After having problems with my old (2014) MacBook Pro, I have replaced it with a new 13 Inch MacBook Pro with M2 CPU, 512 GB Hard Drive and 8 GB RAM.
The old one was starting to have issues. Not only was I prevented from upgrading to the latest OS, but the screen had a big dull patch. Previously, I had the keyboard replaced and problems with the touch pad had re-developed. Also, I dropped my Apple mouse and broke it.
So, I took advantage of the Boxing Day sales and got a new one.
I could still boot the old one (using another USB Mouse) and Apple has made the set up and transfer to the new machine easy. It is just like upgrading to a new iPhone. After you connect to the same Wi-Fi network, the transfer is done over Wi-Fi.
I did not have any problems, but after being stuck on an old version of OS X, there were some new features that had me scratching my head – but nothing too serious.
One thing to be aware of – The 13 inch model only has 2 X USB C ports (and a headphone jack) – nothing else including no power plug on the 13inch model – you have to use one of the USB C ports. Both are “Thunderbolt”, so a dock works well.
The 14- and 16-inch models have the headphone jack, a card reader, a HDMI and 3 X Type C Thunderbolt ports plus a Mag Safe power plug. These versions also have better specs BUT are much dearer. They don’t have any USB Type A, so you would still have to buy a dock or adaptor.
The shop where I bought it (The Good Guys) was sold out of USB C portable external drives (for Time Machine). As a result, I thought about this and decided to get a dock to connect to one of the USB C ports. I got one from Office Works that has 4 X USB 3 Type A ports, a HDMI 4 K port plus one USB C port that can be used for power. The price was about half of a USB C hard drive, and I could keep using my existing USB 3 Type A Time Machine hard drive.
As it has about 20 hours of battery life, the lack of a separate power port on the 13inch model is not a great problem, but it is good to have the dock so that I do not tie up a USB C port for power and can also use this USB C port for multiple purposes.
Immediately, I was attracted by two features that were not on the old MacBook. The first is, it has a fingerprint reader. I set this up immediately and use it all the time. The second is also good. Even if you shut it down, as soon as you open the lid, it re-boots automatically.
AND I must mention that Siri is alive and well. When I say “Hey Siri Open Excel” she obeys promptly. Unlike the disappeared Cortana on Windows.
Everyone raves about the M2 CPU, but the way I use it, I can’t see any difference – but that is just me. However, this is my new toy. My Surface Pro 7 (SP7) is now officially neglected- although the facial recognition and touch screen, that my SP7 has but not on my new MacBook, are hard to neglect.
I did try to do a wipe and reset of the old one to give it to someone. However, I had no luck. It just would not work. I took the old one apart (#) to remove the battery and hard drive. I transported the battery (along with another spent rechargeable battery) to the council dump. The local council has free battery disposal at their Waste and Recycling Depots. You often hear of garbage trucks catching fire from people putting these types of batteries in the rubbish bin.
(#) I have a full set of different screw bits so I can undo most screws.
FURTHER COMMENTS See – https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/macbook-pro-continued/