Setup was easy enough but it seems like a very expensive browser / email reader / word processor to this jaded eye (I have not touched her old Macbook for years). Not such a big deal since she gets a new laptop about every 10 years. Mac quality is top notch. Keyboard and screen are if not best in class, right up there. The aluminum case rocks. The integration with her iPhone and iPad are world class. Personally I love the weight and I know she will appreciate it as we start to travel more in my upcoming retirement. I switched to a MS Surface for travel and that made airports easier for me. She loves the new Mac and can't put it down so that makes me happy. She's actually saying that this might replace her iPad. We'll wait and see on that one

My impression? A top notch box for many casual and professional users. Not so useful for many software engineers other than web UI and iPhone app developers. Visual Studio Code runs on it and our web guys use a Mac for their development. The API team I manage runs Win 11 boxes with Sql Server for database, NGINX web servers, Internet Information Server, Visual Studio for a dev environment, Linux sub systems, plus tons of diagnostic and performance analyzers. All of our applications run on both Windows and Linux. Some of that stuff would run in a Docker container on a Mac but no thanks. We develop locally on our own box, then deploy to Win and Linux QA servers, then to Win and Linux production servers. Maybe when I retire I will go Mac but right now for me Apple is the wrong tool.

YMMV

My first Mac Pro laptop was a refurb bought around 2009 and I was still using it just a few months ago when I finally replaced it with a newer used version (bought on the Forum). The old one was working, but wouldn't load certain sites because of the outdated browser that couldn't be updated. I was very happy with it and will never go back to a PC now.

I love my 15" Air. It does everything I need a computer to do and does it well.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
My first Mac Pro laptop was a refurb bought around 2009 and I was still using it just a few months ago when I finally replaced it with a newer used version (bought on the Forum). The old one was working, but wouldn't load certain sites because of the outdated browser that couldn't be updated. I was very happy with it and will never go back to a PC now.

I think my wife's old Macbook was a 2011? She does some online banking / purchasing so we both thought an OS / Hardware upgrade a reasonable thing to do. Plus she deserves it.

^^^ I had to use Chrome to access some sites and even then couldn't access all. It was time for me, but I definitely got my money's worth!

Yep, sounds like she deserved it using a 2011 til now.

A question for the forum Apple gurus. The wife's old mouse is vintage 2011. Is the "Apple Magic Mouse" worth the money? About $65 on Amazon. I'm thinking they're able to ask that much for a reason, just not sure how good the reason is.

Amazon Magic Mouse

ten years is a long time for a laptop that's what I love about Macbooks.

Apple Mice and Keyboards are flatly bad. Is there anything in particular she'd need the mouse for?

Apple's M series chip is very advanced.

quote:

Originally posted by FenderBender:
ten years is a long time for a laptop that's what I love about Macbooks.

Apple Mice and Keyboards are flatly bad. Is there anything in particular she'd need the mouse for?

No particular need, just a preference vs the touch pad. She does a fair amount of internet genealogy research on the internet and seems to use the mouse a lot. The keyboard on this machine is nice FYI.

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:
Setup was easy
very expensive browser / email reader / word processor
new laptop about every 10 years.
Mac quality is top notch.
Keyboard and screen are if not best in class, right up there
aluminum case rocks
integration with her iPhone and iPad are world class
I love the weight and I know she will appreciate it

My impression? A top notch box for many casual and professional users.

Not so useful for many software engineers other than web UI and iPhone app developers. Visual Studio Code runs on it and our web guys use a Mac for their development. The API team I manage runs Win 11 boxes with Sql Server for database, NGINX web servers, Internet Information Server, Visual Studio for a dev environment, Linux sub systems, plus tons of diagnostic and performance analyzers. All of our applications run on both Windows and Linux. Some of that stuff would run in a Docker container on a Mac but no thanks. We develop locally on our own box, then deploy to Win and Linux QA servers, then to Win and Linux production servers. Maybe when I retire I will go Mac but right now for me Apple is the wrong tool.

YMMV

Thank you for the review. I am planning on replacing my MacBook Pro 16” (last-gen Intel) with an Air 15”. I’ve experienced the one-time gasp at the purchase price, then reveled in the top quality screen (the most direct impact on user experience) and appreciated the hardware that lasts 10 years (plus/minus) without failing. I’ve never regretted the Apple price once I’ve paid for it, on any hardware.

The first part of your statements all ring true, except for the “very expensive browser / email reader / word processor”, because every single other thing you list points out why it is in fact worth it.

As far as coding, everything you list can be done on a Mac, either in MacOS, or in a Win or Linux virtual machine, or using Parallels or Wine or Crossover or VMware. Or remote into a ‘real’ machine. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be on Win/LINUX, but either way is a choice, and either way would work.

As you say, it’s certainly a great choice for your wife; the integration may be the biggest and best part of the Apple ecosystem (not just Mac) experience, and that is hard for Windows or Android users to comprehend without actually using the Apple iOS, MacOS, Watch, and iCloud ecosystem.

That integration is why I am in, and will remain in, the Apple ecosystem until and unless they screw if up, or prove themselves to be Evil (as Google has); then I’ll go back to paper and a Blackphone.

Oh, and I’ve happily settled on Kensington mice. If you get a Bluetooth one you can connect it directly without a dongle. Mac has the best Bluetooth experience I’ve seen, better than Windows (which admittedly is far better than it was).

quote:

Originally posted by onegeek:
As far as coding, everything you list can be done on a Mac, either in MacOS, or in a Win or Linux virtual machine, or using Parallels or Wine or Crossover. Or remote into a ‘real’ machine. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be on Win/LINUX, but either way is a choice, and either way would work.

Not really true. Visual Studio is no longer supported on a Mac, and Sql Server has never run on a Mac. Database is a huge part of our development. HUGE. We've explored Macs for the API team when purchasing for the UI devs. More hassle than it was worth trying to "pretend" to be a a Win/Linux box than just being on a Win/Linux box.

Thanks for the tip on Kensington. The Magic Mouse price tag seemed really steep. We'll give the Kensington a shot for sure.

Back to the Mac:

I never really took part in integrating her phones and tablets with her old Macbook. I watched her today do a painless set up, and then start swapping photos from her phone to the new box. Impressive to say the least. Tomorrow I'll have her give me a bit more of an in depth tour.

The wife is very happy and still has not put her "Mac" down. As mentioned before the build quality is very impressive. That really stands out. Maybe it really will replace her iPad. No way She is a little worried about MacOS updates changing the UI. I have heard her complain about changes on her phone. This will be fun for me to pick up on some features of the Apple ecosystem. I might pay a bit more attention now that she keeps having me "check this out".

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:
A question for the forum Apple gurus. The wife's old mouse is vintage 2011. Is the "Apple Magic Mouse" worth the money? About $65 on Amazon. I'm thinking they're able to ask that much for a reason, just not sure how good the reason is.

Apple’s Magic Mouse is wonderful. I have been editing video on one for years. Finger gestures used on a phone or iPad work really well on a laptop. The glass surface is not only elegant but very functional. Learning curve is very short. It is worth every penny of $75.

Don’t know from your description if she’s using it, but iCloud all the things.

Using iCloud to synch everything across all Apple devices just makes life simple. When I got a new phone, I just told the new one that I was moving from an old one and bang! it moved everything.

If I want to use iPhone open browser tabs on my MacBook, I just can. I can take calls on my Mac. Cloud backups are automatic, and I can chose to NOT backup whatever I don’t want to. I can change devices watching the same media/streaming content. Right now I still have IP based ‘cable’ Tv, and I watch my ‘DVR’ed’ shows on my phone, Mac, or AppleTV. MS Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook integrate and run perfectly. I usually get mail faster on my phone than my Windows desktop.

About eight years ago I bought a 2012 MacBook Pro 15" -- the heavy one, with a CD drive. With help from downtownv and some others of you here, I swapped the spinner for a solid-state drive, and that machine has been an absolute champ since.

A month or so ago I got to looking at The Lovely Girlfriend's MacBook Air. Holy smokes, that thing is SO light, comparatively. I decided it was time to upgrade, so I started shopping. I really wanted to go 15" again, but I found a good deal on the 13" Air. I wanted, but couldn't justify the additional cost of going to a 15" Pro.

I am SO impressed with this new Air. Migration was easier than falling off a log, including my Microsoft Office installation. I think I spent about an hour getting the new Air set up, if that long. Because of its weight, the old Pro never really left the house. I had to travel earlier this month and taking the new Air along was a no-brainer.

The keyboard is good (not perfect, but mighty good), the screen is amazing, and even the sound from such a small machine is incredible. I'm PC-based at work and at my home office, but for portability the Air and my iPad are wonderful devices.

I have a lot of learning to do still, particularly regarding iCloud and such. My only gripe with the Mac OS is that the keyboard shortcuts I'm used to in the Windows world aren't always the same on my Mac. Example: I'm used to poking F2 to edit a cell in Excel. I'm not sure what that action does on the Mac, but it darn sure doesn't put me in cell edit mode! Ctrl-C becomes Command-C, and things like that... those are fairly easy to learn and deal with.

I'm just SO impressed with this little MacBook. I can see myself going all-Mac at home when my existing PC gives up the ghost.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

I'm just SO impressed with this little MacBook. I can see myself going all-Mac at home when my existing PC gives up the ghost.

Once you go Mac ...

I have been all Apple for the past fifteen or so years. Prior to selling my business couple years ago, there were two Windows programs that I used because I could not find a suitable Mac substitute -- QuickBooks (yeah, there's a Mac version, but it's very different, and the Windows version was better suited to my needs), and Medlin payroll. Both of these ran just fine in a Windows virtual machine on the Mac.

Now that I no longer need these two business programs, I don't do anything with Windows.

I have Parallels but, like V-Tail, no longer have any use for it.

I use Banktivity to replace Quicken, it’s much better, is updated frequently for free; downloads financial data from Chase and Fidelity fine with an annual subscription. Each year I do a category report for taxes; export to CVS; open in Excel, then edit and correct as needed.

Otherwise I still use MS Word and Excel.

Scanning bills and documents is a vital part of my workflow (yes, it’s still work) and I use a Fujitsu ScanSnap ix1500 and ScanSnap software which makes it easy.

As mentioned above, the seamless interface (copy something on the iPhone, paste it to a Word document on the Mac) is wonderful. Documents are kept on the iCloud so are available anywhere I am, by iPad or Mac.

The Apple Silicon has made a huge, huge impact. The computer (now have an M3 MacBook Air) is amazingly fast, especially with Thunderbolt 3 SSD external drives.

I grew up using both Macs (at school) and MS DOS and MS Windows PC's (at home).

By 2000 I was all PC. My parents meanwhile switched to using Macs.

I started using an iPhone in 2008 and when I saw the level of integration my parents had between their iPhones, iPads, and Macs I decided to buy a 2012 MacBook Pro. It was flawless for almost ten years and I now have a 2021 MacBook Pro.

I still am forced to use Windows 11 and some Android phones at work, but I can honestly say if I never touched another Microsoft operating system I'd be very happy.

The user experience using Apple products for your average person is just so much better. The integration between my phone and my watch is seamless, as is the evolution of the UI dating back to the late 1980's. A few years ago I was playing with a Macintosh Classic from 1990 and my mom's MacBook from the late 2000's. The fact that UI doesn't shock the system of the user jumping over a 35 year span speaks to how well Apple has made incremental changes over time.

Apple products are just better.

quote:

Originally posted by KevH:
Apple products are just better.

I can see how some would say that but...

Here's an update on the wife's experience so far... She's loving the hardware and OS. (I think the Surface is a better product than an iPad / Mac. The Surface is a real hardcore computing device and the iPad is well, an iPad. That's me and YMMV) I installed a share from my Office 365 on her Mac. Her comparison of Pages to the Office Word and Power Point is the Mac equivalent stuff sucks shit. I agree. Mac Numbers compared to Excel, well no comparison. Her opinion of Mac Numbers is a joke. I agree. She also prefers the Outlook mail client to whatever Apple installs as a default. Me, meh, it's a mail client. Installing Office stuff has made her happy as hell. Me using the Mac, no thanks, I'm too deep in the MS development and Office stacks. Overall, I'm really happy to get her Apple hardware updated. Apple has very impressive ecosystem.

My final note, buy business class hardware / software from any manufacturer and you have a really hard time finding a bad device.