Switching from windows to mac which model should I choose?

Never used a Mac but wanted to get one to use for photo and video editing, in addition to Microsoft office. Both the 13 or 15 inch would be fine for me and save up for either model

If you are really going to get into video and photo work the larger the screen the better. I have macbooks with screens from 13" to 15" and a mac pro with two 27" screens. The Mac Pro is my video/photo work horse. I do this for a living so I don't recommend starting out with a mac pro.

As ferrarr has recommended, a mac mini would be a nice start and the cheaper option, but it would certainly do the job. You can then change monitor size to suit your needs. If you need portability then a 15" macbook pro is a nice computer. You can also add a monitor to it and use it in clamshell mode. I would not recommend a Macbook Air or the current Macbook. While they will do video/photo work, if you got serious you would shortly outpace what they can do.

Just my 2 cents!

Lisa

ferrarr said:

You are saying 13" and 15" are fine, but do you need a laptop? Maybe a mini would be useable to get you started with?

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Yeah I actually need a new laptop.

lclev said:

If you are really going to get into video and photo work the larger the screen the better. I have macbooks with screens from 13" to 15" and a mac pro with two 27" screens. The Mac Pro is my video/photo work horse. I do this for a living so I don't recommend starting out with a mac pro.

As ferrarr has recommended, a mac mini would be a nice start and the cheaper option, but it would certainly do the job. You can then change monitor size to suit your needs. If you need portability then a 15" macbook pro is a nice computer. You can also add a monitor to it and use it in clamshell mode. I would not recommend a Macbook Air or the current Macbook. While they will do video/photo work, if you got serious you would shortly outpace what they can do.

Just my 2 cents!

Lisa

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Okay so I would be able to use the current mac book pro 15 inch? What's the difference between this and the new model coming out.

cheekymeeko said:

Okay so I would be able to use the current mac book pro 15 inch? What's the difference between this and the new model coming out.

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If you are referring to the Macbook Pro - the current 2015 model has the i7 "Haswell" processor which is a very respectable CPU and would do what you want to do very well.

As to what will be in the MB Pro 2016 well there are a lot of rumors. MacRumors usually has a good way of getting reliable information but it is still a guessing game with Apple.

http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/macbook-pro/

There will definitely be an upgrade to the processor - probably Skylake and upgraded graphics. We should know more by June

http://www.macrumors.com/2016/03/22/new-ultra-thin-13-15-macbooks-june-july/

It just depends if you want to wait. If you are saving up for it then by all means wait till June and see what happens. Also don't forget to check out the Apple refurbished area. You can pick up a current model for hundreds less and it comes with the full Apple warranty with Apple Care+ available.

Lisa

So let's break this down systematically.

Requirements:
- You need a portable computer
- You want to do photo and video editing
- You want to use Microsoft Office

Options:
- Macbook
- Macbook Air
- Macbook Pro
- Screen sizes 11" to 15"

As you have not named a budget restriction, we'd all recommend the Macbook Pro 15". If you cannot afford that, the compromises you have to make are mainly the screen, the processor speed and the GPU.

So it would be good to know:
- How portable do you need to be - the MBP is a great laptop but not as portable as an MBA
- How much video editing are you looking at - if you are going to render only a few short videos, an MBA may be fine if you have budget constraints
- How important is the keyboard - if you are looking at the regular Macbook, which is super portable, you should check out if you like the keyboard

All that said, if you have the money, get the 15" MBP, or the 13" MBP if you have the option of attaching an external screen.