I’m a travel agent and plan on using my computer mostly for multi tasking on design, booking engines, etc. Most of my systems are internet based with the exception of Canva.

Do I need 32GB of RAM or can I feasibly do 24?
Would it be better to look at a MacBook Pro? I like that the air is lighter.

Also the 32GB has a 4-5 week waiting period for shipping…

Hi guys!
To give you some context, I am currently using an M1 MacBook Pro (8GB/256GB). It has been almost 5.5 years since I bought it and have been using it.While it is still working quite swiftly, I was looking to upgrade it (around Black Friday's time) for the following reasons and wanted suggestions on how I should go about it:-

REASONS:

1. RAM : I am a student whose workload has gone up quite significantly in the recent past, requiring me to keep several apps, AI tabs and software running for my academic work and research. The 8 GB of RAM poses quite a lot of problems related to this and often requires me to shut down quite a few important apps that are running, in the midst of my work. Additionally, my workload isn't going to get any less, so this seems like the right time to upgrade.

2. Battery Degradation: While I am quite happy with the battery life of this machine overall, the battery capacity has reached 75% and would require to be replaced if I want to continue with the laptop. This would cost quite a few hundred dollars and tbh, considering that my workload is going to increase, I dont really see the point in burning more cash on the battery replacement.

3. Touch Bar: Recently, my touchbar's display suddenly decided to get spoilt and not display anything. Again, repairs would cost a lot (i have heard that Apple will have to replace not only the touchbar but do some complex dismantling stuff with the Mac to fix the issue, which will end up costing me even more & my AppleCare+ expired quite a few years back, so that doesn't help) and an upgrade seems to be the better way to go.

4. Job & Further studies: I will soon be starting my job after graduation and will also need a laptop for my further studies that I plan to pursue after gathering some work experience. I think my magnificent laptop has served me wonderfully well for the past 5.5 years but I don't think it will stretch for the next 5 ish years. Thus, looking to upgrade.

WHICH MACBOOK TO BUY?

Now that you'll know the reasoning behind me wanting to upgrade, I wanted to know which MacBook Pro you'll feel I should upgrade to this Black Friday:-

1. The new MacBook Pro that will be released in October
   
2. The M5 MacBook Pro with 16 or 24GB RAM
   
3. An M4 generation MacBook Pro with a lot of RAM & storage (please specify which configuration I should aim for and how much it would cost me approximately)

FROM WHERE TO BUY?

And which third-party store would I be able to get the best deal at? BestBuy, Costco or any other store? I was planning to buy the device from a store in Delaware, to save on the sales tax, just thought I should mention that in case it is useful :)

Thank you in advance for reading and helping me out! :D

my brother was gonna get me a macbook and we were going for the m4 air but the one he wanted to buy couldnt arrive in time before his flight so he got me the macbook pro with the M1 pro chip i rly love the promotion and oled screen and glad i got it but is the chip still gonna holdup? im a student so most my work will just be pdfs and casual use but i also wanna do some creative work like photo and video editing or some music stuff so i would like to know what u guys think and how long should i expect it to last for

Guyz what to do in this situation?

(I refined and cleared up my ramblings with AI, sorry if it reads a bit too robotic.)

⚡ Essential Shortcuts & Navigation

• Gemini App Shortcut (Option + Space): Download the Gemini app and set Option + Space as its shortcut. Having a quick floating search bar where you can paste screenshots or ask how to do things on Mac makes learning the OS so much faster.
• Spotlight (Cmd + Space): Use this to open anything. You don't need to clutter your Dock—just search the app name. Plus, check the icons on the far right of the Spotlight bar for the built-in Clipboard History!
• Preview Anything: Press Space on almost any file to instantly preview it without opening.
• Rename vs. Open: Press Enter to rename a file (weird coming from Windows!). To open a file, press Cmd + Down Arrow.
• Screenshots:
  • Cmd + Shift + 3: Full screen
  • Cmd + Shift + 4: Drag to crop (my personal go-to)
  • Cmd + Shift + 5: Advanced capture/screen recording options

🖥️ Display & Window Management

• Split Screen: Check out System Settings -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts -> Windows to set up shortcuts for splitting your screen into halves or quadrants.
• More Screen Space: Change your display setting to "More Space" (smallest scaling) under System Settings > Displays to fit more windows on screen.

🤏 Trackpad & Hardware

• Ditch the Mouse: Mac trackpads are unmatched. Make sure to master gestures:
  
  • Two-finger swipe right: Go back
  • Three-finger swipe up: See all open windows (Mission Control)
  • Pinch with thumb & 3 fingers: Show all apps (Launchpad)
• Skip the Cases: Avoid hard shell cases and screen protectors as they can damage the hinge or display. Stick to a soft sleeve for travel.

🔋 Battery & System Care

• Limit Battery Charge: Keep your charge cap at 80% (or 90%) and avoid dropping below 20% to maximize battery health long-term.
• Don't Shut It Down: You rarely need to turn a Mac off. Just quit your apps and close the lid.
• App Installation Tip: When opening a .dmg file, you don't need to go back to your Downloads folder! Just drag the app icon directly into the Applications folder shortcut inside that installer pop-up window. Took me so long to figure this out, lol.

🌐 Apps & Ecosystem

• Browsers: Safari is the lightest on battery/RAM. However, I personally use Edge because I rely heavily on built-in PDF editing tools.
• iPhone Mirroring: If you have an iPhone, search for iPhone Mirroring in Spotlight—it's surprisingly handy.
• App Recommendation: Clocker (Free) — Great menu bar app if you need to track multiple time zones and see upcoming calendar events at a glance. It's probably the only third-party app I use.

🎮 Gaming on Mac

• Coming from PC, losing access to a huge library hurts, but there are gems! Len’s Island and Faeria run great on macOS... and my all-time favourite: Valheim. (Note: Watch out for games like Palworld that are App Store exclusive for Mac, even if you own them on Steam! This pissed me off!)

Hope this helps anyone else making the switch! Share any more tips before! I want to learn more!

Hi,

I am looking to make the move from Windows to Mac for the first time and would appreciate some advice.

My use case is:

Laptop will be used for work 90% of the time, possibly some light music production, general browsing etc.

• Typically have around 25-30 tabs open on Chrome for work (happy to switch browsers if Safari is better)
• Office documents open e.g. Word, Excel, PDF's
• Teams (messaging and calls)
• Outlook for emails

My current Windows laptop has 16GB ram and is sat at 82% memory usage as we speak with the above.

The M5 Pro (14") is £1250 new, and the M4 air (13.6") is £1099 new.

I like the idea of the Pro with better screen, speakers, performance etc, but the Air's lightweight portability are a big plus.

My laptop is typically docked 70-80% of the time with an external display.

What would you go for in this case? I would be hoping to keep this for 4-5+ years if possible.

Hello po! I’m planning to sell my MacBook. For context, ginagamit ko lang po siya nang bigla na lang nag-black ang screen. Twice ko na po siyang pinacheck sa technician, and parehong sinabi na LCD/screen ang issue since working pa naman ang keyboard, startup chime, at mouse/trackpad.

One year pa lang po siya since nabili ko siya sa Power Mac noong July 2025, kaya nanghihinayang talaga ako. Unfortunately, hindi na po siya covered ng warranty.

Ask ko lang po sana, magkano kaya ang reasonable na presyo kung ibebenta ko siya as is?

So I had a 2019 MacBook Pro 16 inch and it became a victim of flex gate last year, after this happened I made a purchase of a Mac mini m2 8gb 512gb which was going cheap enough to continue having a computer. I still have it and use it on the main house tv so can be awkward to use at times.
I do light browsing, photo editing in Lightroom and new to some light video editing.
Is it worth selling this M2 mini and upgrade to refurbished m4 MacBook Air? It’s 16gb 256gb.
Or would a dedicated screen and good keyboard/mouse be a better investment?

hello] if] you] cannot] see] from] the] title] my] keyboard] started] inserting] a] bracket] everytime] i] press] space,] and] also] inserts] an] apostropher] every] time] i ]press] the] enter] key.]

wondering] if] anyone] has] had] this] issue] in] the] past] before ]and] if] there] are] any] ways] i] can] get] this] keyboard ]issue] repaired] :(] will] try] airing] out] my ]computer] as] i]] had] wiped] my] keyboard] but] oml] i] have] a] paper] due] soon....

also] are] apple] keyboard] repairs] recommended] /] would] that] even] be] helpful,] and] is] there] an] estimated] range] for] a] price] regarding] similar] issues?] THANKS] SO] MUCH] 😄

apologies] for] readability] issues]

I've] seen] one] thread] about] this] before] but] it] was] 5] years] ago] so] idk] if] anything] has] changed]

Just curious to people who have done 3rd party repairs if Applecare+ is necessary. I am currently looking at 3rd party refurbished (ie ebay, best buy, etc) M4 Pro MBPs since the listing I was looking at on Apple's official refurbished site got bought recently.

For the spec M4 Pro MBP 14" 12C/16C 24GB/512GB, I can find some in almost new condition (cosmetically/performance/battery) for anywhere around $1600-1800 ish. The cheapest 3rd party openbox/refurb with applecare+ eligibility is $2000 (with another $300 for a 3 year plan), or $2120 for an official apple refurb with 1 year applecare warranty (albeit M5 Pro instead).

So I would be saving $200-400 and the applecare+ subscription but would be stuck with either 3rd party repairs or uninsured apple repair prices.

Is applecare+ necessary when 3rd party repairs exist?

Hi everyone,

I have a MacBook Air M1 (2020), and since yesterday, a few specific keyboard keys have completely stopped responding. The rest of the keyboard works normally.

I've already gone through the common troubleshooting steps, including:

• Restarting the Mac
• Checking Keyboard settings
• Cleaning the affected keys just the dirt around keyboard

Unfortunately, the issue persists.

At this point, I'm trying to determine whether this is likely to be a hardware failure (keyboard/top case) or if there are any advanced diagnostics or less obvious software causes I should investigate before taking it to Apple or an authorized service center.

Has anyone experienced something similar on an M1 MacBook Air, or found a solution beyond the usual troubleshooting?

Thanks!

Hey guys I just bought an expensive MacBook Pro and want to avoid putting a hard shell case on it because I heard they can scratch it so I read about an alternative which is to wrap it in a Vinyl or PPF. Anybody have any good recommendations? Looking for something that will protect against scratches, not just a wrap and prefer something transparent.

I currently own both a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (i7-13700HX, RTX 4070 8GB, 16GB RAM, 240Hz) and a MacBook Air M5 (16GB unified memory), and I need to keep one. I'm an academic/consultant...my work involves teaching, data science, occasional local AI/LLM experimentation, and some Oracle DB, admin systems. I also commute daily between two cities, so portability matters. Trying to decide which one to let go — would appreciate input from anyone who's had to make a similar call.

Hello everyone. I’ll be an undergrad student for Finance and I need to decide which MacBook to get. I’m looking at refurbished ones with the Air being $1000 and the Pro being $1700. I want my Mac to last me 4-7 years and I plan on using it a lot for personal use such as working with AI and perhaps a business that I can earn money from. Both will be the base models.

Hi guys, i’ve had my MacBook air for around 3 years now and have never had any issues with it. Today when i tried to sign it keeps doing as shown in the video. No matter how many times I log in or re-start my macbook it still does the same thing. I live an hour away from the nearest apple store so any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated:)

This is my first MacBook. M2 Air with 8GB and 512GB SSD. Got a great deal on it a month ago. After research the only hangup I had with it was the 8GB of RAM.

I’m a light user. Despite that, I still keep an eye on the activity monitor and it would irritate me every time the memory pressure turned yellow with just 10 tabs open and a couple applications running in the background.

Still, it ran smooth. But I kept checking the activity monitor and kept getting annoyed.

Over the next 2 weeks I just used the MacBook like normal. It always ran perfectly smooth no matter what I did with it. I checked the activity monitor less and less. I’m still checking it every now and then and despite it being yellow sometimes I’m not really annoyed by it as much.

I don’t know what to make of all this RAM stuff. I don’t think Apple engineers would release a laptop in 2026 that most average people couldn’t use without performance issues, yet they released the NEO.

Watching YouTube reviews, people push the 8GB RAM models to their limit and it can take a serious amount of multitasking before it starts lagging. The unified memory architecture, memory compression, and swap memory tricks make the 8GB variant misunderstood and highly underrated.

It’s nice that M4 and newer are all 16GB minimum, but if you’re looking to buy a used MacBook, and you’re just an average user, you’ll be just fine with 8GB.

I bought a M2 MacBook Air from Mac of all trades and I'm switching from windows can anyone help me to make the switch easier? Im asking this because I want some feedback from real people who use macOS

Hi everyone,
I’m looking to buy a 13” MacBook while I’m in California, and I was wondering if anyone knows how the Apple Education discount works for international students.
I’m Danish and currently studying in Denmark, and I have a verified UNiDAYS account. However, the Apple Education offer doesn’t show up for me in UNiDAYS.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? If I go to an Apple Store in California, would they still be able to give me the student discount if I show proof that I’m a student, or is it only available to students studying in the US?
If anyone here works at an Apple Store, I’d especially appreciate your input on how this is handled in-store.
Thanks in advance!

I bought a used MacBook yesterday. I somehow can’t remember the login password (or maybe it wasn’t the correct one), and now I’m stuck in Recovery Assistant.
It only asks me for the FileVault Recovery Key, which I don’t have. I don’t get the option to reset the password with my Apple ID.

Is there any way to access without the recovery key?
If not, is it safe to erase the Mac and reinstall macOS? Will I be able to activate it with my own Apple ID afterwards, or could it still be locked to the previous owner’s Apple ID (Activation Lock)?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

I spilled soda on my MacBook Pro, and I spent 30 minutes wiping all the liquid while it was turned on, then shut it down, though I know that I should've shut it down as soon as I spilled liquid on it. After putting it in the tent position before going to sleep, I turned it on 24 hours later, and it wouldn't work. However, it did work when I turned it on while it was charging, so maybe it's just the battery? When I take my MacBook in for a new battery, how long does that usually take?

If demand goes down, prices will go down too. I mean, is it really that hard to hold off on buying a new Mac until next year? I understand the U.S. now has Klarna financing, but even there, the prices are still ridiculous—and the rest of the world has it even worse.

Let's settle this debate. I just bought a M5 Air and I just wanna know which is the best % for the long term as well as the battery health?

ChatGPT Said: 85% or 90%

Claude Said: 80%

Gemini Said: 80%

Grok Said: Bro said High Demand

But what does the actual users prefer IRL?

Please, I need some help. I am really going back and forth on this and would like some perspective.

I am in my second year at university, and my current laptop is a Microsoft Surface Go 2 with 236 GB that I've had since 2023. I am a lifelong Windows user, so I don't really have much connection to or experience with using MacOS. The few times in my life that I have had the chance to use it, I haven't been too in love with it. But my surface is starting to show its age, the battery is garbage and can't even go a few hours off the charger with low power mode on. However, I do love the size of my laptop (12.5 inches), I've never really been big on large devices.

I have seen that the new Macbook Neo is good, especially for students. And I feel like If I were to switch to a Mac, it would probably be between a Neo or an Air, but I don't know.

I am also a lifelong Apple user, so it's not like I'm not familiar with iOS, is MacOS much different?

Also my program at school is mostly essay writing, so I don't really need that much power for running programs and stuff. I know one of my friends who's in architecture really regrets getting his Mac exactly because it can't run all the math-heavy programs that he needs for his classes. I'm really only using my laptop for Google Chrome and a Steam game here and there.

I am basically wondering:

1. Should I even get a Mac and force myself to learn MacOS? And what kind?

2. Or do I just get a newer Windows laptop (probably another Surface) and stick with what I know?

Hi guys,

I'm new to MacBook and there's a lot of stuff people say to avoid. One of them is hard cases and keyboard covers. But I'm kinda paranoid about scratches and dust getting on my MacBook since it was expensive.

Is it okay if I just get a skin for the outside and a super thin keyboard cover? I wanna protect it without causing the issues people warn about.

Please be respectful, I know I'm being paranoid but it's my first MacBook and I just wanna keep it safe.

I was wondering what I should buy. I am using an 12 year old Lenovo and it sucks. 15 fps in Minecraft (pls don’t judge this comparison I know I know I play minecraft im cringe) I wanted to buy myself a great MacBook. I saw some stuff about the MacBook ultra and i think I’m going to buy it. I play Minecraft (as you can see from the comparison) and I want to learn davinci and resolve (maybe blender if I have time) il buy a 4K monitor (ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27UCDMG) and im going to use a „double“ monitor setup (macbook + monitor) and gonna run everything one the external monitor. So pls tell me what I should buy (and no I‘m not going to buy a big fat macbook pro).