Why I’ll never buy a new MacBook again. There are 3 big reasons

I’m using an M1 Pro based MacBook Pro 16 as my main computer in Spring 2022. I bought it new for 255,000 rubles, which I still sometimes regret.

This Ijan A laptop for work and leisure, which in 2024 will disappear as soon as it comes out of the box. But there is one thought that haunts me.

In two and a half years, Apple managed to release three more generations of Mac. They may still have the same old design, but their processors outperformed my laptop by up to three times.

As a result, it turns out that the model like mine costs half as much, and taking this into account, the cost has dropped even more.

I’m not going to sell this monster any more in the near future, but I’m also I’m unlikely to buy a new one straight from the store now.

There are three reasons why I’ll buy a used MacBook next time. For this reason, I collected all the tips for you in one place, so as not to notice my mistake.

Powerful macs are quickly falling in price

Going to Avito was a big mistake

I’ve had two laptops in my entire life.

🔵 MacBook Pro 15″ (2018) on Intel i7 bought in March 2020 for 125,000 rubles. Taking into account the current exchange rate, this is 181,000 rubles as of November 2024.

⚪️ MacBook Pro 16″ M1 Pro (2021) on Apple M1 Pro bought new for 255,000 rubles in February 2022. Taking into account the current exchange rate, this is 323,500 rubles as of November 2024.

They paid a lot of money for both laptops. I justify the important topic that this is after the iPhone is invested in the tool with which I earn money.

Both of them, after two years, dropped greatly in price, like any other flagship equipment.

MacBook Pro 15 after two years of use

I sold the Intel tag in 2023 for 60,000 rubles, taking into account the replacement of the top case. And my laptop is now selling for about 130,000 rubles. That is, even the magical Apple Silicon does not save the price from falling by more than half.

This is why in 2024 I recommend buying a MacBook Pro 16 on M1 Pro like you, and not looking towards new ones.

It is still thought of as a top-end device, and this is not self-deception, but an honest conclusion.

The programs “fly”, they film everything as unforgettable and real in black as the top M4s, the performance is still impressive.

Even models based on the M1 Max cost extra money, and not 400,000 rubles, as at the start. The graphics there are such that they are enough to render videos, animations and games.

Let’s stick to the hardware.

Batteries no longer deteriorate and screens no longer look as good as before

In 2022, the 2018 MacBook Pro completely satisfied me with its processor performance in Photoshop, note-taking and browser time, screen and body size.

But here the processor power is inappropriate for editing, the operating time in everything else, absolutely no video card, a regular IPS matrix with gray black.

But due to the greatest need, I had to take a model with 256 GB storage. The decision was not to install the game, but caching in Final Cut Pro instantly consumed all the memory, and when working in Photoshop with hundreds of layers for relatively simple images like these, macOS actively used swap even with 32 GB of RAM.

We studied completely then, and did not understand for whom Apple is still launching models in a 256 GB storage configuration.

All this, of course, could be tolerated. When I bought the MacBook Pro 15″, I figured that it would be 4 years old: the money was serious, and by that time Apple had not been able to do anything radically new for four years.

But the key role in the rapid transition from one to the other was, of course, played by the transfer of Mac from Intel to Apple Silicon.

The 2025 MacBook Pro will have almost the same mini-LED screen technology as my 2021 MacBook Pro.

In new versions of macOS, exclusive chips for portrait mode in FaceTime and text dictation immediately began to appear.

Plus, everyone in the office was raving about the battery life and performance of the M1 MacBook Air. I realized that I would have to update earlier.

And when a year later Apple showed the MacBook Pro on the M1 Pro, I realized that I had waited.

In addition to the already legendary work of up to 21 video streaming and a powerful leap in the processor and graphics processor, here for the first time on a Mac a screen appeared with true black (very important to me), reduced time frames, restored SD and HDMI ports.

Three years later, the MacBook Pro appeared in the same design and retained only the raw power, which is not yet needed in my work. Brothers, there is no new understanding when you have a laptop like mine.

If I had known that Apple would release the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13 at the end of 2020, the still more powerful M1, I would have waited a hundred percent, finishing this time on my gaming PC or buying an old cheap MacBook for the first time.

And it turned out that I bought an Intel laptop at the end of a cycle, not just a cycle when Apple updates the design every 4 years, but at the end of a super cycle, when the company switches Macs to a new architecture for about 15 years.

And here we come to the rest, because it’s not worth looking at the new MacBook.

You don’t need as much performance as the M4 Pro/Max

Because Apple recently completely updated the architecture of its computers, every year we see an increase in the processing power of M processors, which no one would have achieved in the Intel era.

It’s no joke, but the $1,300 Mac mini on the M4 Pro is already ahead of the $7,000 Mac Pro on the M2 Ultra in some tests. This means that in just 5 years, Apple was able to release a computer that is 10 times cheaper and twice as powerful. than a Mac Pro with a 28-core Intel Xeon W, which cost $13,000 when it was released at the end of 2019.

And here is another comparison, more indicative for us, ordinary users.

The base M4 in my iPad Pro is more powerful than the M1 Pro in our multi-core CPU test and is only 15% (one generation) behind in GPU performance.

M4 vs M1 Pro. The base processor in the Mac is now more powerful than Apple’s best just 3 years ago. I took the iPad Pro (M4) from my review

This is all great, but there is one problem. Few people really need such power now.

The iPad on the M4 can do everything the same as the iPad on the M1, and if I upgrade to a MacBook Pro from the M4 Pro, I won’t notice any difference in 90% of cases.

Games will be a little slower, videos will start to render faster, but I don’t see the point in spending 300+ thousand rubles for this.

Each of them has different devices for the computer, but I am now in a room where it is much more important at the purchase stage to take more RAM and storage than to chase performance for which there is simply no task.

The result is that Apple computers are ahead of the curve, and many of them are updated periodically.

We’ll have to reinvent the design again to drum up interest and release a new MacBook with an OLED display in 2026.

This leads to an even greater drop in prices for modern devices, which will give us all a huge number of laptops with top-end processors and, as my experience has shown, alternative operating time even on used models.

Therefore, do not rush to run after the next new product. I created a purchase card that will help not only this year, but also on the next generation Mac.

How to buy a used MacBook. Main landmarks

MacBook Pro 15 after two years of use

As a result, from my experience, I came up with a small guide that I relied on when buying, so that I would die for only what you need and not run for the newest shiny new thing.

◈ Accurately evaluate your master. It sounds trivial, but Apple processors are now quite powerful even in basic models.

Look at reviews for specific tasks and check the difference between laptops from two generations ago and the new one. The overpayment for 20% of the productivity you don’t need can be double.

If you’re a photographer, the M1 Pro or M2 will suffice for now. Any processor with a Pro prefix is ​​suitable for video. For 3D, focus on the M1 Max models, they already cost the right amount of money.

◈ It is better to take a weaker chip, but more RAM and storage. Used models are very affordable in this regard, unlike new ones.

The minimum parameters in 2024 are 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD to keep everything running smoothly. If you pick up a card, look for 24GB or 32GB options. Forget about 8 GB of RAM completely.

◈ Keep a close eye on the last time Apple updated the MacBook design.

Lately the company has heard it once every 4 years, but this time it will be delayed until 2026. With the release of the new year, all models in the past become much cheaper. This means that you can safely take the technology stockpile on today’s huge devices with you.

◈ In 2035, check the rumors, Apple is not going to change the architecture. When this starts, absolutely do not buy a top-end laptop two years before the approximate date. It will tear your hair.

At the time of purchase, the MacBook Pro M1 Pro was the first major laptop to launch the new generation. By force of chance, he took a new one and returned the equivalent of 320,000 rubles. I’m terribly pleased, but I’m unlikely to do it again.

My lesson was worth it. Take notes and don’t repeat this mistake.

📸 All photos in the article: