The Current Laptop Lineup: A Comprehensive Overview

When it comes to laptops, there are several options available in the market, each with its own set of features and advantages. In this article, we will explore the current laptop lineup from Apple, including their latest offerings and some alternative purchasing routes.

One of the most unique devices in the market is the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3. This device is incredibly thin and light, making it a great option for those who want a portable laptop without sacrificing performance. The full-size keyboard is also a notable feature, which is often absent in laptops that prioritize portability over functionality. However, one of the main drawbacks of this device is its single port, which requires users to unplug the power cord and then plug in their adapter or dongle to charge or connect to other devices. This can be an inconvenience for some users, but it's a trade-off for the device's exceptional build quality and design.

Another option worth considering is the two MacBooks: the 13-inch and 15-inch models. In recent years, Apple has upgraded their MacBook lineup with more powerful processors, including four- and six-core CPUs in the 2018 models. However, it's essential to note that these upgrades may not be necessary for every user, especially those who primarily use their laptop for basic tasks like typing documents. The main advantage of these MacBooks is their portability and display quality, but they do come with a higher price tag.

For developers and professionals who require more power and flexibility, the two MacBooks are still a great option. However, for most users, the newer MacBook Air or even the 12-inch MacBook may be sufficient. The main advantage of these devices is their portability and reliability, making them an excellent choice for those who need a laptop that can keep up with their active lifestyle.

On the other hand, Apple's iPad Pro has become a more viable alternative to laptops in recent years, thanks to the new iPad OS. While it still has some limitations, such as its file system and app availability, the iPad Pro is now a more attractive option for those who want to try out a laptop-like experience without breaking the bank. The device's price point is still relatively high, but it's becoming more accessible for users who are willing to invest in this technology.

For those on a tight budget, buying older MacBooks from 2014-2015 can be an attractive option. These devices were once considered the best of everything and had upgradable components, making them reliable and repairable. However, it's essential to note that these machines are now four or five years old, which means they may require more maintenance and repairs in the future. Despite this, buying older MacBooks can be a cost-effective option for those who need a laptop for iOS development or other specific tasks.

However, when it comes to purchasing newer MacBooks, the resale value of these devices is a crucial consideration. Traditionally, Apple's MacBooks have had excellent resale value, but with the 2016 and onwards models, this may be affected due to their complex and expensive repair process. If someone buys a second-hand MacBook and needs to replace its RAM or drive, it can be an expensive proposition, as the replacement parts can cost upwards of $700-$800.

In conclusion, when choosing a laptop, there are several factors to consider, including portability, performance, display quality, and price. While Apple's latest offerings are excellent devices, they come with a higher price tag. On the other hand, alternative options like older MacBooks or the iPad Pro can be more affordable but may have limitations. Ultimately, the best laptop for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences.

The current laptop lineup from Apple is certainly impressive, but it's essential to consider all the factors before making a purchase decision. Whether you're looking for a portable device with exceptional build quality or an affordable alternative, there's something for everyone in this lineup.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enover the past year I have made a few recommendations on my channel for people not to purchase a MacBook either for pricing or thermal issues or keyboard issues and if you're someone who can swing either way like you can get a Windows laptop and be happy or a MacBook right now and be happy I'd still recommend for you to get a Windows Device instead of a MacBook but if you are someone who requires a MacBook either for work or school or you just really want a MacBook right now then that's what this video is for it's kind of like a guide to make a purchase decision for the 2019 lineup of Mac books now as for the reason why I'm doing this now like why I'm making this video now it's for two reasons number one at this point of the year we've seen all the laptops that they have to offer so with the exception of the 12-inch MacBook it's unlikely that they'll update any of these for the rest of the year and the second reason is that Apple's refurb store now has stock of all the devices I would recommend earlier on this year some of the devices were still missing but at this point in time they're all available and the reason why I recommend the refurb option instead of the brand new stuff is that you're just getting a way better value you still get AppleCare you still get their warranty you get their return policy you get new batteries and components that can wear out so it's a much better value than buying new so I'm gonna start this video off with the 13-inch MacBook Air this is a device that goes for just over a thousand dollars in the refurb store if you need more storage it's $1,200 but this is unfortunately the least expensive of the MacBook options in the store right now now it's a two core CPU it's not super powerful I think most people will be able to use this as their kind of everyday machine if you need something that's more capable like if you plan on doing photo or video editing you'll might have to look at one of the more powerful options but for a lot of people this is a good fit even if you're a developer like I think a lot of development can be done on just the two core CPU now when this thing launched it was not available in the refurb store so it was priced around 250 $300 more than it is right now and at the time it was difficult to recommend this because you could get the base model 13-inch device for a little bit cheaper but at this point because it is available in a refurb store I think it's a good option if you want something a little bit smaller and lighter there is the 12-inch MacBook it's a device that came out in 2017 like the last time they refreshed it was two years ago so it's a little bit dated but it is a kind of unique device and how thin and light it is while still having a very usable full-size keyboard the one issue I have with it is the single port if you ever want to plug anything into that computer you have to unplug the power and then plug up your adapter or dongle or whatever it is point being it's an inconvenience that you just have to live with if you want that reduction in weight it starts at around eleven hundred dollars and if you don't have a particularly heavy workflow if like the majority of the stuff you do is just typing documents then it's viable but really its main advantage is that it's super small ok last two we have the two Mac books we have the 13 inch and the 15 inch now these devices used to run two and four core CPUs so in 2016 and 2017 two core CPUs four core CPUs for the 13 and 15 inch model and then in 2018 they had four core CPUs and six core CPUs and that year the 2018 model is the sweet spot and you can save around four or five hundred dollars if you get the 2018 models in the refurb store but you only want to consider these kind of pro models if your workflow can actually benefit from cork head and a lot of people just don't recognize whether or not it can like if you're doing development then yeah if you're doing video and some photo editing yeah you can benefit from higher core can't but for everyone else like if you're just typing stuff doing emails and just doing regular computer work then I wouldn't really recommend these because you're paying more for them they're bigger they're heavier and really the only advantage that these have over the 13-inch MacBook Air or even the 12-inch MacBook is just cour can't okay so that's basically the current laptop lineup I will mention this device the iPad pro because of the new iPad OS this is now a much more viable alternative to laptops than it has been in the past it's not perfect it's never going to be perfect but I think it's like it's easier to recommend now than it has been in the past if you want to use this as a laptop alternative there's still a lot of disadvantages to it like the file system is limited and if you're looking for a particular app that you need for work there's a good chance it won't exist for iPad OS and they're not particularly cheap right these are quite expensive systems but if you're that person that really wants to try this it is more viable now than it has been in the past so that's the current lineup I also want to talk about a couple other things the first is kind of an alternate purchasing route to a MacBook and that is to purchase their really old stuff or the 2014-2015 era MacBooks now I think there are a lot of people that remembered the 2014 and 2015 Mac books as having like the best of everything like they were upgradable they were repairable they had very reliable keyboards the thing is if you're buying those devices now in 2019 they are quite old they're like four maybe five years old at this point and you'd have to buy them used on eBay or Craigslist at this point they're a lot cheaper so if you're on a really tight budget it makes sense and also if you've just someone that needs something for iOS development it also makes sense because it's so inexpensive but for the average user because of the age of those machines you're gonna have to replace stuff like at the very least the battery is gonna have to be swapped out relatively soon those things have like a thousand cycle lifespan and they're not super easy or cheap to replace I think just for most people that are interested in getting into that MacBook ecosystem the newer like refurb models are just a safer option right now than the cheaper like much older units just because of how old those units are getting okay there's one last thing I want kind of leave you with just kind of food for thought traditionally one of the characteristics that Mac books have had is really good resale value if you saw earlier the resale market of the 2014-2015 models is quite active but with the 2016 and onwards devices because these are so difficult and expensive and in some cases impossible to repair or upgrade the resale value of these might be affected by that because if someone buys one of these secondhand and the RAM or the drive goes down it's not like a hundred or $200 replacement of that component it's the replacement of the entire motherboard it's expensive it's like seven eight hundred bucks at the base so that's what we have here with apples current laptop lineup but if you really want one well now you know okay hope you guys enjoyed this video thumbs would be liked it subs if you loved it see you guys next timeover the past year I have made a few recommendations on my channel for people not to purchase a MacBook either for pricing or thermal issues or keyboard issues and if you're someone who can swing either way like you can get a Windows laptop and be happy or a MacBook right now and be happy I'd still recommend for you to get a Windows Device instead of a MacBook but if you are someone who requires a MacBook either for work or school or you just really want a MacBook right now then that's what this video is for it's kind of like a guide to make a purchase decision for the 2019 lineup of Mac books now as for the reason why I'm doing this now like why I'm making this video now it's for two reasons number one at this point of the year we've seen all the laptops that they have to offer so with the exception of the 12-inch MacBook it's unlikely that they'll update any of these for the rest of the year and the second reason is that Apple's refurb store now has stock of all the devices I would recommend earlier on this year some of the devices were still missing but at this point in time they're all available and the reason why I recommend the refurb option instead of the brand new stuff is that you're just getting a way better value you still get AppleCare you still get their warranty you get their return policy you get new batteries and components that can wear out so it's a much better value than buying new so I'm gonna start this video off with the 13-inch MacBook Air this is a device that goes for just over a thousand dollars in the refurb store if you need more storage it's $1,200 but this is unfortunately the least expensive of the MacBook options in the store right now now it's a two core CPU it's not super powerful I think most people will be able to use this as their kind of everyday machine if you need something that's more capable like if you plan on doing photo or video editing you'll might have to look at one of the more powerful options but for a lot of people this is a good fit even if you're a developer like I think a lot of development can be done on just the two core CPU now when this thing launched it was not available in the refurb store so it was priced around 250 $300 more than it is right now and at the time it was difficult to recommend this because you could get the base model 13-inch device for a little bit cheaper but at this point because it is available in a refurb store I think it's a good option if you want something a little bit smaller and lighter there is the 12-inch MacBook it's a device that came out in 2017 like the last time they refreshed it was two years ago so it's a little bit dated but it is a kind of unique device and how thin and light it is while still having a very usable full-size keyboard the one issue I have with it is the single port if you ever want to plug anything into that computer you have to unplug the power and then plug up your adapter or dongle or whatever it is point being it's an inconvenience that you just have to live with if you want that reduction in weight it starts at around eleven hundred dollars and if you don't have a particularly heavy workflow if like the majority of the stuff you do is just typing documents then it's viable but really its main advantage is that it's super small ok last two we have the two Mac books we have the 13 inch and the 15 inch now these devices used to run two and four core CPUs so in 2016 and 2017 two core CPUs four core CPUs for the 13 and 15 inch model and then in 2018 they had four core CPUs and six core CPUs and that year the 2018 model is the sweet spot and you can save around four or five hundred dollars if you get the 2018 models in the refurb store but you only want to consider these kind of pro models if your workflow can actually benefit from cork head and a lot of people just don't recognize whether or not it can like if you're doing development then yeah if you're doing video and some photo editing yeah you can benefit from higher core can't but for everyone else like if you're just typing stuff doing emails and just doing regular computer work then I wouldn't really recommend these because you're paying more for them they're bigger they're heavier and really the only advantage that these have over the 13-inch MacBook Air or even the 12-inch MacBook is just cour can't okay so that's basically the current laptop lineup I will mention this device the iPad pro because of the new iPad OS this is now a much more viable alternative to laptops than it has been in the past it's not perfect it's never going to be perfect but I think it's like it's easier to recommend now than it has been in the past if you want to use this as a laptop alternative there's still a lot of disadvantages to it like the file system is limited and if you're looking for a particular app that you need for work there's a good chance it won't exist for iPad OS and they're not particularly cheap right these are quite expensive systems but if you're that person that really wants to try this it is more viable now than it has been in the past so that's the current lineup I also want to talk about a couple other things the first is kind of an alternate purchasing route to a MacBook and that is to purchase their really old stuff or the 2014-2015 era MacBooks now I think there are a lot of people that remembered the 2014 and 2015 Mac books as having like the best of everything like they were upgradable they were repairable they had very reliable keyboards the thing is if you're buying those devices now in 2019 they are quite old they're like four maybe five years old at this point and you'd have to buy them used on eBay or Craigslist at this point they're a lot cheaper so if you're on a really tight budget it makes sense and also if you've just someone that needs something for iOS development it also makes sense because it's so inexpensive but for the average user because of the age of those machines you're gonna have to replace stuff like at the very least the battery is gonna have to be swapped out relatively soon those things have like a thousand cycle lifespan and they're not super easy or cheap to replace I think just for most people that are interested in getting into that MacBook ecosystem the newer like refurb models are just a safer option right now than the cheaper like much older units just because of how old those units are getting okay there's one last thing I want kind of leave you with just kind of food for thought traditionally one of the characteristics that Mac books have had is really good resale value if you saw earlier the resale market of the 2014-2015 models is quite active but with the 2016 and onwards devices because these are so difficult and expensive and in some cases impossible to repair or upgrade the resale value of these might be affected by that because if someone buys one of these secondhand and the RAM or the drive goes down it's not like a hundred or $200 replacement of that component it's the replacement of the entire motherboard it's expensive it's like seven eight hundred bucks at the base so that's what we have here with apples current laptop lineup but if you really want one well now you know okay hope you guys enjoyed this video thumbs would be liked it subs if you loved it see you guys next time\n"