Salespro2 wrote:
Hi! Looking to purchase a new laptop w photo storage & photo editing being 2 top needs. Any suggestions ? High school football shoots coming up.
The most popular and most loved laptop on the market today is the Late 2020 M1 MacBook Air. It starts at $999 (8GB Unified Memory, 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 256GB storage) to $2049 (fully loaded with 16GB Unified Memory, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 2TB storage). Discounts are available on the lower end models on Amazon. Apple Refurbished models can save a lot, too.
Watch these videos whether you are at all skeptical or interested.
https://youtu.be/se-7rjV6z0s MaxTech's nine-month review
https://youtu.be/_wFmj1nMd-k Everyday Dad's long-term review
If you search YouTube for M1 MacBook Air reviews, you'll find dozens and dozens. Very few are negative.
Because this is a RISC computer, it is very fast. The System on a Chip (SOC) is a radical design departure from Intel's CISC architecture. All the key processing chips have been integrated into one package, just like the SOCs in the
iPhones and iPads made for the last decade or so.
Apple Silicon systems run much faster for the money, on one third the power. Battery life is spectacular (9 to 12 hours real-world heavy productivity, and up to 18 hours watching web videos).
Personally, I wouldn't get more than 1TB internal storage. Adding external USB-C 3.2 SSDs or Thunderbolt 3 or 4 SSDs is a less costly way to store files.
Unfortunately, this computer has only two data ports and a headphone/microphone jack. You will need a dongle, hub, or dock. That's the bad news. The GOOD news is that both ports are Thunderbolt 3/USB4, and capable of 40Mbps each, using separate controllers. If you want Thunderbolt-level docks or hubs, the good ones are in the $150 to $300 range. If you can use a portable, this is my favorite, and the one I got for my son:
https://www.charjenpro.com/products/ultimatedock