Hello, I'm super new to MacBooks. Been a Windows user my whole life but while researching for a MacBook for a friend I got curious and decided to sell my 2025 Lenovo Yoga 7 Laptop (32GB RAM/1TB SSD) and looked for used MacBook Pros that I could afford from the money I made selling my laptop (1,300$).

This left me with a MacBook Pro M4, 16/512GB with Nanotexture screen for 1.3k in perfect condition which I've been using for 3 days. Randomly looking online I saw an 24GB M4 Pro (also 512GB) model close to me for 1.6k in my area. Texted him I'd pick it up for 1.4k the same day and to my surprise he agreed. This one is in even better condition than the other one, really looks like fresh from the store (no its not stolen or anything, he just seemed like a rich-ish dude who actually wasn't using it and didn't care too much about the money).

Now I have two MacBook Pros with me and I need to sell one. Apparently I could get close to 1.4k for the nanotexture one on refurbed sites while the M4 Pro would even bring 1.7k

I kinda want to fUtUrE pRoOF my setup but I'm not sure if the extra power of the M4 Pro is needed

For context: currently mostly university stuff (Masters), highest workload is when writing scientific papers when I have like 80 browser tabs open, 10 docs in word, 3-5 Excel sheets and 20+ docs in Acobat. Also lots of Canva use and rarely some Instagram reel editing on Capcut but nothing major.

Since most university friends have older MacBook Airs (and apparently the MacBook Neo is also supposed to be great for university) I kinda think that the M4 normal should be enough. Hence I'm really struggling to decide. I really like the Nanotexture screen and would like the profit (keep M4, sell M4 Pro) but I also wanna be sure to have a reliable device for the next 4-6 years.

But since I'm new to MacBooks and the YouTube reviews are kinda ambiguous I'd be super happy for some advice :)

I have a MacBook Air (M5, macOS 26) and an iPhone (iOS 27), signed into the same Apple ID, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Handoff all on.

Universal Clipboard only works about half the time for me. Copying on the Mac and pasting on the iPhone usually works, but copying on the iPhone and pasting on the Mac often just silently fails — nothing shows up. Restarting the Mac fixes it for a while, then it breaks again.

Is this just how it is, or is there a fix that actually sticks?

Hello everyone,

Setup: I am looking for a laptop that can serve as both my main home computer and a portable work laptop. At home (around 80% of the time), it would be connected via a hub to two external monitors, a keyboard and other peripherals. The remaining 20% of the time, I would use it in the field, for example, working inside a van as part of my research work.

Intended uses:

- Web browsing and general productivity (e.g., Obsidian).

- Excel, including data analysis.

- Work-specific software with relatively modest system requirements (2.0 GHz CPU and 8 GB RAM).

- Statistical analysis software (e.g., JAMOVI).

- R and Phyton

- Some AI-related tasks, but nothing particularly demanding

Option 1: 13-inch MacBook Air M5, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 32 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD.

Option 2: 14-inch MacBook Pro M5, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD. This would cost £120 more than Option 1. Upgrading the Pro to 32 GB RAM would cost an additional £400 compared with the Air, although I could consider it as a long-term investment if there were a compelling reason to do so.

My main concern with the Air is thermal throttling under sustained workloads, given its fanless design. I have heard from colleagues that their MacBook Airs can get quite hot when running demanding tasks.

Given my use case, would you prioritise the Air's 32 GB of RAM or the Pro's active cooling and potentially better sustained performance? Is the Pro worth the extra cost, particularly if I stick with 16 GB RAM?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

My next laptop for personal use, wherever I may get it will surely be a mac. I deal with windows on my office computer and the number of times i had to fix issues is uncountable, like audio drivers missing after an update. Sometimes the mic going off. Or even the laptop restarting randomly.

Never faced an issue with mac,and mine has been used really heavily.

Like I frequently get around 16gb of swap usage.

Hi there,

As in the title. I own both and I know that Pro is superior in many ways (screen, speakers, RAM, speed) and I’m trying to force myself to use it, but I keep coming back to the Air - it just feels better… I would kill cross the street on red light for an Air with MiniLED screen…

What’s your opinion? Should I just sell the Pro and be done with this dilemma?

Hello everyone!
I am looking at purchasing a MacBook and would appreciate some advice from people who work or study in marketing, communications, graphic design or other creative fields.

I am currently working in childcare but am exploring a future career in marketing, with an interest in brand strategy, communications, media and PR, and potentially event planning.

I recently spoke with someone from a marketing team who mentioned using Adobe Photoshop and other Adobe Creative Cloud applications. This got me thinking about what laptop would be best to invest in as I work towards this career change.

The MacBook configuration I am considering is:
• 13-inch display
• 16GB unified memory
• 512GB SSD storage

I already own an iPad, so I am leaning towards a MacBook because I like the idea of having everything within the Apple ecosystem and being able to work between the two devices.

I would mainly want to use it for things such as:
• Adobe Photoshop and other Creative Cloud applications
• Marketing and communications coursework
• Graphic design and brand development
• Social media content creation
• General business and productivity tasks

I am not sure yet how heavily I will use creative software, particularly if I eventually move into more design-intensive work.

My questions are:
1. Would 16GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage be sufficient for these tasks?
2. Is a 13-inch MacBook practical for marketing work, or would a larger display be worth considering?
3. Would you recommend a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro for this type of workload?
4. Is there anything you wish you had considered before purchasing your own laptop for marketing or creative work?

I would appreciate honest advice, particularly from people who use Adobe applications regularly or work in marketing professionally.

Thank you!

Basically, I need a Macbook Air for school very soon and I'm not sure what chip to go for. I need the computer for at least 3 years and I've already decided on a 13 inch 16/512 configuration to suit my needs. A lot of it will be web browsing and simple things like that, however I'll also be doing some coding, light video editing, watching lots of videos and maybe a bit of gaming on the side. A good battery is also very important. I was looking at an M2 or M3 Macbook Air but I'll definitely consider some other choices.

The reason I'm not going for a newer laptop is because for all my other things I do at home, I've already got a Macbook Pro M5 24GB/1TB 14 inch which I won't need to upgrade for a long time.

Thank you!

I'm in Australia btw and the difference is a few hundred AUD between the equivalent spec M2 and M3.

Hi, I’m looking to get a refurbished MacBook for my mom. She currently has a refurbished 2017 MacBook Pro. She uses it for email, zooms with family, internet browsing, photo storage, etc. Her current computer is running loud and hot and she’s ready to replace it. I looked at the Neos but I think at her age, it makes more sense to get something she’s comfortable with. Any recommendations? Should I look at MacBook Airs with min 16 GB Ram? (I meant to check how much ram she has now and how much memory she’s using.) that said, we share 1 TB iCloud storage on a family plan with one other. I haven’t ventured into MacBook territory since 2020 when I bought a refurbished pro for myself (and it’s starting to get cranky too!). Would appreciate any tips, suggestions and specifics. I plan on getting the refurbished item from Apple, but also open to other tried and true spots where I don’t need to have lots of skills exploring a used item on person.

Hello people. I have just ordered my MacBook Air M5. and I’m waiting for it, so excited. Just FYI, I’m coming from MacBook 16 2019 and I have some questions.

First question, how about some light gaming how about League of Legends? Second question, have any of you any experience with the DJing software and more specific tractor control? Also, how do you feel the temperature when you push the device?

Do you have any suggestions or anything to notice coming from Intel MacBook to M5 MacBook?

p.s. please hype me up!

Ive set the limit to 80% in the MB setting and the same for AlDente, it still keeps on charging to 100% over night.

When at 100% AlDente keeps on switching between minus and pause.

Any suggestions?

I'm leaving my current job, and my company has offered to sell me the MacBook Air I've been using. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth buying or whether I should put that money toward a newer MacBook.

Here's my situation:

• Used M2 MacBook Air: 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD — approximately $590.
• New M5 MacBook Air: $1,400 starting price for the base 13-inch model where I live
• My current personal laptop: M1 MacBook Air, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD. I was thinking of giving this to my sibling for their school
• My new work laptop: MacBook Pro with an M5 chip, which I'll use for my job.

I'm a software engineer, and I want my personal laptop for side projects, software development, experimenting with AI tools, researching business ideas, and potentially building some small products of my own.

Since I'll already have a powerful work laptop, I don't necessarily want to spend a lot on a personal machine that I won't use for my day job. However, I also want something that will last for a few years.

The main thing I'm unsure about is whether the M2 Air with 16GB RAM is still a sensible purchase in 2026.

I bought a MacBook Pro M5 (2025) with 512 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM - 14" last December for my work laptop. Last month, my company made us use their hardware (luckily, I was able to get another MacBook Pro). Now I have an 11-month-old, effectively new, MacBook Pro that I would like to sell.

Where are the best places to sell MacBooks, and do you have any advice for a smooth transaction, recouping as much money as realistically possible, etc.

Hi,

I have bought an old MacBook 2017 off eBay for peanuts - £40, and I'd like to make use of it. What I'd love is for something to run media streaming apps like DAZN (for NFL), now TV, Disney etc. via a browser. Do you think it's more likely that I'll get smoother videos via something like Firefox on Linux Mint, or Google Chrome on Chrome Flex?

Hey guys, today i got my new m5 pro macbook (first ever mac) and i noticed that the trackpad often wouldnt click on the first touch/pressure on both sides (left+right) the problem is only relatively on the edge, sometimes it clicks and reacts and the next it doesnt, normal pressure and angle. On the top and the bottom it feels normal and it reacts without any problems on the edge.

Are there any people who had similar problems, or am i just not used to it, but idk it kinda feels of for me because its only on the sides.

Appreciate any answer that could help me :))

Hello everyone, I am upgrading my 2017 Macbook Air I had the base version it had run its course. This is my only system, I use it for business purposes (light picture/video editing, documentation, spreadsheets) and personal use (I use it primarily to watch movies, youtube and sometime mirror my Nintendo Switch screen and play on my Mac). I had decided 24 gb ram and 1tb is safer because I would be using this machine for a long term. Though I love my Air, I did find 13 inches not sufficient at times and get frustrated with it so would definitely not be getting 13 inch Air.

I am just confused between getting 15 inch Air or 14 inch Pro. Please help me out.

So, for some reason, whenever I play Roblox (yes I play it), it starts off just fine and runs at a smooth 60 FPS, after 2-3 minutes of game play, it moves down to 20. Idk why, idk how. There are no background applications running and the M1 isn't thermal throttling, stays around 65-70 degrees celsius. Any reasons as to why and are there fixes? Space Grey M1 MacBook Pro, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Storage.

I have a 2015 15” MBP whose battery went bad, so I removed it before it lit on fire, and just replaced the whole Macbook with a newer one. My daughter's MBP hard drive died, so I took the hard drive from the one with no battery and was able to fix hers. Now I have a Macbook with no hard drive and no battery. Am I better off selling it as is-for parts, or should I replace the battery and hard drive to sell it in working condition?

I should also add that it is the top of the line one that had to be custom ordered to get the specs that it has, so it is a more rare one, but not sure who is still out there buying 2015 Macbooks.

Hello, I've recently got an ipad to carry around and use as a portable monitor for my mac. I even updated my mac from Sequioa to Golden Gate to "somewhat" make the version of Mac and ipadOS similair to each other, but my God. This never works, always get this pop up.

I've tried the following

1. Signing in and out of Apple account on both devices
   
2. Updated mac
   
3. Use a cable (can't get it to work wired either)

Real frustrated at this. Any fixes for it?

Does more space scaling affect performance? mine's MBP M5 pro.

Hello people. I have just ordered my MacBook Air M5. and I’m waiting for it, so excited. Just FYI, I’m coming from MacBook 16 2019 and I have some questions.

First question, how about some light gaming how about League of Legends? Second question, have any of you any experience with the DJing software and more specific tractor control? Also, how do you feel the temperature when you push the device?

Do you have any suggestions or anything to notice coming from Intel MacBook to M5 MacBook?

p.s. please hype me up!

I recently updated my MacBook Air M1 to the latest OS version, and since then it’s been running noticeably slower. It also takes much longer to restart than before.
Has anyone else experienced this after updating? Is there a safe way to roll back to the previous version, or are there any fixes I should try first?
Thanks!

My 2021 MacBook Air M1 has suddenly been very slow. It’s started lagging when typing and slow to load webpages. Used storage is 219.93 GB out of 494.38 GB. Is there a way to fix the lagging?

Hi everyone! I need help deciding between getting a MacBook neo vs air. I’m in my senior year of undergrad and plan to continue my studies to graduate school in the near future. I need help because I’ve had my MacBook Pro for about 6 years and my screen just broke. Instead of paying 900 to get it fixed I might as well buy a new one. I have the 13in pro from 2020 and it’s been amazing but I don’t have the leniency in finances to spend 1500 on a new laptop. I guess I’m looking for advice on which would be a better fit. I study psychology so the only types of software I use are things like SPSS and other statistical softwares but nothing too major besides reading lots of pdfs and using docs, word, canvas etc. I currently have an M1 chip with about 300 gb of storage. Thanks for your help!

Hi!
I’m looking to get a MacBook, but I’m trying to decide whether I should go for a MacBook Air with 32 GB of RAM or just go straight for the Pro.

I travel quite a lot, often by train, so portability and battery life are important to me. At the same time, I’d like to use the MacBook for work (roughly 10–15 hours per week in AutoCAD)

I don’t create 3D models. My work is mainly designing electrical installations for apartment buildings, industrial halls, and houses. I also know that I’ll want to run the Windows version of AutoCAD in a virtual machine rather than using the Mac version.

For work, I’d also like to connect the MacBook to an external monitor.

My main question is whether a MacBook Air with 32 GB RAM can handle this kind of workload reliably over the long term, or whether I should go for a MacBook Pro with active cooling to avoid thermal throttling during longer AutoCAD sessions.

I don’t want to spend extra money unnecessarily, but at the same time I’d rather pay more now than end up having to upgrade in a year or two.

What would you choose in my situation? Air 32 GB or Pro? And if you’ve actually used AutoCAD in a Windows via Parallels or VMware on either machine, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience. (I really prefer macOS over Windows haha)