Are you thinking of buying a Mac? Macs are great laptops that are ideal for both business and personal use. They work seamlessly with other Apple devices, such as an iPhone or iPad, and they also connect well to secondary devices like a computer screen or a smart TV.
Just like when buying a gaming keyboard, new phone or TV, there are several things you want to consider before going straight in and buying a new Mac – otherwise, you could make the wrong purchase and regret buying it. Some things to consider are whether you buy brand new or second-hand? The size of the screen do you require? How powerful do you need your Mac? Or are there better alternatives?
To help with deciding, use a spreadsheet or a Google Doc to decide on the pros and cons of the Macs you are looking at. This way you can narrow down your choices. Below we look into four things to consider when buying a Mac.
New or Second-hand
Apple Macs are known to be premium laptops and depending on the specifications that you require, can range from expensive to very expensive. For this reason, it’s always worth searching the market to see if there are any second-hand ones that you can buy instead of buying a new one. Buying second-hand can save you a huge amount of money but you risk it being damaged or bugs being installed on the laptop such as it shutting down unexpectedly – you can find a solution here. There are however many bargains to be had and if you find the right one, you could be saving yourself a lot of money.
Screen size
Screen size is very important and something you should consider before buying a Mac. Macs come in 13”, 14” and 15” screens, with the prices increasing the bigger the screen you go for. When making your pros and cons list, do you require a bigger screen? Or can you save money and go for the smaller one? If you have a permanent set-up, you could get a smaller screen and then use a larger monitor. Screen size is a big factor to consider as if you get it wrong, it can be a real pain. If you are unsure of the screen size, make sure you go into an Apple shop and look at the laptop instead of ordering it online. This way you can get a feel for the device and see if you think the screen is big enough or not.
Specifications of your Mac
What specifications do you require for your Mac? Depending on your requirements you could save yourself some money and opt for an Apple Macbook Air instead of the Macbook Pro. Pro’s are more expensive as they are used more for design work and powering large programs like the Adobe Suite. A MacBook Air on the other hand are smaller in design, helping them be more portable but they come in a smaller screen size. More students will opt for a Macbook Air as they simply don’t require the capabilities that a Macbook Pro has.
The amount of storage you require
Storage is very important and something that will have a big factor in the type of Apple Mac you go for. Depending on what you use your laptop for will help decide on the amount of storage you think you will need. Photographers and graphic designers will need more storage than someone who is using it for writing articles and surfing the web. If at any point you do run out of storage, you could use an external hard drive. Alternatively, many Apple users turn to cloud storage as this means they can access their files anywhere.
Do you need a Mac
This may sound like a silly point but it is very relevant. Many people fall into the trap of buying an Apple device because it’s Apple. Macs are incredible pieces of equipment which won’t let you down, but do you really need one? There are cheaper alternatives out there that may be more suited for your requirements. Don’t be put off buying a Mac, just make sure you are buying one for the right reason as you will be spending more to buy one.
Have you recently bought an Apple Mac? What do you love most about it and what do you dislike about it? What considerations did you make before buying one? Are there any points that you would like to add that will benefit our readers? Let us know in the comment box below.
