MD M1 MacBook Pro

[harmony14]

I know it depends on the school but I want a general feel of the matter. Has anyone gotten the new M1 MacBook Pro? Does it meet specifications or had administration told you to use another laptop. I don’t plan on getting it now but I want to mentally and financially prepare myself if I have to get the normal MBPro 2020.

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[escaperrr]

I’d check your school’s computing requirements. AFAIK, Examplify software isn’t compatible with the M1s due to the lack of Intel processing chips so I’d hold off on buying the newest MBP if your school uses Examplify for exams. Not sure if NBME software is compatible either. MBP is great otherwise.

 

[jambro]

I have the new MacBook Air; it’s super awesome with a crazy battery life. Thanks to Rosetta 2 you’ll be able to use any program that you could use on the old MacBooks, so there’s no weird transition period. If you want a new computer you should get it without hesitancy

 

[m1microglia]

I recommend a laptop you can write on like a Microsoft surface or an iPad. You’ll want to annotate lecture slides. Classmates of mine who started out with having a laptop you couldn’t write on/iPad ending up buying an iPad shortly after the start of the semester.

 

[Redpancreas]

I know it depends on the school but I want a general feel of the matter. Has anyone gotten the new M1 MacBook Pro? Does it meet specifications or had administration told you to use another laptop. I don’t plan on getting it now but I want to mentally and financially prepare myself if I have to get the normal MBPro 2020.

Medical school isn't as technologically integrated as you may think. As long as your internet works, you should be fine. You may have issues when things require Flash and end up shelling a few extra bucks your Windows colleagues didn't have to. I never used the iPad I thought I would use all the time. A lot of people talk about how they upload lectures to OneNote, PDF Expert, etc. and had searchable editable notes and stuff and maybe it's just the Millenial in me (as opposed to Gen Z) but none of that stuff was efficient for me or stuck.

How it went for me:
Annotated/used my hardcopy lecture notes during M1/M2.
Used my IPhone to look anything up during M3/M4.
I actually didn't even need my laptop/desktop because our facilities has less than a 1:1 ratio of desktops: students for those who wanted to study on campus.

 

[arjusmc]

Talk to the schools you are considering, but I think a MBP is way overkill. If it is needed for other interests, then that may drive your decision. Current OMS1 and my school includes an iPad and a MacBook air(or equivalent windows laptop) in tuition. The MacBook air is more than enough. I would ask the schools how they administer their tests. Some do it with lockdown browsers on computers, some, like mine uses examplify on the iPad. Examplify on the iPad is great, but on the MacBook air it is touchy and requires chrome or firefox.

 

[harmony14]

Talk to the schools you are considering, but I think a MBP is way overkill. If it is needed for other interests, then that may drive your decision. Current OMS1 and my school includes an iPad and a MacBook air(or equivalent windows laptop) in tuition. The MacBook air is more than enough. I would ask the schools how they administer their tests. Some do it with lockdown browsers on computers, some, like mine uses examplify on the iPad. Examplify on the iPad is great, but on the MacBook air it is touchy and requires chrome or firefox.

I’m not buying a laptop just for school. I would like to use it for other endeavors once I’m out of medical school. I’m a Texan applicant so none of the schools apparently give out tech as part of the tuition.

 

[7331poas]

every single laptop is exactly the same. Medical school requires you to launch anki and a web browser. Every laptop on the market can accomplish this.

You could buy a chromebook and be fine.

 

[Ganon]

After reading about the M1 chip’s battery life, I’d suggest that

 

[NickNaylor]

Don't have the M1 model, but from everything that I've read about the thing you shouldn't have any trouble. Since it can run x86 applications just like an Intel-based Mac can - and seems to do so surprisingly well, from what I've heard in reviews - your IT department should be known the wiser.

Personally, I'd wait until the next set of models comes out. 16GB max RAM is rough, especially if you're planning on keeping the thing for a while.

 

[AnonymousDoctorGuyPerson]

16GB max RAM is rough, especially if you're planning on keeping the thing for a while.

Are you saying that 16gb RAM isn't enough? 16gb RAM for the average person is more than enough and in itself future-proofing. I can't imagine anything that someone /must/ have 32gb of RAM for in the next 5 years - especially if the person is an average PC user who just uses a web browser, plays some games, writes some papers, crunch some numbers, etc.

I personally do VR development and lots of video editing and don't even max out 16gb of RAM.

 

[Ganon]

In the laptop world, 16gigs of RAM is excellent.
If the applications you’re utilizing are going to hit a roadblock, on a laptop that will typically be the GPU and not the RAM.
If you need to *not* hit that roadblock.... you’re in the market for a desktop.

 

[iqe2010]

I recommend having two devices, a laptop and a tablet you can write on to annotate ppt slides. Having two devices makes it easier to rewatch lectures and take notes.

Im an older student (28 yo) and I’ve found that digital notes are the way to go. I started off the year printing off notes, that didn’t last long lol.

When I started undergrad a decade ago I would print off notes and write on them, but that’s not the best use of my time at this level of education.

 

[NickNaylor]

Are you saying that 16gb RAM isn't enough? 16gb RAM for the average person is more than enough and in itself future-proofing. I can't imagine anything that someone /must/ have 32gb of RAM for in the next 5 years - especially if the person is an average PC user who just uses a web browser, plays some games, writes some papers, crunch some numbers, etc.

I personally do VR development and lots of video editing and don't even max out 16gb of RAM.

When buying Apple products I typically recommend that people buy specs above what they think they need since 1) they aren't user servicable, 2) Macs are generally built well enough such that they will last a very long time if you take good care of them, and 3) the cost up-front is high, so an obsolete machine means you've sunk much more money into it than going to Best Buy and buying whatever random laptop from their stock. I've got a 2013 Macbook Pro that's still very usable except for needing a battery replacement. I bought a top-of-the-line spec at the time, and despite that it clearly struggles with even some basic tasks (running VM software for the EMR, running most browsers with multiple tabs open, etc.) though still very usable.

I agree that the average person browsing Facebook and watching YouTube videos probably doesn't need much in the spec department, but then again the average person also probably expects that a laptop - especially when paying the Apple premium - will last much longer than an "enthusiast" might. Maybe the average person also doesn't care if their machine starts to chug on basic tasks with time, though.

 

[AnonymousDoctorGuyPerson]

When buying Apple products I typically recommend that people buy specs above what they think they need since 1) they aren't user servicable, 2) Macs are generally built well enough such that they will last a very long time if you take good care of them, and 3) the cost up-front is high, so an obsolete machine means you've sunk much more money into it than going to Best Buy and buying whatever random laptop from their stock. I've got a 2013 Macbook Pro that's still very usable except for needing a battery replacement. I bought a top-of-the-line spec at the time, and despite that it clearly struggles with even some basic tasks (running VM software for the EMR, running most browsers with multiple tabs open, etc.).

I agree that the average person browsing Facebook and watching YouTube videos probably doesn't need much in the spec department, but then again the average person also probably expects that a laptop - especially when paying the Apple premium - will last much longer than an "enthusiast" might. Maybe the average person also probably doesn't care if their machine starts to chug on basic tasks with time, though.

My point aligns with this. The longest a med student is probably going to keep their macbook is 7-9 years (though in my experience many med students seem to have funds to constantly upgrade earlier than this). Mind you, non-macs can last this long too. My laptop is going on its 7th year fine and dandy.

Either way, they still will not cap out 16gb of RAM then. If they started running into issues after 7 or so years the bottleneck wont be the RAM and theyd be forced to upgrade anyways.

I'd agree with your point if it was about the CPU (I wouldnt recommend anyone buying a new laptop to get say an i3 over an i5 if they hope for it to last), and I would recommend they future proof their RAM as well. Which 16gb does, with excess.

 

[Yhwach]

I personally think 16 GB of RAM is a good move. Yes, it's excessive but I never ever hit limitations. I currently have a bunch of tabs open in chrome as well as other applications. I am currently at 12.9 GB. I can open LoL and still be fine. I just never have to worry about micromanaging my RAM use. With 8-4 GB, I had to think about why my laptop was slowing down and closed some tabs.

Know what kinda user you are and what you value. Personally, I hate having to micromanage my resources so I got 16 GB of RAM. I never regretted it and will never return to 8GB again.

 

[AnonymousDoctorGuyPerson]

I personally think 16 GB of RAM is a good move. Yes, it's excessive but I never ever hit limitations. I currently have a bunch of tabs open in chrome as well as other applications. I am currently at 12.9 GB. I can open LoL and still be fine. I just never have to worry about micromanaging my RAM use. With 8-4 GB, I had to think about why my laptop was slowing down and closed some tabs.

Know what kinda user you are and what you value. Personally, I hate having to micromanage my resources so I got 16 GB of RAM. I never regretted it and will never return to 8GB again.

For sure. Getting a new laptop today, get 16gb. No reason to sit and wait for a 32gb model (especially with how much laptop manufacturers upcharge you for RAM)

 

[AnonymousDoctorGuyPerson]

Sorry to detract a bit but for an incoming M1 who just got the new 500 gb Pro (and likely will store most things on there & use it as my primary device), will the 64 gb ipad air suffice for note taking? Will I be downloading textbooks or any very memory consuming programs?

I don't plan on using the iPad for much more than notes/anki/texting/emails so I wasn't sure if an upgrade for more storage would be worth the additional cost for the next 4 yrs

Textbooks take up almost nothing (you'll probably have them all on a google drive anyways and download as needed if you even use them), and most apps take up very little space (tbf I don't use an iPad, but most apps are only a couple gigs at the very most). You also don't really use many apps. If I were on an iPad I'd have your normal stuff plus Anki. Maybe you'd add an anatomy app if you're into that.

So yeah I'd personally say it's not worth the upgrade given your usage.

 

[deleted1079620]

Sorry to detract a bit but for an incoming M1 who just got the new 500 gb Pro (and likely will store most things on there & use it as my primary device), will the 64 gb ipad air suffice for note taking? Will I be downloading textbooks or any very memory consuming programs?

I don't plan on using the iPad for much more than notes/anki/texting/emails so I wasn't sure if an upgrade for more storage would be worth the additional cost for the next 4 yrs

I use an iPad with much less memory than that and it does fine. I store everything in the cloud and only have school related apps on it, no streaming apps except YouTube.