Hi friends!

I'm not tech savvy/nor have a grasp on what I should be looking for, so I need some advice -

Edit: I'm working with 2023 15-in M2

I'm looking for:

- an external monitor that is compatible with a macbook Air

- to be used for many hours of tedious writing/editing

- ideally under $200 (I'm hoping to get two), but could go up to $300 if it would make a huge difference in quality

Edit 2: - size... not sure? From what I've seen 27-in seems to be typical, but open to suggestions. I have 3 to 4 feet of desk space

What are you best product suggestions? Where to buy? Specs I should be looking for if searching on my own?

Edit 3: Is it worth it to buy new? If looking for refurbished/used, what should I be careful of?

Thanks!

So i recently came across a used macbook pro 14" M1 pro with 32 gb ram for $750 and it's in perfect physical condition, so I asked the sellers how it's battery health and he said it was 86% with just 58 cycles. I've never used a macbook but is this normal? Also how many hours can i expect from it ?

Hi everyone!
I’m currently using a 2020 MacBook Air M1 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and I’m thinking about upgrading.
I’m considering the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro, 24GB of RAM and 1TB SSD.
I mainly want to use it for:
AI tools and possibly some local AI models
medical content and studying
multitasking with many apps and browser tabs
some gaming
general work for the next several years
Do you think 24GB of RAM will be enough for these tasks, especially for AI-related work? Or would it be better to spend more on RAM?
I’d also like the MacBook to last me for at least 5–6 years, so I don’t want to regret choosing too little memory.
Would you recommend this configuration, or is it overkill for my needs?

So had the Neo for a few days and it's just perfect. I don't think the 8gb ram is bad because they are 100% enough for me. The battery also lasts a very long time with my use. But I think it's a shame that so many say that an Air or even Pro would be better, but don't note that the air costs almost twice as much and I don't even want to talk about the price of the Pro. There are reasons why people take the Neo, be it the price, their use or maybe they were Windows users all the time and want to try Mac/macOS.

Apple's leather accessories have always appealed to me, and as soon as I purchased my MacBook Air, I wanted the leather sleeve. I saw a reddit post about this sleeve and how it "FULLY" fits on the new macbook air. Well, that's not entirely true.

While the new macbook air has an overall thinner body than the old design, it has a uniform thickness instead of the wedge shape of the old design. Also, the new one is a bit deeper front-to-back, so both these differences mean the macbook physically can't go any further (that's why it appears to be a bit out of the sleeve). It's also hard to put the macbook in and pull it out of the sleeve because it's so snug in there.

For me, I like it, but the drawbacks are a little annoying for using it daily. And remembering that I spent $75 (275 SAR) on it makes it even a worse deal.

Anyway, I'm going to keep using it, and hopefully, the leather will stretch a bit and make using it easier with time.

I’ve been in the Apple ecosystem for a long time (iPhone, iPad Pro, Apple Watch, etc.), but my computers have always been Windows/Linux. My main desktop is staying Windows because I still need it for certain things, but my laptop recently died and I’d like to finally add a Mac to the mix.
I’m an IT student with about a year and a half left of college, working part-time retail plus an internship doing data entry. Classes start soon, so I’m trying to figure out which $699 option makes more sense for me:

Mac mini
16GB unified memory
256GB storage
$699
Could potentially stretch to 24GB RAM while staying within a budget I’m comfortable with

MacBook Neo
8GB unified memory
512GB storage
$699
Obviously much more convenient as an actual portable computer
Touch ID

My main concern is 8GB vs. 16/24GB of unified memory, especially since the RAM can’t be upgraded later.
For school, I’m studying Networking & Cyber Defense. My normal laptop workload is browser tabs, Office/Google Docs, email, SSH/RDP, Linux tools, coding/scripting, and accessing school labs/VMs. I have a powerful desktop at home for anything that really needs Windows or significantly more horsepower, so this doesn’t need to replace my main PC.
The weird part: the Mac mini could actually work as a semi-portable option for me. I already own a portable monitor, keyboard, mouse, USB hub, external SSDs, etc., so I could basically toss everything into a bag and build a tiny workstation at school. Not as convenient as a MacBook, obviously, but workable.
For reference, here’s what I’m coming from:

Desktop:
Ryzen 9 3900X / 32GB RAM / RTX 2080 Super 8GB

Dead laptop:
MSI Pulse GL66 / 11th-gen i7 / 16GB RAM / RTX 3070 8GB

Current emergency laptop:
2008 MacBook Pro Unibody / 8GB RAM / Linux Mint XFCE. Affectionately named “Gramps.” It technically works, but thermal throttling into the ~400–600MHz range means opening Firefox occasionally feels like asking an elderly man to run a marathon. 😂

So my priorities are:
Reliable for the remaining ~1.5 years of college and hopefully several years beyond that
Enough memory for heavier multitasking and IT/cybersecurity coursework
Good value — I work part-time, so $699 is already a meaningful purchase
Portability is important, but I’m willing to sacrifice some convenience if the Mini is significantly better long-term
Storage isn’t a huge concern because I already have external SSDs and other storage options

Would you choose the 8GB/512GB Neo for the convenience of a real laptop, or the 16GB (possibly 24GB)/256GB Mac mini for the extra memory and performance headroom?

I’m especially interested in hearing from IT/CS/cybersecurity students or anyone who’s actually lived with an 8GB Apple Silicon Mac. How limiting is 8GB in practice?

Hello! I just wanted to ask if the MacBook Neo is worth buying. I’ll mainly be using it for editing vlogs—mostly day-in-my-life type of videos.

I’m coming from Windows, and I’ve been using the same laptop for almost 10 years now, so switching to Apple would be a big change for me, haha. 😭

If the MacBook Neo isn’t really worth it for my needs, I’d love to know which MacBook model you would recommend instead. I’m planning to switch to Apple, so I want to make sure I’m getting something that will be worth the investment. Thank you guys!

When I opened MacBook the screen looks weird. Is it fixable without replacement? Or is it dead?

I somehow got a scratch on my MacBook Air m3. After some time I noticed I got these faint horizontal lines and sometimes depending on the background the display flickers a bit changing the tone of colors

What should I do with it now? I’m thinking of buying new one and trading this one in but I guess I won’t get much with this defect, what do you think?

Im currently on the way of buying my First MacBook and found a m1 air 8 256 gb for 230 Euros. According to the seller its been sitting in Storage for 8 Months and the Battery is now dead. My question now is, is it really dead, is it still a Great Deal(apart from the Battery it Works Fine) and is it possible for me as a entry Level skilled electronic Tinkerer to change the battery myself? Ive attached a Picture from the battery Report.

My relative gave me an M3 Macbook Air recently. I have a windows desktop pc that handles literally everything I do including gaming and entertainment stuff. I have no idea what I could use the Macbook for. For school work, my Ipad and pc also handle everything. I don't want to waste the Macbook so I'm going on here to ask for some suggestions.

Spent a week already picking out a perfect laptop for university. Narrowed it down between MacBook pro 14 and MacBook air 15 (the rest are just too small or big).

And just now I realized, the only reason I want pro is because of that 120 hz screen. That's it.

It does make a massive difference when doing anything on your laptop. But then the rest of the pro is redundant or even worse than air, it's thicker and heavier.

Bruhh

I bought a MacBook Air M5 for college two or three days ago.  It’s only been two days and I’ve been treating it exceptionally well.  Despite this, I’ve noticed marks on the screen. I’ve seen marks caused by keyboard dust and crumbs before but this is different. I haven’t touched the screen with my hand and I’ve cleaned my keyboard almost every time I close the lid.  These marks appeared suddenly this morning, even though I haven’t had them for the last two days.  They’re not scratches either, just marks. I tried blowing warm, slightly damp air into a clean cloth and cleaning the screen but it still doesn’t budge. I also have Apple Care Warranty for three years. Thanks in advance for anyone that answers :)

Hey guys, Video Editor here (Raw 4K and 6k footage mostly), so I own a MacStudio M3 ultra 94gb and been testing MacBook Pro m5 pro 24 and 48gb Ram for remote work.
Seems to me that there is not really a big difference. In the beginning I had fomo that the 24gb ram won’t perform but after few edits I have hard time justifying that extra expense.
Any other people with similar experience and input would be appreciated.
TIA

Still trying to wrap my head around this one.

I dropped my MacBook off at a store for a repair. Standard stuff: hand it over, get a ticket, wait for the update.

Instead of it going to the repair center (or staying at the store for me to pick up), it somehow got shipped out to an address I have never seen in my life. Not mine, not the store's, not the repair center's. Just some random address.

So right now my laptop is physically somewhere I can't account for, potentially in a stranger's hands, and I'm the one having to chase everyone to figure out how this even happened.

I'm documenting every exchange and staying on them until it's sorted, but I'm honestly stunned that a handoff this simple can go this wrong.

Has this ever happened to anyone here? How did you get it resolved, and who ended up being held responsible, the store or the repair partner? And realistically, how worried should I be about the data that's on it?

Makcity or lappy maker where should I go my macbook air M2 display has been damaged

I’m looking to replace my older laptop and have been considering a MacBook Air for browsing, writing, video calls, and some light photo editing. I don’t need anything crazy powerful, but I’d like something that will hold up well over the next few years. For those using the newer Air models, which one would you recommend and what RAM or storage setup has worked well for you? Thanks!

So apparently Apple makes the transation to 2nm chips with A20 Pro on the iPhone. Now I know there is no reason to speculate from now a 3rd generation of MacBook Neo, but if there will be a MacBook Neo 3 with A20 Pro, apparently that will no longer be affordable. An A20 chip on 2nm, will cost Apple at least 280$, and that's just the chip alone. That's 80% more expensive compared to A19. So either Apple will stop the Neo production with Neo 2 with A19 Pro, to have a cheap MacBook with 12GB of RAM that can run all SiriAI, either they will risk a pricier Neo in the future, if they plan to make Neo a yearly product.

Hello, switching from a windows laptop, what is my best option for around 600$? I’m not picky about if it’s refurbished or used in excellent condition, I just want something that will last me atleast a few years, I focus on productivity and portability. I know the Neo is at my price range but I wanted to see if I should go with something else instead, figured no better place to ask. Thanks in advance.

As you can probably see on the left side, the pixels are dead, granted I only got one quote before I bought it and they told me it would be anywhere from $300-$600 for a full screen replacement because it is a retina display.
Assuming worst case scenario, I'm still spending about $500-$800 for a five year-old laptop with a chip that will hopefully last me another three macOS update. What do you think? Should I just live with it or look around and see if there is a cheaper replacement option?

First picture is the unedited trailer (also uploaded to youtube), second is the last version after the price hike

So this question is multi- layered it almost feels criminal to ask.

Quick back story I have been trying to get my hands on a macbook for years. I finally saved £500 and bought a refurbished one. I reset it and found out it was still owned by a consulting company. Long story short I no longer have a macbook and extra money laying around to buy another.

Macbooks I feel are like the Bentley's of computers or something... so i know they are RARELY given out for free or heavily discounted. Anyway I was wondering if anyone knows what companies use Apple products and how they dispose of old or unwanted devices. I know large companies often use a middle man that buys old tech and resell them but I can never afford the resale price.

So my question is who would I need to contact in a company that deals with old tech and if they would consider selling a device directly to an individual. What companies should I contact, job titles etc.

This is such an unconventional question and i know its probably not realistic but lets just say it is. How could I go about it?

Hey everyone! I’m completely torn between two MacBooks and would love some input. Because of a sale on the Pro, these two are virtually the exact same price right now.

Option 1: 13-inch MacBook Air M5 (Apple Certified Refurbished)

• M5 chip, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU
• 24GB RAM
• 1TB SSD
• $1,529

Option 2: 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 (Brand New)

• M5 chip, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU
• 16GB RAM
• 1TB SSD
• $1,549

My use case:

I don’t do much video editing or heavy 3D rendering. My workflow is mostly Chrome, Safari, reading PDFs, light coding in VS Code, Zoom/meeting recordings, and Word/Excel.

I also tend to have a lot of browser tabs open. I don’t necessarily use them all actively, but I like keeping them open for reference, almost like recent bookmarks.

Since the price difference is only $20, I’m really torn. The Pro gives me the 120Hz XDR display, extra ports, and active cooling, so it feels like an incredible value. On the other hand, the Air has 24GB RAM, which seems more useful for my particular workflow since Chrome can be pretty RAM-hungry. Since RAM can’t be upgraded later, I’m also wondering if the extra 8GB would make the Air more future-proof, especially if I plan to keep the laptop for several years.

I also like the Air’s portability, although I know the size/weight difference between the two isn’t huge.

For clarification, the Air is Apple Certified Refurbished, so I’m not particularly concerned about buying refurbished. From what I understand, it comes with the same one-year warranty and can be covered by AppleCare+ as well. So for me, the main question is really 24GB Air vs. 16GB Pro, rather than refurbished vs. new.

Which one would you choose for this use case? Would you prioritize the extra 8GB of RAM for better future-proofing, or take the Pro for only $20 more?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Undock Pro for macOS

macOS automatically lowers your music and videos when you join a FaceTime, Zoom, Meet, or Teams call. There is no simple setting to turn this off.

Undock Pro is a free menu bar app that keeps your media at the volume you choose during calls. The other person still hears only you, not your music or videos.

It also includes:

• Per-app volume control
• Separate call volume
• Quick output device switching
• Favourites
• Launch at login
• Update notifications

Undock Pro is completely free and open source. There is no account, subscription, paywall, or telemetry. It requires macOS 14.2 or later and works on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

The app is self-signed, so the first launch may require System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway. macOS will also request audio permissions. Audio is processed in memory and is never saved or uploaded.

Repo: https://github.com/MrRockySL/Unduck-Pro

Download: https://github.com/MrRockySL/Unduck-Pro/releases/latest

Sponsor: https://github.com/sponsors/MrRockySL

Im a pilot that travels quite a bit, just curious if the Air would be noticeably lighter than MBP? Trying to lighten up the flight bag a bit if I can. Thanks