Save £500 on the latest MacBook Pro!

Apple will update the MacBook Pro and other Macs with its latest M4 chip later this year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Which begs the question

Q: Which Apple MacBook should I buy in summer 2024?

A: At least a 16GB MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024), or if you need to be frugal, a 16 GB MacBook Air (M1, 2020) or MacBook Pro (13-inch M1, 2020). There are lots of 8GB machines around but they won't do for development work or other heavy workloads.

TL:DR – The  MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro, Nov 2023) 18GB, 512GB is £1899.97 at Amazon, cheaper second hand. The renewed MacBook Air (M1, 2020) 16GB, 1TB at £710 is pick of the week up £10 from last week though! Always read the fine print and compare prices widely before deciding!

This note is based on prices in July 2024. Apple continue to sell M1 (refurbished), M2 (refurbished and new) and M3 (refurbished and new) MacBook Air computers. You can also find them in the UK refurbished and new at John Lewis and Amazon, second hand at Computer Exchange and new although just specific mid range models at Costco.

Originally released in July 2022 with the M2 Chip and then updated with the M3 Chip the MagSafe 3 equipped MacBook Air is almost a MacBook Pro now with a flat design Liquid Retina display, and an 1080p webcam behind the notch. It sports two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports. This is a great computer and an absolute bargain if you can find a refurbished one at Apple, Amazon, John Lewis or at CeX. The M3 model is about 20% faster all round than the M2 which remains available - the M3 model is what tends to be called a speedbump release - not too different, but a few key changes.

The MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro, Nov 2023)  with 11-CPU 14-GPU 18GB memory and 512GB SSD in Silver or Space Black –  model identifier Mac15,6  model number A2992 is available from Amazon for £1899.97 (the same model from Apple is £2099) and from CeX with a whopping saving of £527 against Apples price new if you don't mind a Used A model. 

The MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) with 10-Core GPU, 16GB memory and 512GB SSD in Silver, Starlight, Space Gray or Midnight –  model identifier Mac15,12, model number A3113 is available from Amazon UK for a price busting £1399 (the same model from Apple is £1499). 

The MacBook Air (M2, 2022) with 10-Core GPU, 16GB memory and 512GB SSD in Silver or Space gray – model identifier Mac14,2, model number A2681 is available from Apple refurbished for £1189.00 and is also a good choice, because it has 16GB of memory which has just become a requirement for predictive code completion for software development using Xcode 16. 

Costco have the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) 8-Core GPU 256GB model for an attractive price but this specific 256GB model is slower than the M1 model it replaced in SSD tests and you will probably need the extra storage and memory before the end of its lifetime! The 512GB model doesn't have the same speed problem. Avoid the 256GB variant.

If you can't justify these costs, then the last of the first Apple Silicon based MacBook Pro (13-inch M1, 2020) computers are available renewed from Amazon and the standout spec/price winner is a MacBook Pro (13-inch M1, 2020) with 16GB and a 512GB SSD in Space Gray from Amazon for £775 on 14 July 2024. This is a truly excellent, cheap Macbook Pro for commuting/train trips and will get macOS updates for years to come. If The Pro has a weakness, perhaps it is the Touch Bar which is an expensive part to replace.  Independent repairers can do this far cheaper than Apple who make it almost impossible to justify if your machine is out of warranty.

Vanity Spec M3 Pro 18GB - save over £500

Including this as it is quite the deal with a saving of £227 for a new boxed computer if you are a Costco member and a whopping £527 if you don't mind a Used A model from Computer Exchange who have six available around the UK. The same computer from Apple is £2099.

	Amazon	New	MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro, Nov 2023)	Mac15,6	A2992	11-CPU 14-GPU	18GB	512GB	£1899.97
	CeX	Used A	MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 Pro, Nov 2023)	Mac15,6	A2992	11-CPU 14-GPU	18GB	512GB	£1520.00

Developer Spec 16GB

	Amazon	New	MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024)	Mac15,12	A3113	8-Core GPU	16GB	512GB	£1397.00
	Cex	Used B	MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024)	Mac 15,12	A3113	8-Core CPU 10-Core GPU	16GB	512GB	£1310.00
	Cex	Used B	MacBook Pro (14-inch M2 Pro, 2023)	Mac 14,9	A2779	10-Core CPU 16-Core GPU	16GB	512GB	£1310.00
	Cex	Used A	MacBook Pro (13-inch M1, 2020)	MacBookPro17,1	A2338	8-Core CPU 8-Core GPU	16GB	2TB	£1215.00
	Apple	Refurbished	MacBook Air (M2, 2022)	Mac14,2	A2681	10-Core GPU	16GB	512GB	£1189.00
	Cex	Used B	MacBook Air (M1, 2020)	MacBookAir10,1	A2337	8-Core CPU 8-Core GPU	16GB	2TB	£990.00
	Amazon	Renewed	MacBook Pro (13-inch M1, 2020	MacBookPro17,1	A2338	8-Core CPU 8-Core GPU	16GB	1TB	£837.00
	Amazon	Renewed	MacBook Air (M1, 2020) 16GB, 1TB	MacBookAir10,1	A2337	7 or 8-Core GPU	16GB	1TB	£710.00

The transition to Apple Silicon is long finished, and we are now into the third generation of M series Chips. This means that the normal service of cut-throat pricing for new and refurbished older stock is resumed in the major channels including Apple themselves. You can save more than a thousand quid against current models by opting for a lower spec, older but still M series Chip model either online or in the Costco or John Lewis rummage bin. Unless you really are a person who needs to do heavy software development, virtualisation or video editing on the train you're going to be fine with a slightly older model. And remember, if you buy it from Apple or new you can still get AppleCare. If you buy it from Computer Exchange or John Lewis you get a 2 year warranty too.

M3

The M3 chip brings even faster performance and more capabilities to MacBook Air. Featuring a powerful 8-core CPU, up to a 10-core GPU, and support for up to 24GB of unified memory, the new MacBook Air is up to 60 percent faster than the model with M1 and up to 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air. Apple say that compared to a PC laptop with an Intel Core i7 processor, MacBook Air delivers up to 2x faster performance, up to 50 percent faster web browsing, and up to 40 percent longer battery life.

M2

M2 was the second generation of Apple’s M-series chips. Apple claimed industry-leading power efficiency and due to the unified memory architecture, and custom technologies, M2 brought more performance and capabilities the MacBook Air. M2 featured a next-generation 8-core CPU with advancements in both performance and efficiency cores, along with Apple’s next-generation GPU, which now has up to 10 cores — two more than the prvious M1 Chip. M2 delivers 100GB/s of unified memory bandwidth and supports up to 24GB of fast unified memory, so it can handle even larger and more complex workloads with ease. Designed to dramatically speed up video workflows, M2 also adds a next-generation media engine and a powerful ProRes video engine for hardware-accelerated encode and decode, so systems with M2 will be able to play back more streams of 4K and 8K video than before.

macOS, easy to update

Apple Mac computers based on Apple silicon can be easily updated to the latest version of macOS.

The changes with the MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024)

The M3 model supports two external displays and has WiFi 6E. Those changes and that M3 Chip equate to £150-£200 in additional cost.

Similarities in the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) and MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024)

Introduced in June 2022 2020, the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) featured a new, strikingly thin design in four beautiful finishes, larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, 1080p HD camera, MagSafe charging, and more.

It became the perfect choice for all workloads even gaming provided the game you want is available. A number of possible specifications exist, but if funds allow you should max out to 16GB RAM, and at least 512GB SSD storage. These MacBook Pro computers can't be upgraded after purchase so getting one which is maxed out now will pay dividends when you dont run out of space and the Mac consequently lasts much longer.

Pros - MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) 512GB models

• Processor: Apple M3 chip 8-Core CPU and 10-core GPU.
• Wireless: Wi-Fi is upgraded to 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E
• Display: Two external displays (with laptop lid closed)

Pros - MacBook Pro (M2, 2022) 512GB models

• Display: 13.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology with 2560 by 1664 native resolution native resolution at 224 pixels per inch and 500 nits of brightness.
• Power: MagSafe 3.
• Processor: Apple M2 chip 8-Core CPU and 10-core GPU.
• Memory: 8GB, 16 GB or 24 GB unified memory. Memory can't be upgraded so choose at least a 16GB model.
• Ports: Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
• Keyboard and Trackpad: Force Touch trackpad ;Full-size backlit keyboard. Integrated Touch ID sensor.
• Wireless: Wi-Fi is upgraded to 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6. Bluetooth also has the latest 5.3 wireless technology
• Audio: 1 - 3.5-mm headphone jack, 4 - Built-in speakers

Cons – MacBook Pro (M2, 2022)

• Only one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz.
• 256GB model is reportedly slower than the previous model. 

Cons – MacBook Pro and MacBook Air (M1, 2020) models

• No MagSafe 3
• Older design
• MacBook Pro has Touch Bar which is an expensive repair if it fails. (Ask me how I know!) 

Cons – Overall

• AppleCare is extra but you really should have it! Otherwise buy from a store with a guarantee.
• There have been a few report of thermal throttling due to the M2 running hotter than the M1 but this is something many users will never encounter in their day-to-day use.
• You'll need a USB-C hub to add old ports for older peripherals and devices or networking. These are inexplicably expensive. We use and recommend the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 USB-C Hub
• No CD/DVD. No Apple computers have them any more. We use and recommend the Verbatim Blu-Ray DVD-Drive 43888 - External - Black (Pioneer mechanism)
• Virtualisation only of Arm based VM's. No Intel VM support. Keep an old Intel Mac around for legacy VM's

Conclusion

The MacBook Air (M2, 2022) signalled the transition to a new body style with more of a MacBook Pro look. Crucially this model reintroduced MagSafe 3 - a lost innovation that had saved many laptops including mine! The MacBook Air (13-inch, M3, 2024) with 512GB of SSD storage is the model of choice to my mind now and is even available refurbished from Apple, as well as new and discounted from Amazon. If you can do without HDMI and microSD card support it makes an almost perfect laptop.

Alternatives

MacBook Air (M1, 2020) and MacBook Pro (13-inch M1, 2020) are quite a lot cheaper, but can be hard to find in new condition apart from direct from Apple. Both sport an older design and shape, with no MagSafe, a slightly different keyboard, slightly smaller battery and a lower power USB-C adapter than current models. The higher spec models are really great comparatively inexpensive (for Apple) laptops.

Currently Apple have refurbished models available 'Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Air Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 7‑Core GPU - Space Grey' 8GB 256GB - £759 (8 June 2024) but although these are indistinguishable from new and are eligible for AppleCare it is hard to recommend the 256GB model when you can find the 1TB model on Amazon for an extra hundred quid, albeit not from Apple - MacBook Air (M1, 2020) 13-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD Storage (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed) £869.99.

This week an MacBook Pro (13-inch M1, 2020) with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Space Grey (Renewed) was available from Amazon for a price busting £829.