Vratislav Holub There are currently three models in the Apple laptop range. Namely, it is the MacBook Air (2020), the 13″ MacBook Pro (2020) and the redesigned 14″/16″ MacBook Pro (2021). Since some Friday has already passed since the update of the first two mentioned pieces, it is not surprising that their possible changes have been addressed in recent months. The arrival of the new Air with the M2 chip and a number of other improvements is most often mentioned. However, the 13″ MacBook Pro stands slightly apart, which is slowly being forgotten, as it is practically oppressed from both sides. Does this model still make sense at all, or should Apple completely stop its development and production?
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Adam Kos Competition for the 13″ MacBook Pro
As we mentioned above, this model is slightly oppressed by its own "siblings", who do not put it in a completely suitable position. On the one hand, we have the aforementioned MacBook Air, which in terms of price/performance ratio is an amazing device with a number of capabilities, while its price starts at less than 30 thousand crowns. This piece is equipped with an M1 (Apple Silicon) chip, thanks to which it can cope with more demanding tasks. The situation is quite similar with the 13″ MacBook Pro – it offers practically the same internals (with a few exceptions), but costs almost 9 more. Although it is again equipped with an M1 chip, it also offers active cooling in the form of a fan, thanks to which the laptop can work at its maximum for a longer period of time.
Macbook Air (2020)
On the other hand, there is the 14″ and 16″ MacBook Pro introduced at the end of last year, which has moved several levels forward in terms of performance and display. Apple can thank the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips for this, as well as the Mini LED display with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. This device is therefore on a completely different level than such an Air or 13″ Pro model. The differences are of course strongly reflected in the price, as you can buy a 14" MacBook Pro from just under 59, while the 16" model costs at least almost 73 crowns.
Air or more expensive 13″ Pro?
So if someone is now choosing an Apple laptop and considering between Air and Pročko, then they are at a rather unclear crossroads. In terms of performance, the two products are extremely close, while the aforementioned redesigned MacBook Pro (2021) is intended for a completely different group of users, which can be quite confusing. If you need a light laptop for everyday work and from time to time you embark on something more demanding, you can easily get by with the MacBook Air. If, on the other hand, the computer is your livelihood and you are dedicated to demanding tasks, then neither of these basic devices is out of the question, because you probably need as much performance as possible.
The meaning of the 13″ MacBook Pro
So what exactly is the point of the 13 2020″ MacBook Pro? As already mentioned, this model is currently heavily oppressed by other Apple laptops. On the other hand, it is advisable to take into account that this piece is at least a little more powerful than the MacBook Air, thanks to which it can pedal more stably even in more demanding conditions. But there is (not only) one question in this direction. Is this minimal performance difference worth the price?
Honestly, I have to admit that although in the past I used exclusively Pro models, with the arrival of Apple Silicon I decided to change. Although I didn't save much money on the MacBook Air with M1, because I chose the more advanced version with the M1 chip with an 8-core GPU (the same chip as the 13″ MacBook Pro), I still have twice as much space thanks to the 512GB storage. Personally, the laptop is used for watching multimedia, office work in MS Office, surfing the Internet, editing photos in Affinity Photo and videos in iMovie/Final Cut Pro, or for occasional gaming. I've been using this model for over a year now, and in all that time I've encountered only one problem, when the 8GB RAM couldn't handle the onslaught of open projects in Xcode, Final Cut Pro, and several tabs in Safari and Google Chrome browsers.
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Anything that only has 2 ports, one of which must be used for charging, should not be marked PRO. Then I also don't understand the combinations of running programs - why does someone who develops in XCode have FinalCut open? I make programs in Xamarin and the combination of VisualStudio + FinalCutbby has never occurred to me. As someone tested what 8 GB of ram can withstand? I do not understand.