Getting really tired of the small screen on my intel 13” 2020 mac and am hoping to upgrade for easier split screen productivity. I’m considering the 15” 16GB MacBook Air and the M3 14” MacBook Pro. Don’t do any heavy duty video or photo editing but I do like to code/program. Will the air suit my needs? Or is it too weak? I feel a little silly only getting one extra inch with the 14” pro, but the 16” is a bit out of my price range.
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For computer science, I’d recommend a Windows laptop, as that’s what most the software you’ll be using will be most compatible with. Trust me - you’ll save yourself a lot of stress trying to find alternative software or using a VM (which probably *would* require a decently spec’d MBP).
I know it’s not the answer you want to hear, but as someone who went to school for network admin & tech support, the Mac I went in there with was largely worthless for anything other than writing papers.
You should get the M3 MacBook Pro
Not really. 18 hours with the M2 Air is already amazing. Unless the OP is a zombie that doesn’t need to eat, sleep, or poop, an additional 4 hours from the M3 won’t make a difference.
I am third year CE. I use a i7 MacBook Pro 13 for a bit, but upgraded to a 15 inch air with 8gb. It’s good, but the only downside is the lack of boot camp. I really hope it comes back, but in the meantime I found a friendly Indian who showed me how to get parallels/windows key for free so I can still use windows programs without having to pay an arm and a leg for something that was free.
Why not M1 Pro 14”?
Needed, no. Preferred, yes.
Get a refurbished M1 MacBook Pro 14-inch. It can do everything and is light enough to carry around the college campus. The price is in the same range or less than the M2 Air. The base specs come with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD.