My MacBook battery needs to be recharged after about 2 hours of use. It’s nearly 9 years old so that doesn’t come as a surprise. There’s no point is paying $199 to replace the battery. My MacBook is old enough now that Apple designates it “vintage“. It is incompatible with the latest operating systems and security patches are no longer being released for it. In other words, it’s past its EOL. Although it still works for my basic needs, I figured I’d be replacing it in a year or two.
After spending many hours on it in recent months, I started thinking about replacing it now. My two options were:
- Get another MacBook Air – I like the weight, size and form factor. The screen is small but that fits into my minimalist aesthetic.
- Switch to a Chromebook – I love the ease of use, significantly lower price and simplicity of running Google Apps on a Chromebook. I was a dedicated user of Google App for years and owned two Chromebooks during that time. They performed 90% of what I needed well. The last 10% required work arounds and compromises that I could handle.
After further consideration, I decided to stick with Apple.
As a lifelong Apple user since the early 90s, I’ve found it works better for me than anything else. Since I stopped having to adhere to my various employers’ technical requirements, I’ve built a tech environment that I’m quite satisfied with.
- All of my devices are Apple. I have a MacBook Air, iPhone and iPad. Everything syncs to iCloud. Migrating to a new device requires just a cable and a few clicks – Apple’s migration software takes care of everything else. The software I use (Pages, Numbers, Mail, Messaging, Podcasts) is included with the OS. I have a few premium subscriptions and Apps I pay for. I haven’t needed an App that wasn’t available for Apple in a long time.
- Apple’s security and password management system are the best I’ve used. I’ve used many password management solutions over the past 25 years. With Apple’s passkeys, facial recognition and encryption I’m about as secure as I can be without having to fuss with work-arounds, remembering complex passwords and having to deal with the hassles of third-party password management apps.
- I trust Apple more than Google. Google gathers as much of my data as possible to inundate me with ceaseless ads. It’s annoying as f**k. It’s especially disappointing because I’ve been a fan of Google since the late 1990s. Lately, no so much. Although I must admit, Goggle still offers a few stellar products and services that I use everyday.
- Support. I rarely need support because I solve tech problems on my own 95% of the time. On the rare occasions when I do need support, Apple’s online support and their Genius Bar at the Apple Store always deliver.
I spec’d out a replacement MacBook Air with the intention to buy it sometime down the road. Then I decided to add a monitor and keyboard since I always work on at my desk and miss having a big screen with a full-size keyboard.
Then it occurred to me that I could buy the monitor and keyboard now to use with my current MacBook and connect them to my new one when I get it down the road.
Then it occurred to me that I should check out a Mac desktop. Desktop computers are often cheaper than laptops and they have no battery issues to deal with. Since I never work on my laptop anywhere except at my desk, a desktop might work for me.
It did.
My new Mac Mini will arrive here next month. I might hang onto my old MacBook for a while on the off chance I need to work remotely. Then again, given my inclination to purge anything I’m not using, I’ll probably wipe it clean and send it to be recycled within a few days. The trade-in value is $0.
I wasn’t expecting to upgrade my MacBook this year. But my experience replacing my old iPad and my old iPhone was that I should have done both sooner. I decided the next time I needed an upgrade, I would do it at that time instead of squeezing out another year to “save” the money I am going to spend anyway. I might as well reap the benefits now.
I’m stoked to get my new Mac mini. I bought one back in 2008 and absolutely loved it. I can only imagine how fast this one will be and how I will use some of the new OS features.
PS. I am writing this blog on my new 24″ display with a full size keyboard that is connected to my old MacBook. It is astonishingly sweet compared to the cramped MacBook screen and keyboard I’ve been using since 2019. It’s refreshing to see two full pages on one screen vs a bunch of 3/4 sized overlapped windows and to type on a full sized keyboard with a number pad. It’s been a long time since I’ve had these luxuries.