Was in a special work situation this year that was personally and professionally tough on me (doesn't involve laptops). I wanted to get myself something nice after it was over and I've been waiting for the MBP announcement for months. It finally came and obviously with the initial shine I submitted the order I'd been waiting months for. Unfortunately even ordering a few minutes in my delivery was 5-10 November so I had time to sit with it.
I'm not much of a pro user. The most intensive thing I do is play Civ VI or occasionally edit some photos on Capture One. I like to think one day the Mac will get more games and so I'd need to "future proof" my machine for when that day comes but realistically... that day isn't coming... and I also have a Steam Deck on order anyway.
My 2018 i5 13" MBP is perfectly fine. Except for the battery life. It's garbage. I don't know why it sucks so much battery so quickly for doing literally nothing. And this battery was recently replaced due to the keyboard replacement and it still sucks.
But today I decided, in a real moment of clarity for me... I don't need the new MBP at this juncture. It was a shiny new toy. But the more I think about it, I just don't think I need it. So I canceled my order just now and ordered the 2020 M1 Air with 8 core GPU and 1 TB memory. I do in-store pick-up tomorrow.
Pros of this decision/Reasons for this decision:
1. Battery life on the Air is better than the 14 inch anyway (frankly... the 11 hour number is kind of disappointing, especially with the bigger footprint)
2. Even the 2020 M1 is a nice speed improvement on my 2018
3. The notch is... the notch. I don't have particularly strong feelings either way, but, eh.
4. I don't need the 1080p camera, it doesn't matter.
5. I wasn't really anticipating the 14" physical footprint and weight increasing from the 2018 as much as it did.
6. Taper > slab always. Something about the new design looks particularly unflattering to me also. Maybe the feet, or the weird all-black keyboard.
7. I save a few dollars.
8. I can wait for the MBP V2 now.
Cons of this decision:
1. I'm on a weird upgrade cycle now. I'm usually always right there with the new announcement and now I'm buying a year-old laptop.
2. The SD card slot would have been nice... but I do have the dongle already anyway.
3. Going down to two USB ports... but realistically how many of my current 4 am I ever actually using at one time?
4. It's not 14"... but then again, my current 2018 isn't either and the screen size is fine for my uses.
5. I lose the touchbar, which I have found to be mildly convenient... but the 14" also loses it, so moot point.
Thanks for coming, etc
I'm not much of a pro user. The most intensive thing I do is play Civ VI or occasionally edit some photos on Capture One. I like to think one day the Mac will get more games and so I'd need to "future proof" my machine for when that day comes but realistically... that day isn't coming... and I also have a Steam Deck on order anyway.
My 2018 i5 13" MBP is perfectly fine. Except for the battery life. It's garbage. I don't know why it sucks so much battery so quickly for doing literally nothing. And this battery was recently replaced due to the keyboard replacement and it still sucks.
But today I decided, in a real moment of clarity for me... I don't need the new MBP at this juncture. It was a shiny new toy. But the more I think about it, I just don't think I need it. So I canceled my order just now and ordered the 2020 M1 Air with 8 core GPU and 1 TB memory. I do in-store pick-up tomorrow.
Pros of this decision/Reasons for this decision:
1. Battery life on the Air is better than the 14 inch anyway (frankly... the 11 hour number is kind of disappointing, especially with the bigger footprint)
2. Even the 2020 M1 is a nice speed improvement on my 2018
3. The notch is... the notch. I don't have particularly strong feelings either way, but, eh.
4. I don't need the 1080p camera, it doesn't matter.
5. I wasn't really anticipating the 14" physical footprint and weight increasing from the 2018 as much as it did.
6. Taper > slab always. Something about the new design looks particularly unflattering to me also. Maybe the feet, or the weird all-black keyboard.
7. I save a few dollars.
8. I can wait for the MBP V2 now.
Cons of this decision:
1. I'm on a weird upgrade cycle now. I'm usually always right there with the new announcement and now I'm buying a year-old laptop.
2. The SD card slot would have been nice... but I do have the dongle already anyway.
3. Going down to two USB ports... but realistically how many of my current 4 am I ever actually using at one time?
4. It's not 14"... but then again, my current 2018 isn't either and the screen size is fine for my uses.
5. I lose the touchbar, which I have found to be mildly convenient... but the 14" also loses it, so moot point.
Thanks for coming, etc
