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

Should I stay...or upgrade?

  • Macbook Pro

    Votes: 6 35.3%
  • Macbook Air

    Votes: 6 35.3%
  • Keep old Macbook Pro

    Votes: 5 29.4%

  • Total voters
    17

tball

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So contrary to what is documented and mentioned above I just installed Mojave on my 2012 MBA.
Looks like 2012 MBA's are good for Mojave:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201475

I think you mentioned you also have 2010 MBA's as well. Those shouldn't be able to run Mojave without extraordinary measures along the line of jailbreaking it.

Here's what I'm doing to try to stay reasonably secure with my 2009 MBP that is no longer receiving security updates and is now a secondary machine:
  • Stop using Safari, as it's no longer secure.
  • Only use Chrome and Firefox, as they continue to be updated.
  • Only connect to my home wifi that I know is secure.
  • Don't connect to wifi at airports, coffee shops, hotels.
  • Don't use it for online banking, financial, or other important stuff.
  • Install as little software as possible, and just use the included software, Chrome, and Firefox.
Does anyone have any other suggestions for trying to stay secure on an unsecured Mac?
 
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Philpug

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Looks like 2012 MBA's are good for Mojave:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201475

I think you mentioned you also have 2010 MBA's as well. Those shouldn't be able to run Mojave without extraordinary measures along the line of jailbreaking it.

Here's what I'm doing to try to stay reasonably secure with my 2009 MBP that is no longer receiving security updates and is now a secondary machine:
  • Stop using Safari, as it's no longer secure.
  • Only use Chrome and Firefox, as they continue to be updated.
  • Only connect to my home wifi that I know is secure.
  • Don't connect to wifi at airports, coffee shops, hotels.
  • Don't use it for online banking, financial, or other important stuff.
  • Install as little software as possible, and just use the included software, Chrome, and Firefox.
Does anyone have any other suggestions for trying to stay secure on an unsecured Mac?
When we are out, we only tether to our phones and do not use any public wifi.
 

Living Proof

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On the subject of computer virus protection, is a Mac specific virus protection plan an essential? I seem to remember that Mac's were not prone to virus attack, is this still true today?
 

tball

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When we are out, we only tether to our phones and do not use any public wifi.
No doubt that's the safest way to go. It's slow and can be expensive depending on your mobile service, though, as I'm sure you know.

Another option is to use a mini router that connects to the free wifi then provides you with a secure wifi connection. They are dirt cheap and reportedly work well.

I just bought my first one today. This little guy is on Cyber Monday sale for $18:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAFN26TX8074

There are a bunch of them out there. This one seems fairly well reviewed and most importantly gets firmware updates and should keep getting updated because it uses well supported open source firmware (OpenWRT). See Amazon reviews:
https://www.amazon.com/GL-iNet-GL-MT300N-V2-Repeater-Performance-Compatible/dp/B073TSK26W
 

tball

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On the subject of computer virus protection, is a Mac specific virus protection plan an essential? I seem to remember that Mac's were not prone to virus attack, is this still true today?
No, Mac virus protection isn't necessary and can potentially do more harm than good. Just keep your OS up to date (Apple Menu->About This Mac->Software Update).

I've got mine set to auto-update and Apple has been good about not breaking anything so far:
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/get-macos-updates-mchlpx1065/mac

One of the great things about MacOS is how quickly and smoothly updates happen. My Windows laptop spends so much more time updating it's ridiculous.
 

Steve

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@tball I use Free Malwarebytes on my personal laptop. Is that possibly dangerous.
 

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@tball I use Free Malwarebytes on my personal laptop. Is that possibly dangerous.
Malwarebytes is well respected, so it's probably fine. But it's also unnecessary unless you think you are infected. I don't think it's worth the risk or effort unless you suspect you have an issue. Any software or app you install is a risk, especially any that needs full system privileges like Malwarebytes.

And, will it still be safe in five or ten years? There's a long history of anti-virus software going downhill and becoming a cure that's worse than the disease itself.

I think of it like the flu shot vs. Tamaflu. Safe practices like keeping your OS up to date and not installing random software are the flu shot. Malwarebytes is Tamiflu. If you get the flu then Tamiflu might help. You don't want to take it every day, though.

JMO, somewhat but not highly informed. There's an entire anti-virus industry that wants us to believe otherwise.
 
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Living Proof

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Just a quick review following my first week with the '18 MBA which is piloted by an MS Windows user.

With respect to the machine, using the MBA is a pleasure. I love the retina screen, the keyboard quickly became very familiar for typing, the light weight and reduced size is great, the trackpad takes some getting used as there is no right click, plus, the trackpad has to be pushed down. Speed and internet connectivity are both great.

Using the Mac OS system is two steps forward, one step back. I've spent hours watching YouTube video to learn the basics and there are so many excellent presentations. It is amazing how well the system is designed and integrated. As I become more proficient in the various keyboard shortcuts, and, the trackpad finger swiping basics, the MBA has a far better work flow that facilitates getting things done faster than I ever did on my old HP. In part, this may be due to my need to become a better learner of a new system. Everyday, I learn another little gem on using the system.

Still remaining is to integrate my old iTunes music, and, to get the contact lists from several different email providers integrated in the new machine. Also, need to spend time organizing all my photo's, which never got the attention they needed.

Any thoughts on interesting Apps, have not even scratched the surface in that area.
 

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I've got a fun little Malwarebytes story.

@Steve got me curious about it, and I thought I should try it on my old MBP. I believe the results support my thoughts in my last post that it should only be used if you suspect you've been compromised.

I ran Malwarebytes today on my first ever Mac, a 2009 MBP 17" I bought new. This is a great machine that is forever stuck on El Capitan. It's not receiving security updates because Apple put it in the obsolete bin, and it hasn't had a major OS update in over three years. Up until July it continued to receive security updates, but was skipped in the lastest Oct 2018 security update the newer versions of MacOS received:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X_El_Capitan

So, Malwarebytes found one vulnerability my old machine: Dr. Cleaner.

That's rather funny and a good lesson for me. Dr. Cleaner is a system utility you can download and install on a Mac similar to Malwarebytes. At some point long, long ago I thought it was a good idea to install Dr. Cleaner. Maybe around 2012? Probably before I figured out what I needed was an upgrade from 4GB to 8GB of RAM.

Dr. Cleaner was well respected back then. Trend Micro creates Dr. Cleaner. They are a big security company that has been around for more than 30 years! When I decided to install Dr. Cleaner, I looked into it and was assured by the fact it was created by Trend Micro, a company I've long know about.

Fast forward to 2018 and Dr. Cleaner, still from Trend Micro, is now considered malware. What happened??? Trend Micro is still huge and continued to be relatively well respected until this fall when this happened:

In August 2018, researchers discovered that several Trend Micro consumer products for MacOS were capturing browser history and other data, including passwords, and sending it to a remote server. The products identified were Dr. Cleaner, Dr. Cleaner Pro, Dr. Antivirus, Dr. Unarchiver, Dr. Battery, Duplicate Finder and Open Any File. As a consequence, Apple removed the Trend Micro products from its Mac App Store[59]. Trend Micro admitted that the products had captured and uploaded the data. It also apologized to its "community for concern they might have felt", but went on to excuse the activity as being "humbly the result of the use of common code libraries", and that, in any event, appropriation of users' data was "explicitly disclosed in the applicable EULAs".[60]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trend_Micro

There are lots of other similar examples. Adaware Doctor was the #1 utility in the Mac App Store until just a couple months ago. It was secretly collecting user data and sending it to China:
https://nextshark.com/malware-app-mac-history-data-china/

You can see it sitting next to Dr. Cleaner at the top of the Mac App store before they were both outed in this image the above article:
adaware-doctor.jpg


That's why I immediately uninstalled Malwarebytes after using it. You never know when good software will go bad, or if it really is OK in the first place. Does anyone trust anti-virus software from Russia, for example?

My current MO is to trust no software and only install the minimum I absolutely need, and then only from the most reputable sources. Yes, you're safer downloading from an app store than not, but that doesn't mean you are safe. It's just too difficult to fully vet any application.
 

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I've done really well there. In the last few months we upgraded two of our studios to trashcan Mac Pros, both used from ebay with 32MB of RAM and 6 cores for around $1,700-$1,800 each.
FYI, the benchmarks for the new Mac Mini are out, and they are super fast and relatively cheap little guys you might consider for your next upgrade:
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i7-3.2-late-2018-specs.html

You might need an external GPU depending on what you are doing, of course.

It's so nice to see they have user-upgradeable RAM. I was thinking about maybe a 27" iMac, but a Mac Mini with a nice, even bigger monitor, makes a ton of sense.
 

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I've used mini's for years, many minis.

We can't be running on Mojave for much of our software, so that would be a problem as new machines I'd assume all come with it and can't be downgraded.

As to the user upgradeable RAM, you still need a torx wrench to get the heat shield off of the RAM, not as easy as in the past.
 
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Philpug

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Well I decided to take the advice of everyone here and just replace the battery. IMHO, it was the smart choice. Not only did they replace the battery but also the whole bottom housing including a new keyboard and track pad. It is like having a new computer. I think I am good now for at least a year, possibly two then I will look at what in coming down the road then. I am glad that I still have my SD reader and external monitor and other intputs in the meantime.
 

Steve

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Always good to keep equipment alive and running. My MBA is still fine except the hinge now doesn't allow it to close fully, and I've been told the hinge can't be repaired.
 

Muleski

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I'd like to revisit this.

I'm a tech dinosaur. I'm now retired and my career has encompassed things like the invention of the PC, the smart phone....the internet. And though my working years, I always had a LOT of "IT support" and IT related support. I had to do nothing, and the latest would arrive. Problems....somebody "Fixed them." Need help....I had a full time assistant to walk into my office, and take care of it. Now gradually, that situation changed, and as I became involved in smaller entrepreneurial situations, I was on my own and had to get with it.

Today, I have a 2011 Mac Book Pro that is on it's way out. Trust me, it's on life support. I am an Apple fan. My wife and I have had iphones...forever. She lives with her iPad. Very pleased. Me.....I have an iPad, but I really prefer a laptop.

I don't do any "heavy lifting". I'm not going to be surfing the net, and sites like this. I'm going to be on Amazon, etc. I will surf the net a couple of hours a day, or so. Outside when I can. I'll deal with simple email. I can't foresee why I would ever need a Microsoft Office product. No Exel, no Word, no Outlook. Will I watch a video or "movie', sure. Will I do some Zoom meetings? yes.

I probably need to migrate a lot of pictures and some docs to the cloud. I'm that big a dinosaur. I need to be better at just deleting crap.....the 85% of worthless emails that I get. It's been easy with my older MacBook to be lazy. Particularly once "on
my own."

Now...another dynamic. I don't care what your assets are, when you really do retire {which I hope will be semi retired very soon}, you become more thrifty. I remember this with my dad. He was "more than just fine", but I recall one day having lunch with him and his saying "This is strange..I'll never have a real paycheck again in my life....or one that I can influence and earn based on results and performance." Yep. Pensions, deferred comp, 401{k}, portfolio, savings, SS. Doesn't matter....I think you think more about the outlay! Maybe it's just us.

So, a year ago, I ran this by my pretty tech savvy adult kids. The response was "Just buy a 13" MacBook Pro, with the best processor you can, get minimum 8GB of memory, maybe 16GB. Get 512GB of storage. Retina display is nice. But Apple Care. That's perfect."

I visited an Apple Store the other day, with my machine gasping, and played around. So, I really like the MBA, and the newer keyboard. Like the display. Like the size and the feel of it. The guy working with me suggested maybe a quad core i5 processor, 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage might be a great machine for me. Could I go to 512GB? Sure. Why? Dump the Microsoft Office. No need. And buy AppleCare.

I'm going to buy new. No question. That's me and my lack of support. I have time to grab a cup of coffee and visit the Genius Bar. I'm close enough to the store. it's piece of mind.

I recalled this thread. As I often find, this community helps make a lot of things simple and easy to grasp. I'm very current with our skiing and a lot of other things. This stuff...not so much. Fake my way through it!

Any thoughts....or observations? Much appreciated! Thanks!
 
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Philpug

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Funny you are revisiting this. @Tricia just went through this MBP 13 or MBA 13, 32G 1TB. Ended up with the MBA, didn't want/need the touch bar and liked the lighter weight. As far as processors...we don't do any heavy editing or computations in Numbers. She is loving it, coming from her 13 MBP. I will be up for a new computer next year. If the rumored 14" MBP comes out, I will get that 32G 1TB, if it doesn't come true, I will go with what she got, the Air.

I will miss the inputs that I have on my 13 MBP because I use an external monitor and usually have a few things plugged in at my desk, but I will get a hub and jsut pluf that in as I need it. I will say since you do keep your machines for a while, up the G and Tb at least one level, it is cheap over the long run.
 

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I use MBP and MBA for work and personal use. I generally like MBA better unless you need the CPU which most people don't. SSD is a must regardless of storage size. Max your memory if you can. Use iCloud for all your backup, pay $9.99 a month for 2TB or $2.99 for 200GB. Don't forget, new Apple computers are all thunderbolt (USB-C), you might need to invest in a new set of adapters and dongles.

Next year, Apple is switching to a new line of processors (ARM), I would never buy first generation of any product, much less a computer even if it's from Apple.
 

AlpsSkidad

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I revisit this same thought often. I am on a mid 2012 MBA 2GHZ i7 with 8GB RAM. It runs fine, the battery takes longer to charge than it lasts, but I just sit near a plug. The "storage" tab can't tell me what the drive is being used for (normally macs show the colored bar graph depicting how much storage is allocated to what types of file) mine is all greyed out and just says 70GB available....
So I always wonder, if I should just replace the battery, wipe the system and, start over, OR bite the bullet and buy a new system. usually I kick the can down the road a little more.
 
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Philpug

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Well I decided to take the advice of everyone here and just replace the battery. IMHO, it was the smart choice. Not only did they replace the battery but also the whole bottom housing including a new keyboard and track pad. It is like having a new computer. I think I am good now for at least a year, possibly two then I will look at what in coming down the road then. I am glad that I still have my SD reader and external monitor and other intputs in the meantime.
So, two years later and I still haven't pulled the trigger. Soon though...soon.
 

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