M1 MacBook Pro or Air?

[Daveski17]

I'm considering buying a M1 chip 2020 MacBook. I'm not really a 'power user' and just intend to use apps like Sky-Safari Pro (astronomy), Photoshop Elements and a few others such as VLC.

I'm pretty convinced 512 GB of memory should suffice for my needs. I already run an iMac.

Which would be the best out of the two? Has one got a definite advantage or disadvantage over the other?

Thanks.

 

[maw_walker]

I have a 2019 MacBook Pro so can't speak to the later ones. The Touch Bar is nice and I think the Pros have more USB-C ports than Airs but I haven't looked at an Air in 2 years so can't say for sure. Does the Apple web site give a comparison chart? If so, that might be useful.

I am not a power user either, at least on Macs, but I opted for the Pro because of the Touch Bar and the extra USB-C ports.

 

[Daveski17]

I have a 2019 MacBook Pro so can't speak to the later ones. The Touch Bar is nice and I think the Pros have more USB-C ports than Airs but I haven't looked at an Air in 2 years so can't say for sure. Does the Apple web site give a comparison chart? If so, that might be useful.

I am not a power user either, at least on Macs, but I opted for the Pro because of the Touch Bar and the extra USB-C ports.

OK thanks for the reply. There's a new Pro coming out soon apparently without the touch bar. I've been comparing specs on Air vs Pro. TBH the Air seems to be the best choice for me.

 

[maw_walker]

The Touch Bar is cool but not having it is not a deal breaker - I only got the pro because of the extra USB-C ports and the Touch Bar was an added bonus. Does the new Air have Touch ID as well? Maybe that was another reason I got the Pro - can't remember now...touchID is nice.

 

[Daveski17]

The Touch Bar is cool but not having it is not a deal breaker - I only got the pro because of the extra USB-C ports and the Touch Bar was an added bonus. Does the new Air have Touch ID as well? Maybe that was another reason I got the Pro - can't remember now...touchID is nice.

I think the new Air has Touch ID. Apparently the M1 chip has seriously transformed its performance. I bought a high spec Pro just before the pandemic but I had to return it due to the fact that it froze on start-up. I only recently got my money back from chain store I ordered it from. So I'm a bit reluctant to buy another Pro even though they're different now. I originally wanted an Air anyway but got seduced by a deal on a powerful Pro. The Air's still looking like the more viable, as I don't really need loads of memory or RAM. I run Photoshop Elements 2021 on an iMac. It should run fine on an Air.

 

[maw_walker]

Good to know! My wife's M1 iMac is very snappy. She's coming off a 2010 MacBook Pro though, so huge difference in responsiveness. She is also very impatient...

 

[Daveski17]

Went for the Air. Seems great so far.