Thinking about a new Mac...

[Klaus]

@George-K one buys the Air for its portability. But from what you write, it sounds more like you need a desktop computer. Have you considered a Mac Mini or iMac instead?

[Rainman]

I've got an Apple IIe that I'm not using.
More than enough power for someone retired.
Let me know if you're interested. I can throw in some floppies.

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in Thinking about a new Mac...:

I bought the LG monitor from the apple site. Perfectly fine. They have 24 and 27”. Honestly I forget which I bought.

The monitor has several USBc and regular USB ports so it acts as something of a hub.

I have that with the top of the line MacBook Air from last September, and it’s a great setup.

Yeah, I was specifically thinking of what you do when it comes time.

@Klaus , yeah. Portability is not high on my list of needs. I spend 90% of my time at my desk. If I want to consume content, or travel, my old iPad Air (2) does it pretty well, particularly with a Brydge keyboard attached to it. Mrs. George has an 11" MacBook Air and I have an account on it, so I can access all my stuff should I need to.

Like I said, I'm just spitballing here.

The one nice thing about the MacBook Air is the fact that it's a larger screen than my iPad.

[Klaus]

If you don't need the portability, I'd not get a notebook. The Mac Mini or iMac give you more bang for the buck: better performance, longer lifetime (upgrades), more repair options, more connectors. The iMac also gives you a very clean look with minimal set of visible cables.

[George K]

@Klaus I have a 27" iMac (2014) now which I love.

The reason for the upgrade is that D2 is using a hand-me-down 27" iMac from 2011. It's getting long in the tooth and the internal hard drive (which had a recall that she never took care of and now is out of date) has died. I want to hand mine down to her.

If it weren't for that issue, I'd stay with what I have.

[mark]

If I ever do buy another Mac, it will be a MacMini. Loaded with memory and SSD and you have a very compact and capable machine.

[George K]

@mark said in Thinking about a new Mac...:

If I ever do buy another Mac, it will be a MacMini. Loaded with memory and SSD and you have a very compact and capable machine.

If you're going to hook it up to a reasonable monitor (27" or larger) there's no advantage to compactness, is there? And, you have more cables.

[Axtremus]

@George-K said in Thinking about a new Mac...:

@mark said in Thinking about a new Mac...:

MacMini.

And, you have more cables.

Hmm ... wonder when Apple will make the MacMini take power input via USB-C too. The power cable is the only "extra cable" required by the MacMini today over a MacBook Air. The MacMini also gives you most of the legacy ports you want.

[George K]

Looking at prices for various options here.

I'm looking at 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

If I go with the Mini or the Air, I'll have to spring for a monitor and a webcam (I'd keep my keyboard and mouse):

The price for the iMac is for this year's Intel version with an i5 processor, I assume that when Apple releases a new iMac this year, as is rumored, it'll be priced pretty similarly. Looks like the MacBook Air gives the same features as the iMac for a better price, even after all the add-ons.

[Klaus]

I may buy a new iMac when it is released with a new ARM chip (not the current one; I want more than 16GB of RAM).

[Copper]

Why a Dock with the mini?

[George K]

@klaus said in Thinking about a new Mac...:

I may buy a new iMac when it is released with a new ARM chip (not the current one; I want more than 16GB of RAM).

I've seen videos of performance with only 8 gigs of RAM on a MacBook Air. For the stuff that I do, 8 is probably adequate, and 16 is overkill, considering the videos I've watched. But...

Link to video

The other thing is that rumors say that the new iteration of iMac will be a 24" model. I really, really don't want a smaller screen than I have now. That's a big deal for me with my aging eyes.

[George K]

@copper said in Thinking about a new Mac...:

Why a Dock with the mini?

Hooking up external devices: I have a 4 bay enclosure which stores my Time Machine data, media (books, music), and another backup drive.

[jon-nyc]

@george-k said in Thinking about a new Mac...:

I'm looking at 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

That's what I have.

I just bought a webcam this week, delivered xmas eve. It's sitting in the box still by my desk.

Up to now I've been using my iPad for zoom calls.

[George K]

@jon-nyc how big is that monitor you have?

[Klaus]

@george-k said in Thinking about a new Mac...:

The other thing is that rumors say that the new iteration of iMac will be a 24" model. I really, really don't want a smaller screen than I have now.

True, I also want a 27". If they don't sell a 27" iMac anymore, I'll maybe go for a Mac Mini with external display.

[George K]

@klaus I have to wonder what the thinking is behind the rumored 24" version. Monitors are getting bigger and bigger.

Why would they do that?

ETA: I assume that all I would have to do is hook it up with an HDMI cable, right?

[Copper]

https://ulxstore.com/collections/leather-desk-mats/products/black-leather-desk-mat?variant=49844519507

You forgot the vegan leather desk mat.

vegan leather

That is a new one on me


[jon-nyc]

@george-k said in Thinking about a new Mac...:

@jon-nyc how big is that monitor you have?

24".

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HMUA2VC/A/lg-ultrafine-4k-display

[jon-nyc]

Funny I decry the creeping screen sizes. I remember being disappointed when they phased out the 21" iMac and I had to buy a 24. Equally when they kept making phones bigger.

Yeah its easier to read. But I have to carry my phone.

I guess I could live with a 27" monitor. Just seems so extreme. I'm right here, sitting in front of it.