May 2020 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

The New(ish) 13-Inch MacBook Pro is Here Apple announced a refresh of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Many of us expected them to stretch the screen to 14-inches as they did with the awesome 16-inch model, but they didn't. They did put in the much better Magic Keyboard and in doing so tossed aside the widely disliked Butterfly Keyboard. It is a mild refresh and not the aggressive re-imaging that we had hoped, but it's good enough with the new keyboard, an actual Escape key, and the introduction of the 10th generation iSeries processors. Of the three models. the one that starts at $1799 is the best value in our opinion. For a $500 premium over the base 13-inch unit you get a faster processor that's two generations newer, 16 GB of faster RAM, and 512 GB of Flash Storage. For more info on the new MacBook Pro visit Apple: https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro-13/

Which Mac Laptop Should You Buy?

With the refresh of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple is back to having solid offerings for all three levels of laptops. Which one to get is the big question. Here are our tips: MacBook Air - Portability The MacBook Air is built for portability and that costs money. As a result, even though it appears to be the least expensive MacBook, it isn't necessarily the best value. By the time you beef up the innards it can quickly climb in price to MacBook Pro levels, and even then it can't match the power of the Pros. Don't get me wrong here: the MacBook Air is a great computer for the right person and the right use. If portability is your main goal and you are only doing basic computing (email, web, some photos, etc.) then the MacBook Air can be a terrific option. 13-Inch MacBook Pro - General Use The new 13-Inch MacBook Pro comes in several flavors. The one that we recommend is the model with the 10th generation processors. It starts at $1799. This is a good, solid machine for general use: Microsoft Powerpoint, photo editing, and light video editing. It only has quad-core processors, and in the age of gluttonous 64-bit operating systems like macOS Catalina, six-core options like in the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the iMacs, and Mac Minis have more power to deal with year-to-year advances in software. That is not saying the 13-inch MacBook Pro can't go the distance -- it can, but it's important to decide how you are planning on using your laptop and how long you intend to keep it. 16-Inch MacBook Pro - Best Value, Great Power Even though they are pricey, the power they bring to the table is excellent. This is the computer to choose if you plan on holding onto it for years, do a lot of photo editing with Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, edit videos with Final Cut, or just want a computer that will go the distance and handle whatever Apple throws at it with system upgrades. AppleCare+ - Yes, You Need It Once you purchase a MacBook there is no upgrading. It is all one piece, meaning if something breaks the entire machine needs to be replaced. It's just like the iPhones these days. AppleCare+ is a must, as bad RAM is no longer a $100 inconvenience, but a $700+ system board swap.

Apple Stores Are Closed: What About Hardware Issues? Apple sent out a vague email about reopening their retail shops, but there is no word about the Apple Stores here in Arizona. So what do you do if you need a hardware repair? Visiting the Support Page at Apple.com (https://getsupport.apple.com/) or calling 1-800-MY-APPLE are the ways to get in touch with them in order to get a hardware repair started. Depending if it is a device or a computer, they will mail a box to you for you to ship the item back to them for repair. No, this is not ideal, but what is right now? We've shepherded several machines and devices through this process and it's not all that bad, and in some cases was much better than slogging a machine into the Apple Store. It seems like there may be an announcement soon about when they are set to reopen, but the phone number or website options will continue to be available. It will be your choice.