A Blogger-Worthy MacBook

One of my goals this year is to rework my home work space. I’m so excited that Pine Daisy House is becoming more of a “thing” and less of a hobby. I need to get a little more serious about where and how I work. Couple that with the need to get a new computer for our home, it was time to do some research. I did a significant amount of research on the best laptop for me and our household.

Currently my family has an iMac desktop that has lived a long, healthy, life. I have edited thousands of photos and gotten my masters degree it. At 5 years old (which in computer years is ancient), I’m immensely pleased with its performance. It’s time to upgrade to a more portable, faster, computer.

A MacBook Pro is a Hefty Purchase

Make no mistake, Apple is not known for their budget friendly items. We have been saving and reworked some of our financial goals in 2019 to accommodate this household purchase.

To help offset the cost, I got an educator’s discount (I’m a teacher), and submitted old devices to Apple GiveBack. Some of them qualified for a trade-in credit. All-in-all I managed to get about $500 off the price tag which certainly helped with the overall cost.

My thoughts on the MacBook Pro

For starters, I’m not new to the world of Apple. This is my third Mac. I’ve gotten about 5 years out of each computer. Every device has gone the distance as far as performance is concerned. Each has given me more than I hoped for as a writer, photographer, teacher, and personal computer user.

I did a ton of research, watched the keynote and considered several factors when considering the system specifications. Ultimately I went with the base model of the 15in MacBook Pro. I read several tech articles and did my homework on this. I feel like the base model MacBook Pro and our external hard drive will give me everything I need.

As I sit and write this post with my MacBook Pro let me give my thoughts on the computer.

I have the 15in and the retina display is beautiful. It has excellent clarity that adjusts to lighting (called True Tone) seamlessly.
My favorite feature by far is the keyboard. The profile is low and it’s highly responsive, Apple calls this a butterfly mechanism. By far the best keyboard I’ve ever used. My typing is nearly silent and keystrokes are much faster.
The touch bar is really savvy. It essentially is a touch bar that responds to the application, website, or function you are trying to accomplish on the computer. It’s an intuitive and smart replacement to the function keys. Also housed in the bar is Touch ID. This is a nice security addition and convenient for passwords, Apple Pay, etc.

Thunderbolt 3 Ports

Thunderbolt 3 ports are a new port system Apple has designed. You can read all about it here. I’m not a tech guru, but I have to say, as Apple continues to streamline their design the growing pains can be uncomfortable. The rest of my tech world does not have Thunderbolt 3 ports. I had to order a dongle that will convert all my other “business” so I can function. Apple is saying they’ve finally created a universal port, which is great because it increases performance, saves hardware space inside the machine, and ultimately leaves room for advances in other areas and keeps the laptop light and compact. It just means that all my old tech has some catching up to do I guess. All in good time though.

Purchasing a universal adapter or a series of adapters is an inevitable part of my MacBook Pro purchase. If you are considering this purchase just make sure you factor in the cost of adapters you need to buy.

Accessories for the MacBook Pro

(Disclosure: Some of the links in the post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Read about affiliate link usage here.)

When I went to the Apple store I was messing around with the demo computer and hopped on Amazon. I showed the sales associate this USB-C 10 port adapter. He encouraged me to read the reviews and said that for the money it was a great buy.

Next up is a sleeve for the laptop itself. I don’t plan on taking my computer out of the house often but when I do I want to have a sleeve for it. My requirements for it are that it be slim, and compact with an additional pocket for my power cord etc. I found a simple gray felt case that will easily do the job.