13” MacBook Pro Q’s

[W&KO]

Looking to purchase a 13” MacBook Pro for our 2 year lap of AUS. We have limited space for the trip hence deciding on the 13”.

Managing photos, video, socials and wife art works


Questions,
Memory 8GB is standard or 16GB upgrade @ 300$ (I’m thinking 8GB although 16GB is probably reasonable value)

Storage 512Gb SSD is standard or 1TB @ 300$ or 2TB @ 900$ upgrades available. (I’m thinking external hard drives will be better value for money, maybe upgrade to the 1TB)

I read for both the above they are not user accessible....I assume this means not easy for user to upgrade later??

Thoughts....?

*****Before all the Apple haters, I know you’ll be dying to comment.....upgrading from a Mac Mini and have two iPhones and an iPad.

[Tote]

Looking to purchase a 13” MacBook Pro for our 2 year lap of AUS. We have limited space for the trip hence deciding on the 13”.

Managing photos, video, socials and wife art works


Questions,
Memory 8GB is standard or 16GB upgrade @ 300$ (I’m thinking 8GB although 16GB is probably reasonable value)

Storage 512Gb SSD is standard or 1TB @ 300$ or 2TB @ 900$ upgrades available. (I’m thinking external hard drives will be better value for money, maybe upgrade to the 1TB)

I read for both the above they are not user accessible....I assume this means not easy for user to upgrade later??

Thoughts....?

*****Before all the Apple haters, I know you’ll be dying to comment.....upgrading from a Mac Mini and have two iPhones and an iPad.

I've run 13" Macbook airs and pros for work for the last few years and found the standard memory and HDD adequate for most of the tasks that I do on the road. I think I'm leaning toward a Pro this time around for the slightly better battery life.
Most of what I do is internet based though and I run the Mac as a platform that could be reimaged at any time without me caring about content. Everything is now Thunderbolt 3 so be prepared to buy some new cables to charge and tether phones if that's what you do.
Yes, unlike the older pros they are not user serviceable and the storage and memory is soldered on the board.

Regards,
Tote

[Tins]

Looking to purchase a 13” MacBook Pro for our 2 year lap of AUS. We have limited space for the trip hence deciding on the 13”.

Managing photos, video, socials and wife art works


Questions,
Memory 8GB is standard or 16GB upgrade @ 300$ (I’m thinking 8GB although 16GB is probably reasonable value)

Storage 512Gb SSD is standard or 1TB @ 300$ or 2TB @ 900$ upgrades available. (I’m thinking external hard drives will be better value for money, maybe upgrade to the 1TB)

I read for both the above they are not user accessible....I assume this means not easy for user to upgrade later??

Thoughts....?

*****Before all the Apple haters, I know you’ll be dying to comment.....upgrading from a Mac Mini and have two iPhones and an iPad.

Unless you are VERY good at micro soldering the RAM and SSHD are NOT upgradeable. Get as much RAM as you can afford. The M1 chip seems to mean 8G of memory is enough, but I would get 16. You ARE getting the M1 chip, right?????

My plan would be to get the 1T drive and have a couple of external SSHDs for storage, backup and redundancy. Put 'em in an easily accessible place in case of unexpected disaster. You'll want to be able to grab 'em quickly.

There are two USBC /Thunderbolt 4 ports, so consider getting a hub to run the drives and still be able to charge the Mac and your other devices at the same time.

Have you looked at the MacBook Air? Similar specs, still incredible battery life, but cheaper. No TouchBar, but that isn't a deal breaker IMO.

As for the  haters.... we'll leave 'em in our dust[biggrin]

[W&KO]

I've run 13" Macbook airs and pros for work for the last few years and found the standard memory and HDD adequate for most of the tasks that I do on the road. I think I'm leaning toward a Pro this time around for the slightly better battery life.
Most of what I do is internet based though and I run the Mac as a platform that could be reimaged at any time without me caring about content. Everything is now Thunderbolt 3 so be prepared to buy some new cables to charge and tether phones if that's what you do.
Yes, unlike the older pros they are not user serviceable and the storage and memory is soldered on the board.

Regards,
Tote

Cheers....yes I see I’ll need to buy some extra bits and pieces to transfer data from phones, SD cards etc.

Hopefully 2 Thunderbolt ports will be enough....one for charging and one for other stuff.

[Tins]

I think I'm leaning toward a Pro this time around for the slightly better battery life.


Slightly? The new M1 chip MacBooks are amazing on battery life.

[W&KO]

Unless you are VERY good at micro soldering the RAM and SSHD are NOT upgradeable. Get as much RAM as you can afford. The M1 chip seems to mean 8G of memory is enough, but I would get 16. You ARE getting the M1 chip, right?????

My plan would be to get the 1T drive and have a couple of external SSHDs for storage, backup and redundancy. Put 'em in an easily accessible place in case of unexpected disaster. You'll want to be able to grab 'em quickly.

There are two USBC /Thunderbolt 4 ports, so consider getting a hub to run the drives and still be able to charge the Mac and your other devices at the same time.

Have you looked at the MacBook Air? Similar specs, still incredible battery life, but cheaper. No TouchBar, but that isn't a deal breaker IMO.

As for the  haters.... we'll leave 'em in our dust[biggrin]

Thanks....

Yes getting the M1 chip

I believe the slight benefits in the pro is it has cooling fans (no a/c for us), longer battery life (might be handy as we will be charger from inverter, unsure what benefit the Touch Bar will be, better display? (I need to confirm this)

I was originally going to get the Air as the kids seem to get by on them for school. Once you spec an air with the same storage as the pro there isn’t much different in price.

[W&KO]

Q I forgot to ask re: charging, is there a 12v solution or will I have to have the inverter running??

[Tote]

Cheers....yes I see I’ll need to buy some extra bits and pieces to transfer data from phones, SD cards etc.

Hopefully 2 Thunderbolt ports will be enough....one for charging and one for other stuff.

That's all I've ever needed although I confess I have anxiety when they are both used [bighmmm] It depends a bit on your use case, do you want to tether a phone, charge the mac and use external storage at the same time. There is always the option of buying a hub as well I guess.

Regards,
Tote

[Tote]

dicksmith.com.au (https://www.dicksmith.com.au/da/buy/satechi-72w-usb-c-pd-car-charger-silver-satechi/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_ads&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImebDttrW7wIVEDdgCh1xwwI3EAQYAiAB EgINpPD_BwE)

That should charge it OK, although you never know when Apple will put something in to stop it (having been burnt with apple watch docks in the past)

Regards,
Tote

[Tins]

Thanks....

Yes getting the M1 chip

I believe the slight benefits in the pro is it has cooling fans (no a/c for us), longer battery life (might be handy as we will be charger from inverter, unsure what benefit the Touch Bar will be, better display? (I need to confirm this)

I was originally going to get the Air as the kids seem to get by on them for school. Once you spec an air with the same storage as the pro there isn’t much different in price.

All good, makes sense.

The touch bar functions change from app to app, i.e. totally different functions in PhotoShop to those in Pages. I like it, but apparently I'm in the minority, as it's rumoured that  are going to drop it.

's config page shows the difference in price is $350 for similar specs, which I guess isn't much in the scheme of things.

[Tins]

dicksmith.com.au (https://www.dicksmith.com.au/da/buy/satechi-72w-usb-c-pd-car-charger-silver-satechi/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_ads&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImebDttrW7wIVEDdgCh1xwwI3EAQYAiAB EgINpPD_BwE)

That should charge it OK, although you never know when Apple will put something in to stop it (having been burnt with apple watch docks in the past)

Regards,
Tote

They can be proprietary, can't they?

[Tote]

They can be proprietary, can't they?

With the wireless charging Apple decided to query the charger to see if it was compliant before allowing the watch to begin charging. I'm not sure if they have the smarts to do that to a wired charger although given that Thunderbolt 3 is a communications bus as well as a charge source it would be technically feasible.

Regards,
Tote

[Tins]

With the wireless charging Apple decided to query the charger to see if it was compliant before allowing the watch to begin charging. I'm not sure if they have the smarts to do that to a wired charger although given that Thunderbolt 3 is a communications bus as well as a charge source it would be technically feasible.

Regards,
Tote

They've got "the smarts" all right. Maybe they haven't thought of it yet. They can play games with the aftermarket Lightning cables.

[Tins]

Apple sell USB to USBC adaptors. Maybe you could simply charge the MacBook with one of those. I'd check first though.

I assume your inverter is pure sinewave?

USB-C to USB Adapter - Apple (AU) (https://www.apple.com/au/shop/product/MJ1M2AM/A/usb-c-to-usb-adapter?fnode=7f6d8c8610540b332c6612878220802bcb35 c5d922be4cb52193769224028e07e48b45ed74ddbcb25226db f5b725bab98d48756f530d8c3fa1ddddc0c3f802dc40752b44 84fcb77882563a8a54e86f290abadcc4f1fd629ac39a9e5dfa 9af1d420daf3ad97f94cff7c931797df2cfd07&fs=f%3D13inchmacbookpro2020m1%26fh%3D4595%252B559a 0f)

[rar110]

I would spend the $600 for 16G RAM and 1 TB SSD.

I have a 2012 MBP with above specs, it’s been a solid machine.

[scarry]

After 10 yrs,my MBP died last week.I use it for work so it gets a lot of use.The keyboard needed replacing,it had been playing up for quite a while.

Replaced it with the latest Air,and it seems fine.Much faster than the old MacBook.

When on the road I use an iPad,and we also always take it away with us when travelling,it has a SIM card.

[W&KO]

I would spend the $600 for 16G RAM and 1 TB SSD.

I have a 2012 MBP with above specs, it’s been a solid machine.

Cheers...yeah I may grab the extra ram and storage.

[W&KO]

After 10 yrs,my MBP died last week.I use it for work so it gets a lot of use.The keyboard needed replacing,it had been playing up for quite a while.

Replaced it with the latest Air,and it seems fine.Much faster than the old MacBook.

When on the road I use an iPad,and we also always take it away with us when travelling,it has a SIM card.

The air is tempting..........I have the budget at the moment so I’ll probably extend to the pro

[Metoikos13]

I've been looking at a similar choice but I didn't want the M1 processor as I, unfortunately, have to run Bootcamp for Windows 10 for a couple of applications. I also have some 32-bit apps that will not run on the M1. I've been using a MacBook Air 13" with 8Gb RAM and 256 Gb SSD for almost 6 years and this will now go to my wife to replace her 8 year old 11" MB Air. Have had absolutely no problems with either and the only reason for wanting to replace is to get one of the last Intel machines. I've looked at the Pro and spoken to various friends who have them and decided to stick with the Air. I've just picked up a 6 month old 13" Air with the i7 processor, 16Gb RAM and 1Tb SSD, and Apple Care, for a LOT less than a top spec M1 Air would cost and about half the price of a new Intel powered Pro which is still available. For me, it had to be the Intel processor and to buy a Pro with Intel processor is prohibitively expensive. However, if it weren't for my own particular system requirements, I'd probably have gone for the M1 Air.

[SpudHeadTed]

The MacBook Pro M1 with the biggest RAM and Storage available is the only way to go - future proof to some extent. This is the approach I took last time, my MBP is still going strong despite the huge increase in software and memory demands over the years. Even 16GB and 1TB will begin to look slow and small down the track. The extra $ now will not be regretted later.

However, it might also pay to wait if you can as there’s a new MacBook Pro on the way soonish... see: Buyer’s Guide: Don't Buy a MacBook Pro Now - MacRumors (https://www.macrumors.com/2021/02/08/buyers-guide-dont-buy-macbook-pro-now/)

[Tins]

I've been looking at a similar choice but I didn't want the M1 processor as I, unfortunately, have to run Bootcamp for Windows 10 for a couple of applications. I also have some 32-bit apps that will not run on the M1. I've been using a MacBook Air 13" with 8Gb RAM and 256 Gb SSD for almost 6 years and this will now go to my wife to replace her 8 year old 11" MB Air. Have had absolutely no problems with either and the only reason for wanting to replace is to get one of the last Intel machines. I've looked at the Pro and spoken to various friends who have them and decided to stick with the Air. I've just picked up a 6 month old 13" Air with the i7 processor, 16Gb RAM and 1Tb SSD, and Apple Care, for a LOT less than a top spec M1 Air would cost and about half the price of a new Intel powered Pro which is still available. For me, it had to be the Intel processor and to buy a Pro with Intel processor is prohibitively expensive. However, if it weren't for my own particular system requirements, I'd probably have gone for the M1 Air.

Err, have you not heard of CrossOver? And it's not alone. Not sure how it handles 32 bit though.

How to Run Windows Apps on M1 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini (https://www.iphonehacks.com/2020/12/how-run-windows-apps-m1-macs.html)

[W&KO]

The MacBook Pro M1 with the biggest RAM and Storage available is the only way to go - future proof to some extent. This is the approach I took last time, my MBP is still going strong despite the huge increase in software and memory demands over the years. Even 16GB and 1TB will begin to look slow and small down the track. The extra $ now will not be regretted later.

However, it might also pay to wait if you can as there’s a new MacBook Pro on the way soonish... see: Buyer’s Guide: Don't Buy a MacBook Pro Now - MacRumors (https://www.macrumors.com/2021/02/08/buyers-guide-dont-buy-macbook-pro-now/)

Interesting......we don’t leave until March next year so we have some time up our sleeve.

Only worry will be the cost?? and

we are low end users therefore the improvements probably won’t mean as much to use as other.

[Tins]

Interesting......we don’t leave until March next year so we have some time up our sleeve.



By then there will be a whole raft of new Macs. With Intel out of the supply chain  can really go gangbusters, and I'm betting they will. They will want all Mac users to upgrade, and the Mxxx chips are certain to get that happening.

My plans for my 'lap' include an OKA, so I'll have more room, and I'm a desktop person, so a Mac Mini Pro is what I'm waiting for. That, plus an iPad Pro, a decent DSLR and I'm set.... Oh wait, I don't have an OKA.

[Metoikos13]

Err, have you not heard of CrossOver? And it's not alone. Not sure how it handles 32 bit though.

How to Run Windows Apps on M1 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini (https://www.iphonehacks.com/2020/12/how-run-windows-apps-m1-macs.html)

Yes, I know about CrossOver, but I'm used to Boot Camp (which is free). I've also been through emulation before with Rosetta 1 in the move from Power PC to Intel and I've been a Mac user since OS 4. Boot Camp lets me run Windows in a native environment rather than a VM. I'm much happier to stay with Intel because of my 32-bit apps and I don't want Catalina or Big Sur because they don't run 32-bit. I'm quite happy with Mojave. I could also, theoretically, run Parallels on an M1 as long as MS does Windows 10 for ARM, which is only currently available to OEMs, but (a) will they release it to end-users and (b) Parallels is not free. I'm working at getting rid of the Windows apps so I'm hoping that won't be an issue for much longer. The 32-bit problem still remains for me.

Anyway, either approach, Intel or M1, is certainly better to a Mac user than Windows. It's a matter of one's own personal requirements and an Intel processor is a much better solution for my own circumstances than moving to M1. So, each to his or hers own.

[Tins]

Yes, I know about CrossOver, but I'm used to Boot Camp (which is free). I've also been through emulation before with Rosetta 1 in the move from Power PC to Intel and I've been a Mac user since OS 4. Boot Camp lets me run Windows in a native environment rather than a VM. I'm much happier to stay with Intel because of my 32-bit apps and I don't want Catalina or Big Sur because they don't run 32-bit. I'm quite happy with Mojave. I could also, theoretically, run Parallels on an M1 as long as MS does Windows 10 for ARM, which is only currently available to OEMs, but (a) will they release it to end-users and (b) Parallels is not free. I'm working at getting rid of the Windows apps so I'm hoping that won't be an issue for much longer. The 32-bit problem still remains for me.

Anyway, either approach, Intel or M1, is certainly better to a Mac user than Windows. It's a matter of one's own personal requirements and an Intel processor is a much better solution for my own circumstances than moving to M1. So, each to his or hers own.

All true. I mentioned Crossover as you gave no indication as to your Mac history. I have a similar history, albeit not as far back as OS 4! OS8 was my first foray into . First Mac I owned was a G4 Cube, which I still have. I have absolutely no issues with your choices.

I am also sure that emulation mobs such as Parallels are scrambling to sort something out for the future, or their goose is cooked.

BTW, I am running Big Sur on an unsupported late 2012 27" iMac, 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
Seems fine.

[rar110]

Cheers...yeah I may grab the extra ram and storage.

I should add even though I think this is a good idea, Apple pricing on this upgrade is truly exorbitant. At retail prices it should be less than half that, and would cost them less than a quarter of that price.

My old style 2012 MBP is built so a DIY upgrade is pretty straight forward.

[Tins]

(b) Parallels is not free.

No, but VirtualBox is.

[incisor]

No, but VirtualBox is.

and it works a treat even on my old 2011 17" macbook pro

[SpudHeadTed]

Sounds like lots of reasons to wait for new Macbook Pro 14" including - reintroduction of SD card reader; magsafe power connecter; physical keys instead of naff touch bar; better quality mini-LED screen...

14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pros: Everything We Know - MacRumors (https://www.macrumors.com/guide/14-inch-macbook-pro/)