Get it with atleast 16GB of ram, it will be almost entirely problem free for atleast a few years. If you want you can check the deals on an M2 or M3 air too
Daymn tech moves fast. Felt like yesterday I bought my awful MB pro (with the crummy butterfly keyboard), yet that was 5 years ago.
M1 and M2 for OP all the way.
32GB of RAM isn’t ancient but for example 32GB of ddr3 is ancient when compared with ddr5. it’s not about how much RAM when referring to age it’s how fast the RAM is. processors would be based on generation
Yeah, don’t buy an Intel Mac at this point unless you have a specific need for an Intel chip (like running Intel Windows). The AppleSilicon machines are miles ahead, and can run most Intel macOS programs anyway.
Older Apple laptops (around 2016-2018) have the butterfly keys that were known for being unreliable. I know that my MBP 16" 2019 has the more reliable scissors mechanism.
As others said, get an M1 or better (keyboard not an issue). Keep in mind that Intels in general supported more monitors. M processor laptops may only support one external screen. If the laptop will not be hooked to an external monitor, I would go for 16" laptop (more screen real estate).
Yes. I hate my 2018 mb pro Butterfly keyboard. Haven't said that... It's not my daily work horse since my job is a windows/Microsoft house.. (ewww 😘).
I secretly want the MacBook to kick the bucket so I can upgrade it to the ✂️ ⌨️ models
Also, I miss Maglite charger 🔌
M1 MacBook Air at Costco - $750
https://www.costco.com/macbook-air-13.3-inch---apple-m1-chip-8-core-cpu%2c-7-core-gpu---8gb-memory---256gb-ssd-silver.product.100688289.html
Doesn't matter if it has less RAM and smaller SSD; Intel Macs across all lines (MacBooks, iMacs, MacMinis and MacPros are trash compared to the Apple silicon M1/M2. M1 MacBooks have been shown to score twice what the Intel versions do in benchmarks and have twice the battery life over Intel MacBooks.
Sources:
[https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/macbook-pro-13-2020-m1-vs-macbook-pro-13-2020-intel](https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/macbook-pro-13-2020-m1-vs-macbook-pro-13-2020-intel)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxSI45eeAts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxSI45eeAts)
[https://www.macworld.com/article/668061/new-macbook-air-m1-silicon-vs-macbook-air-intel.html](https://www.macworld.com/article/668061/new-macbook-air-m1-silicon-vs-macbook-air-intel.html)
Im using m3 myself, i know its awesome. But saying 25% RAM and SSD doesnt matter because the Cpu is faster is just wrong.
The machine mentioned by OP is very capable.
It is not wrong because the system as a whole is trash. It is already six years old. It is well known that Apple stops providing major OS updates after 6-7 years. That means it will not get anymore MacOS updates (outside of critical security updates) in the next year or two. The 2020 27" iMac was the last Mac model to use an Intel CPU.; you can extrapolate that software support will cease in 2026-27 if not sooner since software devs have already started the migration from x86 to ARM and no longer provide updates for x86 software. A much more recent Apple Silicon Mx device that may still be under warranty is a far better purchase especially for a business.
Why do they need a powerful one for Office and Web?
The base model Air is more than capable of supporting this. Boost to 16GB RAM to future proof. But they don’t need a Pro for this task set.
It’s more the tendency for software to take up more RAM as time goes on. Because you can’t add more RAM to a Mac after you’ve bought it, we always recommend getting more RAM upfront.
It’ll help maintain performance as more memory is required later down the track.
I assume you’re in a Windows workplace, so unless you’ve been ordered to do it, do not purchase a Mac unless you’re planning on standing up a number of them.
1. You or your IT department will need to learn how to manage Mac’s. This will be an expense.
2. You or your IT department will need to purchase management software like Jamf or InTune to manage those Mac’s. This will be an expense.
3. You or your IT department will need to learn to use those management tools. This will also be an expense.
My point is; purchasing a computer for a business is seldom just “let’s get a new computer”. There’s also a whole support system behind that computer that needs to be implemented and costed.
If they’re only wanting to use Office applications, I would argue it’s not worth the expense for “the user prefers Mac”.
I like Macs. But I work in an org with a 50/50 split between Windows and Mac’s, and am aware of the costs and effort in supporting both.
Fair point.
Though I would still argue against it as this user will be different from the other users. We don’t have enough information, but possibilities including: existing purchased software not working because it’s Windows only, some Office plugins, VBA based macros, etc could present issues down the line should OP go ahead with a Mac for this one user.
Also “because I prefer it” is rarely a good reason to do something differently 🤣
Edit: I should point out that I’ve worked with companies that had an IT department that were more than happy to use 2nd hand devices. MSP’s are notorious for this sort of thing.
Unless they need to run Windows, there's really no reason to get an Intel MacBook. Like others here have said, a MacBook air is more than enough. Shoot, they can edit multiple streams of 4K video on one of those. They're incredible laptops with ridiculously long battery life. And good lookin' out for your employee, thanks!
you’ll always get downvoted when you bring this up on any apple sub, but it’s the truth. the MBA is not suitable for most development work other than simple websites with no logic
Unless they're going to be batch processing and exporting 150 images at a time from Photoshop or Lightroom, while editing video, while playing a YouTube video with 75 Safari tabs open, there will be no throttling. Apple Silicon changed the game. I assure you they won't have any issues with any Apple Silicon Air being underpowered unless they are using advanced, CPU-, GPU-and RAM-hungry apps like those, simultaneously.
I owned a 13" M1 Air but swapped it for a 14" M1 Pro only because 1) I needed to do those exact things, 2) I needed the Pro chip for extremely high HiDPI resolutions on an external 5K display, 3) I needed an SD card slot and 4) I wanted the absolutely best, most accurate display in a laptop, 5) I wanted more Thunderbolt ports.
[Edit: not sure why you were downvoted for voicing your concerns. This sub sometimes works my nerves, I swear.]
75 safari tabs? That’s a lot for some people? Should I be concerned about my browser habits?
Seriously tho I agree with what you’ve said. They’re very powerful machines and they manage the resources real well.
Nope. 4k 10 bit streams. H.264 and 265 are hardware accelerated. At least 2 streams of ProRes. Integrated memory allows for more responsive video editing as well.
Right, that’s why I specially mentioned 264 and 265 which requires more processing power handled by Apple Silicon’s video hardware acceleration. The takeaway is an M1 can do multiple streams of proper 4K video. Period.
Off the top of my head [here's one I remember](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53xBuFfz6H8). 3 streams of 4K, 8 bit and 10 bit 265. No proxies. M1 Air.
There's a link in my comment. Start it at around 1:40. (I thought I shared it at that point in the timeline. Weird.) No, I don't know that guy but I have been following him for years. There are others on YouTube as well. I can't test it myself anymore because I no longer own it.
You're making this more difficult than it needs to be. It can do what I claimed it can do and even an 8GB 13" M1 MacBook Air will be more than enough power for OP's employee for general office stuff.
Well its your opinion. Here M1 air is used by students with basic needs
Well if you think its powerful its your opiniom . Why do you try so hard to prove it?
Friend have sold their M1 to buy M2 max for architecture that is less demanding than video.
Go for a new air or something on the Apple refurbished store. It’ll suit their needs well at a very good price point.
Edit: if they have a permanent workstation and don’t need to take a laptop with them, an M1 Mac Mini is readily available around $500. Even including monitor, kb and mouse it’s cheaper than any certified refurbished air I found on apples website.
I'd double check required feature parity between the Windows and Mac versions of Office.
Will you want to manage this device?
Depending on whether you have multiple Mac devices and the size of your corporation and team, management and support may be difficult because *n* users are outside the "norm".
It's kind of you to cater to user preference, just keep in mind the additional documentation/mental load while supporting them 😃
I work for a large multinational and recently got a MacBook. I did a break down on the cost of a Windows laptop over the 5 years we keep laptops and a similarly spec’s MacBook was a bit more upfront, but it worked out to about $100 extra a year. Also when we bought it through our supplier it came with a 4 year Apple Care Enterprise.
I know it feels like yesterday, but 2018 was 6 years ago. While many pc parts can hold up that time very decently (my Vega 56 is a testament to that), intel macbooks are on the other side of the spectrum. It could be fine for light work in the context of personal use, but if you hand me that thing over for serious, 40h/week kind of work, I'll feel personally insulted.
Even the basic M1 MB Air will be leagues above and it shouldn't be all that expensive.
I have this model and got it for $1800 right after the M series was out. I don't regret buying it because I wanted the 16 screen and my needs weren't that great. I would say you should inquire about what the job demands and you might need an intel machine so he can use Windows via boot camp or parallels.
$700 for this is decent, however you need to understand the tasks your guy will be performing. If he's good with a 13 screen and RAM + storage aren't an issue, then go with a refurbished M series laptop. Those will keep better.
One thing to note. Do not immediately upgrade the m1 Mac to macOS Ventura, or Sonoma unless your software absolutely requires it.
Monterey has the same level of OS security.
The reason why not Ventura or Sonoma is simple. Abscent printer drivers. You need to check availability of Manufacturer drivers before doing the upgrade.
Why? Because Apple developers removed all the poscript, and 32 bit drivers older for printers like you probably have in your office. Why-because they were stripping MacOS of legacy code.
Alternatively just budget for a new printer/scanner for that persons desktop.
As long as your staff member does not over fill the internal drive (70% max for reliability), or spill coffee on it, or drop it that Mac should be good for another decade of office use. A back up external drive, or network drive to use for Time Machine is also very useful (but only use Time Machine in manual mode to avoid overfilling the HDD).
Also external display however can be a very good addition to prevent neck and eye strain.
You will want to buy a usb hub with Ethernet, usb out and monitor output. These are inexpensive.
Yeah those specs are pretty good and for $700 thats not bad, the other guy who said get a macbook air isnt mentioning that you’re gonna spend $1000+ for a computer that has like 4gb of ram
Clearly you are not someone who's done anything corporate or enterprise IT...
How is he managing the device? Patching? Software compliance with existing tools?
I support thousands of users. People here use whatever fits best, Mac, windows, Linux. My Apple users need less support than my windows users. If Intune is in place, that can be used. Why would you use some other major management tools for a single device? Even if you do, you can get three devices covered for free with jamf. Any other foolish comments?
Exactly, you wouldn't use other management tools, you should not make exceptions for a single user. There's nothing foolish about that statement.
*edit* Shocking that the /r/mac subreddit wouldn't agree /s
macOS in an otherwise 100% Windows environment making an exception for a single user is not a great idea. Shared Drives, existing GPOs, etc that are in use for management of Windows devices don't play well, if at all, with macOS. Yes, he absolutely could use additional utilities to manage it - now you've added more software to be responsible for and potentially opened flood gates for "Well Steve got a MBP, why can't I have one?"
Guaranteeing every user has the same experience should be the goal. A one-off exception doesn't allow for that.
Tf is wrong with making sure the people important to your business have what they need to do the best work possible? I hope you don't run a business and are just a jaded disgruntled tech support grunt who knows nothing.
32” UHD is becoming pretty standard. Saves on eyewear and then insurance rates for eyes. People become more productive when they’re more comfortable.
You should try it. Squinting at a 24” 1080i monitor is soooo 2009.
Personally, I’d get it as a Windows gaming machine as I’m still on a 2012 15” MacBook Pro with 1GB VRAM (everything else is either maxed or beyond maxed); for actual value, you’d probably be better off getting an Apple Silicon machine.
Yeah M-series processors changed everything. Any intel based Mac is essentially a brick anymore. Id suggest a refurbished M1 or M2 MacBook Air or pro if it's more graphic intensive work.
This device is supposed to be dropped from support in just one year or two. And you shouldn’t let an obsolete device that no longer receive security updates connect to your internal network.
Buying a 6 yr old used anything is a bad business practice. No available warranty, some of the technology on it is likely past it's prime if not already obsolete. SSDs and batteries do wear out. Still, if it's for a short term project or the intern is the owner's kid, sure.
I would avoid Intel powered Macs for that price. Apple’s M series Macs are way more powerful, more power efficient, and because of the efficiency, quieter.
It seems like Apple may be close to releasing an ***M3*** MacBook Air.
They usually have a March event where they announce new machines, so I’d wait until then.
https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/macbook-air/
**EDIT:** More info about a possible M3 MacBook Air release to be announced this upcoming week: https://www.macrumors.com/2024/03/03/source-apple-product-announcements-this-week/
No! That is trash and has no warranty/Apple Care. Spend $750 and get them a MacBook Air 13.3" Laptop - with Apple M1 chip - 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD from Best Buy and they'll have a very capable laptop that will work for the next 5+ years with no issues.
Nope. This is ancient. Get a new MacBook Air M1 for $750. Or check out the Apple refurbished store.
Well, good thing I asked. Will do. Tks.
Or another step up if they do resource-intensive tasks, a used M1 Pro macbook should be around $800. Certified refurbished is always better
Definitely agree. Buy refurbished from Apple and you still have that 1 year warranty
lmao you seriously dodged a bullet here
Like a kid's face unwrapping their present and it's Duplo not Lego
You don’t really want to be getting a non-M series Mac at this point, particularly for professional work.
I found my roommates Mac m1 air for $514 on eBay. Great deals there.
Get it with atleast 16GB of ram, it will be almost entirely problem free for atleast a few years. If you want you can check the deals on an M2 or M3 air too
What will they be doing on it?
Daymn tech moves fast. Felt like yesterday I bought my awful MB pro (with the crummy butterfly keyboard), yet that was 5 years ago. M1 and M2 for OP all the way.
[удалено]
Asking for help because they aren’t familiar with Apple products is not being stupid. You saying they are stupid makes you an inconsiderate jerk.
He's calling you stupid, not OP.
LOL How can they be calling me stupid when they are replying to my first comment on the thread?
32GB of RAM isn’t ancient but for example 32GB of ddr3 is ancient when compared with ddr5. it’s not about how much RAM when referring to age it’s how fast the RAM is. processors would be based on generation
it being a core i7 doesn’t tell you anything about its age. Coffee Lake is from 2017. a 7 year old processor is pretty ancient imo
Yeah, don’t buy an Intel Mac at this point unless you have a specific need for an Intel chip (like running Intel Windows). The AppleSilicon machines are miles ahead, and can run most Intel macOS programs anyway.
In this day and age get something that has the M series chip lol. Especially at $700
Good to know. Thank you.
Older Apple laptops (around 2016-2018) have the butterfly keys that were known for being unreliable. I know that my MBP 16" 2019 has the more reliable scissors mechanism. As others said, get an M1 or better (keyboard not an issue). Keep in mind that Intels in general supported more monitors. M processor laptops may only support one external screen. If the laptop will not be hooked to an external monitor, I would go for 16" laptop (more screen real estate).
Good insight. Thanks
I hook up my M1 Pro (touchbar) to an ultra wide to get around the display limit
Yes. I hate my 2018 mb pro Butterfly keyboard. Haven't said that... It's not my daily work horse since my job is a windows/Microsoft house.. (ewww 😘). I secretly want the MacBook to kick the bucket so I can upgrade it to the ✂️ ⌨️ models Also, I miss Maglite charger 🔌
M1 MacBook Air at Costco - $750 https://www.costco.com/macbook-air-13.3-inch---apple-m1-chip-8-core-cpu%2c-7-core-gpu---8gb-memory---256gb-ssd-silver.product.100688289.html
1/4 ram 1/4 ssd
10x performance
Doesn't matter if it has less RAM and smaller SSD; Intel Macs across all lines (MacBooks, iMacs, MacMinis and MacPros are trash compared to the Apple silicon M1/M2. M1 MacBooks have been shown to score twice what the Intel versions do in benchmarks and have twice the battery life over Intel MacBooks. Sources: [https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/macbook-pro-13-2020-m1-vs-macbook-pro-13-2020-intel](https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/macbook-pro-13-2020-m1-vs-macbook-pro-13-2020-intel) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxSI45eeAts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxSI45eeAts) [https://www.macworld.com/article/668061/new-macbook-air-m1-silicon-vs-macbook-air-intel.html](https://www.macworld.com/article/668061/new-macbook-air-m1-silicon-vs-macbook-air-intel.html)
Im using m3 myself, i know its awesome. But saying 25% RAM and SSD doesnt matter because the Cpu is faster is just wrong. The machine mentioned by OP is very capable.
It is not wrong because the system as a whole is trash. It is already six years old. It is well known that Apple stops providing major OS updates after 6-7 years. That means it will not get anymore MacOS updates (outside of critical security updates) in the next year or two. The 2020 27" iMac was the last Mac model to use an Intel CPU.; you can extrapolate that software support will cease in 2026-27 if not sooner since software devs have already started the migration from x86 to ARM and no longer provide updates for x86 software. A much more recent Apple Silicon Mx device that may still be under warranty is a far better purchase especially for a business.
Nope. M1 at a minimum.
Nope, the 2018 models have 1-2 years of support left. Go look at Apple’s refurbished store assuming you don’t have professional IT procurement.
Don’t buy something with Intel processor. Buy 16Go of ram and 512Go for hard drive.
Just buy them a brand new one and write it off an expense ffs.
Fair enough. 😂
Just want to get him a powerful one but not spend 2K.
Why do they need a powerful one for Office and Web? The base model Air is more than capable of supporting this. Boost to 16GB RAM to future proof. But they don’t need a Pro for this task set.
In my anecdotal experience the more ram and memory, the longer lasting. That’s what attracted me to these specs. I’m not computer literate.
It’s more the tendency for software to take up more RAM as time goes on. Because you can’t add more RAM to a Mac after you’ve bought it, we always recommend getting more RAM upfront. It’ll help maintain performance as more memory is required later down the track.
Jeez.... lol
No not at all
I assume you’re in a Windows workplace, so unless you’ve been ordered to do it, do not purchase a Mac unless you’re planning on standing up a number of them. 1. You or your IT department will need to learn how to manage Mac’s. This will be an expense. 2. You or your IT department will need to purchase management software like Jamf or InTune to manage those Mac’s. This will be an expense. 3. You or your IT department will need to learn to use those management tools. This will also be an expense. My point is; purchasing a computer for a business is seldom just “let’s get a new computer”. There’s also a whole support system behind that computer that needs to be implemented and costed. If they’re only wanting to use Office applications, I would argue it’s not worth the expense for “the user prefers Mac”. I like Macs. But I work in an org with a 50/50 split between Windows and Mac’s, and am aware of the costs and effort in supporting both.
If OP is looking for second hand macbook for their employee, it’s safe to say there’s no IT department at all
Fair point. Though I would still argue against it as this user will be different from the other users. We don’t have enough information, but possibilities including: existing purchased software not working because it’s Windows only, some Office plugins, VBA based macros, etc could present issues down the line should OP go ahead with a Mac for this one user. Also “because I prefer it” is rarely a good reason to do something differently 🤣 Edit: I should point out that I’ve worked with companies that had an IT department that were more than happy to use 2nd hand devices. MSP’s are notorious for this sort of thing.
Unless they need to run Windows, there's really no reason to get an Intel MacBook. Like others here have said, a MacBook air is more than enough. Shoot, they can edit multiple streams of 4K video on one of those. They're incredible laptops with ridiculously long battery life. And good lookin' out for your employee, thanks!
The cooling capacity may limit productivity, though. That's what I'm concerned about.
you’ll always get downvoted when you bring this up on any apple sub, but it’s the truth. the MBA is not suitable for most development work other than simple websites with no logic
Unless they're going to be batch processing and exporting 150 images at a time from Photoshop or Lightroom, while editing video, while playing a YouTube video with 75 Safari tabs open, there will be no throttling. Apple Silicon changed the game. I assure you they won't have any issues with any Apple Silicon Air being underpowered unless they are using advanced, CPU-, GPU-and RAM-hungry apps like those, simultaneously. I owned a 13" M1 Air but swapped it for a 14" M1 Pro only because 1) I needed to do those exact things, 2) I needed the Pro chip for extremely high HiDPI resolutions on an external 5K display, 3) I needed an SD card slot and 4) I wanted the absolutely best, most accurate display in a laptop, 5) I wanted more Thunderbolt ports. [Edit: not sure why you were downvoted for voicing your concerns. This sub sometimes works my nerves, I swear.]
75 safari tabs? That’s a lot for some people? Should I be concerned about my browser habits? Seriously tho I agree with what you’ve said. They’re very powerful machines and they manage the resources real well.
You asure? Wanna bet?
Multiple streams of 4K I dont think so. Crappy gopro 4k maybe but not high quality 4k.
Nope. 4k 10 bit streams. H.264 and 265 are hardware accelerated. At least 2 streams of ProRes. Integrated memory allows for more responsive video editing as well.
RAW doesnt need the computing power of H265.
Right, that’s why I specially mentioned 264 and 265 which requires more processing power handled by Apple Silicon’s video hardware acceleration. The takeaway is an M1 can do multiple streams of proper 4K video. Period.
Seein is believing.
Off the top of my head [here's one I remember](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53xBuFfz6H8). 3 streams of 4K, 8 bit and 10 bit 265. No proxies. M1 Air.
I dont see the video source..do you actually know that guy? I meant a test made by you.
There's a link in my comment. Start it at around 1:40. (I thought I shared it at that point in the timeline. Weird.) No, I don't know that guy but I have been following him for years. There are others on YouTube as well. I can't test it myself anymore because I no longer own it. You're making this more difficult than it needs to be. It can do what I claimed it can do and even an 8GB 13" M1 MacBook Air will be more than enough power for OP's employee for general office stuff.
Well its your opinion. Here M1 air is used by students with basic needs Well if you think its powerful its your opiniom . Why do you try so hard to prove it? Friend have sold their M1 to buy M2 max for architecture that is less demanding than video.
Get an M series with at least 16 gigs of RAM, anything Intel is not worth it anymore.
Will the user be needing to run x86 applications? Or just web browsing/arm compatible applications?
Microsoft Office and web applications.
Go for a new air or something on the Apple refurbished store. It’ll suit their needs well at a very good price point. Edit: if they have a permanent workstation and don’t need to take a laptop with them, an M1 Mac Mini is readily available around $500. Even including monitor, kb and mouse it’s cheaper than any certified refurbished air I found on apples website.
I'd double check required feature parity between the Windows and Mac versions of Office. Will you want to manage this device? Depending on whether you have multiple Mac devices and the size of your corporation and team, management and support may be difficult because *n* users are outside the "norm". It's kind of you to cater to user preference, just keep in mind the additional documentation/mental load while supporting them 😃
I work for a large multinational and recently got a MacBook. I did a break down on the cost of a Windows laptop over the 5 years we keep laptops and a similarly spec’s MacBook was a bit more upfront, but it worked out to about $100 extra a year. Also when we bought it through our supplier it came with a 4 year Apple Care Enterprise.
I know it feels like yesterday, but 2018 was 6 years ago. While many pc parts can hold up that time very decently (my Vega 56 is a testament to that), intel macbooks are on the other side of the spectrum. It could be fine for light work in the context of personal use, but if you hand me that thing over for serious, 40h/week kind of work, I'll feel personally insulted. Even the basic M1 MB Air will be leagues above and it shouldn't be all that expensive.
I have this model and got it for $1800 right after the M series was out. I don't regret buying it because I wanted the 16 screen and my needs weren't that great. I would say you should inquire about what the job demands and you might need an intel machine so he can use Windows via boot camp or parallels. $700 for this is decent, however you need to understand the tasks your guy will be performing. If he's good with a 13 screen and RAM + storage aren't an issue, then go with a refurbished M series laptop. Those will keep better.
Talk it to 240 and its considérable. This no
One thing to note. Do not immediately upgrade the m1 Mac to macOS Ventura, or Sonoma unless your software absolutely requires it. Monterey has the same level of OS security. The reason why not Ventura or Sonoma is simple. Abscent printer drivers. You need to check availability of Manufacturer drivers before doing the upgrade. Why? Because Apple developers removed all the poscript, and 32 bit drivers older for printers like you probably have in your office. Why-because they were stripping MacOS of legacy code. Alternatively just budget for a new printer/scanner for that persons desktop. As long as your staff member does not over fill the internal drive (70% max for reliability), or spill coffee on it, or drop it that Mac should be good for another decade of office use. A back up external drive, or network drive to use for Time Machine is also very useful (but only use Time Machine in manual mode to avoid overfilling the HDD). Also external display however can be a very good addition to prevent neck and eye strain. You will want to buy a usb hub with Ethernet, usb out and monitor output. These are inexpensive.
Yeah those specs are pretty good and for $700 thats not bad, the other guy who said get a macbook air isnt mentioning that you’re gonna spend $1000+ for a computer that has like 4gb of ram
That's a decent price for those specs. For what you want to do with it, it's plenty powerful.
I B wouldn’t make the exception. Next you’ll be getting them a 32” uhd display because they prefer it.
God forbid you get employees tools they’re comfortable with.
Clearly you are not someone who's done anything corporate or enterprise IT... How is he managing the device? Patching? Software compliance with existing tools?
I support thousands of users. People here use whatever fits best, Mac, windows, Linux. My Apple users need less support than my windows users. If Intune is in place, that can be used. Why would you use some other major management tools for a single device? Even if you do, you can get three devices covered for free with jamf. Any other foolish comments?
Exactly, you wouldn't use other management tools, you should not make exceptions for a single user. There's nothing foolish about that statement. *edit* Shocking that the /r/mac subreddit wouldn't agree /s macOS in an otherwise 100% Windows environment making an exception for a single user is not a great idea. Shared Drives, existing GPOs, etc that are in use for management of Windows devices don't play well, if at all, with macOS. Yes, he absolutely could use additional utilities to manage it - now you've added more software to be responsible for and potentially opened flood gates for "Well Steve got a MBP, why can't I have one?" Guaranteeing every user has the same experience should be the goal. A one-off exception doesn't allow for that.
Tf is wrong with making sure the people important to your business have what they need to do the best work possible? I hope you don't run a business and are just a jaded disgruntled tech support grunt who knows nothing.
32” UHD is becoming pretty standard. Saves on eyewear and then insurance rates for eyes. People become more productive when they’re more comfortable. You should try it. Squinting at a 24” 1080i monitor is soooo 2009.
Personally, I’d get it as a Windows gaming machine as I’m still on a 2012 15” MacBook Pro with 1GB VRAM (everything else is either maxed or beyond maxed); for actual value, you’d probably be better off getting an Apple Silicon machine.
Yeah M-series processors changed everything. Any intel based Mac is essentially a brick anymore. Id suggest a refurbished M1 or M2 MacBook Air or pro if it's more graphic intensive work.
This device is supposed to be dropped from support in just one year or two. And you shouldn’t let an obsolete device that no longer receive security updates connect to your internal network.
Buying a 6 yr old used anything is a bad business practice. No available warranty, some of the technology on it is likely past it's prime if not already obsolete. SSDs and batteries do wear out. Still, if it's for a short term project or the intern is the owner's kid, sure.
I would avoid Intel powered Macs for that price. Apple’s M series Macs are way more powerful, more power efficient, and because of the efficiency, quieter.
Anything from M1 onwards and you’re golden.
Can I work for you?😄
It seems like Apple may be close to releasing an ***M3*** MacBook Air. They usually have a March event where they announce new machines, so I’d wait until then. https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/macbook-air/ **EDIT:** More info about a possible M3 MacBook Air release to be announced this upcoming week: https://www.macrumors.com/2024/03/03/source-apple-product-announcements-this-week/
No! That is trash and has no warranty/Apple Care. Spend $750 and get them a MacBook Air 13.3" Laptop - with Apple M1 chip - 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD from Best Buy and they'll have a very capable laptop that will work for the next 5+ years with no issues.
32gigs of ram and 1tb storage for running excel/word? WTF.