1st time Buying Advice: Help me pick a MacBook (Air/Pro)

[AppleMango]

Hello dear people of macrumors,

I've entered the Apple cosmos in 2018 with an iPhone X and by now, use an iPhone 14P, Watch6 and an iPad Pro (2018).

I always wanted to get an Apple computer or laptop at some point and I feel like I would like to do this in 2023 and retire my 10year old Windows machine.

What would I like to do/to have:
- portable, preferably 13/14"
- standard tasks like emails, browsing the web, watching videos/photos, tax software, Word/Excel/Powerpoint,
- option to get into video/photo editing
- option to music recording/producing

I play the piano and write texts some times and after 2 really ugly years for me, my wish is to expand my hobbies and get a life worth living again and I realise that music, the pursuit and occupation with creative things enrich my life.

I would like to have the option to have machine that gives me a good start into music recording/production, to experiment, to play around, to have a lot of options. I know this is not very specific, but since I'm only used to analog instruments there is not much experience yet for me on computers and software.

I enjoyed recording videos and taking photos and playing around, even with just the iPhone 14P and I'm just really tired of Windows 8.1 (which is also not supported anymore).

I've come across @MajorFubar 's thread about his homestudio and I find it very inspirational and also a great insight into what is possible at home.


I would love to hear from more experienced Mac(book) (Air/Pro)-users what to look for.

What do I need? M2 Pro/Max? How much RAM, should I max it out and aim for 10 years usage like I did with my previous machine?
Should I look at 2-5 years and sell it on, get a newer one so buy less spec-version?

Many thanks for all your input!

 

[rm5]

Hey, @AppleMango! I can definitely provide some insight here. I use two Macs: An M1 MacBook Air, which I'm typing this on right now, and a Mac Pro 5,1 which I have at home. However, for this post, I'll just talk about the MacBook Air, as that's what it seems like you're looking into.

I have a similar workload, which is basic tasks like running Chrome, Mail, Notes, etc., music production and video editing. I'm a jazz pianist, composer/producer, and sound engineer, and the M1 chip has been fantastic for me. However, I'd recommend you get an M2 MacBook Air, as it's newer, sleeker, and faster, than the M1.

Expanding on my typical workload, here's a more detailed look at exactly what each "task" entails:

• Basic tasks
  • Right now, I'm running Chrome (two profiles), Notes, Mail, Discord, and Reminders all at the same time, and it runs just fine
• Music production
  • I run Logic productions with upwards of 50 tracks. I know for those big producers out there, 50 tracks is an absolute joke (as most bigger productions are in the 100-200 track range), but that's usually the workload there. I do some orchestral arranging here and there, and also some film composition (I'm not classically trained so I don't do this a lot)
• Video editing
  • Mix of 1080p and 4K; some personal projects, some client projects—it all depends on the day, and the project...

A slight tangent regarding home studios: I (and everyone else) am so fortunate to be living right now and to have access to studio-quality gear at home, it's really great! I've been recording (and playing piano) since I was about six years old (so since around 2010 or so), and, while I definitely don't have the most high-end equipment, it's possible to do EVERYTHING at home without having to invest a cent into a recording studio, which usually would charge upwards of $100/hour.

That also brings me to one other question for you: What "medium" of music do you want to make? MIDI, audio, or both? Personally, I do a mix of the two—I'll have some MIDI tracks, and then I'll bring some musicians into my studio to do some live tracking, it works really great!

So the answer to your question I think is an M2 MacBook Air, I think it will last you 4-5 years.

I think I'll leave it at that for now, but please reply if you have more questions for me (and others), because I hang around these forums a lot (sometimes too much), and am more than happy to provide answers!!

 

[tstafford]

I own an M2 MBA and a MBP14 Base.

MBP14:
Pro: Screen is far better. More vibrant, better resolution, HDR, promotion
Pro: Better I/O (HDMI, extra TB port, SD slot)
Pro: Twice the display support
Con: Heavier, bigger
Con: Inferior battery life
Con: $$$

MBA M2:
Pro: Battery life is insane - I can do a two day trip w/o charging (surfing, email, streaming, etc.)
Pro: Weight - noticeably lighter
Pro: Single core tasks like web are faster
Pro: $$$$
Con: Screen is meh

I'd either buy the MBP14 or a 16 GB M2 MBA w/ whatever size drive you want. I'd choose the MBP14 because of the screen. You can't go wrong either way.

 

[AppleMango]

A sincere THANK YOU to both of you, @rm5 and @tstafford for your detailed answers!

Very cool to read your experience and about your usage, @rm5 . This is exactly the sort of input I always look for on here. And I understand that sometimes it seems to be too much time .

I'm actually surprised that the MacBook Air M2 would be suitable for that and is so powerful - but then on the other hand, I'm running around with a 10year-old laptop and zero experience not only with a modern Apple computer but also with any Apple silicon chip.

So if I divide the question into MacBook Air M2 <---> MacBook Pro14"

- what processor would you pick for the MBP14? I mean, M2 Max just seems over the top, given the fact that I'm not a professional doing graphics/videos/music, whatever. And even though I haven't set myself a spending limit, I don't want to fulfil a stereotype of someone buying the most expensive option with only using 10% of it.

- Is the display a real noticeable difference between those two machines or only sort of when you look for it?

- What do you think about future proofing? is that still a thing? Like get the fanciest one and then use it 10 years or is my idea of going cheaper and rather upgrade later on a viable option too? I have no idea how durable the Apple machines are or generally.

- Do you have a recommendation for HD and RAM? I feel like 1TB is good, especially if I might use plug ins and what not? But RAM, I have no idea....

I feel like I'm going to make a trip to an Apple store soon, to get a feel for it...


Many thanks again!!

 

[tstafford]

A sincere THANK YOU to both of you, @rm5 and @tstafford for your detailed answers!

Very cool to read your experience and about your usage, @rm5 . This is exactly the sort of input I always look for on here. And I understand that sometimes it seems to be too much time .

I'm actually surprised that the MacBook Air M2 would be suitable for that and is so powerful - but then on the other hand, I'm running around with a 10year-old laptop and zero experience not only with a modern Apple computer but also with any Apple silicon chip.

So if I divide the question into MacBook Air M2 <---> MacBook Pro14"

- what processor would you pick for the MBP14? I mean, M2 Max just seems over the top, given the fact that I'm not a professional doing graphics/videos/music, whatever. And even though I haven't set myself a spending limit, I don't want to fulfil a stereotype of someone buying the most expensive option with only using 10% of it.

- Is the display a real noticeable difference between those two machines or only sort of when you look for it?

- What do you think about future proofing? is that still a thing? Like get the fanciest one and then use it 10 years or is my idea of going cheaper and rather upgrade later on a viable option too? I have no idea how durable the Apple machines are or generally.

- Do you have a recommendation for HD and RAM? I feel like 1TB is good, especially if I might use plug ins and what not? But RAM, I have no idea....

I feel like I'm going to make a trip to an Apple store soon, to get a feel for it...


Many thanks again!!

Glad to help. All I can do is share my experiences with the machines so YMMV!

Processor: If you believe the M2 MBA is sufficient, then the M2 Max is way over the top. Waste of money, the machine is slightly heavier and it will get less battery life. I'd only buy a Max MBP14 if I knew I needed it. I have the Max chip in my Studio and it is wildly overpowered for what I do. (Bought the Studio for I/O and display support not the chip)

Display: It's really noticeable. Trust me on this one. I was slightly disappointed the first time I opened the M2 MBA. Thought maybe I was overthinking it so I put it side by side with my MBP14. I was hoping it was in my head. But it wasn't. The MBP14 is more vibrant, seems brighter (although they rate the same on nits) and the resolution results in more functional real estate. It's a big difference.

Future proofing: I don't buy it. My current approach is to buy the base machine on sale or refurb to keep the price as low as possible. Then trade it or sell it whenever I want the next one. That's a better future proofing model for me.

RAM: 16GB IMO is the sweet spot. My Studio has 32 GB and never gets in to swap, the 16 GB MBP does but rarely. If you're worried about it go with 24 or 32 GB (depending on the machine). I like RAM but Apple is so $$$ for it these days.

SDD: Only you can say. I offload everything to iCloud so I have access across my devices. Currently using less than 100 GB of storage on any of my machines. I buy the smallest SSD possible because all it contains is the OS and apps. But I know this is a rare approach

FWIW - Based on your questions, I'm starting to think a MBP14 might be a better move. I like the idea of seeing them in person which you can do now - there's nothing different about the look/feel of the new MBP14 just the internals.

 

[rm5]

@AppleMango I'm always happy to help!! I'm glad you found my previous post helpful! The only other thing to consider is the fact that on the base M2 MacBooks, the SSD is about half the speed of the higher-spec models. If you care about the SSD speeds, either get a 14-inch MBP or get a higher-spec M2 MacBook Air. Just another thing to consider!