I recently reread my article about switching to a new Apple MacBook Pro and realised I’d promised a follow-up. It’s been one and a half years since both the purchase and the publication, so now feels like the right time to answer these questions:
- What have I been using this MacBook Pro for?
- Have I noticed anything negative?
- What’s the battery health after one and a half years of daily use?
As you know by now, I’ll be honest in my observations. And if technology review-type articles aren’t your thing, feel free to read my other content.
What have I been using this MacBook Pro for?
Mostly for activities that don’t require Pro performance – Formula 1 races, OLAAF, Netflix, Excel, and web browsing. The only Pro activities are probably playing Resident Evil and editing photos in Lightroom. So is it worth the extra euros over an Air? For someone who previously used a fourteen-year-old MacBook Pro that could barely open flash-heavy websites and large Excel files, moving to a machine that runs AAA games is a blast. Watching other people play your favourite gaming franchise on YouTube is one thing; sweating it out yourself, evading zombies and killing T-virus mutants, is another entirely.
On top of that, since I enjoy photography, it’s great not having your laptop gasping for air, power, and everything else while running Lightroom.
In the aforementioned article, I said I might use Bluetooth over the SD card reader to access photos. That prediction didn’t pan out – in these past 18 months I haven’t used Bluetooth to transfer anything. I appreciate the card reader, and my new MacBook’s ability to shift large quantities of data quickly.
Have I noticed anything negative?
Not really. I have the Apple M4 Pro chip with 24 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. For my current needs, that’s sufficient. I don’t believe extra RAM would benefit me at all. The extra storage would probably just make me hoard more games and expand beyond the Resident Evil franchise.
Performance-wise, this machine is a beast in every sense of the word. Makes you wonder what it would feel like working with a Pro Max chip. Maybe I should take up video editing to find out?
What’s the battery health after one and a half years of daily use?
I mostly use my MacBook Pro unplugged. I charge the battery to around 90% and disconnect the cord. I also don’t let the battery run all the way down.
My screen is rarely on full brightness, except when watching Formula 1. The only power-heavy applications I use are my Resident Evil games and, probably, Lightroom – though with the latter I don’t do heavy editing. I mostly use auto and then add some minor finishing touches here and there, which don’t require extra energy.
So what’s the battery health percentage after one and a half years? 88% across 231 cycles. Is that good or bad? Some Reddit users report 95% after two years, but with the machine plugged in all the time. Others have machines already below 80% after barely a year. So I’m probably somewhere in the middle.
The good thing is that replacing the MacBook Pro M4 battery isn’t difficult: a couple of screws on the back cover, remove the trackpad, peel off several adhesive strips, and fit the new battery. I admit it’s slightly more labour-intensive than on my previous mid-2010 machine, but it’s doable. I’ve heard Apple charges a three-digit price for a battery swap.
Conclusion
You probably didn’t learn anything new. Yes, the Apple MacBook Pro is the best laptop on the market. Yes, these machines are properly built to last, meaning that with some careful use you can get more years out of one than from a PC. Yes, I’m an Apple fanboy, and it’s hard for me to write a bad review when it comes to Apple – unnecessary price increases excepted. Especially for a company with a market capitalisation of 4.1 trillion dollars.
Bonus question: Are Apple machines overpriced?
RAM and storage upgrades are indeed overpriced. The price jumps from 24 to 32 GB of RAM, or from 512 GB to 1 TB SSD, are absurd. From what I’ve read and seen online, base MacBook Pros are more than enough for most people (like myself). Although, to be honest, I don’t remember whether I opted for the base model. I believe I did. Anyway, base models are good.
Also, before publishing this article, I checked prices for the latest M5 models…
I’m happy I didn’t wait.
Eat your Apples, kids. One Apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Kindly,
Olaaf
P.S. Photos taken of Apple with Apple
