I've a New Macbook!

Today, I bought a new Macbook.

I wanted another portable Mac but didn't want an Air.  I also wanted something with a bit more horsepower than what I already had, as my Air is a base model.

I wanted more than just 8 GB of memory.  

I wanted more than just 256 GB of drive space.

I wanted a bigger screen than 13".

I wanted a system that offered a bit more longevity.

I wanted to be less compromising when it comes to hardware.

Here are the specs of the new notebook:

Make/Model:  MacBook Pro 14" (MRX43LL/A - Release Year 2023)

Chip:  M3 Pro

Memory:  18GB

GPU:  18-core

CPU:  12-core

Drive capacity:  1TB SSD

Color: Space Black

I've also gained ports/connections when compared to my MBA:  I now have MagSafe, an extra (3 todal) Thunderbolt port, an SD card slot, and an audio cable port.  The system also has fans, to keep temps down - the Air doesn't have fans.

The whole system certainly seems less fragile than my Air.

So, I wanted more than just 8 GB of RAM because the Air was always using a LOT of swap after all the memory was consumed.  I was always having to close apps to get the system to release memory.

I wanted more than just 256 GB of drive space because I was always struggling to perform OS updates with the Air.  The Air's drive space was always 75-80% consumed and I believe that SSDs require some extra drive space for TRIM management - if I was always at 80%, I'm sure that TRIM was close to being adversely affected.  I'd been using external drives as workspace, but that doesn't solve the 80% consumption of system drive space.  1 TB gives me a lot more elbow room and it also gives me serious trade-in power, as well.  Plus, I don't have to depend upon external drives.

Regarding display size, 14" is significantly better than 13".  On paper, it seems like a small difference, but it's practical and is a noticeable difference.

When I buy notebooks and PCs, I always compromise.  I didn't want to do that with this one.  Actually, I did compromise - I actually wanted a 16" MBP but that's immediately a $2000 system, and a base system, too.  To have the system I wanted in 16" variation would've put me at $2500+ and that amount assaults my sensibilities, so I had to compromise.  This system was $1800.  I've spent that amount in the past on a gaming laptop and that laptop was obsolete rather quickly.  I worry less about that with a MBP.  I can easily see myself using this MBP for 5-6 years.

I also bought a set of Airpods Max.  I have a set of Beats Studio Pros that haven't faired well.  They're rickety AF right now.  I've put a LOT of use on them, to the point that I am expecting them to fail soon.  I needed a good headset and I've historically not had good experiences with what I've chosen in the past.  I decided to splurge on the Max.  I actually hate the Beats Studio Pros...they're inferior to anything that is Apple-branded, as Apple purposesly neuters the Beats products so that they won't be competitive with the Apple brands.  They're designed mainly for users who want to use them with Android smartphones.

I'm excited to try this new gear, as I've some backlogged video editing that I need to catch up on.  I'll report my usage experience as I use the new equipment!

UPDATE (3/31/2025):  Uhmmm....this laptop has GREAT sound!  I thought my Macbook Air sounded great.  Apparently, MBPs have a six-speaker system.

UPDATE (4/6/2025):  I installed homebrew and then fastfetch.  Screenshot --

UPDATE (5/29/2025):  I've seen folks complaining about the dark-colored Macbooks for some time.  The mantra is either that the paint wears prematurely, that it scratches easily (which reveals the undercoat), or that it's a fingerprint magnet.  Why did I buy a Space Black MBP?  Because I wanted something different.  I've been playing it safe with my Apple products - all have been Space Gray, as I thought that most of my products should match and I also didn't want to be battling fingerprints.  As well, my equipment is pristine...the only products that have scratches are my smartphone and my Apple Watch (because I wear one and because the other is either in my hand or in my pocket).  So, have I had to battle fingerprints on the MBP?  Surprisingly, no, but then again, I wash my hands a lot and my hands aren't usually oily/greasy.

Macbook Air M1 & Multiple External Displays

 I saw several folks on Reddit complaining that the new M2 Macbook Air only supports one external monitor.  Technical specifications state that one 6K display is supported but I saw several posts over the past 30 days stating folks have been using multiple external displays with the M1 Mac Minis, which uses the exact same SoC as the M1 Macbook Air.

I decided to check with my Mac Mini M1to see what it would handle and if it could see more than one external monitor.

My Mac Mini is currently connected to an iMac 27" Late 2009 using a Thunderbolt-to-miniDisplayPort cable.  I switch between it and the iMac using Target Display Mode, which I posted about a few weeks ago.  My gaming PC uses a Samsung 34" UltraWQHD screen.  I disconnected it from my gaming PC and connected the display to the Mac Mini using and HDMI-to-HDMI cable, connecting it to the Mini's HDMI port.  The result is that the Mini is able to use both screens without issue, with both rendering in  1440p.

I then attempted to use the same two displays with my MBA M1.  Since the MBA M1 only has the two TB ports on the left side of the system, I had to use my Anker hub, which has an HDMI port.  I found that the MBA M1 can only use one of the two 1440p displays at a time, not both at the same time.  I did not alter the resolution.  NOTE - since the MBA only allows the usage of one external display, using a hub isn't necessary; you can use the aforementioned Thunderbolt-to-miniDisplayPort cable, which will give you the option of 1440p with the 27" iMac.

I think that two 4k monitors is a too much for the bandwidth of the MBA M1 and I've seen articles mentioning that two 4K displays was too much.  I need to test to determine if it'll detect both displays if one is not 4K or if I have to lower the resolution on both for them to be detected.

There are solutions that will allow the usage of multiple displays with the MBA M1, but you've to install DisplayLink.  I haven't tried that yet.

To be honest, the 34" as an external (or second) display is extremely large...it's like having two screens when in 1440p.  That's actually quite enough space for me, but I'll make it a project of trying to get the two 1440p displays to work with the MBA M1.

Macbook Air (2020) M1 Base On the Way!

 I'd been torn on whether to get a mobile Mac, especially so shortly after I'd bought the M1 Mini (a few weeks ago).

I want to spend time on the Mac but also be near family.  The Mini is in the basement, which is where my office desk is.  I'd tried remoting into the Mini from the den while logged into my Dell G7, but there's some lag that takes away from the experience.  So, I decided to buy another Mac.

I mentioned I was torn on whether to make another Mac purchase.  Well, I was doubly torn with this purchase, as I couldn't decide on the Air or the Pro.  The Pro is a bit more expensive, but the specs between the two are almost identical.  I think the Air has 7 GPU cores while the Pro has 8 (note that there's an 8 GPU core option for the M1 MBA).  Also, the Air is fan-less while the Pro has a fan.  The Air doesn't have the touch bar but the Pro does.

I decided on the Air Base model because of price.  The Air was $150 less and has the same exact specs as the Macbook Pro 13" (2020 M1).  This Air is Space Gray in color.  That's a rather trivial difference but I'm trying to cut costs.  As well, there was $60 sales tax on this purchase!  If I could've found a Pro that was open box, it would've been as cheap as a new Air, but they had no open boxed Pros.  They also didn't have any certified used ones in this area.

I'm excited.  The only thing I'm missing now is the Apple Watch.  That one can wait until next year.

UPDATE:  I picked it up from Best Buy maybe an hour ago.  It is sweet. I think I should've bought this before I bought the Mini, but that's OK because they're both low-end Mac systems and I'm not under a financial burden.  I can use both.  The Air is pulling the new update (12.4) that was released last night.  The Mini is pulling the same update.  I'll have more to report over the next week or so.

UPDATE 2:  Three weeks later, Apple notified the public of two new incoming models - the Macbook Air M2 model and the Macbook Pro M2 model (which is basically the M2 SoC within the M1 shell - shitty "refresh", in my opinion)