MacBook Air or PRO?

[limesmoothie]

I had a look at System Monitor and was horrified to see how much RAM Chrome was using. I need to get into the habit of using Safari...

 

[Eauboy]

Ordered my GF the MBA yesterday (birthday gift). This is the first time I've ever bought any Apple product on launch day.

What I'm really hoping for is the Apple Silicon MBP 16. I should be able to keep my 2014 MBP running fine until then, but I'm sure as soon as I get some time on the GF's Air I'll want a new laptop.

 

[GoneDrinkin]

I'm a medium-level user (biochem/microbio prof) who spends 10 to 12 hours a day behind a screen (usually about 6 to 10 different screens a day.)

I don't really see anything appealing about the MBP over the MBA and find that just about every user overestimates their requirements.

As someone at a university, I do find the people commenting about Master-level coursework particularly humourous as it's hardly different than Bachelor-level work and not as committed as Doctoral-level work.

Just my two cents, but the MBA should be more than adequate for 95% of users deciding between a MBA and a MBP.

There's nothing wrong with simply wanting it, but the there justifications in this thread are odoriferous.

I mentioned my masters because I’ve done my undergrad and that’s what I’m doing next. Nothing is more or less taxing about about it

 

[thatappleguytoday]

These days I’m literally 90% iPad Pro and 10% MBP. I also only used the MBP when I’m in my office and it’s hooked up to a monitor. Keep in mind my MBP is a late 2012 😮 and has been a dream with only just a battery replacement.

Going Air as my usage will be ideal with the Air, and it’s really just time to future-proof my next Mac.

 

[tardman91]

I ordered a MBA and upgraded the RAM instead of getting a Pro. I figured that would be more bang for my buck than a base Pro. Seems the Touch Bar is a bit gimmicky, and I don't do anything intensive that would necessitate a "Pro" machine. I get education pricing so it seemed like a pretty good deal to me.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

I mentioned my masters because I’ve done my undergrad and that’s what I’m doing next. Nothing is more or less taxing about about it

no need for a justification bruv.

 

[iau]

You can answer your own question with your existing system.

Crack open Activity Monitor, CPU tab, and get going on your usual workflows in LightRoomClassic. Watch what the CPU loading looks like.

Honestly, except for when you're creating new previews for a few hundred images or developing a few dozen RAW images, LightRoom's CPU usage is pretty bursty and not sustained. I never hear the fan on my 2020 i5 MBA unless I'm doing one of the above batch functions, and the same is true when doing the same work on my 2018 i7 MBP15.

IMHO you'd be fine with either system - the difference will likely only be discernible in the sustained batch processing work - a time most of us go grab a cup of coffee or something else anyway so whether it takes 4 minutes or 6 minutes tends to be immaterial. (obviously if you're a working pro photog this will all be a bit different)

Thanks for the tip. By slow I mean over all slow. Perhaps not super slow, or maybe I have gotten used to it. Changing views, loading files from disc and creating smart previews. Since ssd-space is so limiting I regulary have to delete the preview cache. My photos are copied to a external SSD once every month.

Just set it to create 1:1 previews for a folder of 260 images. CPU% is around 250-280%. Looks like it will take 30 mins or so.

I had a 2013 MBP before I got the 12" MacBook in 2017 (wanted to go lighter). Had decided to return to the Pro next time, but now I'm not sure. The differences seems negligible to me as the touch bar and extra battery life is what I have to consider. And I'm sure it will be quite faster than what I have now anyway.;-)

 

[jimN]

The Pro only has the 8 core GPU option

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Sorry. I had misread and thought you’d said you’d gone Air.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Okay so, before the event when I could only choose between the air that constantly overheats I was going for the pro even though I’m “only a student” and not using any demanding programs so I do have the money put away for the pro. But now after this event (finally ?) with the new air being announced, not having a fan and also 18hrs of battery, which one should I choose??
Like I said the pro is still within my budget but do I need it? I guess I would get a computer that is capable of doing more if I suddenly need it to, but it does have a fan, will I be annoyed ? Ugh.. thought the choice would be simple

It seems like the Pro is better for sustained instances where you need higher performance. So, if you're doing a lot of video editing in one sitting, or a lot of gaming, that might be where the active cooling of the M1 13" Pro is a better buy than the M1 Air. If you're just using web and typical student uses of Microsoft Office, you're probably fine with the Air. The cost difference between an M1 Air (with 8 GPU cores) and an M1 13" Pro with the same RAM and SSD configured is $150. And you get a better microphone on the Pro among other minor niceties. I'd probably pay the extra $150 to not worry about the performance throttling. But if your Mac uses are casual enough that it's not likely to require throttling, then it might not matter. I'd wait to see extended reviews of these Macs with more detailed performance differences (and info on thermal limits between them) before pulling the trigger one way or the other. But if you're worried about it, might as well spend the extra $150 for the peace of mind.

 

[nill1234]

I ordered the 256 16 GB Air. Using XCode and chrome i need lots if ram. I can always use my external TB SSD but i can’t use external ram, so i maxed out the ram.

 

[Magnificent]

Thank you for the suggestion. I think it is the best thing to wait and see benchmark tests. Tomorrow my order will be delivered. I will wait at least 10 days to decide.

 

[Norre8]

I ordered the 256 16 GB Air. Using XCode and chrome i need lots if ram. I can always use my external TB SSD but i can’t use external ram, so i maxed out the ram.

Got the Air 16/512 and Pro 8/512 will see what reviews come out and go from there.

 

[deeddawg]

Thanks for the tip. By slow I mean over all slow. Perhaps not super slow, or maybe I have gotten used to it. Changing views, loading files from disc and creating smart previews. Since ssd-space is so limiting I regulary have to delete the preview cache. My photos are copied to a external SSD once every month.

Just set it to create 1:1 previews for a folder of 260 images. CPU% is around 250-280%. Looks like it will take 30 mins or so.

I had a 2013 MBP before I got the 12" MacBook in 2017 (wanted to go lighter). Had decided to return to the Pro next time, but now I'm not sure. The differences seems negligible to me as the touch bar and extra battery life is what I have to consider. And I'm sure it will be quite faster than what I have now anyway.;-)

The rMB12's are/were a bit sluggish with a heavy load - I have a 2015 model. Nature of the beast.

Another Pro vs Air consideration is the 25% brighter screen on the Pro - 500 nits vs 400 nits. I'd check the specs for your 2017 rMB12 to see what it's display is and whether the brightness might matter to you.

Right now Apple's return policy is extended for holiday season, so make a choice, give it a solid try, and see how it works.

 

[Magnificent]

will ios apps work with old mac downloaded MacOS Big Sur like 2020 -19 or just work with M1 Macs?

 

[i5pro]

Am I reading the Geekbench results wrong, that the air is faster than the pro?

 

[Keniutek]

I hate being an "early adopter" but the new Air keeps calling my name. Just wish, there was one usb port on the other side.

 

[deeddawg]

will ios apps work with old mac downloaded MacOS Big Sur like 2020 -19 or just work with M1 Macs?

I'm pretty sure Rosetta2 doesn't work in reverse -- so no, if you want to run an iOS / ipadOS app on a mac, you need an M1 mac.

 

[cihag]

Personally, I am just a casual user... Surfing, Office, file management... So the air would be more than enough...

Problem: need a big screen for my workflow (the office part) without connecting a monitor. So I guess, I'll keep my 2012 15" MBP until the 16" one is updated to Apple Silicone... Will hate to pay more than double of the MBA-price, but hey, if it lasts 8 years, like my current one, I guess it will be worth it...

 

[cihag]

It seems like the Pro is better for sustained instances where you need higher performance. So, if you're doing a lot of video editing in one sitting, or a lot of gaming, that might be where the active cooling of the M1 13" Pro is a better buy than the M1 Air. If you're just using web and typical student uses of Microsoft Office, you're probably fine with the Air. The cost difference between an M1 Air (with 8 GPU cores) and an M1 13" Pro with the same RAM and SSD configured is $150. And you get a better microphone on the Pro among other minor niceties. I'd probably pay the extra $150 to not worry about the performance throttling. But if your Mac uses are casual enough that it's not likely to require throttling, then it might not matter. I'd wait to see extended reviews of these Macs with more detailed performance differences (and info on thermal limits between them) before pulling the trigger one way or the other. But if you're worried about it, might as well spend the extra $150 for the peace of mind.

Amen! Doesn't get any more conclusive than that...

 

[Norre8]

What's better MacBook Pro with 8/512 or 16/256? Leaning toward the latter as I can by an 2TB hard drive for $100

 

[deeddawg]

What's better MacBook Pro with 8/512 or 16/256? Leaning toward the latter as I can by an 2TB hard drive for $100

Completely depends on your intended usage (drives 8 vs 16 choice) and amount of stuff you want to have on hand without the hassle of a slow external spindle drive.

Nobody here can accurately answer those for you with the (lack of) information provided.

 

[noobinator]

The rMB12's are/were a bit sluggish with a heavy load - I have a 2015 model. Nature of the beast.

Another Pro vs Air consideration is the 25% brighter screen on the Pro - 500 nits vs 400 nits. I'd check the specs for your 2017 rMB12 to see what it's display is and whether the brightness might matter to you.

Right now Apple's return policy is extended for holiday season, so make a choice, give it a solid try, and see how it works.

The 2017 MacBook 12 is around 340 nits.

 

[Norre8]

Completely depends on your intended usage (drives 8 vs 16 choice) and amount of stuff you want to have on hand without the hassle of a slow external spindle drive.

Nobody here can accurately answer those for you with the (lack of) information provided.

Online shopping, streaming, iMovie, Microsoft word, PowerPoint, excel, Zoom. Nothing really professional

 

[joecatz1]

It seems like the Pro is better for sustained instances where you need higher performance. So, if you're doing a lot of video editing in one sitting, or a lot of gaming, that might be where the active cooling of the M1 13" Pro is a better buy than the M1 Air. If you're just using web and typical student uses of Microsoft Office, you're probably fine with the Air. The cost difference between an M1 Air (with 8 GPU cores) and an M1 13" Pro with the same RAM and SSD configured is $150. And you get a better microphone on the Pro among other minor niceties. I'd probably pay the extra $150 to not worry about the performance throttling. But if your Mac uses are casual enough that it's not likely to require throttling, then it might not matter. I'd wait to see extended reviews of these Macs with more detailed performance differences (and info on thermal limits between them) before pulling the trigger one way or the other. But if you're worried about it, might as well spend the extra $150 for the peace of mind.

most people arent comparing 8/8 to 8/8 you cant do a 256G SSD config on the AIR with 8/8, only 8/7. so if storage isnt necessary for you, youre comparing the 8/7 to the 8/8 for most buyers. totally agree on the 8/8 comparision.

 

[noobinator]

I’m grateful these m1 models came out because I was torn between the pro and air. Now with the same chip and silent operation the air is an easy choice for me. Previously I was leaning pro just so it wouldn’t sound like my MacBook was getting ready to take off whenever I used it.