Does anyone have multiple Macbooks? Which do you travel with?

[MacAttackKev]

I finally got a new 14" M1pro last year and I love the screen, speakers, and just the snappiness of it. I also have an old 2013 air and recently had to replace the battery and SSD, but it now has a new lease on life. I usually keep my Pro at home and luggage my air to my classes or anywhere I need a laptop.


I've been babying my pro for a while since I don't tend to upgrade frequently and because it cost me a lot (but super satisfied with the purchase), so I'm on the fence about whether I should bring it along with me on my Trip to Japan/ trips in general or if I should just bring my old air. I don't need the power on my pro as I'll probably just use it to watch movies/videos during my downtime, but I've been pretty spoiled by the screen and speakers on my pro.


If you guys have multiple laptops, do you have a designated laptop you bring along with you for trips?

 

[GMShadow]

For day to day carrying I haul around my iPad Pro 12.9 + Magic Keyboard, since for that I usually just need something 'in a pinch'.

On trips though, I take my 16" Pro.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

16” MBP stays on my desk, M2 MBA is my tablet/travel computer

 

[barkomatic]

I used to just take my iPad with me for trips to watch movies but now that air travel has become somewhat unreliable and I might have to work remotely I just bring my 14 inch MBP. It's only a little more heavy and has a vastly superior screen to watch movies--and do work. As you mentioned, the sound is incredible and it's the first portable device I've ever owned where I'm perfectly satisfied with the built in speakers.

The only entertainment downside is that there aren't as many streaming services that release apps for it which means I can't download content for offline viewing. I'd take your Pro on you Japan trip.

 

[GCC]

My 16” M1 Max stays at my desk and for travel I will use now a 13” M1 2020 MBP.

 

[DouglasCarroll]

I’ve got more Macbook Pros and Airs than I know the number of laying around here.

But:

My main machine is a 2015 15” MacBook Pro that I use every day for everything. What a great laptop.

Except:

I travel with a 2013 11” MacBook Air, you just can’t beat that weight (or lack of) when you travel.

I also really like the form factor of my 2015 13” MacBook Air, but like the additional ports and performance of my MacBook Pro so I don’t use it as my daily driver.

What I want but don’t have (yet)….a 16” MacBook pro. These sound awesome to me!

I travel to Japan regularly and never bring a laptop along. Why the hell would I wreck my trip there by watching movies or something else stupid? My T-Mobile iPhone automatically gives me free Wi-Fi in Japan so that’s all I need.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

The 16” i9 5600m job I use for design work only travels between my home office, my couch, and my bed. When I travel to my office in town or the University, I carry an old 2012 MBP13. It has two 4tb SSD’s in it and serves as a full backup of all my life’s data, so I always have everything if I need to access it. When I’m at home, the 13” plugs into a 30” Apple Cinema Display and becomes my tv while I work on my more powerful system. …with a few bonuses: 1, nobody wants to steal my old fat chunky 13” mbp. 2, if I drop it, I don’t care, I’ll just get another one for $300 and swap the SSD’s in in under 2 minutes without even thinking about it. 3, The 2012-era models were equipped with (among other neat features) an infrared receiver, so the little white remote or the remote from my old dead Apple TV can turn my “tv” up or down & skip or pause without looking at it, without needing to fart around with making sure an iOS device is on the right network, is still paired, has the right app configured correctly, has loaded the entire library, and has enough battery to not die halfway through the movie.

I love the power of the modern system to drive todays bloated CAD software, but the features, utility and serviceability of the old MBPs is why Apple blew up and became the behemoth it is today.

 

[MacAttackKev]

Oh man, I envy that some of you guys have backup M1 Macs to supplement your main machines! It honestly makes me want to upgrade my old air to an M1 Air, especially with the price cuts it has been getting!

but ultimately I think I'll stick with ThunderSkunk sentiments, and bring trusty air. It's an older machine and I'm a lot more lax about it, but it still gets the job done even to this day (Which is why I never went back to Windows).

 

[wingennis]

I have a 16" M1 Pro that travels extensively around my apartment. When I went to Europe, I took my iPad Pro with magic keyboard. Fits even in a fairly girly purse. I have an 11" Air I use for all things in between. I don't care if she's not bleeding edge or fancy. I still love her. Shout out to the iPad mini I use basically as an a-reader and Audible device.

 

[diggy33]

I dont travel as much as I used to, but when I did, a 2016 12-inch retina MacBook went with me. I replaced it when the 13-inch M1 was released, and its been with me on a few trips.

 

[nick42983]

I split time between Europe and the US. I travel with my 2015 13" MBP (my main machine) and 2020 11" iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard (Kindle, YouTube, web-browsing, light email). I could get by with the iPad for a week or two but since I'm in either place for a month or more at a time I need to have a Mac OS machine to get my freelance work done effectively (translating, editing, teaching English).

I just ordered a 2021 14" MBP which I'm still deciding on how to use, I bought it mainly for video editing and podcasting. It'll definitely be my main machine though rather than retire the perfectly capable 13" MBP, it will probably serve as a desktop plugged into an external monitor (as it mostly does already but permanently in one location) while the 14" will travel with me and I'll use it more as a laptop to make the most of the screen/trackpad/speakers, etc. It has practically the exact same dimensions as the 2015 so I won't feel a difference (though I wouldn't mind if it were a bit lighter and slimmer with the same capabilities).

 

[maflynn]

Not exactly what the OP is asking but I have multiple laptops, a Razer blade 15" and a 14" MBP. I'll choose the laptop that best fits what I'm looking to accomplish during my trip. Do I need extended battery life or that I'm not spending a lot of time working on the trip, or flying - the Mac. If I'm looking to play some games while the family does something I'm not interested, or I need to spend much of my time working in a hotel - the Razer goes with me.

For my needs I generally have to have a windows machine to get much of my work tasks done, so that's the ultimate deciding factor.

 

[MBAir2010]

having multiple MacBook now depends on what I need done project wise.
The MacBook Pro 2012 if I need to make any graphic design away from home with 3-4 hours of battery still.
The sd card reader is a great featured I'm used to CS4 rather than Affinty Design.
the MacBook is large enough to see everything but heavier than the MacBook Air m1 or 2010 air.

Obviously I would lake the MacBook Air 2020 due to the battery life, and weight now.

 

[Marsikus]

I didn't sell my old MBP 13" yet, so I took it for trip to Poland with me. New M1 14" stays home.

 

[Dcfc1884]

How are people sharing files between two MacBooks? I’m now in this situation and feel like I am missing something obvious.

Thanks in advance

 

[Marsikus]

How are people sharing files between two MacBooks? I’m now in this situation and feel like I am missing something obvious.

Thanks in advance

Airdrop, iCloud, Google Drive, One Drive, External disk - whatever works for you.

 

[BeatCrazy]

How are people sharing files between two MacBooks? I’m now in this situation and feel like I am missing something obvious.

Thanks in advance

iCloud Drive.