Hi looking for a bit of advice. Currently running a MBP Early 2015 model - 8gb
RAM, 500gb disk.

I'm thinking of replacing it and running Parallels on the new one (so can have
macOS & Windows simultaneously).

Now I'm assuming that a lot has improved in the last 9 years - what
would/should I be looking for? Would a Macbook Air be a good shout? Or is the
MBP that much more robust? Should I consider a refurb (if so any
recommendations)?

The reason for changing is that the current machine just feels like it's not
quite up to the job (and that job is running whatever I feel like when I like
- all the MS Office apps (which I'd rather access via Windows to be honest),
MS Teams (which is a bit crap on macOS, maybe true also in Windows...), VS
Code, Docker, OneDrive, Discord, Usenapp (of course), Safari, OneNote,
WhatsApp, Slack...) - I sometimes see the CPU utilisation going through the
roof (when locked). I have it connected to an external monitor and sometimes,
after resuming from locked, it's as though it knows the monitor is connected
but cannot summon the processing power to actually utilise it - flashes a few
times, the windows may appear on it and then disappear (showing only on the
MBP's own drive) - and I'm putting this behaviour down to the MBP just being a
bit short of horesepower.

Excuse all the waffle, appreciate any contributions to help me with my
research :)

cheers
j

--
jeremy

On Feb 27, 2024 at 8:05:52 AM EST, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi looking for a bit of advice. Currently running a MBP Early 2015 model - 8gb
> RAM, 500gb disk.
>
> I'm thinking of replacing it and running Parallels on the new one (so can have
> macOS & Windows simultaneously).
>
> Now I'm assuming that a lot has improved in the last 9 years - what
> would/should I be looking for? Would a Macbook Air be a good shout? Or is the
> MBP that much more robust? Should I consider a refurb (if so any
> recommendations)?
>
> The reason for changing is that the current machine just feels like it's not
> quite up to the job (and that job is running whatever I feel like when I like
> - all the MS Office apps (which I'd rather access via Windows to be honest),
> MS Teams (which is a bit crap on macOS, maybe true also in Windows...), VS
> Code, Docker, OneDrive, Discord, Usenapp (of course), Safari, OneNote,
> WhatsApp, Slack...) - I sometimes see the CPU utilisation going through the
> roof (when locked). I have it connected to an external monitor and sometimes,
> after resuming from locked, it's as though it knows the monitor is connected
> but cannot summon the processing power to actually utilise it - flashes a few
> times, the windows may appear on it and then disappear (showing only on the
> MBP's own drive) - and I'm putting this behaviour down to the MBP just being a
> bit short of horesepower.

I can't imagine trying to run all of that on an old Intel Mac with 8gb RAM.

The MacBook Air would probably be fine, but keep in mind that it maxes out at
24gb RAM.

I am currently running an M2 Pro MacBook Pro with 32gb RAM, 12 CPU cores and
1tb SSD. I am using the free VMWare Fusion to run Windows 11 Arm. It all runs
fine. I have Ofice, Visual Studio and all kinds of stuff installed on Windows.
I can give Windows 6 cores and 16gb RAM if I need it, but I rarely need it.
8gb is plenty for every day use.

Windows will start doing all kinds of background tasks if it thinks the
machine is idle. I have a small utility that I wrote that invisibly moves the
mouse every 30 seconds. I also use this on my otherwise locked-down work PC to
keep the screen saver from kicking in. This prevents me from appearing as
"idle" or away to the company/IT spyware. I am always "active".

On 27/02/2024 16:04, Tyrone wrote:
> I am currently running an M2 Pro MacBook Pro with 32gb RAM, 12 CPU cores
> and 1tb SSD. I am using the free VMWare Fusion to run Windows 11 Arm. It
> all runs fine. I have Ofice, Visual Studio and all kinds of stuff
> installed on Windows. I can give Windows 6 cores and 16gb RAM if I need
> it, but I rarely need it. 8gb is plenty for every day use.

And, allegedly, Windows for ARM allows Intel Windows apps to be run as
it provides an on-the-fly-translator.

(I'd be interested to hear whether that works as advertised, Tyrone.)

The downside is that VMware Fusion might not be free for much longer.
VMware were bought by Broadcom a short while back. Broadcom are now
focusing on their large corporate customers and have agreed to sell
their "end user computing" businesses to a venture capital company
called KKR.

KKR have stated they see a "bright and vibrant future" for the EUC
businesses which is code for "lucrative" so I expect that the free deals
will end sharpish and they'll try to force existing users onto a
subscription model.

I can see that I need to start honing my Virtualbox or QEMU skills!

--
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey, England

On Feb 27, 2024 at 6:22:53 PM EST, "Bruce Horrocks" <07.013@scorecrow.com>
wrote:

> On 27/02/2024 16:04, Tyrone wrote:
>> I am currently running an M2 Pro MacBook Pro with 32gb RAM, 12 CPU cores
>> and 1tb SSD. I am using the free VMWare Fusion to run Windows 11 Arm. It
>> all runs fine. I have Ofice, Visual Studio and all kinds of stuff
>> installed on Windows. I can give Windows 6 cores and 16gb RAM if I need
>> it, but I rarely need it. 8gb is plenty for every day use.
>
> And, allegedly, Windows for ARM allows Intel Windows apps to be run as
> it provides an on-the-fly-translator.
>
> (I'd be interested to hear whether that works as advertised, Tyrone.)

Seems to work fine. Many parts of Office are still Intel code. I have a game
(Gomoku) that I wrote MANY years ago on a Mac using RealBASIC. This was around
20 years ago, or something. Anyway, I wrote it on a G5 PowerMac. RealBASIC let
you target MacOS 9. MacOSX, Linux and Windows by just changing the compile
options. It was 32 bit only (of course, this was 20 years ago), so the OS X
version no longer runs on this Mac. But the Windows (Intel) version runs fine
in Arm Windows 11. I was stunned that it works.

My small utility that moves the mouse every 30 seconds was also Intel and runs
fine on Arm Windows 11. I have recently recompiled it for Arm with Visual
Studio 2022.

> The downside is that VMware Fusion might not be free for much longer.
> VMware were bought by Broadcom a short while back. Broadcom are now
> focusing on their large corporate customers and have agreed to sell
> their "end user computing" businesses to a venture capital company
> called KKR.

Maybe, maybe not. I just checked and the free version is still available.
IAC, I would rather pay $200 to buy VMWare Pro than spend $100 a year for
Parallels.

On 28 Feb 2024 at 02:03:42 GMT, "Tyrone" <none@none.none> wrote:

>
>
> Maybe, maybe not. I just checked and the free version is still available.
> IAC, I would rather pay $200 to buy VMWare Pro than spend $100 a year for
> Parallels.

Is there a big difference in usability - I used Parallels a few years ago and
loved the way it was integrated - does VMWare Fusion operate in a similar
manner from a user point of view?

--
jeremy

On 28/02/2024 02:03, Tyrone wrote:
> On Feb 27, 2024 at 6:22:53 PM EST, "Bruce Horrocks" <07.013@scorecrow.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On 27/02/2024 16:04, Tyrone wrote:
>>> I am currently running an M2 Pro MacBook Pro with 32gb RAM, 12 CPU cores
>>> and 1tb SSD. I am using the free VMWare Fusion to run Windows 11 Arm. It
>>> all runs fine. I have Ofice, Visual Studio and all kinds of stuff
>>> installed on Windows. I can give Windows 6 cores and 16gb RAM if I need
>>> it, but I rarely need it. 8gb is plenty for every day use.
>>
>> And, allegedly, Windows for ARM allows Intel Windows apps to be run as
>> it provides an on-the-fly-translator.
>>
>> (I'd be interested to hear whether that works as advertised, Tyrone.)
>
> Seems to work fine. Many parts of Office are still Intel code. I have a game
> (Gomoku) that I wrote MANY years ago on a Mac using RealBASIC. This was around
> 20 years ago, or something. Anyway, I wrote it on a G5 PowerMac. RealBASIC let
> you target MacOS 9. MacOSX, Linux and Windows by just changing the compile
> options. It was 32 bit only (of course, this was 20 years ago), so the OS X
> version no longer runs on this Mac. But the Windows (Intel) version runs fine
> in Arm Windows 11. I was stunned that it works.

Thank-you and a bit of a d'oh moment for me - of course Windows is bound
to still have some Intel code in it given they still haven't managed to
update all the dialog boxes to the "new" style.

> My small utility that moves the mouse every 30 seconds was also Intel and runs
> fine on Arm Windows 11. I have recently recompiled it for Arm with Visual
> Studio 2022.

I 'double press' the NumLock key every few minutes. The advantage being
that you can do it in cscript so easier to sneak onto locked-down
corporate machines. :-)

>> The downside is that VMware Fusion might not be free for much longer.
>> VMware were bought by Broadcom a short while back. Broadcom are now
>> focusing on their large corporate customers and have agreed to sell
>> their "end user computing" businesses to a venture capital company
>> called KKR.
>
> Maybe, maybe not. I just checked and the free version is still available.
> IAC, I would rather pay $200 to buy VMWare Pro than spend $100 a year for
> Parallels.

I don't think VMware will go back to perpetual licensing but we'll see.

--
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey, England

On Feb 28, 2024 at 4:33:33 AM EST, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:

> On 28 Feb 2024 at 02:03:42 GMT, "Tyrone" <none@none.none> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Maybe, maybe not. I just checked and the free version is still available.
>> IAC, I would rather pay $200 to buy VMWare Pro than spend $100 a year for
>> Parallels.
>
> Is there a big difference in usability - I used Parallels a few years ago and
> loved the way it was integrated - does VMWare Fusion operate in a similar
> manner from a user point of view?

I have never used Parallels so I can't say. But VMWare is easy enough. You
start it and then boot the Windows VM. You can then cut and paste text both
directions, network to other Windows machines on the network, etc. The VM acts
like any other Windows PC. USB works, external monitors work. There is no
limitation on assigning memory or CPUs to the VM.

Considering it is free, it works very well. I have been running this for a few
months now with zero problems.

On 2024-02-28, Tyrone <none@none.none> wrote:
> On Feb 28, 2024 at 4:33:33 AM EST, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 28 Feb 2024 at 02:03:42 GMT, "Tyrone" <none@none.none> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Maybe, maybe not. I just checked and the free version is still available.
>>> IAC, I would rather pay $200 to buy VMWare Pro than spend $100 a year for
>>> Parallels.
>>
>> Is there a big difference in usability - I used Parallels a few years ago and
>> loved the way it was integrated - does VMWare Fusion operate in a similar
>> manner from a user point of view?
>
> I have never used Parallels so I can't say. But VMWare is easy enough. You
> start it and then boot the Windows VM. You can then cut and paste text both
> directions, network to other Windows machines on the network, etc. The VM acts
> like any other Windows PC. USB works, external monitors work. There is no
> limitation on assigning memory or CPUs to the VM.
>
> Considering it is free, it works very well. I have been running this for a few
> months now with zero problems.

I was using Parallels for a W11 ARM VM but not really using the integration features, so I've
now started using the free VMware app. I'm quite happy with VMware and gives me another
excuse not to renew my Parallels sub!

--
Cheers, Alan

On 28 Feb 2024 at 09:33:33 GMT, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:

> On 28 Feb 2024 at 02:03:42 GMT, "Tyrone" <none@none.none> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Maybe, maybe not. I just checked and the free version is still available.
>> IAC, I would rather pay $200 to buy VMWare Pro than spend $100 a year for
>> Parallels.
>
> Is there a big difference in usability - I used Parallels a few years ago and
> loved the way it was integrated - does VMWare Fusion operate in a similar
> manner from a user point of view?

Yes, they're very similar in most respects. Shared folders, opening Mac
files with Windows apps, "show my Windows apps in individual windows not
in a Windows window" etc.

Cheers - Jaimie
--
The truth may be out there, but the lies are inside your head.
-- Terry Pratchett

On 2024-02-28, Tyrone <none@none.none> wrote:
> On Feb 28, 2024 at 4:33:33 AM EST, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 28 Feb 2024 at 02:03:42 GMT, "Tyrone" <none@none.none> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Maybe, maybe not. I just checked and the free version is still available.
>>> IAC, I would rather pay $200 to buy VMWare Pro than spend $100 a year for
>>> Parallels.
>>
>> Is there a big difference in usability - I used Parallels a few years ago and
>> loved the way it was integrated - does VMWare Fusion operate in a similar
>> manner from a user point of view?
>
> I have never used Parallels so I can't say. But VMWare is easy enough. You
> start it and then boot the Windows VM. You can then cut and paste text both
> directions, network to other Windows machines on the network, etc. The VM acts
> like any other Windows PC. USB works, external monitors work. There is no
> limitation on assigning memory or CPUs to the VM.
>
> Considering it is free, it works very well. I have been running this for a few
> months now with zero problems.

How do I permanently get rid of the Background Items Added notification when
VMware is launched on a 'Silicon' Mac? It's no bid deal but I can't seem to
find a workaround!

--
Cheers, Alan

On 29/02/2024 15:30, Alan B wrote:
> On 2024-02-28, Tyrone <none@none.none> wrote:

> How do I permanently get rid of the Background Items Added notification when
> VMware is launched on a 'Silicon' Mac? It's no bid deal but I can't seem to
> find a workaround!

You can't.[1] VMware need to update their app (to support Apple's
ever-changing rules over how apps should behave).

[1] There's a hack documented out there on the Web but I wouldn't
recommend it - too likely to cause another problem when you least expect it.

--
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey, England

Bruce Horrocks <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:
> On 29/02/2024 15:30, Alan B wrote:
>> On 2024-02-28, Tyrone <none@none.none> wrote:
>
>> How do I permanently get rid of the Background Items Added notification when
>> VMware is launched on a 'Silicon' Mac? It's no bid deal but I can't seem to
>> find a workaround!
>
> You can't.[1] VMware need to update their app (to support Apple's
> ever-changing rules over how apps should behave).
>
> [1] There's a hack documented out there on the Web but I wouldn't
> recommend it - too likely to cause another problem when you least expect it.

Fair enough - thanks.

--
Cheers, Alan

On 27 Feb 2024 at 17:04:44 GMT, "Tyrone" <none@none.none> wrote:

> On Feb 27, 2024 at 8:05:52 AM EST, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi looking for a bit of advice. Currently running a MBP Early 2015 model - 8gb
>> RAM, 500gb disk.
>>
>> I'm thinking of replacing it and running Parallels on the new one (so can have
>> macOS & Windows simultaneously).
>>
>> Now I'm assuming that a lot has improved in the last 9 years - what
>> would/should I be looking for? Would a Macbook Air be a good shout? Or is the
>> MBP that much more robust? Should I consider a refurb (if so any
>> recommendations)?
>>
>> The reason for changing is that the current machine just feels like it's not
>> quite up to the job (and that job is running whatever I feel like when I like
>> - all the MS Office apps (which I'd rather access via Windows to be honest),
>> MS Teams (which is a bit crap on macOS, maybe true also in Windows...), VS
>> Code, Docker, OneDrive, Discord, Usenapp (of course), Safari, OneNote,
>> WhatsApp, Slack...) - I sometimes see the CPU utilisation going through the
>> roof (when locked). I have it connected to an external monitor and sometimes,
>> after resuming from locked, it's as though it knows the monitor is connected
>> but cannot summon the processing power to actually utilise it - flashes a few
>> times, the windows may appear on it and then disappear (showing only on the
>> MBP's own drive) - and I'm putting this behaviour down to the MBP just being a
>> bit short of horesepower.
>
> I can't imagine trying to run all of that on an old Intel Mac with 8gb RAM.
>
> The MacBook Air would probably be fine, but keep in mind that it maxes out at
> 24gb RAM.
>
> I am currently running an M2 Pro MacBook Pro with 32gb RAM, 12 CPU cores and
> 1tb SSD. I am using the free VMWare Fusion to run Windows 11 Arm. It all runs
> fine. I have Ofice, Visual Studio and all kinds of stuff installed on Windows.
> I can give Windows 6 cores and 16gb RAM if I need it, but I rarely need it.
> 8gb is plenty for every day use.
>

<snip>

Have reached the point where I am going to "buy something" - what does an MBP
offer that's better than an Air?

I'll do my own research of course on Apple but interested in real-world
experience / knowledge.

cheers

--
jeremy

On 21 Apr 2024 at 13:31:25 BST, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:

> Have reached the point where I am going to "buy something" - what does an MBP
> offer that's better than an Air?

If you have to ask, you would probably find spending the extra on the
Pro to be a waste :)

The modern Air is a tremendous machine; I'd much rather get one with a
RAM bump and larger storage than the same priced Pro with less of those
things.

Cheers - Jaimie
--
"If you can't make fun of it, it's probably not worth taking seriously"
-- http://survivingtheworld.net/Lesson494.html

On Apr 21, 2024 at 8:31:25 AM EDT, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:

> Have reached the point where I am going to "buy something" - what does an MBP
> offer that's better than an Air?

The Air has 24GB RAM max. Which is plenty for most people. And a 13 inch or 15
inch screen.

The Pro has a much higher upside. Bigger screen, bigger CPU, bigger RAM and
storage options. Also more ports (3 USB-C, HDMI and SDXC card slot).

Of course, all of this is more money too. I got the 16 inch M2 Pro CPU MacBook
Pro wih 32GB RAM only because I knew I needed to run Windows 11 Arm on it.
Viewed in that light, I bought 2 very fast laptops. If not for needing
Windows, the 15 inch 24GB Air would have been fine for me. BTW Windows 11 runs
just fine on the Pro.

I also got a great deal on eBay on a barely used Pro instead on buying brand
new from Apple.

Which is very common with Apple stuff. Lots of people have "buyer's remorse"
(because of the high price) and after a couple months sell it on eBay. I got
my 13 inch M1 16GB 1TB iPad Pro with magic keyboard a couple years ago the
same way.

On 22 Apr 2024 at 06:26:25 BST, "Tyrone" <none@none.none> wrote:

> On Apr 21, 2024 at 8:31:25 AM EDT, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Have reached the point where I am going to "buy something" - what does an MBP
>> offer that's better than an Air?
>
> The Air has 24GB RAM max. Which is plenty for most people. And a 13 inch or 15
> inch screen.
>
> The Pro has a much higher upside. Bigger screen, bigger CPU, bigger RAM and
> storage options. Also more ports (3 USB-C, HDMI and SDXC card slot).
>
> Of course, all of this is more money too. I got the 16 inch M2 Pro CPU MacBook
> Pro wih 32GB RAM only because I knew I needed to run Windows 11 Arm on it.
> Viewed in that light, I bought 2 very fast laptops. If not for needing
> Windows, the 15 inch 24GB Air would have been fine for me. BTW Windows 11 runs
> just fine on the Pro.
>
> I also got a great deal on eBay on a barely used Pro instead on buying brand
> new from Apple.
>
> Which is very common with Apple stuff. Lots of people have "buyer's remorse"
> (because of the high price) and after a couple months sell it on eBay. I got
> my 13 inch M1 16GB 1TB iPad Pro with magic keyboard a couple years ago the
> same way.
Thanks for the comments - helpful to know of others' experiences.

Will I be able to run Win11 under Parallels on an M2/M3 Air?

I'm certainly going for the 24gb RAM option.

--
jeremy

On 21 Apr 2024 at 23:09:19 BST, "Jaimie Vandenbergh"
<jaimie@usually.sessile.org> wrote:

> On 21 Apr 2024 at 13:31:25 BST, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Have reached the point where I am going to "buy something" - what does an MBP
>> offer that's better than an Air?
>
> If you have to ask, you would probably find spending the extra on the
> Pro to be a waste :)
>

I well-judged comment :)

> The modern Air is a tremendous machine; I'd much rather get one with a
> RAM bump and larger storage than the same priced Pro with less of those
> things.
>

24gb RAM but probably settle for 512gb storage.

thx!

--
jeremy

On 22 Apr 2024 at 07:45:58 BST, jeremy wrote:

> On 22 Apr 2024 at 06:26:25 BST, "Tyrone" <none@none.none> wrote:
>
>> On Apr 21, 2024 at 8:31:25 AM EDT, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Have reached the point where I am going to "buy something" - what does an MBP
>>> offer that's better than an Air?
>>
>> The Air has 24GB RAM max. Which is plenty for most people. And a 13 inch or 15
>> inch screen.
>>
>> The Pro has a much higher upside. Bigger screen, bigger CPU, bigger RAM and
>> storage options. Also more ports (3 USB-C, HDMI and SDXC card slot).
>>
>> Of course, all of this is more money too. I got the 16 inch M2 Pro CPU MacBook
>> Pro wih 32GB RAM only because I knew I needed to run Windows 11 Arm on it.
>> Viewed in that light, I bought 2 very fast laptops. If not for needing
>> Windows, the 15 inch 24GB Air would have been fine for me. BTW Windows 11 runs
>> just fine on the Pro.
>>
>> I also got a great deal on eBay on a barely used Pro instead on buying brand
>> new from Apple.
>>
>> Which is very common with Apple stuff. Lots of people have "buyer's remorse"
>> (because of the high price) and after a couple months sell it on eBay. I got
>> my 13 inch M1 16GB 1TB iPad Pro with magic keyboard a couple years ago the
>> same way.
> Thanks for the comments - helpful to know of others' experiences.
>
> Will I be able to run Win11 under Parallels on an M2/M3 Air?
>
> I'm certainly going for the 24gb RAM option.

£400 for 16GB?! That's knocking on half the cost of a basic Air. Reminds me of
the early PC days . . .

Is there a decent appraisal of how much this extra RAM helps under different
circumstances? I'd have thought for many users a decent SSD and the M-series
'unified' system smooths over relatively low amounts of RAM?
--
Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK

jeremy <jeremy0505@gmail.com> posted:

> On 22 Apr 2024 at 06:26:25 BST, "Tyrone" <none@none.none> wrote:
>
> > On Apr 21, 2024 at 8:31:25 AM EDT, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Have reached the point where I am going to "buy something" - what does an MBP
> >> offer that's better than an Air?
> >
> > The Air has 24GB RAM max. Which is plenty for most people. And a 13 inch or 15
> > inch screen.
> >
> > The Pro has a much higher upside. Bigger screen, bigger CPU, bigger RAM and
> > storage options. Also more ports (3 USB-C, HDMI and SDXC card slot).
> >
> > Of course, all of this is more money too. I got the 16 inch M2 Pro CPU MacBook
> > Pro wih 32GB RAM only because I knew I needed to run Windows 11 Arm on it.
> > Viewed in that light, I bought 2 very fast laptops. If not for needing
> > Windows, the 15 inch 24GB Air would have been fine for me. BTW Windows 11 runs
> > just fine on the Pro.
> >
> > I also got a great deal on eBay on a barely used Pro instead on buying brand
> > new from Apple.
> >
> > Which is very common with Apple stuff. Lots of people have "buyer's remorse"
> > (because of the high price) and after a couple months sell it on eBay. I got
> > my 13 inch M1 16GB 1TB iPad Pro with magic keyboard a couple years ago the
> > same way.
> Thanks for the comments - helpful to know of others' experiences.
>
> Will I be able to run Win11 under Parallels on an M2/M3 Air?

I can run Win11 on my M1 Mac as a VM under Parallels, VMware and UTM. I'm currently just using the free version of VMware. I use Parallels and Liviable for Linux VMs.
> I'm certainly going for the 24gb RAM option.

I have 16GB RAM in my M1 Mac. Seems adequate for my needs.

--
Cheers, Alan

Alan B <user5@cmacleod.me.uk.invalid> posted:

[snip]

> I can run Win11 on my M1 Mac as a VM under Parallels, VMware and UTM.
> I'm currently just using the free version of VMware. I use Parallels and Liviable
> for Linux VMs.

Incidentally Liviable is Howard Oakley's M* Mac only VM app which utilises
Apple's lightweight virtualisation engine. There is an issue with the last
Liviable beta in that there's a long pause trying to connect to a news server.
I keep meaning to take this up with HO. On the plus side some if not all of the
keyboard mapping issues have been corrected by Apple

--
Cheers, Alan

On 22 Apr 2024 at 08:03:47 BST, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:

> On 22 Apr 2024 at 07:45:58 BST, jeremy wrote:
>
>> On 22 Apr 2024 at 06:26:25 BST, "Tyrone" <none@none.none> wrote:
>>
>>> On Apr 21, 2024 at 8:31:25 AM EDT, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Have reached the point where I am going to "buy something" - what does an MBP
>>>> offer that's better than an Air?
>>>
>>> The Air has 24GB RAM max. Which is plenty for most people. And a 13 inch or 15
>>> inch screen.
>>>
>>> The Pro has a much higher upside. Bigger screen, bigger CPU, bigger RAM and
>>> storage options. Also more ports (3 USB-C, HDMI and SDXC card slot).
>>>
>>> Of course, all of this is more money too. I got the 16 inch M2 Pro CPU MacBook
>>> Pro wih 32GB RAM only because I knew I needed to run Windows 11 Arm on it.
>>> Viewed in that light, I bought 2 very fast laptops. If not for needing
>>> Windows, the 15 inch 24GB Air would have been fine for me. BTW Windows 11 runs
>>> just fine on the Pro.
>>>
>>> I also got a great deal on eBay on a barely used Pro instead on buying brand
>>> new from Apple.
>>>
>>> Which is very common with Apple stuff. Lots of people have "buyer's remorse"
>>> (because of the high price) and after a couple months sell it on eBay. I got
>>> my 13 inch M1 16GB 1TB iPad Pro with magic keyboard a couple years ago the
>>> same way.
>> Thanks for the comments - helpful to know of others' experiences.
>>
>> Will I be able to run Win11 under Parallels on an M2/M3 Air?
>>
>> I'm certainly going for the 24gb RAM option.
>
> £400 for 16GB?! That's knocking on half the cost of a basic Air. Reminds me of
> the early PC days . . .
>

It's a horrific amount but if you want the RAM one has no other choice :(

> Is there a decent appraisal of how much this extra RAM helps under different
> circumstances? I'd have thought for many users a decent SSD and the M-series
> 'unified' system smooths over relatively low amounts of RAM?

Good question - I guess I'm just fearful of regretting not having the max
memory - having 16gb and then finding that actually you need more. My current
MBP is 9 years old - in my head I'm thinking "well it'll cost me a couple of
hundred quid or so a year for a really good laptop" (assuming I use it for a
similar period of time!).

--
jeremy

Am 22.04.24 um 09:03 schrieb RJH:
> On 22 Apr 2024 at 07:45:58 BST, jeremy wrote:
>> I'm certainly going for the 24gb RAM option.
>
> £400 for 16GB?! That's knocking on half the cost of a basic Air. Reminds me of
> the early PC days . . .

Without a specific use-case this is rather a waste of money. The
Silicon-Architecture cannot be compared to classic boards. 16GB will do
it with a very high degree of probability over the useful life of an MBA.

> Is there a decent appraisal of how much this extra RAM helps under different
> circumstances? I'd have thought for many users a decent SSD and the M-series
> 'unified' system smooths over relatively low amounts of RAM?

That is what I experience with my mini with a M2pro and 16GB.

--
"Gutta cavat lapidem." (Ovid)

On 22 Apr 2024 at 09:28:12 BST, "Jörg Lorenz" <hugybear@gmx.net> wrote:

> Am 22.04.24 um 09:03 schrieb RJH:
>> On 22 Apr 2024 at 07:45:58 BST, jeremy wrote:
>>> I'm certainly going for the 24gb RAM option.
>>
>> £400 for 16GB?! That's knocking on half the cost of a basic Air. Reminds me of
>> the early PC days . . .
>
> Without a specific use-case this is rather a waste of money. The
> Silicon-Architecture cannot be compared to classic boards. 16GB will do
> it with a very high degree of probability over the useful life of an MBA.
>
>> Is there a decent appraisal of how much this extra RAM helps under different
>> circumstances? I'd have thought for many users a decent SSD and the M-series
>> 'unified' system smooths over relatively low amounts of RAM?
>
> That is what I experience with my mini with a M2pro and 16GB.

It's a kind of insurance I guess. Pay a little more now knowing that you you
won't regret not buying enough in 2 years' time.

In original post I laid out the extent of what I want to be able to run -
adding to that also Parallels so I can run Windows 11 - reasonable within 16gb
RAM?
--
jeremy

On 22.04.2024 13:55, jeremy wrote:
> On 22 Apr 2024 at 09:28:12 BST, "Jörg Lorenz" <hugybear@gmx.net> wrote:
>
>> Am 22.04.24 um 09:03 schrieb RJH:
>>> On 22 Apr 2024 at 07:45:58 BST, jeremy wrote:
>>>> I'm certainly going for the 24gb RAM option.
>>>
>>> £400 for 16GB?! That's knocking on half the cost of a basic Air. Reminds me of
>>> the early PC days . . .
>>
>> Without a specific use-case this is rather a waste of money. The
>> Silicon-Architecture cannot be compared to classic boards. 16GB will do
>> it with a very high degree of probability over the useful life of an MBA.
>>
>>> Is there a decent appraisal of how much this extra RAM helps under different
>>> circumstances? I'd have thought for many users a decent SSD and the M-series
>>> 'unified' system smooths over relatively low amounts of RAM?
>>
>> That is what I experience with my mini with a M2pro and 16GB.
>
> It's a kind of insurance I guess. Pay a little more now knowing that you you
> won't regret not buying enough in 2 years' time.
>
> In original post I laid out the extent of what I want to be able to run -
> adding to that also Parallels so I can run Windows 11 - reasonable within 16gb
> RAM?

I do not use Parallels because I use an MBP from 2017 to run Linux.
There is nothing on this earth I need Windows for ...

--
"Ave Caesar! Morituri te salutant!"

On 22 Apr 2024 at 12:55:47 BST, "jeremy" <jeremy0505@gmail.com> wrote:

> In original post I laid out the extent of what I want to be able to run -
> adding to that also Parallels so I can run Windows 11 - reasonable within 16gb
> RAM?

Yes, no trouble on my M1/16gig. I was using win10/11 ARM release (comes
with its own 'rosetta' like ability to run Windows/Intel apps).

I'd still go 24gig though, if you're looking at 5+ years use from this
purchase.

Cheers - Jaimie
--
"Even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all"
-- Hypatia of Alexandria