Which Apple Notebook

Sy1441

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Starting a new business in the new year and as a Mac user of many years I’ve decided we’ll use apple products.

I current have a surface pro for work which I broke in a matter of months which has played a part in deciding to go Apple. At home I currently use a 27” iMac with a 2nd Dell 27” monitor, this has been my setup for the last 7 years.

Going forward I’d like a notebook which will work with 2 x 27” or larger monitors, a lot of my work will be looking at spreadsheets. Aside from this I don’t use the computer for anything particularly taxing, bit of music and the like, it may get used for some DJ apps.

Naturally I’m drawn to the new 16” MBP but I also like the portability and sleekness of the Air.

Would the air cater for my needs?

Is there a plug and play dock system that I could drop the notebook into and use a keyboard and trackpad?

Any recommendations on monitors?
 
The way to think about their laptop lineup is that the Air should be the default choice for most users. If you need something more powerful (quad core cpu), you go up to the MacBook Pro 13". If you need something with a larger screen there's the 16" now.

The only downside to the 16" IMO is its size. Its not too heavy to carry around, but it can be a bit unwieldy if you're working in a confined space - trains, planes, coffee shops etc. However, its very powerful and has improved thermals which is a big bonus if you're pushing it hard.

The Air is a nice machine and would be a good complimentary machine alongside your iMac for use when out and about. I've often used an Air alongside a 27" iMac for exactly the same sort of things you mention. It has two thunderbolt 3 ports which will allow you to connect a pair of monitors.

I guess if money is no object, then the 16" is the one to go for - the base one at £2399 is more than powerful enough for nearly everything. But if you're wanting to spend sensibly, you can get a refurbed MacBook Air with 256GB SSD for £1099 from Apple. Even if you buy new and add some extra memory, you're going to be at about 50% of the cost of the new 16".

You can buy a variety of usb-c docks/hubs which will give you a single connection to your laptop via usb-c and then you connect everything else to the hub. Some are cheap, some are much more expensive but offer many more ports and features. Definitely look in to them if you're planning on connecting two 4K screens through them to make sure they'll work.

The other option is that a lot of monitors offer a single usb-c connection to your laptop (which will charge it) while having usb-a ports on the back of the monitor for your peripherals - again, offering you a single connection for everything.

LG do some nice 4K screens which are reasonably priced.
 
Thanks for the advice.

I've decided to plump for the 13" MBP. As you say the 16" is quite bit if out and about working and don't really need all the power.

I've managed to get the 256Mb one for a smidge over £1200 new which seemed decent.
 
The 13" MBP is a great machine. I've downgraded my six-core 15" to a four-core 13" purely for portability reasons. It is powerful enough to drive multiple screens.

I purely use USB-C monitors these days as they also charge the laptop. And can act as a hub as well. So simply plug in a single cable and job is done.

I've actually moved away from dual screens to a single ultra wide LG monitor. Much better. Plenty of space for 3 full size documents next to each other. Then still have my MBP screen as well.

For on the move I connect my iPad and still have a dual screen setup :)
 
The 13" MBP really is a great machine - very powerful and very portable.

I've still not tried the iPad second screen thing via Sidecar, must give it a go as I always tend to travel with my MacBook and iPad.
 

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