So you’re interested in buying an Apple laptop. Congratulations, a laptop is a big purchase so it’s very important to choose the right one. In this video I’ll explain which MacBook model is best for you in 2018.
Currently there are 3 MacBook models: MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro (All MacBook models come standard with an SSD and at least 8GB RAM)
Comes in 3 configurations starting at $999, $1199 & $1399. Comes in same colors as MacBook: Gold, Space Gray, and Silver
8GB RAM (up to 16GB); 128GB SSD (up to 256GB, 512GB, or 1.5TB)
With the Air you have 2 main versions: the older standard display non-Retina version and the latest Retina display version with Touch ID, the latest-generation keyboard, and a Force Touch trackpad.
Get 13″ NON-Retina MacBook Air if you
Have the lowest budget (Apple’s most affordable laptop since it doesn’t have a Retina display or latest hardware)
Want the widest variety of legacy ports (still has USB-A ports, SD card slot and MagSafe port)
Get 13″ Retina MacBook Air if you
Care about battery life more than anything (up to 13 hours of use which is the longest battery life of any current Apple laptop)
Want the small thin lightweight design similar to the 12” MacBook for travel & on-the-go work but you need the better performance & features like the louder speakers and better webcam (720p HD)
Want the best display without spending more to get a Pro model (Retina Air has over 4 million pixels w/ higher pixel density than 12” Retina MacBook)
Want the newest MacBook model with the latest 8th Gen Intel processor (released Late 2018 which is the most recent release out of all the current Apple laptops)
Fine with having only two USB-C ports total for the entire laptop
Want the most environmental friendly Mac (made from 100% recycled aluminum)
Comes in silver or space gray (no gold) and 2 screen sizes: 13″ starting at $1299 (non-TouchBar) & $1799 w/ TouchBar. 15” w/ Touchbar starts at $2399
All MacBook Pro models (13” and 15”) have the following in common:
They all have IPS Retina displays (13″ has 227ppi; 15″ has 220ppi)
They all get up to 10 hours battery life
Have all new 8th-Gen Intel processors up to quad-core on 13” model and up to 6-cores on 15” model
Get a MacBook Pro if you
Value productivity and performance over everything. The Pro lineup has the best performance and fastest speeds of all the Apple laptops (for professional work) 15″ has the best specs out of all Apple laptops; 13” TouchBar is the best blend of high performance and fairly compact size out of all the Apple laptops
Need the most internal storage: 13″ starts at 128GB SSD (configurable up to 2TB); 15″ starts at 256GB SSD (configurable to 4TB)
Want the best/brightest display & best speakers out of all Apple laptops (All MBPs have 25% more colors than standard RGB along with 500 nits of brightness; The Touch Bar models have True Tone technology where the white balance automatically adjusts to match the color temperature of the light around you and besides the display it also has high fidelity audio
Often multi-task with multiple programs open since you can get up to 32GB of RAM
Run CPU-intensive or graphics-intensive applications like photography, coding, HD & 4K video editing, 3D graphics, and certain gaming (For best graphics performance get 15″ which has dedicated Radeon Pro GPU with up to 4GB memory)
Don’t mind having a slightly bigger laptop compared to the other MacBook models (having said that, I own a 13” MacBook Pro with TouchBar and it’s still very mobile and portable)
Have a large budget (expensive; most expensive config is over $7,000)
So you’re interested in buying an Apple laptop. Congratulations, a laptop is a big purchase so it’s very important to choose the right one. In this video I’ll explain which MacBook model is best for you in 2018.
Currently there are 3 MacBook models: MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro (All MacBook models come standard with an SSD and at least 8GB RAM)
13.3″ screen; 8GB RAM; 128GB SSD (configurable to 256GB or 512GB)
5th-Gen Intel dual-core i5 processor (can be upgraded to 2.2GHz Core i7)
Get MacBook Air if you
Have the lowest budget (Apple’s most affordable laptop)
Care about battery life more than anything (up to 12 hours; longest battery life of any Apple laptop)
Want a small lightweight laptop like the MacBook but with more ports (great for students and travelers)
Don’t mind having a mediocre display (it’s not an IPS Retina display; 1440×900 not even Full HD)
Don’t mind having silver bezels (has fairly large bezels relative to its size)
Run the same basic applications that the MacBook is good for and if you know you don’t need more than 8GB RAM (this is Apple’s only laptop that is limited to 8GB)
Need an HD webcam (720p)
Don’t need a lot of storage space on the laptop and you utilize Cloud storage or external drives (base model only has 128GB storage)
Comes in silver or space gray and 2 screen sizes: 13.3″ starting at $1299 (non-TouchBar) & $1799 w/ TouchBar. 15.4″ starts at $1999 (2015 non-TouchBar model) & $2399 w/ TouchBar
All MacBook Pro models have IPS Retina displays (13″ has 227ppi; 15″ has 220ppi) and all MBP models can expect 9-10 hours battery life
13″ comes with 8GB RAM (configurable to 16GB); 15″ comes with 16GB RAM
13″ starts at 128GB SSD (configurable up to 1TB); 15″ starts at 256GB SSD (configurable to 2TB)
13″ starts with Intel 7th-Gen Kaby Lake dual-core i5 (configurable to dual-core i7)
15″ 2015 non-TouchBar comes with 4th-gen quad-core; 15″ TouchBar comes with 7th-Gen Kaby Lake quad-core i7
Get 2015 15″ MacBook Pro if you
Want an awesome laptop for under $2,000 (some say it’s the best laptop ever made)
Want Mag-Safe
Want all the other ports besides USB-C (HDMI, SD slot, USB-A, Thunderbolt 2)
Don’t mind having an older processor (4th-gen)
Want 15″ size but no Touch Bar
Get newest MacBook Pro if you
Want the best performance and fastest speed of all the Apple laptops (for professional work; 15″ Touch Bar has the best specs out of all MBPs)
Need the most internal storage (only Apple laptop to be configured for 1-2TB of storage)
Want the best/brightest display out of all Apple laptops (The newest 13″ and 15″ MBPs have 25% more colors than sRGB and 500 nits of brightness; 2015 MBP has sRGB and 300 nits; 13″ has the most ppi)
Run CPU-intensive or graphics-intensive applications like gaming, HD video editing, 3D modeling, CAD, virtual machines, hardcore Photoshop (For best graphics performance get 15″ which has dedicated Radeon Pro GPU with up to 4GB memory)
Don’t mind having a slightly bigger laptop compared to the other MacBook models (having said that, the 13″ is a very compact and portable laptop)
Absolutely want TouchBar/TouchID (even though 13″ MBP doesn’t have it)
Are okay with having USB-C ports (USB-C to USB-A adapters are a must-have)
Have a large budget (expensive; can go over $4,000 for certain configurations)
I love Apple products, but it’s no surprise that they overcharge for certain things. So when I was ordering the new 2017 iMac, instead of paying $200 for 16GB of RAM, I chose the 8GB option and saved a lot of money by ordering RAM separately and installing it myself. In this video I’ll show you exactly how to do that for your iMac.
Step 1: Check Compatibility
On your iMac click on the Apple icon in the top left corner and click About This Mac. If your iMac RAM is user upgradeable you should see a Memory tab. Click the Memory tab to see how many RAM slots you’re currently using. Most likely you’ll have 2 slots available. Next, go back to the Overview tab and click System Report to find out your iMac Model Identifier. This info is needed for the next step. You can see mine is 18,3.
Step 2: Order Your RAM
One of the best ways to get RAM for your iMac is through MacSales. Here’s the link to their iMac Memory page. MacSales is great because they tell you exactly what kind of RAM you need for your particular iMac model and they also offer trade-in rebates if you’re not keeping the original RAM that came in your Mac.
Once you’ve visited MacSales click on the iMac that corresponds to your Model ID from your Mac system report in Step one. Mine is 18,3 and it’s the iMac 27” 2017 with Retina 5K display. Now you’ll choose which RAM kit you want for your iMac. Since I have 2 memory slots available I could get the 8GB kit and end up with 16GB of total RAM which ends up being $120 less than what Apple was charging. I’m actually going to get the 16GB kit so I can have a total of 24GB for my iMac.
Step 3: Install Your RAM
After you have your new RAM, turn off your iMac and disconnect the power plug from the back. Find something with a small tip like the end of a headphone cable and push in the small button to eject the RAM cover. On the inside of the RAM cover you’ll see a basic diagram of how to install the RAM. Locate the two levers on the right and left sides of the memory cage and push the two levers outward to release the memory cage. Insert the new RAM sticks into the available slots and make sure they are in the correct orientation. If it doesn’t go in smoothly, flip the RAM stick around and try again. It should just go straight in and align with the other RAM sticks. When you’re finished, push the two levers back into the housing until they click and stay in place, then replace the RAM cover and plug in the power cable.
Step 4: Verify Your RAM
Turn on your iMac and go back into the Apple icon and click About This Mac. Where it says Memory it should now show the new RAM amount and you can also go into the Memory tab to see it too.
So that’s it. It’s very easy to do and it saves you a lot of money as long as the RAM in your iMac is user removable and upgradeable. Thanks for watching. My name is Andy and I’ll talk to you guys in the next video.
If you own a MacBook or MacBook Pro that has USB-C ports, these are the top 5 accessories you can get for under $10! (due to fluctuation, prices not guaranteed)
