DON'T Do This When Buying a New Mac...

"Future-proofing" is something you've probably heard before, but is it something you should take into consideration when buying a new Mac? Let's discuss what it means and how it might not be the best strategy (and might even waste your money...).

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00:00 Introduction
01:30 What Is Future-Proofing?
02:44 Sponsor
03:57 Not Everyone Needs Future-Proofing
05:07 Does Web Browsing Become More Demanding?
07:17 Does Software Become Harder To Run?
11:01 What Should You Upgrade?
12:12 Why Are There So Many Upgrade Options Now?
13:02 Keeping Your Mac For A Long Time

#mac #macbook #createdtech
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[jgm]

I'm the guy that bought a maxed out Intel Macbook Pro in 2020. My wife's new M2 Air is twice as powerful, without a fan, never even gets warm, battery lasts forever and it cost less than half as much.

[MatthewOnBoard]

It’s true that older Macs can still run modern applications relatively well (I’m still running a 2009 MBP), but eventually they do get slower and are more prone to security vulnerabilities. I’ve upgraded virtually everything I can - I’ve swapped the optical drive for a 500gb SSD, upgraded the old 256 GB HDD for a 1TB SSD, upgraded the RAM and gone through multiple batteries. But at the end of the day, I’m still running El Capitan. At this point, changing to an M2 Mac will feel like a dream!

[MrOncucar]

Upgraded from Mid-2012 13' to M1 Pro base model last year. Only life-changing improvement other than gorgeous screen with the notch and slight general fluidness was when I did a demanding task like rendering a video, which you also can do with the 13' - much slower but effortless still. Daily tasks like checking your E-Mail, browsing and/or writing a document would feel just about same. I do not regret the purchase since it is the base model and 10 years is pretty fair time for an upgrade but I still wish that I would use its full potential, for which I paid for - regardless I use it or not. Don't upgrade your Mac unless you are absolutely sure what your benefits are. I get the FOMO but you won't be missing out anything if you don't need it.

[DVenom]

Considering the significant price bump in the EU, even the base model is a big investment. As such, people tend to opt for higher specs - we don't know what will be sufficient for how long, but one thing is for sure, the year-on-year price increases.

[zoranm]

Another important thing to remember is the larger your SSD is the longer is its life span. TBW is the term SSD manufacturers use and the storage size of the SSD is directly proportional to its life span.

[bryans]

I really struggled with the future proofing bug when I bought an M2 MBA a couple of months ago. If I doubled the memory and storage of the base model I was getting close to MacBook Pro territory, especially when the MBP 14 would go on sale. I had to take a serious look at my budget and my actual needs in a laptop. I finally ended up with the base model M2 MBA and I've been happy as a clam ever since (so has my wallet).

[dudenukem]

.... like most companys... apple is the absolute top elite of milking their clients last penny out ^^

[rafaeldomenikos]

I was about to get the M2 Air 16GB and 512gb ssd, but I got a deal and bought the 14" M1 Pro for the same price. Don't regret it a second. I doubt I can see the difference between the 6 cores of the M2 and the 8 of the M1 Pro but I can for sure tell the difference between the standard display and the Mini LED near 4K 120Hz of the Pro. Plus even the 14" is tiny compared to my previous laptop, so no issues in portability.
I think that 16GB ram is a must for a computer for me (I actually think that it is low for a windows pc, but apple optimises ram better) and 512GB is borderline for the SSD. Ideally I would opt for a TB but I definitely didn't feel like paying the extra and waiting a couple of months to get a custom ordered device. Plus considering the 6 and 8 cores, one has to keep in mind that for heavy tasks the M2 has actually only 4 performance cores while the M1 Pro has 6 performance cores, that was a big selling point for me.

[butchgo]

When I ordered my M2 MacBook Air as my new computing device for 2023 so-called future proofing was never in my mind and same with my choice of Windows laptops. As far as my budget would stretch I’d get the most powerful configuration so that my apps would open and run faster and get things done more quickly.

[shred]

We’ve got a 2008 MacBook Pro (with SSD upgrade) that still runs just fine for web, email, Word, Excel and even a bit of photo and video editing for the kids school projects. I’ve just to swap out the battery every few years (easy, Apple allowed back then to have an under plate with clips to change your battery tool free in a minute).

My every day Mac is a 2014 MacBook Pro 16GB RAM Quad Core i7 Retina. The main motivation to upgrade from here will be because Lightroom is sluggish.

Both these MacBook Pros were beasts in their day, high spec because I was “future proofing” and together with Mac reliability we’ve gotten more than 14 yrs use from two Macs. Retina display on the 2014 is still good and it’s powerful enough to do creative stuff with.

[johnadams]

To be honest it doesn't really get that confusing, the upgrade options are pretty basic.. the only questions is if you know what you need and if it is worth it to you.

[yeolmu]

Just buy a step above what you need or what you currently use, and you should be fine. 16GB/512GB was close to the limit for my 2020 laptop so I went up a step with 32GB/1TB for my new M1 Pro. I think it's fine to configure your new laptop one step up but anything more than that is unnecessary money spent on 'future-proofing'.

[mbvglider]

It's not future proofing if you're buying upgrades for use right now. That's why I always believe in upgrading storage space first; you'll notice it no matter what. Plus, you have a good feel for how much you'll need because you probably have a machine right now so you know how much space you're using. With RAM, you know if you need it. If you're on the fence, you probably don't actually need it.

[JasonTaylor-poxc]

As someone that's been in the IT industry for 20 years, I don't have a huge problem with some moderate "future proofing" since I do tend to use my Macs longer than PCs. Apple's pricing is steep because they tend to use higher qualify parts vs most others - in addition to paying the Apple Tax - so it all adds up. CPU/GPU upgrades are normally my first choice in an upgrade simply because I know I will use it. I want to make sure I have at least 1TB, likely 2TB of storage, then I see how much memory I can reasonably afford. Keep in mind that I'm likely buying for both personal and business use - not just ranting on social media. What I consider a reasonable upgrade is very different than the average Mac user. For students, the base laptops are normally enough - perhaps bump the storage up a tier (up to 1TB). If you have the money, go for at least 16GB of RAM. They will likely value battery life over performance. A Mac laptop should last all 4 years of college and likely the first year after. Once you have a real job, you can consider replacing your laptop at that point.

[videocardzrule]

I bought a M1 MacBook Air when they first came out. I bought the 16GB of ram and 1TB storage, 8 core GPU model. I love it! It is still a BEAST in 2023. Runs whatever you throw at it.

[rightwingsafetysquad]

IMO, the vast majority of users shouldn't upgrade the processor. But almost everyone should upgrade the storage to at least 500GB. Likewise everyone should upgrade to 16GB of RAM.

The RAM upgrade is for two reasons. If you're going to upgrade often, you don't care why you just feel like you're missing out with the base model. For those who won't upgrade, more RAM means it won't page as often, helping the SSD physically last longer. So unless you really want to put your laptop in an envelope, the base model 14" Pro seems like the best bet for almost everyone.

[danielnisewaner]

I am the person who purchased a future proof Intel MacBook Pro in 2020. My refurbished M1 is in the mail. Thanks for the video.

[_lens_view]

I have found that a notebook (brand or OS doesn’t matter) has a practical life of 5-6 years. I buy with this lifespan in mind. After 5 or 6 years, the device likely won’t be able to stay current on the OS without involving upgrade methods that aren’t practical for the average person. Falling behind on the OS is the beginning of the end for application compatibility and more importantly security. I do have a 15 year old MBP that still works - so, yes, they will last that long, but it isn’t my “daily driver” because of how old the OS is and how it affects my ability to effectively collaborate with others on projects. My daily driver is now 4 and will get replaced within the next two years, once the OS begins to slip behind.

Drive space and memory are cheap, even from Apple. I always over buy in these areas because the benefit-to-cost ratio is really that good. Just about everything one does these days, except for perhaps the most basic tasks, will benefit from having more RAM and storage.

I have never upgraded my processor and have never noticed an issue. Maybe I don’t know what I’m missing. Upgrading the processor can get spendy, and the situations that benefit noticeably from more processing power within a 5-6 year lifespan are not as numerous for people who don’t really push their machines to their limits. The benefit-to-cost ratio isn’t as good for most people. I say most people. I understand this isn’t true for everyone, and one should put some thought into how they use their machine before deciding.

I guess my philosophy is don’t over think ram and storage - buy as much as you can afford, because it will come in handy.

[kbhasi]

Even though you primarily cover Apple stuff, YouTube recommended me this video (I'm a desktop Linux user!) and I'm going to say this: your opinions also apply to ARM-based PCs! Dare I say, your opinions also apply to x86-based PCs that have limited upgradability!

I was considering getting an older ThinkPad Yoga, but I forgot that my workflow had changed in 2021 to be more cloud-focused, so the stuff I only really run on my ThinkPad X250 these days are Web browsers, Web-based productivity apps, and remote access apps. The cloud-focused thing is really just mostly my own homemade cloud with my NAS and my desktop PC, since I can't use regular online storage services as I currently don't have the time to clean them of years of data.

Edit: I think YouTube recommended me this video because I watch PC-focused tech channels that sometimes cover Apple stuff, like Linus Tech Tips.

[claudiomezza]

I've been in doubt about which Mac buy, but at the end of the day I bought the basic M1 Air model: right now, I don't need extra RAM or extra space (until now I've just used an iPad 9 with a keyboard with zero problems and a lot of satisifaction) and if I'll ever need them it means I've a job that will allow me to afford a new MacBook Pro.