I just bought a MacBook Pro2020 on top of a MacBook Air — here's why

I just bought a MacBook Pro2020 on top of a MacBook Air — here's why

The MacBook Pro 2020 (13") could not have come at a better time; less than a month ago, my 2015 MacBook Pro lost a battle with spilled St. Germain and soda.

Even with the knowledge that it would be pretty much impossible to find a repair shop open during a pandemic, I wasn't worried. I was not, because rumors that a new MacBook Pro would be available soon brought a silver (or space-gray) lining to the situation.

That's right. Whatever laptop Apple plans to unveil this month, I knew I would buy it. Even if it didn't have a 14" display or a webcam, as long as the MacBook Pro 2020 had a Magic Keyboard, Apple already had my money.

Such blind loyalty may not be something to be proud of, but there is something to be said about how long and how well my now broken computer has served me.

My first MacBook Pro gave me five wonderful years of writing, streaming, and the Adobe suite. In college, I edited a 60-page student magazine and worked on my resume. When I was locked out of the media lab in the middle of the night, I could go back to my dorm to work on short video projects and watch YouTube videos online before bed.

I wanted a computer that I could rely on for another five years and do whatever I wanted. Or even longer. I may not be a gamer or graphic designer now, but having a versatile machine that can handle any project, hobby, or job is important to me in my mid to late 20s.

I chose not to opt for the newly released and ready-to-ship MacBook Air. Although my colleague Henry T. Casey gave the MacBook Air 2020 a four-star review, he recommended that I wait. While fine for casual use, the Air struggled with multitasking and was not "wow" in benchmarks. I don't need it to be "wow," but it does need to be powerful and versatile.

So, you might ask, why not the 16-inch MacBook Pro that was released in December? Have you ever seen one that size? I have never been attracted to a 15-inch computer. I don't know how I would pack it for travel, and it wouldn't fit in my current backpack. And of all the bells and whistles of that beast of a computer, the Magic Keyboard was the one that the 16-inch MacBook Pro reviews raved about the most. For what it's worth, I'd put it on my 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The price, starting at $2,399 for the 16-inch model, also put me off. I believe that excellent, long-lasting technology can justify the high price, but I paid half that ($1,199) for the 2015 MacBook Pro.

Now, I know Apple can get cute about its configurations. The new MacBook Pro starts at $1,299, but its entry-level model is powered by last year's processor. Only two top-of-the-line models, the $1,799 and $1,999 models, feature Intel's 10th-generation chips. Still, the 16-inch model sounds cheap.

But $1,799 is what I spent on my new laptop, and definitely not cheap. I've never spent that much at one time, second only to a ticket to see Beyonce at Coachella. The latest processor, 512GB SSD, 16GB of fast 3733MHz RAM, four Thunderbolt 3 ports. And hopefully, reliable performance for another 5+ years.

That said, I probably would not have upgraded to this new 13-inch MacBook had my five-year-old MacBook not met an untimely death. I know I would have made at least one more round. Especially with laptops and alcohol.

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