WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.840 This is the brand new MacBook Pro, and I don't like it. 00:00:12.840 --> 00:00:17.140 Yes, it's got the same look, same amazing display, better battery life, and convenient 00:00:17.140 --> 00:00:24.500 I.O. And yet, at $1,600, its starting price is actually a full $400 less than last year. 00:00:24.500 --> 00:00:27.660 But that's because it's not actually the same. 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:32.260 Because even though this is the new M3 chip, it's not the M3 Pro. 00:00:32.260 --> 00:00:37.600 Therefore this cheapest MacBook Pro actually replaces the 13-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:44.600 from last year. So compared to the previous entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, this has less power. 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:48.020 And outrageously, only 8GB of RAM. 00:00:48.020 --> 00:00:51.740 Okay, there's actually lots of reasons why I don't like this laptop, and I'll tell 00:00:51.740 --> 00:00:56.140 you all of them, but don't worry because I still have a recommendation of what I think 00:00:56.140 --> 00:01:04.180 you should buy instead, even though I think you're still going to buy this. 00:01:04.180 --> 00:01:08.180 I do not like this color, silver is way better. 00:01:08.180 --> 00:01:12.540 If you buy the brand new MacBook Pro in space grey, you're making a terrible purchasing 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:16.540 mistake, because you'll be signaling to the world that you're poor. 00:01:16.540 --> 00:01:23.660 I can't say that. I can't, because space grey is only available on the inexpensive model. 00:01:23.660 --> 00:01:28.460 People with money, looking for power, have available to them space black. 00:01:28.460 --> 00:01:33.060 Though not exactly black, I think many of the dark soul MacBook users are really going 00:01:33.060 --> 00:01:38.100 to like the way this looks. It's certainly much, much better than space grey. 00:01:38.100 --> 00:01:45.060 It's also better than the MacBook Air's midnight. I've been using that laptop for well over a year now, and I cannot keep it clean. 00:01:45.060 --> 00:01:51.220 Apple's new anodization seal does in fact reduce the sight of fingerprints, though except 00:01:51.220 --> 00:01:55.100 maybe mine, which is why it of course stick with silver, which is available across the 00:01:55.100 --> 00:02:00.860 line. 00:02:00.860 --> 00:02:06.260 But back to power. As I discovered with the iMac, the M3 chip is good, good enough to work for me day to 00:02:06.260 --> 00:02:09.420 day. But only if I get an upgrade of memory. 00:02:09.420 --> 00:02:14.860 8GB of memory is really hard to justify in a computer that says pro and looks pro. 00:02:14.860 --> 00:02:18.940 And it shows that Apple is stubbornly and frustratingly holding its users back with 00:02:18.940 --> 00:02:26.300 flash memory. Remember when Apple still sold their flagship iPhones with a paltry 16GB of storage? 00:02:26.300 --> 00:02:30.620 God, that was awful. You'd have to delete everything off your phone just to update it. 00:02:30.620 --> 00:02:35.700 And it's even worse than that because if you wanted a storage upgrade, the next year was 64GB. 00:02:35.700 --> 00:02:39.100 This feels like the MacBook Pro version of that, and you'll be pining for that extra 00:02:39.100 --> 00:02:45.180 memory. In my DaVinci Resolve export test, which is a GPU and memory intensive export, the cost 00:02:45.180 --> 00:02:52.780 of reduced memory is 12 minutes. And in the real world, the cost is constantly using swap memory, which taxes the SSD. 00:02:52.780 --> 00:02:56.660 While I do feel like Apple did improve memory management somewhat in Sonoma, it's little 00:02:56.660 --> 00:03:00.340 consolation for anyone who's spending a lot of money for a laptop they hope will last 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:05.580 the many years. Speaking of the SSD, this is technically a storage upgrade compared to the Touch Bar 00:03:05.580 --> 00:03:13.460 MacBook Pro, but you're still paying for it. 00:03:13.460 --> 00:03:17.380 The next issue with this MacBook is that, well, just look. 00:03:17.380 --> 00:03:22.420 I have an HDMI display plugged in here and still have spare USB-C ports for a second 00:03:22.420 --> 00:03:25.700 monitor here, except I don't. 00:03:25.700 --> 00:03:31.980 Because you can't use both at the same time, which is not very pro, especially considering 00:03:31.980 --> 00:03:38.580 that you could do this on the previous much slower Intel MacBook Air. 00:03:38.580 --> 00:03:43.380 While I'm on the topic of ports, the cheapest MacBook Pro has fewer and older Thunderbolt 00:03:44.300 --> 00:03:48.460 ports. The one found on the right side of the more powerful versions is gone, and the two on 00:03:48.460 --> 00:03:53.780 the left that are left support Thunderbolt 3 instead of the current Thunderbolt 4. 00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:58.020 I don't like this MacBook because it's so hard to explain, but it's not entirely without 00:03:58.020 --> 00:04:01.380 merit. Because experientially, it's great. 00:04:01.380 --> 00:04:05.740 This is equipped with the same ProMotion mini-LED XDR display that the more expensive models 00:04:05.740 --> 00:04:09.340 have been getting for years now. It looks stunning. 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:13.340 ProMotion is especially great for when you're gaming at the 40s frames per second as things 00:04:13.340 --> 00:04:18.100 deliver as an evil village. What I noticed most, however, was the brightness. 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:22.540 The screens on all new MacBook Pros support 600 nits, and when you're sitting opposite 00:04:22.540 --> 00:04:29.580 a sunny window, it really makes a difference. Furthermore, this has the same great speakers found in the other MacBooks too. 00:04:29.580 --> 00:04:32.700 This actually matters because I don't know if you know this, but the previous generation 00:04:32.700 --> 00:04:37.180 two-port MacBook Pros actually had a different speaker setup that sounded worse than the 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:41.580 nicer models. Not the case here. Oh yeah, and then there's the battery life. 00:04:41.580 --> 00:04:48.060 This is at the top of the heap. In our video playback test, Labs measured around 24 hours of battery life, and in my 00:04:48.060 --> 00:04:51.420 general usage, I got around 12. Nice. 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:54.540 And there remains the handy SD card reader as well. 00:04:54.540 --> 00:05:00.060 Photographers rejoice. But wait, a few months ago, I suggested that the 15-inch MacBook Air is the perfect laptop 00:05:00.060 --> 00:05:06.420 for photographers. I still believe that, but specced with the same storage, that MacBook Air is only $100 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:12.940 less than this. This dang ladder, Apple prices things in such a way that when you start upgrading your Mac, 00:05:12.940 --> 00:05:17.180 you get so close to the next model, you think, I might as well just get that anyway. 00:05:17.180 --> 00:05:21.820 And for the past few years, it seems that all roads lead to the M-Pro-powered MacBook 00:05:21.820 --> 00:05:25.500 Pro, which I have no problem recommending even today. 00:05:25.500 --> 00:05:30.420 But you're in the market for a cheap one, so what should you buy if you have $1,600? 00:05:30.420 --> 00:05:34.300 I'd recommend you look for the M2 Pro MacBook Pro. 00:05:34.300 --> 00:05:38.700 In sale, or in the referber store, it costs about the same as this. 00:05:38.700 --> 00:05:42.980 But the M2 Pro is a faster chip, unless you're doing single-core tasks. 00:05:42.980 --> 00:05:46.500 The extra performance and graphics cores make a big difference. 00:05:46.500 --> 00:05:49.580 But the reason I think that even with this awesome recommendation, you're still going 00:05:49.580 --> 00:05:54.660 to get the base model MacBook Pro is because you can't buy the M2 Pro. 00:05:54.660 --> 00:05:59.380 I searched high and low, and I'm having a really hard time finding one. 00:05:59.380 --> 00:06:03.580 And I think Apple knows it's better. So if you do find one, snag it. 00:06:04.220 --> 00:06:10.420 So what other options do you have? If you know you're not going to be taxing the GPU in any of your tasks, but you still 00:06:10.420 --> 00:06:17.160 want the best screen and speakers, get this in silver with 16GB of RAM for $1,800. 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:21.220 If you need to save more, a 13-inch MacBook Air with the same upgrades can be had for 00:06:21.220 --> 00:06:27.740 as little as $1,500. And if you want to save the most, a basic version of that is less than $1,000 in the 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:33.020 referber store. The biggest issue I have with this MacBook Pro is what I fear it could potentially mean 00:06:33.020 --> 00:06:36.160 for how the lineup shakes out over the next few months. 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:39.700 The MacBook Air's price drop and 15-inch version release this summer makes me worry 00:06:39.700 --> 00:06:44.580 that those computers are going to be stuck with the old and slow M2 for a while. 00:06:44.580 --> 00:06:47.900 What should make this MacBook Pro more appealing, right? 00:06:47.900 --> 00:06:53.260 No, it means that the steps in the ladder are getting closer together. 00:06:53.260 --> 00:06:59.260 Thanks for stepping up to this Mac Address. Make sure to like and subscribe, and in the comments below I'm curious how you feel about 00:06:59.260 --> 00:07:02.340 the 8GB of RAM available in this. 00:07:02.340 --> 00:07:05.780 And if you want to watch another video, I guess you can watch the one I did on the M2 00:07:05.780 --> 00:07:08.580 Pro MacBook Pro because those thoughts are still relevant.