Fine Apple, Take My Money

My Macbook Air, despite being probably the greatest laptop I've ever had, is really starting to show it's age. Early 2014 was a good model, but the battery is basically shot now and this screen feels cramped and tiny.

Just look at the state of my WASD keys from years of playing Minecraft. Sorry for not cleaning the keyboard better before taking the picture.

I've watched the steady decline of my MBA for the last year or so now, and I spent much time waffling over what I might replace it with - Mac or Windows? Do I want a laptop or a desktop? Is this when I finally hunker down and build my own computer?

The first question is laptop or desktop? Let’s have a look at the options:

I haven't been impressed with Apple for several years now and was seriously considering the jump to PC until the M1 chips made it out into the world and everyone collectively lost their minds. I guess Apple's back! Sorry, Windows, you just kinda... suck?

I think I've settled on getting a laptop over a desktop - I'll still have a proper monitor to plug it into at the desk (👀 Dell's UltraSharp 27" has got my name all over it, though that price tag... oof), and I'll regret not having the portability for those days when I'm travelling or if I just want to sit on the couch. Of course I have my iPad, which pretty much has 'portable' covered, but some things are just best done on a proper computer, you know?

I'm fairly confident my laptop will survive (if only when plugged in) until the end of the year, and I won't be able to make a substantial purchase like this until then anyway (thanks credit card debt!) so that puts me in a decent position to pick up the next round of updated laptops from Apple. I'm thrilled with the chance to get the second iteration of Apple Silicon, if only because version one always has a few more wrinkles.

So. Macbook Air? Or Macbook Pro?

If I'm being realistic, as far as computing power is concerned, I don't need a Pro - and it doesn't seem like these new chips really have a whole lot of difference between the two anyway. I would, however, like to pick something up with a larger screen!

April 02, 2021