December 2024 guide: which Mac is right for you?

Apple has updated its Mac range. In this guide, I’ll take you through which Mac I’d recommend for each use case. All the devices mentioned are those from Apple’s current line-up. This list is meant as a guide rather than black and white facts. That’s to say, your preferences and needs when it comes to computers may vary. As we update this list regularly, you can find last year’s edition here.

*Note: If you’re not in Switzerland, the product links won’t work for technical reasons. But you can find local versions of each of the Macs using the search bar.

Basic tips

The first thing you need to decide is what colour you want your new Mac to be. Depending on the device, you can choose from elegant-sounding options such as Space Black, Midnight and Polar Star. But there’s only one right choice:

Silver. Always.

All joking aside, tastes obviously differ. But while Apple introduces other colours then lets them die, Silver is the only constant. If you buy your Mac and accessories in this shade, you can be sure that new devices will also match it in five years’ time. What’s more, Silver is by far the least susceptible to fingerprint marks. After just five minutes, Black or Midnight look dingy.

How much RAM should I get?

As RAM upgrades are very expensive with Apple, the golden rule is: get as much as necessary, but as little as possible. What this means in practice depends very much on your personal use. As it happens, the new minimum of 16 GB is always sufficient for office applications. Meanwhile, creative programs such as Lightroom would benefit from more reserves.

If you’re coming from the Windows world, don’t compare the figures like for like. Apple’s chips handle RAM more efficiently. The SSD also kicks in in the event of an overload. However, if you permanently rely on this mechanism, it can shorten the lifespan of your SSD. So, if you know you permanently have 50 Chrome tabs open or need massive amounts of memory for another reason, you’re better off taking the next level of RAM than that recommended here. The operative word here is «permanently», as the SSD can easily handle occasional spikes.

How big should your SSD be?

Storage space is more expensive than saffron at Apple. The company charges eye-watering prices per gigabyte, especially for inexpensive devices. An upgrade from 256 to 512 GB costs more than 2 TB for a Windows PC. So think carefully about whether you’d rather expand your memory externally. There’s hardly any disadvantages to this, especially with stationary devices such as the Mac Mini.

The internal SSD should be at least large enough to accommodate all your programs and current work project. Conversely, I’d store film libraries, image archives and rarely used files on external SSDs, network storage or in the cloud.

Is nano-texture glass worth it?

You can now also get the MacBook Pro and iMac with a matt display for an additional fee. Rather than just adding a coating, Apple mills a nano-texture into the glass. This keeps the screen just as robust as with a high-gloss finish. The microscopically fine structure is designed to reduce distracting reflections.

The matt look is a matter of taste. Reflections become more diffuse, but they spread over a larger area. The bottom line is that nano-textured glass worsens the black level in many situations and the picture appears less bright. But it also eliminates noisy backgrounds and reduces distractions. More comparison images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Mobile office – M3 MacBook Air

The 15-inch MacBook Air is my new favourite laptop from Apple’s range. And it still has plenty of workspace, long battery life and is fast enough for almost anything. Apple has even been restrained when it comes to the price. The new Air is a perfectly balanced device for students and anyone who needs an office laptop. With the 15-inch version, you can get away without having a second screen in most situations.

Apple recently increased the minimum RAM in the MacBook Air to 16 GB – for the same price. This finally makes the basic model a bargain. If your budget allows, I’d recommend upgrading to a 512 GB SSD. And if you can, wait for the follow-up version with the M4 chip. This is expected to arrive in spring 2025 with even more performance.

Fixed workstation – M4 Mac Mini

The Mac Mini is Apple’s best deal ever. For less than 600 francs, you get a tiny computer with an amazing amount of power. Throw in a budget monitor, mouse and keyboard – et voilà, you have a solid setup for around 1,000 francs. The M4 Mac Mini is also sufficient for occasional image processing or uncomplicated video editing. It performs better than a MacBook Air, as the chip is actively cooled and consequently never has to clock down.

The new design of the Mac Mini impressively demonstrates how efficient and space-saving Apple’s M chips are. Despite the low price, you get five USB-C ports, three of which support Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbit/s). The only weak point is its measly 256 GB SSD. Unlike with a laptop, it’s not worth the horrendous upgrade costs of a fixed computer. You’ll barely notice a permanently connected external SSD.

Carefree all-rounder – M4 Pro MacBook Pro

Let’s set the scene. You need your laptop for work that involves more than just documents and e-mails. Maybe you edit photos in Lightroom and Photoshop. You use complex filters and also want to crop objects with an AI mask. Or maybe you edit videos and don’t want to worry about whether your computer can handle the size of your project and your camera resolution.

In this case, I’d opt for a 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro chip, 24 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD. The large display makes it pleasant to work on the go, and the M4 Pro can handle even demanding programs. The chip makes a huge leap in performance compared to its predecessor and yet still uses less juice. The result is an outstanding all-round laptop with no weaknesses. Granted, it costs more than an entry-level device, but it offers good value for money.

Image editing – M4 Pro Mac Mini

Are you a photographer who always edits their pictures in the same place? Then I recommend the M4 Pro Mac Mini with 24 GB RAM and 512 TB SSD – along with a good AdobeRGB display like the BenQ PhotoVue SW321C. If you prefer a mobile setup, go for the M4 Pro MacBook Pro mentioned above.

Even the version linked above with a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU is sufficient for highly demanding image editing. Lightroom exports RAW images quickly and even complex Photoshop tools work smoothly. The M4 Pro Mac Mini already comes with a minimum of 24 GB of RAM. That’s enough, unless you have very high resolution images with lots of layers in Photoshop. You can increase the SSD to 1 TB if you have large projects that you want to save locally.

Programming and audio – M4 Pro MacBook Pro

If you want to do professional programming or music production on macOS, I’d snag the M4 Pro MacBook Pro. Your applications mainly need processor power. Whether you opt for 14 or 16 inches is a matter of taste. If you commute between your home and office and have external screens in both places, the 14-inch model is the perfect combination of light weight and good performance. If your projects are on the small side and you don’t have a plethora of browser tabs open at all times, 24 GB of RAM is probably enough. Otherwise go for the 48 GB.

High-end videos and 3D – M4 Max MacBook Pro

My rule of thumb is if you have to ask whether you need the graphics performance of the M4 Max, the answer is «no». The larger GPU is only worth it in exceptional cases. For instance, if you produce videos professionally and your workflow includes raw footage in 8K, if you work in After Effects, or if you regularly use 3D rendering programs like Blender, which eat up graphics power.

If this is you, the M4 Max MacBook Pro will speed up your work. Apple has once again significantly increased its performance compared to the predecessor model – and almost doubled it compared to the M2 Max. The new chip is on a par with the M2 Ultra. As a result, it doesn’t have much appeal at the moment. If you really want even more performance, wait for the M4 Ultra Mac Studio, which is meant to launch in summer 2025.

Decorative – M4 iMac

I only recommend this iMac with three caveats. The first being you only need it for run-of-the-mill office applications. The second, that a 23.5-inch display is sufficient. And finally, that you need your computer to double as room decor, such as in lounges, front desks and stores.

But apart from that, I’d advise against the iMac. As I mentioned earlier, it’s basically a flattened 900-franc Mac Mini with a 24-inch display. For the same price, you can buy the Mini together with a bigger and better monitor. This combination is more flexible, better cooled and has more connections than the iMac. You can also keep the external monitor for several computer generations.