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If it hasn’t sold, stretch the budget to £850 and buy the one from @photoben above.
You can get a subscription to Microsoft office, I have one for about £40-£50 a year. But Apple do alternatives, pages for word and numbers for excel which are free I believe..
cornelius_blackfoot
Ola,
I am looking to get a Mac laptop in the next couple of weeks, I have done some research but still a bit undecided and have found I have a few questions unanswered.
First off:
My budget is around £750, although could stretch a bit.
I would like a laptop. This is definite, not a mini (I know they are good!).
I think it has to be an M chip.
My main aims are photoshopping, and invoicing (I use word and excel). Be good to be able to listen to music on it and browsing at the same time. Pretty basic.
I know Mac’s are expensive and constantly have new models but would like this to last and I will use it until it dies. Five years minimum I hope for it to work well.
My previous, I’ve always used ancient imacs my present one is the last one with a dvd drive! It is absolutely on its last legs and takes an age to do anything. YouTube is a memory. As I said, I will use the new one until death. Before that I had another iMac and then prior to that PowerBooks, but all dated when I got them.
Screen size, bigger would be better but I don’t think an issue if it’s the smaller ones if it is better machine.
What I am looking at:
I’ve been looking at refurbished ones, and tbh, the CEX 5 year warranty is hard to beat. Have looked at Hoxton Macs, Back Market and it seems curries only do 8gb airs. The zero finance at curries is appealing but looks like they already have money added to the price. But I would like a decent, decent condition to start.
It seems to me I could get an m2 8gb or really stretch for a 16gb or get an m1 and easily get 16gb with 512 as opposed to 256.
with the m1’s it looks like the air is probably the better option despite the pro having better speakers, microphone (don’t care) and a brighter display. I am unsure if it has any extra ports, I think they both have two thunderbolts. The pros have that Touch Bar thing which wasn’t well received, I’m not sure if I care, should I? Maybe only if it looks like it is something which will break.
the m2 is obviously more recent but my needs don’t really require more than the m1 I’m sure, apart from the longevity.
I am unsure whether the m2 pros and airs differ that much. I know they changed the bodies.
So my questions really are I suppose:
M2 or better specced M1?
Following the above, pro or air?
Also, is 8gb anything a waste and or/ shortsighted?
Will I have to use a subscription for word and excel or will it have alternatives I can get used to? Or can I get some sort of copy?
Many thanks.