Mac should i buy

For students, writers, work-from-home types and most mainstream users, I still think the MacBook Air represents a great value and a good place to start and maybe finish your hunt for a new computer. My take on the M1 inch MacBook Pro has not changed much since it was introduced last year.

With essentially identical performance to the less-expensive Air, you're paying for a slightly brighter screen, the Touch Bar and fan-based cooling. Unless you're a Touch Bar fan, I'd stick with the Air.

In testing, we found it offers performance on par with or slightly better than the M1 MacBook Pro, which costs nearly twice as much. But the Mac Mini is also a niche product. It's great if you're working on not-too-taxing video work or podcasting and want to use your own display and input devices.

What is the Touch Bar? The Touch Bar is a input device that sits on top of the keyboard. The buttons and controls available on the Touch Bar change depending on the software you are using. Learn more about the Touch Bar.

If you have a Thunderbolt device, you can plug it directly into the laptop. The same goes for any USB-C device. Unfortunately, be prepared to shell out a good amount of extra cash. However, the and inch MacBook Pro offers a significant speed boost over the inch model, but they are bigger and heavier laptops. If your work mostly involves web surfing and other productivity tasks, however, go for a MacBook Air. Ready to buy a MacBook Pro? If your work is very demanding processing power, these laptops are happy to handle it.

Work in pro-level software all the time? Get a or inch MacBook Pro. Both the and inch MacBook Pro have a Liquid Retina XDR display that displays pixels per inch, 1, nits of maximum brightness 1, nits for HDR content, nits for standard content , 1,, to 1 contrast ratio, and Pro Motion support with a refresh rate up to Hz. The notch does not affect the available screen area—the work area is a by space, while the screen surrounding the notch is considered extra space and is used to display the menu bar.

These laptops also come with an HDMI 2. How do I charge these laptops? Apple equipped these laptops with MagSafe, a magnetic connector than that break away with a good tug.

The new fast charging feature allows the laptop to go from no charge to 50 percent in 30 minutes, but you need to have the proper power adapter to do this. The inch models need to use the 97W adapter, and can do fast charging through MagSafe or a Thunderbolt port. The inch models must use the W adapter with MagSafe—fast charging does not work through Thunderbolt or with an adapter with lower wattage. Apple built these laptops with pro users in mind and it shows in the performance. Paying the extra money is worth it—you can get a smaller SSD if you want to knock the price down a bit.

Ready to buy a or inch MacBook Pro? Because of its price and performance, the Mac mini is a great Mac for just about anybody. The speed and power consumption promised was unexpected, and this has borne out in benchmarks and real world usage. The first M1 models featured a processor with eight cores; think of a core as a mini-processor. Much of the work we do uses just a single core, but demanding tasks use multiple cores working simultaneously.

With two models, 14" and 16", these are real pro laptops. They come with 8 or 10 cores, plus additional graphic cores, and allow you to add more memory than the first M1 Macs. You have options at all prices, and in just about all possible form factors. The second wave, released in October , added two MacBook Pro models, a 14" and a 16". The only ones still sold, at the time of this writing, are one Mac mini model, the 27" iMac, and the Mac Pro.

While you may need it for your work, you may actually be better off getting a maxed-out MacBook Pro with the best processor and memory option, and connecting it to an external display via Thunderbolt 4.

If you need the Mac Pro, you know you need it. I discuss memory and storage below. Do you just use a Mac for browsing the web, sending email, perhaps streaming music or playing simple games? It might not work with some of the devices you own. You'll want to invest in a few adapters like this Hyper adapter if you plan on hooking your computer up to a projector, or want to use things like USB drives or SD cards. Older MacBooks with butterfly keyboards — : Apple's now-notorious first- to third-generation "butterfly switch" keyboards are gone from the entire new MacBook lineup.

And good riddance. If you're buying an older model MacBook, Apple does replace the keyboards for free and did add extra dust guards to the late and early models. Apple has detailed instructions on how to clean the old keyboard if yours gets flaky, which is a decent first line of defense against busted keys. Apple also extended its keyboard repair program to cover repairs on all Macs that have been purchased within the past four years, regardless of warranty status.

Still, unless you're getting it really cheap, we suggest sticking with the newer models that feature the much-better Magic Keyboard—and the newer, more advanced processor. The old MacBook Air models with a silver bezel : Apple's slim laptop was groundbreaking when it debuted in Unfortunately, the MacBook Air didn't undergo many changes until These older Airs rock a dowdy-looking, non-Retina screen and weak Intel chips that are years old.

The old laptops might not require the dongles that a newer MacBook might, but the newer laptops will undoubtedly feel faster for longer. Don't let their lower price tag tempt you—there are way better laptops you can nab for that kind of cash. How to spot it: The older Air has a thick silver border bezel around its screen, instead of the black glass of the new models. The old inch MacBook Pro: This is a fine laptop that's not too old , but its price makes no sense when compared to the new inch MacBook Pro.

You're much better off sticking with the M1 Pro or M1 Max-powered 16 incher. It really is superior. Regardless of whether you're a casual MacBook user or a professional content creator, the MacBook lineup now covers all the bases. Meanwhile, those who need more power for the most demanding tasks should opt for the souped-up MacBook Pro inch or inch with the M1 Pro or M1 Max chip.

None of Apple's MacBooks are cheap, and replacement parts are nightmarishly expensive. Since the entire computer is fully integrated into Apple's tightly designed aluminum chassis, you're one coffee spill away from a shockingly large repair bill. Apple always offers small discounts on hardware for students and teachers. All you need to do is purchase something through Apple's Education Store , choose the product you want you should see the discounted pricing , and go through the motions to place the order like normal.

You don't need to show any proof that you're a student at the time of purchase, but you should be honest, as Apple can email you at a later date and ask for verification. Apple MacBook Pro inch and Inch, Check out Apple's Education Store. Previously he was the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, steering coverage and reviews of smartphones and smartwatches, and an intern at TechCrunch.