Apple has regained its position as the top laptop brand in the market this 2020. It offers flexibility for the casual user and the professional alike.
This 2020, Apple has everything going their way with the rehashed iPad Pro 2020, the new iPhone SE, and the release of the updated version of the Macbook Pro and the Macbook Air. Below is a guide for a prospective buyer that is considering purchasing any laptop that Apple has to offer.
There are numerous factors to consider in buying a Macbook. The user first has to remember that the MacOS is a completely different beast than the Windows OS. If that factor is already sorted out in the buyer’s decision, then the next factor to consider is the purpose of the purchase.
Macbook Air or Macbook Pro?
Currently, Apple has two main lines of laptops. First, the Macbook Air, and second, the Macbook Pro. The two main categories have specific markets that are catered to at their base models. Nevertheless, the prospective buyer has to keep in mind that he can customize these devices to be powerful machines to suit whatever he needs.
The Macbook Air is generally for the light regular user. Whereas the Macbook Pro is for a user that needs more computing power for games, video, or photo production.
The Macbook Air has been designed for ultra-portability because of its thinness and light build. It is the perfect laptop for a student or for someone whose work involves moving around a lot. The Macbook Pro on the other hand is a laptop designed to be a workstation replacement.
It’s important to keep in mind that Apple has updated the Macbook Air last March 2020, and the higher end of the Macbook Pro just earlier this month. Apple will most likely update the lower end of the Macbook Pro along with the release of Apple’s new devices towards the end of the year.
Base model comparison
For purposes of this guide, the only comparison that will be made will be the similarly priced Macbook Air and the Macbook Pro 13-inch at AU$ 1,999.
The Macbook Air right out the doorstep is the newer laptop between the two. It already features Apple’s latest Magic Keyboard with the redesigned scissors mechanism. It is also powered by the latest Intel 10th Gen processor with a Core i5 configuration. The Macbook Pro on the other hand still only has the Intel’s 8th Generation Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz and 128Mb of eDRAM.
Power-wise these two models are almost similar except for the crucial difference of the Intel Generation 8 and Generation 10 on either device. As mentioned earlier, the entry-level Macbook Pro 13-inch may get an update on the 10th Generation Intel chip.
A prospective buyer may want to hold off on buying the Macbook Air 2020 until such time. Overall, the preference between the two laptops will be based heavily on the purpose of the use. If portability and basic tasks are involved, the Macbook Air 2020 is already sufficient. If light gaming and multimedia production is the purpose, then the better option is the Macbook Pro 13-inch.
Images courtesy of Howard Bouchevereau/ Unsplash and Bruce Hong/ Unsplash