Should I Upgrade to New 13" MacBook Pro?

[Resist]

Been using a Mid 2010 13" MacBook Pro for 11 years now and it was my first Mac and has been great. Years ago I upgraded the RAM from 4GB to 16GB and the 250GB Hard Drive to a 480GB SSD, of course I've had to replace the battery a few times as well. It's running MacOS High Sierra and I doubt it can be upgraded any further. So, I've been thinking about buying a new Mac and Costco has the 13" 8GB M1 MacBook Pro with a 25GB SSD on sale for $1,099.99. I really have enjoyed my Mid 2010 MBP and mostly use it for web browsing, but used to use it a lot to watch DVD movies, not much need for that anymore.

Any thoughts on buying the M1 from Costco? I initially was going to get the M1 Air but don't like that it doesn't have an internal fan, keeping the internals cooler helps with longevity. And personally I don't need my laptop to be so thin. Granted I know my current MBP is old but will going from 16GB of RAM to only 8GB be an issue? And I'd be going to a smaller SSD, although I haven't even filled half of the storage in my current 480GB SSD. There is also the lack of ports on the new machines.

 

[Fishrrman]

An 11-year-old MBP is a good reason to be looking for a replacement.

Be aware that the m1 MacBook Pros are "the first of their line". As such, they have some "limitations of the emerging design", and will always be stuck with them. Nevertheless, they could be a good-enough replacement, if you "need one now".

CAUTION:
I would not buy ANY m1 series Mac UNLESS it came with 16gb of RAM right out of the box. (You can't upgrade these anyway).

Also be aware:
NEW MacBook Pros with a new design and an updated m-series CPU are coming "pretty soon", almost certainly by October or early November.
They'll be in a 14" and 16" form factor, with additional ports, etc.
I sense these will prove "worth the wait" if you can hold out that long.

But be aware:
The 14" and 16" will cost more.

Only you can "weigh the choices" and make a decision on your own.

 

[Resist]

I appreciate your insight, but I know a 14" or 16" MBP costs more, I just prefer the smaller 13" version. And yes, I'd like to have 16GB of RAM but they are almost impossible to get, unless you buy direct from Apple and I just won't pay their over inflated prices.

After doing more research it appears an M1 8GB MBP is way faster than my 16GB Mid 2010 MBP, and probably more computer than what I need...so the M1 should last me another 11 years. Yes, I could hold out for an updated M-series but there will be no discounted prices on those, not even from Costco.

 

[Resist]

Well, I couldn't make it to Costco today but was able to order it at Costco.com with free shipping. Should be here by Tuesday. If it doesn't work out for me, I can return it within 90 days, but I think I'm going to like it. Might have to put in a larger SSD though.

 

[biffuz]

Compared to a 2010 MBP, the M1 will blow your mind. BUT... the 8 GB are going to be a bottleneck sooner rather than later, the quality of desktop software is going down the drain fast. But again, it will still be a lot quicker than your old machine.
What worries me is the SSD endurance (when the system runs out of RAM, it starts using the SSD), and remember it's soldered on, no replacement possible. I suggest to move your unused stuff to an external SSD or NAS (and back it up regularly) and keep the internal SSD as empty as possible: having as much free space as possible helps spread out the wear.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I can return it within 90 days, but I think I'm going to like it. Might have to put in a larger SSD though."

This is an m1 Mac, right?
If so, it's NOT "upgradeable".
In ANY way.
What you buy, is what you get... forever.

 

[Resist]

OP wrote:
"I can return it within 90 days, but I think I'm going to like it. Might have to put in a larger SSD though."

This is an m1 Mac, right?
If so, it's NOT "upgradeable".
In ANY way.
What you buy, is what you get... forever.

I realized that after I made the post. Thanks Apple for future proofing your MacBooks!

 

[Resist]

So far I really am enjoying this new M1 MacBook Pro but have a few things I don't like about it, besides the fact that nothing is user upgradeable. It only has two Thunderbolt ports and a headset set port. The Thunderbolt ports are to close together, so using one of those tiny usb to usb C adapters is limited to only one due to the spacing of the ports. There should be more ports because we shouldn't have to buy adapters when the computer is so expensive as it is. I really like the Touch Bar but now the volume control is a two step process instead of just one. The keyboard feels so much better than the one on my older MacBook Pro and I really love the Taptic touch pad plus it's larger. I like that overall this computer is smaller yet feels solid and the display is actually wider than my older MacBook Pro. I kind of miss the lighted Apple logo on the back of the lid but it was just wasted power. But I really, really am enjoying the battery life on this machine. OMG, it's great and it's not heating up like my old machine does.

When I migrated all my data from the older MBP I have to clean up a lot of files that weren't needed. Probably should have done that on the old machine first. I didn't like how it doesn't migrate all my passwords, so that was a pain to put them all back in. And then I accidentally deleted all my photo library pictures. Luckily they are still on the old computer. I tried Airdrop but the computers aren't seeing each other. And migration doesn't have an option to just transfer over photos. I could put them on a hard drive but I don't have a USB C adapter.

I use my MBP mostly like a desktop and am finding conflicting information on whether I should keep it plugged in while using it or unplugged and doing the 20/80 charging thing. I had always kept my previous MBP plugged in while using it over the years and it when through 3 batteries in 11 years. Some have said that I shouldn't have kept it plugged it while using it and that's why it went through all those batteries. For the M1 some are saying to keep it plugged in when using it for long periods as the software battery management system has been optimized for this. Not sure exactly what to do yet, all I know is that because it's very difficult to replace the battery in these new MBP's ourselves now, I don't want to have to need a new battery in a few years and then pay Apple their outrageous fee. Not to mention that I'd be pissed if they scratched my computer in the process. I've had terrible luck with repair people damaging my stuff during repairs, so most of the time I repair things myself.

Now I just have to get a small SSD backup drive that I want to use for Time Machine and to increase the storage capability of this computers 256GB SSD, I'm assuming one drive could do both.

 

[biffuz]

I kind of miss the lighted Apple logo on the back of the lid but it was just wasted power. But I really, really am enjoying the battery life on this machine.

Actually not, the logo was just using the display's light.

Now I just have to get a small SSD backup drive that I want to use for Time Machine and to increase the storage capability of this computers 256GB SSD, I'm assuming one drive could do both.

Yes but don't do it. And you need to backup the external drive too.
Also, two backups are better than one (Murphy's law). Make them with different tools, and keep one of them in a different building.

 

[Resist]

Just figured out that the Touch Bar volume and brightness button can actually be a one step process. You press and hold it and just slide it to move the volume or brightness up or down. Easy peasy! I love this thing!

I was also able to put my photos library back on this computer via iCloud. I didn't think I had enough space but I did.

 

[tarsins]

Personally I'd go for the M1 Air as you're not looking for MacBook Pro specifics as far as I can see and you'd save a ton of cash.

 

[smoking monkey]

I didn't like how it doesn't migrate all my passwords, so that was a pain to put them all back in.

If you have 2 factor authentication turned on, you can use icloud to sync them across devices. That would be Keychain.

And then I accidentally deleted all my photo library pictures. Luckily they are still on the old computer. I tried Airdrop but the computers aren't seeing each other. And migration doesn't have an option to just transfer over photos. I could put them on a hard drive but I don't have a USB C adapter.

I'm vague on the specifics but... You can drag your photos app library icon *in the pictures folder somewhere* and save it to an external. Move it to the new computer. Put it where you want and then option click on the photos app in the doc to open and it will ask you what library you want to open... or something like that. I haven't done it for a few years and have forgotten the actual specifics, but it's worth looking up on the net. It's very easy to do. At worst you can call Apple and ask them as you have 90 days telephone support at least.

Now I just have to get a small SSD backup drive that I want to use for Time Machine and to increase the storage capability of this computers 256GB SSD, I'm assuming one drive could do both.

Pretty sure you can't or shouldn't use a time machine drive for anything else. External drives are so cheap now that it shouldn't be an issue. Make sure you get ones that are USB C though!

 

[Resist]

Personally I'd go for the M1 Air as you're not looking for MacBook Pro specifics as far as I can see and you'd save a ton of cash.

As I said, I ended up getting the M1 MacBook Pro because Costco had it on sale for $1,099.99. I couldn't pass up that price. And I wanted the Touch Bar, plus the Air is just too thin for me. But I'm really liking the M1 Pro right now and the battery life is so much better than the Air. I know a lot of people complained about the Touch Bar but I think it's really great.

 

[Resist]

If you have 2 factor authentication turned on, you can use icloud to sync them across devices. That would be Keychain.


I'm vague on the specifics but... You can drag your photos app library icon *in the pictures folder somewhere* and save it to an external. Move it to the new computer. Put it where you want and then option click on the photos app in the doc to open and it will ask you what library you want to open... or something like that. I haven't done it for a few years and have forgotten the actual specifics, but it's worth looking up on the net. It's very easy to do. At worst you can call Apple and ask them as you have 90 days telephone support at least.


Pretty sure you can't or shouldn't use a time machine drive for anything else. External drives are so cheap now that it shouldn't be an issue. Make sure you get ones that are USB C though!

I thought Keychain would have been moved over with the migration, maybe I just didn't understand how it worked.

I ended up being able to get my photo library back via iCloud, at first I didn't think I have enough iCloud space for it but I did. I could use an external drive to do it because I didn't have the right cable to connect it to this computer.

Someone else told me Time Machine should only be used on one drive, yet someone else said it can be partitioned to share. Seems cumbersome to have to have two separate external drives, one for Time Machine and one for more storage. If I had enough money, I would have just bought this computer with the 2TB SSD, but Apple charges too much for the extra storage. And even though I like Apple products, taking away the user's ability to upgrade components ourselves at a reasonable price point is all about greed. And that, just pisses me off!