Air is wicked fast but the speakers will be far superior on the new Pro than the Air and the battery will be longer with the Pro. Being lightweight is really nice tho especially if u take it anywhere in ur backpack like I do every day.
 

BlueSnake01

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Ended up getting the M1 Air, I really couldnt see much of a difference between the Air and Pro other than the Pro having the touch keypad which IMO would be just a gimmick for me. Coming from a windows laptop, a 15+ hour battery is amazing. I tried to find a reason to get the pro but couldnt.

I am however not a big fan of the 2 USB C ports only, this is the only aspect I preferred the older i5 Pro. So far, no complaints at all. My first non work Mac.
 

AustinSN

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Ended up getting the M1 Air, I really couldnt see much of a difference between the Air and Pro other than the Pro having the touch keypad which IMO would be just a gimmick for me. Coming from a windows laptop, a 15+ hour battery is amazing. I tried to find a reason to get the pro but couldnt.

I am however not a big fan of the 2 USB C ports only, this is the only aspect I preferred the older i5 Pro. So far, no complaints at all. My first non work Mac.
Good choice.

Google is your friend when you need to figure out how to do something since they are a bit different from what you know about windows. But there are some neat things that these do that you'll stumble upon as you get used to it.
 

jrandy

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Ended up getting the M1 Air, I really couldnt see much of a difference between the Air and Pro other than the Pro having the touch keypad which IMO would be just a gimmick for me. Coming from a windows laptop, a 15+ hour battery is amazing. I tried to find a reason to get the pro but couldnt.

I am however not a big fan of the 2 USB C ports only, this is the only aspect I preferred the older i5 Pro. So far, no complaints at all. My first non work Mac.

I was in the same boat two months ago and ended the same with an M1 Air. So far, I love it and have no complaints. The two USB-C ports has been annoying once or twice, but I don't hook it up to an external monitor so it's not a big deal for me. I'm also not a big fan of the Touch Bar on the MBP, so it kinda worked out for me.

Also, performance for an everyday ay machine is in line with the MBP for cheaper.
 

roadracer247

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Get the Air. You would know if you needed more processing power. And I doubt many people actually need anything more than what these new machines offer.

My wife has one and she loves it. Bought it just after it released. It's the upgraded 8Core CPU/GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD. It's silent, fast, lasts all day and much of the next day. MacBook's are well built and last for years (in my experience.)

I bought a well spec'd 16" MBP (i9, 8GB 5500M, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD) when they came out to replace my 2014 and love it as well. I don't upgrade often so I spec out my machines. It's been flawlessly editing high res photos and videos of my family. Apple products are worth it IMHO. It's a lot of little things that add up. Apple has created an excellent user experience when you "pair" a MacBook with an iPhone.

The biggest problem with Apple is if you're a gamer. If that's your thing, stay away from Apple. Good luck with your search.

***edit***Just saw that you went with the Air. Good choice. You'll enjoy it!
 
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BlueSnake01

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Good choice.

Google is your friend when you need to figure out how to do something since they are a bit different from what you know about windows. But there are some neat things that these do that you'll stumble upon as you get used to it.
Pretty familiar with Mac, use it every day at work. Just never owned one personally, never had a need for one until now. Been getting more into editing pics and vids, not an everyday thing just here and there. My desktop PC does my heavy lifting but I really like Final Cut Pro. So pretty much bought it for that and well, having a nice light small laptop is nice too.

I was in the same boat two months ago and ended the same with an M1 Air. So far, I love it and have no complaints. The two USB-C ports has been annoying once or twice, but I don't hook it up to an external monitor so it's not a big deal for me. I'm also not a big fan of the Touch Bar on the MBP, so it kinda worked out for me.

Also, performance for an everyday ay machine is in line with the MBP for cheaper.
Thats my only annoyance I have with it, need to get an external adapter for USB-A as that is what I use mainly (ext drives, flash drives, etc)

But speakers sound great, screen looks fantastic, sturdy and super light! Should've bought one ages ago lol
 

99MustangGTman

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Honestly I can't answer any of you questions since i'm not a computer guy at all. I am writing this message on my Macbook Pro I bought in 2017, and before that had a regular Macbook in 2008. Anyways, I used to be pretty involved in computer and electronics.

I know you said you didn't want to post in a Mac/Apple forum to a get less biased opinion, but I used to post on macrumors all the time and those guys over there know their stuff. They have some good insight when you're looking to buy a new laptop or looking for some new upgrades and give some great options about what to do/buy. I would definitely check it out over there and the great thing is it's a huge forum with a ton of members, so if you make a post, it will get answered in a short time. Just what I think you should do IMO.
 

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