A step into the future…..

A couple of weeks ago after the debacle on holiday, what with my laptop being fried and then being brought back from the brink and then beginning to screw up again. I took the plunge and after almost 2 years of debating, I bought a New Laptop. An Apple Mac Pro 2019 Model. So how does it compare to my old 2014 Mac Air?

I did take a long time looking over the specs and watching Youtube videos comparing the new Mac Air 2019 vs Mac Pro 2019, but I found that most of the comparisons were literally spouting of jargon that I (The Tech Novice that I am) Couldn’t understand.

Image result for shopping for laptop gif

So I ended up buying the Pro, because it was only an extra hundred pounds in the grand scheme of things. The ridiculous prices are a joke! £1,299 at minimum for the base model!!! You can add extra processor and extra memory but thats at a further £200/300. Now according to Techradar the list of top 2019 Laptops can range from £400 – £2,700 and the Mac is at number 4 (With all the extra bits, Processor etc) I am a loyal Apple user and have been for 10 years +, I don’t think I will or could ever go back to a PC as syncing all my devices would be a pain and PC’s don’t make sense anymore.

Here are the specs

I know that I need a 256GB ( I would have gone for a larger memory except for the cost) as I have always been close to filling the 2014 model, which is also 256GB, so that was a no brainer. I didn’t end up going for any of the extras partially because I think £1,499 is more than enough money to spend. So what did I find out?

There are some super noticeable things about the new Mac, the charger for one, has changed yet again! There is now a USB C and the output is 87w, nothing else will charge this laptop. This is a pain as it adds yet another wire and adapter, which means a spare will set you back another £100. When you plug it in to charge it now makes the connecting noise that all Apple products seem to make, but it is hit or miss if the battery icon tells you it’s connected/charging. The cable is also a pain to unplug, instead of the old MagSafe that was easily to unplug, this requires a fair amount of yanking and if you accidentally pull the wire your laptop will go flying.

There is now only two ports, which would have been good to know beforehand, both USB C which means you have to buy an adapter in order for you to plug in anything with a USB such as (iPhone, iPad, External Hard Drive etc) You can buy an adapter for £20 from apple, but I ended up buying two from Amazon for £8.99. These have seemed to work just fine, iPhone connected and Hard Drive however the bigger USB’s such as iPods wont connect at all (Not that you would be using an iPod, but I do!)

Then there is the touch bar, You no longer have a power, escape or any of the skipping, play or dimming buttons. Which begs the question if the touch bar malfunctions then what the hell do you do? Would the laptop not switch on? I hope I never have to find out. For the time being I cant say that it has made that much of a difference, apart from sporadically switching on, putting the accent on the keyboard (because of a bit of grit) and annoyingly popping up with times on a video, autocorrect etc. The one positive I have found is the Touch fingerprint ID, which has made logging on and App updates far easier. I miss being able to skip a song on iTunes, whilst in another app, instead you have to click back onto iTunes which somewhat negates the point of a quick key.

Another thing that is super noticeable is how hot this laptop gets! Given this is a laptop, it can barely stay on my lap due to the sheer heat. This is far worse than any of its predecessors. I asked Apple about this, however was told that even though it was a Laptop it shouldn’t be used on your lap.

I Have noticed how good the color visuals are, Colors seem more vibrant and there is a definite jump on quality between the 2014 to the 2019.

The sound is markedly better too, with one speakers on either side of the keyboard, making for a better stereo experience.

Even though both the 2014 and 2019 laptops were 13Inch there is a noticeable difference in size and weight. The 2019 model isn’t as big due to the screen’s frame being so much smaller and thinner.

It’s not dramatically different in weight but you can notice if your holding two up at the same time.

As far as performance, I haven’t noticed that much of a difference, I am still getting spiny wheel of doom but I guess maybe transfers are slightly faster?