Air M1 wrong buy - need a Pro (size, Ram)

[phl92]

Hey guys,
about 2,5 years ago I was reading and getting a lot of recommendation to which Macbook I should buy. Back then, my needs&requirements were totally different to the ones I have now, and therefore my decision was the Macbook Air M1, 8GB Ram, 512 GB SSD.
I am still happy with it, but 1 year ago things in my life changed and I started a CS studies and my needs totally changed of course, since we are using IDE's and VM almost on a daily basis. I am regretting a lot not to have taken the 16 GB Ram version back then, because I was thinking a lot about it and eventually took the 8 GB version, which was a mistake, since now it is the bottleneck which limits my Mac.

Therefore I am thinking about selling my Macbook Air (I guess I can still get 60-70% of the price on the private market) and get a Macbook Pro.

There are some specs I am quite sure about, but other specs I am not so sure about. Let's start with the more "fixed" points:

• Processor: M1 --> I think the small improvement of the M2 is not worth the extra price of the new models, and also I prefer to have a fast SSD instead of these "slow" SSD's in the M2 machines.

• SSD: 1 TB (I use around 300 GB at my Air at the moment, so 1 TB should be good)

And here there more unsure aspects:

• Size: I am actually tending to the 16" model, since I like larger displays, but on the other hand I am afraid the extra kilos and size prevents me from taking my laptop everywhere. At the moment I have my Air 4 days a week in my (small) backpack and I go by bicycle with it quite a lot! At home I am having a 27" screen running Windows desktop on it, but in the future I am definitely thinking about having a hybrid setup, with switching from Windows to my Macbook when needed. Also 2 displays are very likely in the near future! So considering all this, I guess the 14" is the perfect size. It is a bit lager than my current Air, however it is only slightly larger in specs and heavier, so I can still take it everywhere on my bike, and at home I can plug it into my 27" display and I dont care which display size I have.
• RAM: At the moment I use mostly CLion(jetbrains) and xCode together (my class uses CLion, I prefer xCode many times). This alone takes around 3-4,5 GB of RAM for larger projects. I also mostly have 1-2 Safari browser open with each 10-20 tabs open. Mostly my memory shows about 2-5 GB of Swap usage. Having said this, I also use now Parallels to have access to Linux VM. All in all I guess a 16GB Ram machine would do it, however, I might have in 2 years the exact same issue as today?! So maybe better the 32 GB Ram version right away?
• Core/GPU: I am not doing any graphical/3D stuff so I guess the standard model of the M1's should do it, or is it also here better to upgrade? But afaik, the 32GB Ram is already an auto upgrade to the Pro version, right?

Well yes, I hope I did not forget anything. As I said, in the near future I will probably also have a second display at home, and I would like to be able to connect my Macbook to both displays. Other then that, I need a laptop also on travels and almost daily for my university.

Please share your thoughts on what to buy. (Btw, in June is some Apple conference planned, are the rumours about any new Macbooks? And is it possible that current M1 models would therefore drop in price).

edit:
And another question: Do certified authorized Apple Sellers grant the same garanties as if bought in the Apple Store itself? I mean, could I go to Apple if would have some repair to doin the future or is this excluded if not bought directly at the Apple Store but at an authorized store (in my countries they are called McShark or Cyberport

 

[Basic75]

Yes, the MacBook Pro 14" with M1 Pro (or M2 Pro) chip, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD should do the job for a while. It's unlikely that the Macs with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips get an update in June since they were only just introduced this January.

 

[Basic75]

Btw, the MacBook Air and 13" MacBook Pro use the base M1 and M2 chips; the 14" and 16" MacBook Pros use the M1 Pro, M1 Max, M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. With the M1 Pro or M2 Pro you can choose between 16GB and 32GB of RAM.

 

[Fishrrman]

MacBook Pro 14" (or 16").
Get the new, m2pro version.
16gb or 32gb of RAM (your choice)
1tb drive (twice as fast as the 512gb drive).

 

[sdwaltz]

Based on what you've said:
- 14" Macbook Pro (M1-based or M2-based, either should suit your needs...but remember the M1 is going on 3 years old already and this is a new purchase)
- 1TB SSD
- 32gb Ram. You could probably squeeze by with 16, but why worry about it?

You could also consider a fully spec'd M2 Macbook Air - that'll give you 24gb Ram in a much lighter package - but do keep in mind that it'll only drive one display out of the box.

I advise against the 16" due to wanting portability. The 16" is a killer machine, but it's heavy.

 

[phl92]

Yeah its what I thought, and can someone elaborate about my questions at the end of my first post? I guess most of you are US americans and in the US it is different but here it is really not so use to get your hands on a new M1 MBP. Even harder in my specs. Apple seems to sell only M2 chips

 

[burgman]

Yeah its what I thought, and can someone elaborate about my questions at the end of my first post? I guess most of you are US americans and in the US it is different but here it is really not so use to get your hands on a new M1 MBP. Even harder in my specs. Apple seems to sell only M2 chips

Is the Apple Refurbished store available in your country? In US store refurbished come with same warranty as new with option to buy AppleCare.

 

[phl92]

Is the Apple Refurbished store available in your country? In US store refurbished come with same warranty as new with option to buy AppleCare.

Never heard about a store so called, but I will ask at the Authorized Stores if they offer this.

 

[burgman]

Never heard about a store so called, but I will ask at the Authorized Stores if they offer this.

On Apple webpage look at bottom of page for certified refurbished. That’s where it is on US Apple website.

 

[playtech1]

On the warranty/insurance, AppleCare can be purchased via the laptop itself shortly after purchase. I believe resellers will also sell that same AppleCare product to you in-store (they certainly used to).

A store might offer its own separate warranty to AppleCare, but not in my experience - your country may be different.

 

[stradify]

You should be eligible for a student discount from Apple's website if that's applicable in your country.

 

[TechnoMonk]

What’s your budget? I would start with the most RAM and CPU/GPU you can afford. If you can get an apple refurb, it will help you out.
I have a 16 Inch MacBook Pro M1 Max, 64 GB, I travel a lot. I got used to the weight in few days. Not a big deal for me.

 

[wilberforce]

I would start with the most RAM and CPU/GPU you can afford.

I don't agree with this approach. I can afford $10,000 for a Mac, so this approach would mean I should get an M1 Ultra with 128GB RAM for reading email and watching YT videos.

 

[TechnoMonk]

I don't agree with this approach. I can afford $10,000 for a Mac, so this approach would mean I should get an M1 Ultra with 128GB RAM for reading email and watching YT videos.

I would buy an iPad for reading emails and watching YT videos.

 

[wilberforce]

I would buy an iPad for reading emails and watching YT videos.

apparently missing the point

 

[burgman]

What’s your budget? I would start with the most RAM and CPU/GPU you can afford. If you can get an apple refurb, it will help you out.
I have a 16 Inch MacBook Pro M1 Max, 64 GB, I travel a lot. I got used to the weight in few days. Not a big deal for me.

The marketing consumerism go big vs right tool for the job advice popular on all forums, no matter the product.

 

[TechnoMonk]

The marketing consumerism go big vs right tool for the job advice popular on all forums, no matter the product.

Nothing to do with marketing. It's based on my experience of using laptops for work until Apple obsoletes a model 7-8 years later. I will not upgrade every 2-3 years with increasing needs for running VM/ AI or other requirements. If I skimped on my M1 Max, I would now be in the market to change the laptop.
Adding RAM or changing the Processor after the purchase is not possible. I can always add external storage.