I Tried Nearly EVERY Mac/MacBook: Here's The Ones I Regret Buying

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Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:43 13in MacBook Pro
3:57 The Big-Screen MacBooks
5:30 iMac
9:24 Mac Studio
11:50 SSD Upgrades
13:56 Conclusion

Apple sells 3 MacBook Pros, and only 2 of them is really a “pro” machine and that pro machine comes in 2 different sizes. The smallest macbook pro, the 13in. is more of an M2 MacBook air in disguise with an old aging body. It’s bigger and bulkier with more battery life, but it also uses the touch bar which apple no longer offers on any laptops, it really seems like they’re phasing it out, and it lacks magsafe, the magnetic charging cable that easily snaps off if it gets snagged, preventing your laptop from being yanked from the table and onto the cold hard floor. It has more battery life, but the M2 air comfortably lasts a day anyway so if you’re someone who charges your laptops at night, it doesn’t make much of a difference. If your budget is only around the price of this machine, I’d opt for the M2 air or M2 Air 15in instead, magsafe really is a gamechanger in protecting your laptop, and frees up a port and if you wanted a “pro” machine, you really should be looking at the 14/16in Pros instead. Those machines are powerful and if you’re lucky you’d be able to find the M1 Pro macbook pro on clearance. So if you’re considering the M2 MacBook pro, it might be worth considering saving a few bucks for the super similar M2 Air 13in, spend the same amount on the M2 air 15in or if you want a machine with more performance, get the 14in MacBook pro instead. This one is just really funky, value-wise.

Currently there’s the 16in MacBook Pro and the 15in MacBook air that just came out. These laptops are super similar to their smaller counterparts except for a few key differences, these have higher price tags, larger batteries, weigh more, have larger screens, and the slighter faster version of the respective chips. I use a 16in MacBook Pro at my job, and honestly depending on what you use your laptop for, the extra cost might not be worth it. I’m just going to talk about the 16in Pro here, but a lot of the same applies to the 15in Air too. The larger laptop makes it heavier to carry around with you, adding additional weight in your bag. As long as you charge every day, it’s not a major benefit. That being said, if you primarily use your laptop on the go out in environments where you don’t have access to external monitors, the larger display comes in handy.

Next is the iMac. It’s a Mac mini with a pretty, glossy, 4k display up front. It’s a really nice looking computer. We can all agree there. It has built-in speakers that are pretty good, and a webcam that’s okay. And because all the components are built into the machine, it’s cleaner, takes up less space, and is easier to use. The purpose of this machine is to be something pretty to look at, fit into the environment, and be a compact clutter-free computer, all in one. The problem with that is when everything is rolled into one, it leads to some compromises. If you want to upgrade from the iMac you’re stuck buying a whole new set of computer accessories because the brains, screen, speakers and webcam are all built into this computer. Once the computer is no good, the screen, webcam and speakers are no longer usable. But, the iMac is dead simple to get up and running and use. I absolutely love the 24in iMac but I don’t think it’s the default mac someone should look at, and it’s definitely not the most economical one.

The Mac Studio has everything you’d want in a Mac, ports on the front, a ton of ports on the back, 10 gigabit ethernet, and it’s dead quiet 99% of the time during use. This is just the base model M1 Max version. But, that’s the issue, it might be too powerful for me. The Mac Studio Ultra was way too much power, and the M1 Max was already faster than anything I’ve used, so it seemed like the most logical choice. But the Mac Studio with the Max and Ultra chips, are really for power users or businesses who need higher end performance out of their machine, not the average person.

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[JackStavris]

I got a used 14" MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro 10-core, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD back in January when the M2 Pro models were released and it's been an absolute dream laptop. The battery lasts for days, sometimes weeks if I don't touch it, it's silent even when running Premiere Pro and I love how it's always instant-on when I open the lid. I never worry about shutting it down, having the battery randomly die in sleep mode, or it "hot bagging" like my old 2016 Intel MacBook Pro did. My only complaint is it's weight, which is fairly heavy for a 14" laptop, but it's got a giant battery that lasts forever so I can excuse a bit more weight. I'm definetely not an Apple fanboy, my last MacBook Pro was not my favourite laptop, butterfly keyboard notwithstanding, but this 14" MacBook Pro is brilliant and is the best laptop on the market.

[Metrofinans]

you can use your iMac screen as an external display for your Apple computers by utilizing the screen mirroring function. The latest updates allow you to use your Apple products as external displays.

[lquirouette]

Thank you so much for getting me to focus on what I need vs what I want. I was drooling over the mac studio and then looked at how much I could spend on upgrading to more expensive. You brought me back to reality. Well at least my reality. I didn’t need all the info that gives benchmarks etc. because I’m not that kind of user. I’m sticking with the mac mini and get the external storage. Great video.

[joshmkl]

I've decided im gonna run a 14' MBPro m2 for college. Was deciding between this and 16' and decided its better to take the 14' to class and just plug it into a monitor when I need since im gonna have a pc setup aswell anyways

[bryans]

I got the base model M1 Studio when it released and I've never regretted it, even though it has more power than my prosumer tasks require. I think it's beautifully designed and it has been rock solid reliable.

[DesignedbyKirk]

Another top video Jimmy! Very great breakdown video for those out there looking to upgrade a new mac!

[mootsym]

Here to learn. My issue with storing things on external SSDs, is I always thought of them as backups. But then I'd need a backup.. for the backup.. so I'd be buying 2 of them. SSDs do fail. So then every time you load content onto the laptop or onto the external SSD, you also have to do it again on another SSD. Am I making this more complicated than it is?
I also get leery with spending $400 on the 32GB Ram upgrade on the 14" Pro. I want to future-proof.. but $400 is a ton of cash. Might be better off saving that and just putting it towards a new laptop several years down the line. I wish there was a $200 24gb option for the pros, for just a little more future-proof headroom without having to be concerned about swap or whatever.

[butchgo]

Love the one you're with is my secret to productivity. Gear acquisition syndrome and over choosy with gadgets get anyone nowhere.

[Brandon-a-writer]

i picked up the m1 pro to use as an entertainment device, to hook it up to my 55" and 27" monitors, and an m1 air at the same time, both 16gb ram ... i've also got an ipad air 4 an ipad pro 2017, macbook pro 2015, and a windows hp elite x2 g4 laptop ... the m1 air is the best and most enjoyable to use of them all. I've been on more powerful laptops, but beyond this, I can't imagine needing more power ... don't know what i would even do with it. You can get a new m1 air for around $500. unbelievable

[elliekim]

The 13 inch MBP with the M2 isn't a terrible device. If you need the power of the M2 but don't have or don't want to spend $2, 000 on a laptop it has a fan so it can get more work done faster without being throttled like the Air but for a cheaper price around $1, 400 or whatever it is. I wouldn't suggest it over the Air if you don't need the fan.

[MrJerkfaceKevin]

Definitely think the MBA and the Mac Mini are awesome value, will last 90% of users years. The benefit of going that route is its cheaper to reevaluate ur computing needs in a few years if they change. Apple also doesnt make upgrades easy, nigh impossible so going that route works better for me.

[Table_]

Thanks for this very insightful video. I really took the part where you talked about the storage to heart. I don’t really need the 512GB storage, if all I am going to be storing is some videos. Will definitely be purchasing an external ssd.

[lacuswongq]

After NAS video, I’m go for NAS first and next step will be Mac Studio☺️ btw, your video so gooood

[AFatOcelot]

I bought a 13 inch m2 mbp, had it for a week. I loved it but didn’t realize that I was getting an outdated design when I bought it. I only play WoW and I just got a series x so I don’t need it for gaming so didn’t want to spend too much on a laptop. I went with the 8GB 512 model. Then after seeing all the reviews and hate I ended up feeling like a fool, so I returned it within the window and swapped it for an m2 14 inch 16gb 512 SSD. The thing is SICK. like SICK SICK. never looking back. However the 13 inch mbp was amazing as well and never stuttered and tbh I like the touch bar

[DCuerpoJr]

I got a 14" M1 Pro MBP for being able to do photo and video editing out on location. Now acquiring a M2 Ultra Mac Studio for editing at my dedicated workstation. Sure, the 14" M1 Pro MBP handles all tasks I throw at it with relative ease, but it starts to slow down when editing 4K multicam projects that are over an hour in length.

[jonathanbrown]

Great video and thought provoking. Looking for videos that compare mac, android and windows - been a windows person for years (go back to DOS 3.1) but had a stroke nearly 2 years ago and not able to mess around to get things how i want them any more. Mac Books look good

[Scottdick]

I think the base Mac Studio is the way to go for a desktop setup. By the time you match the specs for an M2 Pro Mac Mini, you end up within $300 of eachother. This is a base model that actually doesn’t feel like you NEED to upgrade anything (except maybe external storage).

[ctjh]

Great video, first time viewer. Quick question, what is the large/long monitor stand I saw in some of your b-roll? It has like a middle shelf (metal I think in the middle). Where did you get it from? Thanks

[gfr]

Still using my 2017 5k imac. Not upgrading until the bigger imac is released.

[ninayjchen]

Thank you for this incredibly informative video, breaking down all this info helps me a lot in looking to buy a new laptop