Selecting a New Mac
I am frequently asked about which Mac to buy, or sometimes I encounter someone who has already purchased a new Mac but could have made a better choice. If you are thinking about purchasing a new Apple product you might want to do this before the 10% import tax from China is calculated into the new sales prices…
Apple Laptop
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air with M3 and M4 chips is very powerful and can handle complex photo and video editing projects.
Display Size:
MacBook Air 13” – Ideal for those who want the smallest size and have sharp eyesight.
MacBook Air 15” – A comfortable size to work with (the keyboard is also larger than on the 13”).
MacBook Pro
Many clients think they need a MacBook Pro. For the vast majority, this is overkill and a waste of money. The MacBook Pro only makes sense for professional video and music editing tasks, offering a choice of three different processors (M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max).
Display Size:
MacBook Pro 14” – A good size with normal portability.
MacBook Pro 16” – Designed for professionals who need a portable studio.
Desktop Macintosh
iMac 24”
There is no larger iMac, and there likely never will be. The good news is that the 24inch display is of excellent quality, and you will quickly feel comfortable using it. The M4 processor has ample horsepower, as long as you don’t choose the base model. More on that later.
Mac Mini
The new Mac Mini is an amazingly small yet very powerful computer at a very competitive price. However, you still need to invest in a display. The Apple Studio Display is a beauty and one of the best you can buy. A less expensive alternative is made by LG, which manufactures LCD panels for Apple. If you need a display just for web browsing and office tasks, a Dell UltraSharp will do just fine at a considerably lower price.
Display for Mac mini
The Apple Studio Display also features a builtin webcam, microphone, and decent speakers. With alternative displays, you may need to add an external microphone, speakers, and webcam for FaceTime/Zoom meetings.
Mac Studio / Mac Pro
These models can be configured for specific professional tasks like video and audio editing, 3D animation, and more. Only a few of my clients require such powerful Macs. Selecting the optimal configuration is a serious task.
Which Mac Model to Choose?
256GB of SSD storage is NOT ENOUGH
unless you only use your Mac for web browsing and office tasks. I frequently receive calls from people who have run out of space, leading to poor performance. Since internal storage cannot be upgraded, we must rely on cloudbased storage (iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive) or an external hard drive, which also requires a backup solution.
Choosing a model with a minimum of 512GB of storage ensures you move away from the base configuration, resulting in a great Mac. However, we usually end up choosing 1TB SSD storage to futureproof the Mac, considering the evergrowing photo and video libraries. Additionally, the Messages database can be quite large.
With sufficient storage, the Mac will generally come with enough memory. Unless you have specific needs—such as working with many open web browsers or performing heavy editing with Adobe Suite—there is no need to upgrade the memory.
10Gigabit Ethernet
This is only an option for non portable Macs like the Mac Mini, iMac, or Mac Studio. It makes sense if you have a very fast local network (wired connection and network switch) and need to exchange large files stored on a local NAS or server.
Setting Up a New Mac
Apple Store Setup Service
Unfortunately, I have received quite a few calls from people who were dissatisfied with this service.
Restoring from a Backup or Old Mac
If your old system was well maintained and running smoothly, you can get up and running quickly. Usually, this method is useful in cases of unexpected data loss on a fairly new machine.
Clean Start
Setting up the Mac from scratch ensures that only the necessary applications are installed. Personal data can be added from iCloud or restored from an external backup. I prefer this method, as it usually takes about 1–2 hours but saves time by avoiding redundant data and headaches signing into accounts.