New Mac Laptop...Macbook Pro or Air...Go!

[Philpug]

My 2014 Macbook is getting long in tooth and will need a battery soon. It is a 2.8GHz Intel i5, 8GB and a 500 GB of space..which I am using about half of, so I have plenty of space. While it is not a tank, it is by no means a lightweight either. the new Air is intriguing because of it's size an that it is now a 13.3" screen too. The new Macbook Pro is slightly heavier at 3lb vs. the 2.75lb and thicker. Configuring both with 8GB and 512GB SSD, there is only $100.00 difference. I am expecting this might be the last regular MBPro that we will see without the slide bar. I do not do any serious graphics nor huge calculations, this is primarily a day to day work horse and for working on the site. The longer battery life is a big selling point especually because we travel a lot and spend a LOT of time working on the computer in the car. Apples new trade in program for my current laptop is very enticing too.

So, which of these new ones would suit my needs better or should I just put a new battery in my current one and buy another year or two?

So, Apple zealots out there, plase share your thoughts. @Unpiste @Susie and others.

 

[VickiK]

My 2009 Macbook Pro is long in tooth but it works for what I need it for. A new sleek one would be grand, though, or 2 1/2 grand.

Edit: I might check out a new one just because...security improvements? My OS is Yosemite, Version 10.10.5. It is a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 8GB. No space issues. I know it's antediluvian.

 

[Philpug]

Here is 9to5Mac's take.

 

[cantunamunch]

because we travel a lot and spend a LOT of time working on the computer in the car. Apples new trade in program for my current laptop is very enticing too.

This is a really good reason to have USB-C charging.

 

[ScotsSkier]

I have been running my MBA (i7, 512GB SSD, 8Gb) for 5.5 years now and since it is also my business machine and spends a lot of time on the road it takes a pounding - rode hard and put away wet! . So it has been a reliable and trusted work horse and I would happily go for the same again. Since I am my own IT support the reliability is a key feature. (Previously I got a max 2 years out of a variety of PC laptops under similar use. ) I originally justified it - to myself! - to replace my MB pro because it was lighter for travel. But of course as my wife pointed out didn’t help much when I had another 25# of crap in my backpack.
I should now be thinking about a battery replacement but no urgency. Since it is my business machine I have also been thinking about a replacement and there are some pretty good deals on new MBAs at the moment. However, basically the MBA is virtually unchanged since mid 2013 and lags some alternative machines. There is a very strong rumor that Apple will be updating significantly / replacing in the near future. So I have also been looking at the latest MacBook, slightly smaller at 12 inches, but more up to date in specs

 

[Philpug]

I have been running my MBA (i7, 512GB SSD, 8Gb) for 5.5 years now and since it is also my business machine and spends a lot of time on the road it takes a pounding - rode hard and put away wet! . So it has been a reliable and trusted work horse and I would happily go for the same again. Since I am my own IT support the reliability is a key feature. (Previously I got a max 2 years out of a variety of PC laptops under similar use. ) I originally justified it - to myself! - to replace my MB pro because it was lighter for travel. But of course as my wife pointed out didn’t help much when I had another 25# of crap in my backpack.
I should now be thinking about a battery replacement but no urgency. Since it is my business machine I have also been thinking about a replacement and there are some pretty good deals on new MBAs at the moment. However, basically the MBA is virtually unchanged since mid 2013 and lags some alternative machines. There is a very strong rumor that Apple will be updating significantly / replacing in the near future. So I have also been looking at the latest MacBook, slightly smaller at 12 inches, but more up to date in specs

The MBA IS all new now, that si why I am even considering it.

 

[ScotsSkier]

I heard it was coming but missed the release. That makes it a no brainer - the MBA- the lighter weight is just nicer to use, especially on your lap! Nice that you can now get 16gb of ram as well, the retina screen is long overdue, but a little surprising there is not an i7 option.

 

[Philpug]

I heard it was coming but missed the release. That makes it a no brainer - the MBA- the lighter weight is just nicer to use, especially on your lap! Nice that you can now get 16gb of ram as well, the retina screen is long overdue, but a little surprising there is not an i7 option.

Knowing the American mentality that we tend to over buy...I know...hard to believe...I am not doing a lot of processing..8GB is enough...but 500GB storage is a must. But seeing that you have been running an older MBA and it has been enough...and that was the lightweight of the Mac offerings, in more than just weight, tells me the new MBA will be enough. Now, for $100 more..does the MBP make more sense?

 

[ScotsSkier]

On my MB pro I had previously I upgraded from8 to 16 ram and it was noticeably quicker. And on my my MBA I went i7 to get as much speed/power as possible

 

[tball]

I'd stick with your current Macbook Pro for a while. It's no slouch. The new machines won't be noticeably faster. The Air might even be slower.

So you'd be buying an hour or so longer battery life and maybe lose a pound? Am I missing anything?

Instead, maybe get something like this for extra power in the car:
https://www.amazon.com/MAXOAK-2006-2018-36000mAh-External-Portable/dp/B017QUHB44/

I think it would be good to wait a couple years. Apple will be ditching Intel on the low end for their own much more efficient CPU's. I'd wait for that since battery life seems to be your primary driver. I bet the Air battery life is much better in a few years.

One of the best features of a Mac is they go forever. The longevity makes up for the price premium, but only if you keep them.

 

[Philpug]

I'd stick with your current Macbook Pro for a while. It's no slouch. The new machines won't be noticeably faster. The Air might even be slower.

So you'd be buying an hour or so longer battery life and maybe lose a pound? Am I missing anything?

Instead, maybe get something like this for extra power in the car:
https://www.amazon.com/MAXOAK-2006-2018-36000mAh-External-Portable/dp/B017QUHB44/

I think it would be good to wait a couple years. Apple will be ditching Intel on the low end for their own much more efficient CPU's. I'd wait for that since battery life seems to be your primary driver. I bet the Air battery life is much better in a few years.

One of the best features of a Mac is they go forever. The longevity makes up for the price premium, but only if you keep them.

I agree 100% on the longevity, that is why we invest in them in the first place. I do recall reading that these will be the last generation that will be supported with OS upgrades, so the next major OS won't work well with this generation. Yes, battery life is one of the top considerations, and it is not just adding an hour or so but very well doubling or tripling the life. Right now I am getting 3-4 hours and the new ones will get 10-12 hours. Not being tethered is a strong consideration. The other thing is the trade in pogram in really strong on mine right now, about $400.00 combined with having a couple of friends that work at Apple to get a discount code which all makes it apealing right now. If I keep it another couple of years, I will be looking at putting another battery in it, that is about $130..so it is adding up. I like my machine, it has enough power for what I need it to do..it also has all the inputs like a lightning connection for external monitor that I use almost daily so there is a lot to keeping it.

 

[Crank]

You can get a 200 watt power inverter that plugs into your car for under $50.

 

[Living Proof]

Jumping in here, as it is time to get a new laptop. I've always been a non-power Windows user with a mid-range HP now 7 years old, so, I was thinking that upcoming Black Friday sales just may become the time to buy. I've been tempted to make the jump to Apple jump, and, been waiting for this weeks new releases. I've had some Craigslist discussions with owners of MBA and also a Dell XPS, it will be interesting to see if the new Apple products push existing machines to lower price points. My only high power need is driven by Adobe Lightroom, which I have only recently been using. While Apple does have some appeal, my HP windows experience has been pretty good, other that the damn Windows updates that take forever to load. For 50% of the cost a new MBA, there are plenty of Windows machines available.

I can't quite figure out the Apple logic of 3 new computers within $100. The 13" Air appears to meet all my needs, I would need to try the keyboard which will be smaller than my HP. I do need to check out the associated peripheral components required to support DVD.

Decisions, decisions! Should be an interesting month.

 

[Dwight]

Sorry, you run a ski site. Get the new MacAir. n+1.

Make sure you go to a store, handle it and use it too make sure you still like the feel of it.

 

[cantunamunch]

You can get a 200 watt power inverter that plugs into your car for under $50.

Charging over USB-C he doesn't need it.

 

[Crank]

Charging over USB-C he doesn't need it.

Perhaps , but I am not sure he will get enough power for a Macbook this way.

 

[Philpug]

I have pwer invertors that we will use now the MBA's life is great and won't need it even on the longest trips.

Jumping in here, as it is time to get a new laptop. I've always been a non-power Windows user with a mid-range HP now 7 years old, so, I was thinking that upcoming Black Friday sales just may become the time to buy. I've been tempted to make the jump to Apple jump, and, been waiting for this weeks new releases. I've had some Craigslist discussions with owners of MBA and also a Dell XPS, it will be interesting to see if the new Apple products push existing machines to lower price points. My only high power need is driven by Adobe Lightroom, which I have only recently been using. While Apple does have some appeal, my HP windows experience has been pretty good, other that the damn Windows updates that take forever to load. For 50% of the cost a new MBA, there are plenty of Windows machines available.

I can't quite figure out the Apple logic of 3 new computers within $100. The 13" Air appears to meet all my needs, I would need to try the keyboard which will be smaller than my HP. I do need to check out the associated peripheral components required to support DVD.

Decisions, decisions! Should be an interesting month.

I wouldn't call myself a power user but it is not uncommon to be on the computer 8 plus hours in a day. I am also a Mac diehard with everything in the house being Apple. For me even considerig going back to a windows based computer is not an option even if it half the money. In the past 15 years, I have had only three Macs and if I had windows based machines in that time it would have beed at least double let alone the aggravation that come with them so I don't think Macs cost any more in that sense. What we also a get tremendous amount of use of is the in store Apple support, while it isn't as good as it used to be, is still loads better than you get elsewhere. This all comes with a price and if it worth it to you, great, if not there are Windows machines.

 

[VickiK]

I think my assimilation into the Apple family tree started with the phone, but it's a fait accompli. IPhone, iPod, iPad, Macbook, iWatch.

My Higher Education employer replaced our I.T. department laptops with Surface Pro tablets. IMHO, it was not a smooth transition, and I say that with considerable restraint.

 

[tball]

I do recall reading that these will be the last generation that will be supported with OS upgrades, so the next major OS won't work well with this generation.

Even if this Mojave (10.14) update is the last OS for your 2014 MBP you'll have 3 years of updates if Apple follows past protocol. You should be fine until fall of 2021 at a minimum.

We won't know until next summer for sure, but it seems like there is a good chance you'll even get another year out of your 2014 to the fall of 2022. It was the 2012's that dropped off this year and now only have two years of updates remaining. 2013's are definitely on the bubble for their last OS next year. Hopefully not 2014's.

I'm very familiar with all this as my beloved 17" Macbook Pros are coming to the end of their life. Even worse Apple doesn't make them anymore.

My 2009 running El Capitan (10.11) likely received its last update recently and will be a security risk going forward. My 2011 running High Serra (10.13) isn't upgradeable to Mojave, so I've got two years of updates coming before it's unsupported.

Anyone running El Capitan or older should be looking to buy a new machine, or be a super geek willing to jump through hoops to implement other options to keep yourself secure. There are too many bad guys out there to be running an OS that doesn't receive security updates!

Yes, battery life is one of the top considerations, and it is not just adding an hour or so but very well doubling or tripling the life. Right now I am getting 3-4 hours and the new ones will get 10-12 hours.

I doubt you'll see that much difference with the same usage. How many cycles do you have on your battery? With a good battery your current Pro will give you 90% of the battery life of a new Pro when used the same way.

Your current Macbook Pro is rated 9 hours:
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...-i5-2.8-13-mid-2014-retina-display-specs.html

The new Macbook Pro is 10 rated hours
https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/

I do think you have a good case to switch to an Air for better battery life. An Air will give you something like 133% of the battery life of your current Pro. I'd just have a hard time spending that much on an Air to likely take a step back in performance from your current Pro other than battery life.

The new Macbook Air is rated 12 hours:
https://www.apple.com/macbook-air/specs/

Note the old Macbook Airs are also rated at 12 hours:
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook-air/specs/macbook-air-core-i5-1.8-13-2017-specs.html

I'd think about picking up an older, 2015ish, used Air for $400-500. You won't notice hauling them both in the car and combined you'll get more than double your current battery life. Just an idea.

Your 2014 MacBook Pro is too nice to let go for $400, IMO. I'd keep that around for cheap redundancy whatever you do! I'll buy it for that in a heartbeat, as I suspect others here would as well.

 

[Steve]

I own over a dozen Macs. Rarely buy a new one. We own 4 older MacBook Airs and love them. I just bought one of these on ebay for $385.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-MacBook-Air-Core-i5-1-8GHz-4GB-RAM-128GB-SSD-13-MD231LL-A/123415981821?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Only 4GB of Ram, but my personal MBA is exactly the same as is my wife's and my Chief Engineer's. All we do on these is Microsoft Office, email, web browsing etc, and the 4GB are not a problem. Battery life may or may not be an issue, but you can even see the battery usage count when you buy a used mac, and for $385 you can afford to also replace the battery if you aren't going to have it plugged in most of the time.

Runs the newest OS no problem.

For our high end machines we've bought used Mac Pro's off of ebay. $4,000 machine for under $2,000.

I've never had an Apple computer fail on me and I've owned dozens and dozens over the years. Hard Drives, yes, but SSD's no.