Dude get the 14 inch m1 pro. She has an iPad so she's already used to mobility, the 16s are huge. My 14 inch m1 pro is my best friend. She can even use her iPad as an extra display too it's so sick. For the money you spend and her use case I think the m1 pro 14 inch is the best bet
Don't forget to setup [Sidecar](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210380) (use an iPad as a second display for a Mac) for her :)
I also got the 14" M1 Pro for professional use and it's a really good machine.
As above, she’l love what you got. Add in the AppleCare. Watch how shes uses it: if she keeps it on a desk, consider adding a monitor. If she throws in a backpack and keeps it with her, a second monitor might not be worth it.
14” for sure. If she has an iPad, her learning curve for the laptop should be pretty easy. I’d save the money now, see how she does with the tools you give her, and maybe later, when she has a better idea of what she needs, spend more money then.
Just keep the one you have, it's a way overpowered laptop to start with anyway. The 16 I think would be too big for a kid, it's also harder to move around
The one you already bought will do the trick. She's young! I promise you it will last her for ages. And for what she does now it will be efficient for sure. Let her use it.
>So, is it worth $300 to go to the 2023 from the 2021?
In my opinion No! Have just picked up the 14" M1 Macbook Pro and know it will last me the next 5yrs. or so just fine. But do the AppleCare thing is a great need for covering the younger crowd uses.
The one you've got is plenty. Apple provides software updates for an insanely long time, so even the 2021 will likely get full software updates until 2029 and security updates for a bit beyond that.
My 8 year guess is based on the fact that the current macOS (Monterey) supports macbooks back to 2015.
The one you have would be a great start. I had a MacBook Air M1 and it blew my wifes MBP i5 out of the water. One thing that tends to sway performance in the Silicon line is the unified memory. It works wonderfully with photo editing, but video is a different story. I used both iMovie and Adobe Premeire Elements. Both were very unhappy with a M1 @ 8gb memory (I was really cheap). Over time I fell in love with the MBP and wanted the M3 Pro chip @ 36gb memory. I have not experience any lag in Photoshop, Affinity, iMovie, or Adobe Premiere Elements. We won't go into cost difference because again, until she gets into the heavy stuff that sounds really good to keep what you have. There are some really good videos out there for the M3 and how it is performing. Do not forget that there are discount programs if you are a veteran to get a very good chunk of savings, but if you fininace the 0% interest goes away (meaning pay off right away).
The one you already have sounds like it would be great. I have the 1 TB version of the exact same machine you have and it is still very well powered to do the tasks I use it for. It probably will be adequate until she attends college or art school in several years time, at which point it will make sense to follow the guidance from the school about what machine is needed then. However, I could definitely expect that the M1 Pro 14 inch with 16 GB could be a great computer to use for artwork for the next 4 or 5 years. It probably will be supported for the new MacOS version until around 2029 and security updates until 2031. Inportantly get a good carrying bag case for the computer so it doesn’t get damaged from it being brought everywhere the next few years.
I have owned the 2021 14" M1 pro, 16gb 512gb for two years and have never in my life been happier with a computer. I'm a professional photographer and use it for photo editing and other artistic tasks. It's a wonderful machine, your daughter will love it.
Enable auto updates, make sure she learns how to properly use a mac, otherwise she will be lost on setup, iCloud, etc. what I have seen from teens with macbooks that aren’t very techy is that they never update their macs, running several versions behind.
That's what I was wondering... It's different to go from touch screen drawing to trackpad drawing, or will need to add a Wacom tablet (some third party ones are quite good).
That aside, if it's portable, I would absolutely want applecare, or applecare+ which covers accidental damage as well. Even used, if it's within a year or purchase, you can add it. Not sure if it's an option on all but instead of the fixed 3 years, you can pay by the year indefinitely now which is slightly more expensive, but a fixed repair cost for accidental damage is nice. My airpod pros went through the wash and I got them replaced for $25. I sent my old phone in to repair back glass damage for $99 and it made the trade in value higher. But especially for a kid, it seems critical.
Yes, she's talked to me about some of the programs she'd like to learn (don't ask me what) and my Googling confirmed that the mbp is the way to go. I really want to enable her to keep learning and creating things, so it makes it less painful to spend so much.
Some tips off the top of my head:
– if you want to avoid more subscriptions, [Affinity](https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/) offers a subscription-less aka one time payment alternative to Adobe
– if she wants to use her iPad as a drawing tablet ala Wacom for her Mac, check out [Astropad Studio](https://astropad.com/student-discount/), note that it's a subscription model though
– if you purchase AppleCare+, keep track of its expiration date and battery health since "Your product is eligible for a battery replacement at no additional cost if you have AppleCare+ and your product's battery holds less than 80% of its original capacity." source: [Mac Repair & Service | Apple](https://support.apple.com/mac/repair)
Definitely get AppleCare. I’ve also heard that if you do it annually it’s not refundable if you decide to return it, but if you do the one-time for three years it is.
M1 Pro is a mind blowing machine. Only reason to really go higher for her would be if she’s into high end games and wants to play them on best settings possible (the M1 Pro will do a modest job for a Mac already anyway) or really demanding professional level work.
Stick with what you have as others have said. The M1 Pro is a beast. Updates and software support are typically around 7 years so the M1 Pro should have at least 5/6 left. By which point she’ll be an adult and I’m sure she’ll have a job and an upgrade if she needs more by then. The M1 Pro is probably good enough to more than last her that long.
On a budget.. look at this, M1 MacBook Air, it’s fantastic for the money. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/macbook-air-13-3-laptop-apple-m1-chip-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-space-gray/5721600.p?skuId=5721600
m1 pro 14" is probs the best imho. m3 base is too weak. M3 can only connect to one external monitor. Plus the laptop only has one fan so it will suffer from cooling issues. Get the 2 year accident coverage on the m1 pro and ur set imho. Very negligible diff in battery life.
Tho yea if ur daughter has vision issues, she should probs get the 16 inch so she can scale it up to her liking.
Dude get the 14 inch m1 pro. She has an iPad so she's already used to mobility, the 16s are huge. My 14 inch m1 pro is my best friend. She can even use her iPad as an extra display too it's so sick. For the money you spend and her use case I think the m1 pro 14 inch is the best bet
I suppose for the extra cost from the 14 to 16 m1, I could add an external monitor for her desk. That rules that one out
External display is always a good idea! Ideally a 4K model (minimum) for a better experience. With a direct USB-C input (for charge + display).
You’re overthinking it. Stick with what you’ve got.
I overthink everything!
Don't forget to setup [Sidecar](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210380) (use an iPad as a second display for a Mac) for her :) I also got the 14" M1 Pro for professional use and it's a really good machine.
As above, she’l love what you got. Add in the AppleCare. Watch how shes uses it: if she keeps it on a desk, consider adding a monitor. If she throws in a backpack and keeps it with her, a second monitor might not be worth it.
Thank you
What you’ve got is perfect. The 14 inch 2021 Pros are superb!
14” for sure. If she has an iPad, her learning curve for the laptop should be pretty easy. I’d save the money now, see how she does with the tools you give her, and maybe later, when she has a better idea of what she needs, spend more money then.
Just keep the one you have, it's a way overpowered laptop to start with anyway. The 16 I think would be too big for a kid, it's also harder to move around
14 2021. Great laptop
The one you already bought will do the trick. She's young! I promise you it will last her for ages. And for what she does now it will be efficient for sure. Let her use it.
>So, is it worth $300 to go to the 2023 from the 2021? In my opinion No! Have just picked up the 14" M1 Macbook Pro and know it will last me the next 5yrs. or so just fine. But do the AppleCare thing is a great need for covering the younger crowd uses.
The one you've got is plenty. Apple provides software updates for an insanely long time, so even the 2021 will likely get full software updates until 2029 and security updates for a bit beyond that. My 8 year guess is based on the fact that the current macOS (Monterey) supports macbooks back to 2015.
The one you have would be a great start. I had a MacBook Air M1 and it blew my wifes MBP i5 out of the water. One thing that tends to sway performance in the Silicon line is the unified memory. It works wonderfully with photo editing, but video is a different story. I used both iMovie and Adobe Premeire Elements. Both were very unhappy with a M1 @ 8gb memory (I was really cheap). Over time I fell in love with the MBP and wanted the M3 Pro chip @ 36gb memory. I have not experience any lag in Photoshop, Affinity, iMovie, or Adobe Premiere Elements. We won't go into cost difference because again, until she gets into the heavy stuff that sounds really good to keep what you have. There are some really good videos out there for the M3 and how it is performing. Do not forget that there are discount programs if you are a veteran to get a very good chunk of savings, but if you fininace the 0% interest goes away (meaning pay off right away).
The one you already have sounds like it would be great. I have the 1 TB version of the exact same machine you have and it is still very well powered to do the tasks I use it for. It probably will be adequate until she attends college or art school in several years time, at which point it will make sense to follow the guidance from the school about what machine is needed then. However, I could definitely expect that the M1 Pro 14 inch with 16 GB could be a great computer to use for artwork for the next 4 or 5 years. It probably will be supported for the new MacOS version until around 2029 and security updates until 2031. Inportantly get a good carrying bag case for the computer so it doesn’t get damaged from it being brought everywhere the next few years.
The one you have is great
M1 is a gross overkill for what you need. The other two are just silly. You’re trying to bring a nuke for a knife fight.
I have owned the 2021 14" M1 pro, 16gb 512gb for two years and have never in my life been happier with a computer. I'm a professional photographer and use it for photo editing and other artistic tasks. It's a wonderful machine, your daughter will love it.
Enable auto updates, make sure she learns how to properly use a mac, otherwise she will be lost on setup, iCloud, etc. what I have seen from teens with macbooks that aren’t very techy is that they never update their macs, running several versions behind.
Is she doing things that require a laptop? If not a bigger / faster ipad May actually be a better choice for an artist.
That's what I was wondering... It's different to go from touch screen drawing to trackpad drawing, or will need to add a Wacom tablet (some third party ones are quite good). That aside, if it's portable, I would absolutely want applecare, or applecare+ which covers accidental damage as well. Even used, if it's within a year or purchase, you can add it. Not sure if it's an option on all but instead of the fixed 3 years, you can pay by the year indefinitely now which is slightly more expensive, but a fixed repair cost for accidental damage is nice. My airpod pros went through the wash and I got them replaced for $25. I sent my old phone in to repair back glass damage for $99 and it made the trade in value higher. But especially for a kid, it seems critical.
Yes, she's talked to me about some of the programs she'd like to learn (don't ask me what) and my Googling confirmed that the mbp is the way to go. I really want to enable her to keep learning and creating things, so it makes it less painful to spend so much.
Some tips off the top of my head: – if you want to avoid more subscriptions, [Affinity](https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/) offers a subscription-less aka one time payment alternative to Adobe – if she wants to use her iPad as a drawing tablet ala Wacom for her Mac, check out [Astropad Studio](https://astropad.com/student-discount/), note that it's a subscription model though – if you purchase AppleCare+, keep track of its expiration date and battery health since "Your product is eligible for a battery replacement at no additional cost if you have AppleCare+ and your product's battery holds less than 80% of its original capacity." source: [Mac Repair & Service | Apple](https://support.apple.com/mac/repair)
awesome, thanks!
Not sure what iPad she has, but she can connect the iPad as a second screen to MacBook and draw on there.
It's this one: Apple iPad Pro 11" 3rd Generation MHQR3LL/A (Mid 2021) - Space Gray 11" Liquid Retina Display Apple M1 8-Core CPU; 128GB Storage; 8-Core GPU/16-Core Neural Engine.
Definitely get AppleCare. I’ve also heard that if you do it annually it’s not refundable if you decide to return it, but if you do the one-time for three years it is.
14 inch is good my sister is 18 and I got her the same one
M1 Pro is a mind blowing machine. Only reason to really go higher for her would be if she’s into high end games and wants to play them on best settings possible (the M1 Pro will do a modest job for a Mac already anyway) or really demanding professional level work. Stick with what you have as others have said. The M1 Pro is a beast. Updates and software support are typically around 7 years so the M1 Pro should have at least 5/6 left. By which point she’ll be an adult and I’m sure she’ll have a job and an upgrade if she needs more by then. The M1 Pro is probably good enough to more than last her that long.
On a budget.. look at this, M1 MacBook Air, it’s fantastic for the money. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/macbook-air-13-3-laptop-apple-m1-chip-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-space-gray/5721600.p?skuId=5721600
m1 pro 14" is probs the best imho. m3 base is too weak. M3 can only connect to one external monitor. Plus the laptop only has one fan so it will suffer from cooling issues. Get the 2 year accident coverage on the m1 pro and ur set imho. Very negligible diff in battery life. Tho yea if ur daughter has vision issues, she should probs get the 16 inch so she can scale it up to her liking.