Why I'm not buying the new MacBook Pro (and maybe you shouldn't either)

3 years ago 261

The recently announced MacBook Pro notebooks are tempting, but see this earlier whipping retired your recognition card.

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When Apple unveiled caller MacBook Pro notebooks this week featuring Pro and Max versions of its in-house developed Silicon, I was simultaneously impressed and pained.

The new MacBook Pro machines (the specs of which TechRepublic contributing writer Cory Bohon breaks down successful his nonfiction M1 MacBook Pro 2021: Which laptop exemplary is close for you?) look to beryllium wildly accelerated and are packed with pro-level features. I'm peculiarly excited for the instrumentality of the magnetic MagSafe powerfulness larboard (my existent notebook has been yanked disconnected a array much than erstwhile by the tripping hazard that is simply a powerfulness cord) and the SD paper reader, stripped from the MacBook "Pro" unceremoniously backmost successful 2016.

The 3.5mm jack supports high-impedance headphones, which is large quality for audiophiles, portion an HDMI larboard lets you link to a TV oregon projector without needing to haul a dongle along. Most importantly, the silly interaction barroom is gone.

But portion each of these improvements are impressive, determination isn't 1 slayer diagnostic that'll marque maine upgrade. I person a 2019 15-inch MacBook Pro that was astir maxed retired erstwhile I bought it, loaded with a 2.3 GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB of RAM, and an upgraded discrete GPU.

SEE: How to migrate to a caller iPad, iPhone, oregon Mac (TechRepublic Premium)

Two-and-a-half years aft I bought it, it inactive rips astatine everything I request it to do, including mean video editing. Some of the keys connected my keyboard are worn down—I indispensable benignant other hard with my near manus due to the fact that the A, C, V, and left-side Shift and Command keys are each showing important wear. And the artillery needs to beryllium replaced, though it's covered by AppleCare.

But it's acold much than serviceable. It drives 2 27-inch monitors (one a 5K unit) without complaint, and, since it has Intel Inside, tin tally Windows erstwhile I request it to.

Though the caller MacBook Pro has:

The caller M1 Pro oregon M1 Max Apple Silicon.
A greatly improved surface with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Massive SSD retention options up to 8TB.
Built-in HDMI and SD card.
Greatly improved artillery life.
The caller MagSafe 3 powerfulness cord with accelerated charging.

None of these is simply a must-have for me, particularly since the 14-inch MacBook Pro starts astatine $1,999 and the larger 16-inch exemplary starts astatine $2,499. With my existing MacBook Pro inactive nether warranty for different 18 months, it's conscionable not worthy the wealth for maine to upgrade to the caller machines careless of however tempting they are.

SEE: Why I americium buying Apple's caller MacBook Pro (TechRepublic)

If you're a originative nonrecreational spending each time successful photograph oregon video editing bundle wherever clip is virtually money, nary of this applies to you. Go distant and get this beauteous caller instrumentality and usage it to each its glory.

But if you person an existing MacBook Pro that's conscionable a mates of years old? I don't deliberation this caller instrumentality is simply a must-have. Perhaps it's due to the fact that computers (and smartphones) are getting truthful precocious now, the further show unsocial isn't the must-have it mightiness person been 10 oregon 15 years ago.

If you're conscionable a regular user, adjacent a powerfulness idiosyncratic similar me, a two-year-old MacBook Pro is conscionable fine. And I'll spell walk my wealth connected the caller iPhone 13 Pro Max instead.