Back story: My first computer was an Apple IIgs in 6th grade (12 inch CRT with 4096 colors, take that pro motion!) then years of PCs until about 2011 when I had a succession of 15 inch macbook pros, including some touch bar models until 2019. I am a one person IT department inside a company, so I have to do everything from support, to coding, to video editing and photoshop, VMs, you name it. I also get the “new” laptop sometimes when an employee needs an upgrade, i pass my current one down to them.
In November 2020 I had surgery and then was one of those 0.01% chance statistics with a life threatening complication that left me in recovering in bed for 2 months and unable to lift anything. The day after the surgery also happened to be launch day of the M1 so my wife kindly went to the Apple Store for me and grabbed a launch day 13 M1 / 16gb / 1tb. I literally was in bed with that computer for 2 months and I missed the 15/16 screen size but that started to slowly wane, especially as I started to gently move around again. At the office, when I was able to go in, I have an LG Ultrafine 4k 23.7.
For 2021, we had a new employee start about a month ago so I gave her my 13 M1 and worked on a mac mini m1 / iPad pro combo for a month knowing what was coming. I ordered a 16 max and received it on launch day because in my head I was like “remember how you missed the larger screen size?” and like many others my reaction was holy crap this thing is fast but oh no, it’s “too big and heavy.”
So, off to the Apple Store I went and after strategically checking the online stock checkers got literally the 2nd to last, in either color, available 14max model available in all of the entire NYC metro area stores. I am SO happy with the perfect combination of screen size, weight and portability. To compensate for the price differential on the in-store upgraded 14 (Max 32/64gb/2tb) I traded in a bunch of old iPhones around the office not used anymore which more than made up the difference.
For me, physically, holding the 16 in one hand, in the open position to move it somewhere while holding something else say a coffee actually hurts while the 14 does not. While jumping around the office for meetings, the 14 is ideal, for travel the 14 is ideal and the speed of this thing is just insane. When at my desk, it charges quickly and maintains 100% charge on the LG Ultrafine 4k which outputs 85w. Remembering back to that dark void of PC years, I mostly used 14 inch IBM thinkpads and I always thought 14 seemed like the perfect size, so i’m back!