We got some M5 deals in the US
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I would like to make an appeal for everyone here to spend some money with Apple. Apparently they are having money problems because today when I opened the Maps app I was greeted with a message that it would now contain ads. The last I checked Apple had a market cap of only 4.1 TRILLION dollars. Please help them!
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How the hell are those supposed to appear 
First billboards outside the car, now billboards inside the car when I need directions??
Dude they can literally move the S&P500 intraday but they are making SnapChat moves. Oh boy
Better than raising ram prices.
Also they can show all the ads on it they want.
Who uses maps? Not this guy.
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Tim Cook has been a good steward of Apple, from the impossible task of taking over at the worst possible moment to a solid 15-year run with a lot more hits than misses. But sometimes, his old COO ways have gotten the better of him and he greenlights something that makes financial sense but is terrible for the brand… and ads in Maps is one of those things.
Hopefully Ternus sets this one right.
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Thinking about getting a base spec MacBook Air M5 15 inch for music production. Was thinking about getting a base MacBook Pro M5 Pro 16 inch but a redesign of the pro line is coming next year so i might wait for that one to upgrade from the Air if it turns stable enough and worth the upgrade.
Anyone use the Air? How does it hold up for music production?
Imagine it would fly! Some here using M1 Air still
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The only issue you’ll have with the air is lack of ports.
Other than that it’ll be fine.
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I’ll probably replace my M1 Air some time this year with an M5 Air, too. Not because it’s absolutely necessary, but because I expect prices for the next generations to increase due to the chip shortage.
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Tempted by an Air myself, even an M4 would ‘do’ knowing how well my original M1 Mini performed.
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Went from Pro to Air and it has been entirely positive.
Honestly, I went to the store set on the Pro, but it felt unnecessarily big, and even hollow inside to make the physical size larger. That was a few years ago now, the newer pro’s are less like that, but the experience stuck. I now switch between a Pro and an Air multiple times a day and truthfully, prefer the Air.
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At some point supply will catch up with demand and there will probably be a glut of RAM on the market… but to paraphrase John Maynard Keynes, “the market can remain irrational longer than your DAW can remain performant.”
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Yo! Thanks a bunch for your replies! 
…but i need some more help 
I’m now considering a few different options and honestly can’t decide what makes the most sense for my use case. My workflow is hybrid: I use hw synths and drum machines, but I also use VST instruments (LESS sample-oriented, more sound design), ofc efx and processors for mixing and i plan to work more with Max/MSP in the future.
Here are the options I’m currently considering:
-
15” MacBook Air M5, 16 GB RAM / 512 GB SSD — 1670 €
-
15” MacBook Air M5, 24 GB RAM / 512 GB SSD — 1990 €
-
14” MacBook Pro M5, 16 GB RAM / 512 GB SSD — 1990 €
-
same Macbook Pro as the above but it’s a demo/ex-display unit - 1570 €
(not sure about its condition yet, will try to find out more in a few days)
The Air is appealing because:
- bigger 15” screen
- fanless and completely silent
- lighter and more comfortable as an everyday laptop
- I may eventually upgrade to the redesigned 16 inch Pro M6 Pro models coming next year anyway, but not to the 1st gen units
But the Pro is appealing because:
- active cooling
- better sustained performance
- more ports and less need to buy costly hubs
- potentially better suited for heavier Max/MSP and DSP workloads
My biggest dilemma now is basically:
24 GB Air vs 16 GB Pro at the same price
and whether RAM limitations would become more annoying long-term than occasional thermal throttling on the Air
Also, screen size is something that can make a huge difference but i don’t have experience in neither of these laptops, so I would love to hear more about this pls
I’m not doing huge orchestral templates or film scoring, but I do like experimenting with sound design, DSP, Max/MSP, layered VST processing, etc.
Would also love to hear from people actually using Airs for more serious music production workloads.
Thnx
I’d get the 14” Pro in your case. If you have lots of peripherals it’s better to have more dedicated ports. The Air itself is excellent, both for performance and portability, but if active cooling is a concern for you should definitely get the Pro. I’d just encourage you to stretch to get 32gb of ram, maybe even seek out a refurbished M4 model (check the refurbished store on Apples website in your region) if that suits your budget more - the M4 is still plenty good. And you can always buy a larger 27 or 32 inch screen down the line for a bigger screen in the studio.
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Are you set on 512 GB for storage? I love my M1 Pro to death but going for basic storage killed me when I started getting into working with sample libraries. I have an external hard drive, but it’s definitely annoying.
The other thing to consider is screen and speakers: the Pro still has a better screen and built-in speakers. Seriously, the built-in speakers on the Pro are outrageously good for their size, and it’s come in handy for making music and testing sounds while away from the desk. As for the screen, if you do anything with photos or videos, a better screen goes a long way.
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What about the screen size for music production, Ableton and Max? 14 MBP vs 15 inch MBA?
Re: upgrading specs
I’m trying to avoid spending a lot of money at this point bc I’m planning to buy the rumored redesigned 16 inch M6 or M7 MBP in a couple of years, probably in late 2027 or early 2028. So for now I’m planning to buy a workable MacBook for up to 2000 euros and use it till then. Upgrade RAM, then upgrading storage and Ill soon find myself spending close to or over 3000 euros and with that approaching the 16 inch M5 Pro territory that im trying to avoid atm.
Re: refurbished MBP M4
I can’t find reasonably priced laptops in my country. Refurbished M4 macs cost almost like equally speced M5s! Crazy 
Probably then if you plan to get an MBP in a couple years - that machine will tick a lot of future boxes for you… Try and get the cheapest possible Macbook Air 15" you can find and don’t worry about anything else.
Edit: Although - I wouldn’t count on any future MBP being affordable - if its some kind of Macbook Ultra - OLED and all the rest. It will definitely hurt the bank and I’d expect the current form factor to continue to kick around in the lower (actually affordable) tiers.
It’s probably always better to buy what you need rather than use up your funds on something thats not quite it, while waiting for some currently unknown future device.
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I use a 14" MBP for work and a 15" MBA for music/everything else. It’s not just down to screen size - the MBA also has a higher default resolution so it can fit more actual stuff on the screen. For me the 14" seems too cramped and I’d rather have the 15" any day, especially using a DAW
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I’m still on a mid 2012 MacBook Pro hacked to run Monterey! Was planning to upgrade to a 15 MacBook Air but the new core type in the pro chips are IMO a proper game changer so will instead go for the MacBook Pro 16 in anticipation of the new chip architecture giving me some extra years of use (though probably not 14 years!).
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