Which Mac for a Newbie

[marcg868]

What Spec Mac for a newbie. Currently have a 2018 Ipad Pro which is great for Couch Browsing and Microsoft Teams. However today i realised it just doesn't seem to work very well on Safari Browser or Chrome for the Mandatory Courses i have to do at work. And Typing on it was a complete ball ache. Had to dig out My 2014 HP Laptop which actually made life so much easier.
Have only used Windows Laptops in the Past. I also Own a S23U but seem to flick between Samsung and Apple for Phones. So not fully into any ecosystem.
So wondering What spec Macbook to go for. Would prefer 13 inch over a 15 inch so i can still couch browse the web and watch youtube.
How much memory do i need, currently have a 256gb IPP plus extra Icloud storage.
So aswell as the above, it will be used to take on Holidays for watching Films on the Plane, and very light Photo editing.

Or Do i go for a Windows Laptop?

 

[geta]

Based on your needs, the base M2 13” MBA or the 512GB version if you need more storage space.

 

[MBAir2010]

Without discussing the OS, Sonoma vs Windows11 debate,
MacBooks last longer battery wise and are more stable constructed than PC's like Dell, Lenovo and Asus.
since we have an iPad setting this up will be breeze.
also Pages and Numbers are free, not like 365 as my neighbors are compiling about that annual fee.

MacBooks have a nice advantage and seem to last as long as they are taken care of.

now I need to partition my MBA 2010 that is still being used frequently recently.

 

[marcg868]

Not sure if I really need more than 256. Do utilise cloud storage a lot and probably store photos in the cloud also.

 

[ignatius345]

Yeah, sounds like a base model Air would be the right move. You're on a Mac forum, so everyone here is probably gonna recommend a Mac. The battery life and speed of the current Macs is just crazy good and from what you describe, the Air would do everything you need very easily.

 

[jlc1978]

What Spec Mac for a newbie. Currently have a 2018 Ipad Pro which is great for Couch Browsing and Microsoft Teams. However today i realised it just doesn't seem to work very well on Safari Browser or Chrome for the Mandatory Courses i have to do at work. And Typing on it was a complete ball ache. Had to dig out My 2014 HP Laptop which actually made life so much easier.

Either the M1 or M2 base Air (8/256) would be what I'd recommend. The M2 has Magsafe which leaves 2 USB-C ports open while charging and a better camera (102 vs 780) as the main differences between the two based on what you've said. The M2 also has hardware video support but frankly I doubt you'd see any difference from what you say you need do to that feature. here is MR's comparison.

If $100 more is no big deal go for the M2; but the M1 is a fine machine that meets your needs.

 

[Technerd108]

Wait for the 13.6" M3 MBA to release. I would buy one of those for a first Mac. Just about a perfect laptop.

As for configuration, only you know what you need. Personally I wouldn't buy an Apple Silicon Mac with under 16gb ram because the GPU shares ram with the CPU it is always best to have headroom so you don't get in a situation where your GPU is throttled back and your CPU is throttled back because of ram constraints.

You can always use a portable hard drive or iCloud so SSD space is not as important with the exception that Apple uses a slower 256gb SSD and you have to ask if you care or not. If you do then the minimum configuration is 16gb ram and 512gb SSD.

You can get M1 but it is 4 years old at this point. M2 is absolutely fine and if you want the best deals then this is the way to go. I recommend always getting the newest model Apple sells and since M3 is right around the corner for MBA it would give you the longest time to enjoy the new processor.

Another option to consider is the new 14" MBP with regular M3. You don't need everything it offers but it would be a very nice first Mac. I suggest an Air first because the lack of fans is a game changer that once you experience changes how you think about laptops.

 

[marcg868]

To be fair my laptop current is a 5th Gen I3 from 2014/15 and it was fine for what I needed but the battery is shot at and needs to be plugged in and is stuttering when opening the Photos just to look at. Also the Screen is in some resolution from the Past that’s not even full HD. And has 4gb of Ram.
Basically just looking for a more usable IPad Pro. That I can type on so thinking the base MacBook Air should be more than enough. Do prefer the nicer look of the M2.
About a £180 $229 price difference between a M1 256 and the M2 256.

 

[Technerd108]

To be fair my laptop current is a 5th Gen I3 from 2014/15 and it was fine for what I needed but the battery is shot at and needs to be plugged in and is stuttering when opening the Photos just to look at. Also the Screen is in some resolution from the Past that’s not even full HD. And has 4gb of Ram.
Basically just looking for a more usable IPad Pro. That I can type on so thinking the base MacBook Air should be more than enough. Do prefer the nicer look of the M2.
About a £180 $229 price difference between a M1 256 and the M2 256.

So you are considering between M1 and M2 MBA.

$229/£180 is the difference.

So around 10-20%.

I think both are very good laptops. I think the slightly bigger screen in the same format makes a big difference. M2 is great and the M2 MacBook Air design is really great. Having magsafe is a nice thing.

So in my opinion to have a slightly bigger, brighter screen, magsafe, and M2 processor is worth the extra cost. But a lot of people love the wedge design. M1 still performs decent.

You really can't go wrong with either but if you tend to keep your Mac a long time then it might be a better idea to get a newer model.

 

[Makisupa Policeman]

I’ll echo the recommendation of the 13” M2 MBA but base M1 Airs can be had for under $800 these days and it’s still a fantastically capable machine and probably more than enough for OP.