MacBook Pro 2024 or MacBook Air 2024?

I'd only go for a MacBook Air if portability was the major issue for me: like taking the laptop along on daily basis sort of thing. Occassional travels do not count, I would never sacrifice laptop's performance because of a few days' inconvenience in a year. The new MacBook Air should be out around second quarter of the next year, so this is another thing to consider. I would rather wait than buy the M3 one, as the M4 chips are going to upgrade the performance quite significantly. You may not need such performence right now, but it will become more and more relevant to you as years go by: new systems and new apps have usually become more and more demanding performance-wise, and it will hardly be any different in the near future. So investing in good performance isn't only a matter of apps you are using today and the typical use you have for your device right now. Also, even though not necessarily, there is always a possibility that with experience your demands on the system will grow. At least this is often true for photographers and photo editors, professional or not.

When it comes to Macbook Pro, I'd definitly wait for the new M4 series, simply because the newer device, the longer lifespan ahead. But if you decide for a MacBook Pro M4, I recommend to go for the M4 Pro chip, not the basic one (i.e. M4 without any attributive to it). Reason? According to observations of some, basic Pro models are reportedly built around MacBook Air architecture with very similar specs, with the only major difference being the added fan and more ports. Although the fan boosts the performance, I would rather invest in a real Pro. If I was already decided to invest in a MacBook Pro, then I'd make it worth every penny and go for the M4 Pro chip, asi it seems to have the best benefit-cost ratio.

Honestly, for those uses either will be fine. If you do much photo editing, more than the base RAM might be helpful.

There is talk of an M4 MacBook Pro coming later this month, and in the long term the Pro models tend to support macOS updates longer than the Air models. Personally, Im planning to get an M4 Pro when they arrive.

For a Mac computer in 2024, little of that matters. How many ports do you need? How many external displays will you be using? How much will be you carrying the device around? Those are really the only differences between those computers. The Pro has more ports, can drive more displays, and weights more. Performance and capabilities are identical.

You did mention an "investment". The Pro also costs more. You could, instead, spend that money on AppleCare for the Air and reduce your potential risk due to hardware failure.

Sounds like another win for MacBook Air.

[in my opinion] the fundamental difference between the Air and any model Pro is the cooling fan. if your uses will drive it really hard, the Air has only reduced-performance/slowdown-type throttling to reduce its internal temperatures.

And yes, the Pro models can drive many more external displays, but if more than one is needed, be sure to read specs VERY carefully.

DO NOT Buy a Mac Today with 8GB or less. 8 GB is what is required to run FINDER in Ventura and later, and anything more will start paging to disk, and slow down dramatically.

mum1938 wrote:

I would like to buy a new MacBook but I'm really torn on which one to get.

I would be using it for documents (Pages), photos/photography (not professional), watching movies (Apple TV, Netflix, Disney Plus, downloads), browsing, social media...basically everyday day use.

It's going to be an investment, so I'd like to have it for a good while. I'm just unsure of what to get - any advice and opinions would be much appreciated, thank you.

I have perused the specs and by the time one adds storage, memory, processor speed etc. to the MacBook Air it gets close in cost to a similarly equipped MacBook Pro.

To for me, the following factors may be ones you may want to ponder:

• The MacBook Pro (higher end versions) have more ports. This actually matters to me. Having just two ports is not enough, in my view (some users are fine with two ports). Having to use a dock with a laptop seems a downer since laptops should be portable.
• The MacBook Air is lighter, in some cases significantly. This can make a difference if you will be traveling, on planes, etc.

...AND, Apple has a 'wizard' to help you choose as well as everything readers have suggested:

Mac - Which Mac is best for me? - Apple

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neuroanatomist wrote:

steve626 wrote:

Having to use a dock with a laptop seems a downer since laptops should be portable.

If you need a bunch of peripherals when you travel, agreed. But I prefer a dock for home use – i’d far prefer to plug in just a single cable that provides power, external display, gigabit, ethernet, etc., no matter how many ports are actually available on my computer.

No argument there, and in fact I have OWC Thunderbolt docks both at work and in my "home office" for my work M3 MacBook Pro, which has the most ports any of today's Mac laptops can have. But having just two ports seems like not enough ... although obviously some people are fine with that. I think my next laptop (my personal one is a 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro [Intel]) will be another MacBook Pro mainly because of the additional port it comes with. Otherwise I might prefer the MacBook Air because of its lightness.

brevon-

I wanted to post some counter-point to the 'eagerness to wait for something better' in your post above.

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Computers are still changing fairly fast. Computers will always be faster, better, and cheaper if you WAIT.

There will be an even faster system out after the M4's come out. But the changes in processor speeds from increasing M-numbers have tended to be evolutionary, not revolutionary, and MAY not translate into System-wide performance, unless your work is strongly CPU-bound (which is fairly rare these days). Memory size, drive sizes and speeds and other contributors may also figure strongly in performance.

For me, when the M2 was first available, I deliberately bought the PREVIOUS version of the M1 Pro at a lower price, without having to pay the early-adopter Premium. It was a great computer BEFORE the newer M2 was available, and that did not change when its successor was released. I certainly have no regrets!

Sooner or later, if you have computer work to do, you just have to choose from what is available NOW. "Hold your nose and VOTE". They are good computers, and when a faster one comes out AFTER you bought yours, the one you bought will STILL be a good computer.

steve626 wrote:

Having to use a dock with a laptop seems a downer since laptops should be portable.

If you need a bunch of peripherals when you travel, agreed. But I prefer a dock for home use – i’d far prefer to plug in just a single cable that provides power, external display, gigabit, ethernet, etc., no matter how many ports are actually available on my computer.

steve626 wrote:

I think my next laptop (my personal one is a 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro [Intel]) will be another MacBook Pro mainly because of the additional port it comes with. Otherwise I might prefer the MacBook Air because of its lightness.

I am also using a 2019 16” i9 MBP for personal use (my work Mac was identical except the color, but it had a RAM module fail one day before I was leaving for a scientific conference, so I bought a 16” M1).

I’m waiting for the M4 MBPs to drop, and I’ll get one.

I just learned about the M4 MBP upcoming by reading this thread ... I think I will look to get one of those also! My 16" 2019 Macbook Pro seems fine and can run Sequoia so I think it should be usable for a while longer.