2023 MacBook Pro and Mac mini (1 Viewer)

[Walter Kittel]

John's post, particularly the last paragraph, reminds me of one of my favorite Bloom County comics...

Hackers and Obsolescence

Random musings. That's it. Just "Random Musings"

dieswaytoofast.blogspot.com

- Walter.

 

[dpippel]

The longevity of Apple products is one of the reasons I first bought into their ecosystem. Heck, my primary computer is a 2017 15" MacBook Pro with a 3.1 GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 and 16GB of RAM. It does everything I need it to do, although I *am* getting a bit of upgradeitis and will probably spring for a new one within the next 2 years. But this almost 6 year old laptop is still humming right along.

Oh, and the OCD in me just can't let this go - Apple is now manufacturing its own SILICON chips. Silicon is an element (Si). SILICONE is a polymer compound made from siloxane. Just wanted to get that cleared up.

 

[GeorgeHolland]

I’m finally upgrading my 2017 MacBook Pro to the 16” M2. The older laptop has worked great all these years especially since I do most my heavy photo and video editing on a PC Workstation. I had been building a new one every 3 years or so but it has been much longer than that for my most current one and sourcing the higher end PC components to build a new one is difficult.

I had water damage 3 weeks before AppleCare+ ran out on my 2017 MacBook Pro and for $100 I essentially got a new one but with the same original specifications. (3.1 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core, 16GB of 2133 MHz RAM, 1TB SSD, 15.4" 2880 x 1800 Retina Display, AMD Radeon Pro 560 Graphics (4GB GGDR5)). I’ll either gift it to one of my daughters or keep it for casual browsing when outside smoking a cigar with a glass of wine. It was a knocked over glass of wine that fried it in the first place. I use a clear rubber like keyboard cover now.

Technology has advanced a bit and I can easily edit both much larger RAW photo files as well as do 4K video editing on the laptop until I build a new editing workstation, if I ever do. I might add a 4K+ external monitor sometime in the future.

 

[Sam Posten]

Nm clickbait I thought he had one.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I’m finally upgrading my 2017 MacBook Pro to the 16” M2. The older laptop has worked great all these years especially since I do most my heavy photo and video editing on a PC Workstation. I had been building a new one every 3 years or so but it has been much longer than that for my most current one and sourcing the higher end PC components to build a new one is difficult.

I had water damage 3 weeks before AppleCare+ ran out on my 2017 MacBook Pro and for $100 I essentially got a new one but with the same original specifications. (3.1 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core, 16GB of 2133 MHz RAM, 1TB SSD, 15.4" 2880 x 1800 Retina Display, AMD Radeon Pro 560 Graphics (4GB GGDR5)). I’ll either gift it to one of my daughters or keep it for casual browsing when outside smoking a cigar with a glass of wine. It was a knocked over glass of wine that fried it in the first place. I use a clear rubber like keyboard cover now.

Technology has advanced a bit and I can easily edit both much larger RAW photo files as well as do 4K video editing on the laptop until I build a new editing workstation, if I ever do. I might add a 4K+ external monitor sometime in the future.

George,

Congrats on your decision! It looks like a killer machine and I think you are going to be extremely happy.

 

[Thomas Newton]

The Minis that use the "base" M2 are upgraded too, in the sense that the M2 is faster than the M1 and can take up to 24 GB of RAM. But they have pretty much the same port and video support as the M1.

Correction: The "base" M2 Minis still have a two-monitor limit – but they have a bit more flexibility in what you can use for the second monitor:

One display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI

It sounds like a Mini with the "base" M2 chip can have two DisplayPort, USB-C (DisplayPort), or 27" Apple 5K Cinema Displays. The M1 Mini couldn't. And to go along with that, the specifications say that the M2 Minis have Thunderbolt 4 ports.

 

[Sam Posten]

Real reviews out:

 

[Sam Posten]

M2 Mac mini Review: Whatever you want it to be

In 2005, when Apple first introduced the Mac mini, it was a carefully designed, strategic product: a low-cost computer aimed primarily at luring customers from the Windows PC hegemony with the prom…

sixcolors.com

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Thanks, Sam!

In addition, if you want an overview page of all the different top reviews look no further than here:

New Mac Mini Reviews: Performance Boost Makes This a 'Mac Studio Junior'

Apple's new Mac mini models will start arriving to customers and launch in stores this Tuesday. Ahead of time, the first reviews of the desktop...

www.macrumors.com

Having just bought a Studio two weeks before the new Mini was announced, I am kind of looking at the blurred line between the $1,999 Mini and the base Studio and wondering which is the better buy. That being said, I don't regret my Studio purchase at all. This is a screamer of a machine and as some reviews keep noting, I think Mac has boxed itself into a corner with these silicone machines that offer more power than most anyone is going to ever need. I truly applaud the strides Apple has made with these computers.

Edit: To add to my point, I just read a review from TechCrunch that basically says that these new computers are overkill for the average individual and feels that the AIR is the best laptop out there for most. And, I have to agree. My girlfriend got an AIR a few months ago and as I have been playing with it, I am amazed at how quick it is.

 

[JohnRice]

Thanks, Sam!

In addition, if you want an overview page of all the different top reviews look no further than here:

New Mac Mini Reviews: Performance Boost Makes This a 'Mac Studio Junior'

Apple's new Mac mini models will start arriving to customers and launch in stores this Tuesday. Ahead of time, the first reviews of the desktop...

www.macrumors.com

Having just bought a Studio two weeks before the new Mini was announced, I am kind of looking at the blurred line between the $1,999 Mini and the base Studio and wondering which is the better buy. That being said, I don't regret my Studio purchase at all. This is a screamer of a machine and as some reviews keep noting, I think Mac has boxed itself into a corner with these silicone machines that offer more power than most anyone is going to ever need. I truly applaud the strides Apple has made with these computers.

Edit: To add to my point, I just read a review from TechCrunch that basically says that these new computers are overkill for most people and feels that the AIR is the best laptop out there for most. And, I have to agree. My girlfriend got an AIR a few months ago and as I have been playing with it, I am amazed at how quick it is.

We got Studios just a few days apart. If I was going to get a home computer today, I'd probably still get a Studio. However, after knowing what the RAM can do now, I'd just get the base model.

I had been using Minis exclusively for about 15 years. For home, I usually juiced it up a bit, and the last one I got was about $1,400. The difference now is, I'll be just fine increasing the RAM to 16GB and get one for $800 for my work Mini. It'll still smoke the $1,400 6-core i7 it'll replace.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

We got Studios just a few days apart. If I was going to get a home computer today, I'd probably still get a Studio. However, after knowing what the RAM can do now, I'd just get the base model.

I had been using Minis exclusively for about 15 years. For home, I usually juiced it up a bit, and the last one I got was about $1,400. The difference now is, I'll be just fine increasing the RAM to 16GB and get one for $800 for my work Mini. It'll still smoke the $1,400 6-core i7 it'll replace.

I am with you completely on this, John. I am amazed how I stay under 32GB with all the crap I have in startup. That would not fly on an Intel machine.

And I probably would stick with the Studio if I could go back two weeks knowing what Apple was going to release.

 

[JohnRice]

I am with you completely on this, John. I am amazed how I stay under 32GB with all the crap I have in startup. That would not fly on an Intel machine.

And I probably would stick with the Studio if I could go back two weeks knowing what Apple was going to release.

It is amazing. For $800 you can get a desktop Mac that will beat almost any other Mac ever made. You do have to deal with limited ports, but they are fast ports, so they can be daisy-chained.

 

[Sam Posten]

It is amazing. For $800 you can get a desktop Mac that will beat almost any other Mac ever made. You do have to deal with limited ports, but they are fast ports, so they can be daisy-chained.

$499 mini on education buy is the best deal for any computer

Of
All
Time

More on apple silicon:

M2 Max: Under the Hood With the Latest Apple Silicon

Many years ago, I used to give a presentation to business school students specifically about the semiconductor industry. Part of that presentation focused on the wonder of semiconductors where we can marvel at the bigness and smallness of these magical pieces of science. Appreciating the bigness...

creativestrategies.com

 

[JohnRice]

$499 mini on education buy is the best deal for any computer

Of
All
Time

More on apple silicon:

M2 Max: Under the Hood With the Latest Apple Silicon

Many years ago, I used to give a presentation to business school students specifically about the semiconductor industry. Part of that presentation focused on the wonder of semiconductors where we can marvel at the bigness and smallness of these magical pieces of science. Appreciating the bigness...

creativestrategies.com

Yeah, I just strongly recommend people step up to 16GB.

 

[Sam Posten]

Apple Mac Mini (2023) review: Mac Studio junior

The Mac Studio is overkill for a lot of people, but this isn’t.

www.theverge.com

Yeah, I just strongly recommend people step up to 16GB.

I do not.
If you are in the market for a baseline $499 computer you generally don’t need 16gb and won’t notice the difference. You can see examples of the lizard brain fear in the review above. They are worried about pushing to swap but can’t provide examples of workflows that would require it.

 

[JohnRice]

Apple Mac Mini (2023) review: Mac Studio junior

The Mac Studio is overkill for a lot of people, but this isn’t.

www.theverge.com

I do not.
If you are in the market for a baseline $499 computer you generally don’t need 16gb and won’t notice the difference. You can see examples of the lizard brain fear in the review above. They are worried about pushing to swap but can’t provide examples of workflows that would require it.

Well, I can tell from the title. The Mac Studio most definitely is overkill for most people. Gross overkill. It's even overkill for me, especially with 64GB. But I wants what I wants, and can, for the first time in history, get it without a guilt inducing investment.

And yes... if I wasn't running huge files in Photoshop, there probably would be no need for more than 8GB.

 

[Sam Posten]

I’m tempted to get one to try out just to show it’s not really necessary. But apple has it right: every one of these reviews suggests upping the ram so it will drive more fear based upgrades. Madness but there you go.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

^Well, it's not madness, but more just people's prior established understanding/knowledge/experience to change/overcome... and really, who knows what will come in a couple years or four (to use/require more RAM and processing power) that would indeed push the current new bounds, LOL.

Assuming/calling it madness is itself perhaps madness of a sort, LOL...

Really, doesn't hurt much at all -- and just plain wise -- to play it a tad safer and just go for the next higher RAM config in many cases considering how much a new machine already costs NVM the time/effort to shop, migrate, etc, except yes, at the very bottom, baseline, entry level where bumping up does cost a whopping 33%-plus more (from $600 to $800).

Still, usually, people don't want buyer's remorse and having to upgrade again that soon, so it should be perfectly understandable me thinks given past experiences. Most people aren't like you, upgrading tech stuff so frequently, afterall, @Sam Posten... and then, the ones who have been upgrading frequently, well, they also don't like buyer's remorse either, LOL...

_Man_

 

[Citizen87645]

Just got my notice that mine is ETA 1/31!

 

[Sam Posten]

It’s madness cause it’s applying Windows experience where it does not belong and test after test has shown it isn’t an issue. But the lizard brain what the lizard brain does. Anyway…