I'm considering buying a MacBook. I'm not really a 'power user' and just intend to use apps like Sky-Safari Pro (astronomy), Photoshop Elements and a few others such as VLC. I'm not sure what the difference is between these two notebooks. I don't intend to use it for rocket science, curing cancer, experimenting with cold fusion, working out Pi, finding a solution to climate change or anything that involves copious amounts of power or memory. So 512 GB of memory should suffice. I might stream Netflix and BBC iPlayer a bit. I did own a MacBook Pro momentarily but had to return it (three in a row actually) as it (they) froze on start-up. Then the pandemic happened and the chain store I bought it (them) from (Rip-Offs R Us) has taken until now to refund my spondoolies. Although they do claim to be very, very sorry. So, enlightened denizens and Mac users of Wilders, which do you think is the best choice? Pro or Air? Thanks
You are probably better off with the MacBook Air, since it's cheaper. But I personally feel like a 256GB SSD isn't big enough, and that's what you get with the cheapest version combined with 8MB RAM.
The cost isn't an issue, I can get either with a 512 GB SSD. I was just wondering if one had an advantage over the other.
Hello @Daveski17 While attempting to compare the closest equivalent M1 models, and if my research holds up, a MBP may have 20% more nits of display brightness for your astronomy interests along with greater battery life while the MBA may have 13 more keys on a U.S. keyboard and be less expensive as others have pointed out. Reference: https://www.apple.com/mac/compare/ I am looking to upgrade my eight-year-old MBP soon because it will not be eligible for macOS Monterey 12 and I may hold out for a M1+ or M2 processor if that comes to market and I still prefer my MBP's 16 inch display. An improved T2 security chip, might be nice. HTH
I can't give any input on the Pro or Air. Don't know much about them. I'm going to keep an eye on this thread for input from others because I'm considering buying an Apple laptop in the near future.
My son has just bought a McBook Pro with M1 CPU. he said the difference between Pro and Air is battery life (longer in the Pro) and a tendency for the Air to overheat when using heavy programs (like Photoshop) for long periods of time. As far as I'm concerned the 13" is too small, and the 16" is too expensive. There are rumours that a 14" McPro M1 is soon to be released at a reasonable price...I'd wait if I were you (I'm also interested in the 14").
Interesting thanks. One of the reasons I wanted a MacBook is that it was only about 13", I wish they still made the 11" versions.
The differences are pretty minor in the real world, and honestly have almost more to do with form factor than with raw technical specs. I would just go to an Apple store and see which I prefer in my hands. Differences… $200-$300 Cheaper (Air) 100nits additional brightness (Pro) 7-core GPU (Air, base model) vs 8-core GPU (Pro) Physical function keys (Air) vs Touch Bar (Pro) No Fan (Air) vs Fan (Pro) 18 hrs battery life (Air) vs 20 hrs battery life (Pro) Wedge shape (Air) vs Flat shape (Pro) Slightly lighter (Air) I think this YouTube comparison is pretty spot on… M1 MacBook Air VS M1 MacBook Pro 13! REAL WORLD Comparison! https://youtu.be/e6IhGNC70WY Or check out this PC Magazine article… MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air: Which M1 Apple Laptop Is Best for 2021? https://www.pcmag.com/comparisons/a...2020-vs-macbook-air-2020-which-should-you-buy None of the differences are that big. Yes, the battery in the Pro is bigger… but the M1 is so efficient that both devices are giving you something on the order of 6-8 hrs of additional battery over an Intel laptop. So the estimated additional 2 hrs on the Pro is not going to be that noticeable to most people. And, yes, the Air is fan-less, so you might worry about overheating… but actually again this does not prove to be that true in real-life. Most commentators are amazed about being able to edit high-res video without any fan noise at all. Sure, if you edit video all day long or are an avid gamer, then you likely should go with the Pro and it’s internal fan over the Air; but for most people they just aren’t likely to notice much difference other than that the Air never makes any noise. Personally, I would probably go with the Air (using the cost savings for a bigger SSD)… so would pick the upgraded with 512GB SSD and the 8-Core GPU for $,1249 over the base model… and then would likely also strongly consider the additional $200 upgrade to 16GB RAM. I also prefer the wedge shape and slightly lighter form factor of the Air, and am not a huge fan of the Touch Bar. See upgraded model on the right on Apple’s MacBook Air store page… Choose your new MacBook Air https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-air
Thanks for everyone's replies so far. I originally just wanted a small MacBook. In fact, the Air was my first choice. By the time I finally decided to click the mouse button on one I'd got seduced by a relatively high-end spec Pro from *Rip-Offs R Us. The laptop that arrived looked great but froze on start-up. I had two consecutive replacements that also suffered from the same glitch. Then the pandemic happened and it's actually taken me until now to get my money back. I'm still debating on whether it's really worth waiting a couple of months to see what the new Pro looks like. At the moment the Air is looking like being the better choice for my needs. *Not their real name, but a very well known chain in my country.
I'm not a huge fan of tablets to be honest. I prefer the clamshell design of a laptop. And I like real buttons lol.
@Daveski17 Wait for at least a few days and then let us know how you like it. Did it need updating out-of-the-box? Does it seem to browse quickly? Thank you.
I've actually had it a few days. It did need updating; it's now Big Sur 11.5.2. It is pretty quick, easily as fast as my iMac. I have four browsers: Safari, Firefox, Vivaldi and Chrome. I rarely use Chrome but it was useful to import bookmarks. Vivaldi seems to produce some heat when using multiple tabs, particularly when the pages have embedded video content. This is a known bug with Vivaldi and M1 MacBooks. Safari and Firefox work really well though. The battery use is exceptional for a laptop, it's not unlike a Chromebook in this respect. I can basically use it all day. It runs my other programs from the App Store well. So far I'm very happy with it.
