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The newest incarnation of the Apple Silicon M3 processor MacBook Air 15 has raised the bar on its historical predecessors and is a good choice for users who need a lighter machine but don't need the power of a Pro or Max M3 chip. If you need the larger 16 inch screen then you have to get a MacBook Pro but if a 15 inch screen is sufficient, the 15 MacBook Air with 16GB of memory and the appropriate sized storage HD storage will serve you just fine for users without high graphics, desk top publishing, or video or music production needs. Make sure you get a hard drive with enough storage to fit all your data from your old laptop plus enough room to grow over the next 3-4 years.
Apple Silicon M chips
At what point should users upgrade if they currently have a Mac with Apple Silicon processor in them. Most reviewers agree roughy every fourth iteration. So if you currently have a machine with an Apple Silicon M1 processor, there are now enough speed improvements to make it worthwhile upgrading to a new Mac with the Apple Silicon M4 processor.
iPads
iPads are not laptop computers. They do not (yet) have a user accessible file system and run on augmented cellular phone processors. Though there are apps that enable iPads to behave laptop-like, we do not recommend using iPads as your primary computer. iPads are really effective supplementary computing technology, life-style tools and devices to show people things on, whether that be pictures, movies, or presentations. Given the amount you would have to invest in both time and money to get the iPad to act computer-like, you would be better off buying a real computer which would do those things much better, faster, and reliably.
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