Feeling ready to buy a new Mac? You’re not alone. Computers may last a long time, but most folks find that modern models are useful for about a decade. After 8–12 years, these Macs tend to feel sluggish, finicky, and otherwise invite replacement.

Sometimes the Macs of yesterday can be upgraded to make them like new again, but most models since 2016 are not upgradable. Thus, when buying a Mac, you must decide what specs will satisfy your needs for its whole life.

Desktop or Laptop?

Where will you use your Mac? Do you have a dedicated workspace where it will always live or will it sometimes travel with you — around your house, around town, or around the world? If your Mac will be stationary, get a desktop. If it will be mobile, get a laptop.

Now, there are a few choices in each category. If you’re in the market for a desktop, you could get an iMac and have a beautiful display and high quality webcam along with your computer. If you already have the display(s) you want set up, you could get a Mac mini and connect them to it. And if you’re a media producer, consider a Mac Studio.

In the laptop category, there’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro and some processor, color, and display size choices among them. MacBook Pro is designed for professional designers, audio/video producers, and such.

Most users don’t need the horsepower inside a MacBook Pro and might only want one for the larger display sizes, display brightness, and/or sound quality. As a result, I find that MacBook Air is well suited for more users than ever before and still a very capable machine.

Memory & Storage

You must choose the memory and storage you’ll need over the life of your Mac as they are now integral to the design of the computer. First, take a look at how much storage you’re using now.

Consider over how many years you’ve generated that much stuff. Plan to configure a Mac with a bit more, or a lot more if your computing activities are changing and will demand it.

Second, I recommend you have at least one Mac with enough storage to download originals to your Photos Library and for any other documents you need to store. This way, any local and online backups will also have those originals.

As for memory, if you will do more processor intensive tasks, like media production or data analysis, get more memory. Otherwise, 8GB is enough for most users.

AppleCare or Not?

I used to recommend AppleCare to all. These days, however, I’m not so sure. Macs are manufactured so well compared to a decade ago and Apple now controls the whole widget since dropping Intel CPUs and designing its own processors. I believe this is a reason that AppleCare now provides accidental damage insurance.

Additionally, most support inquiries are related to software instead of hardware and as users install new versions of macOS, they get renewed software warranties. Plus, many of my clients rely on the opportunity to reach out to me for help and only contact Apple when I direct them.

Thus, it’s unclear whether AppleCare is actually worthwhile.

[Update: For more on this question, read Is AppleCare worth it?]

What About an iPad?

Thinking you might skip a Mac altogether and just get an iPad? There’s one consideration to make before all others: How much do you rely on Zoom?

If you’re a regular host of remote meetings, an iPad probably won’t cut it. To date, Zoom has not been developed to be as flexible on iPad as on a Mac.

If not, an iPad might suit you just fine. Have you used one before? An iPad might satisfy all your needs but it’s worth a thorough discussion just to make sure.

There are a number of other factors to consider when in the market for a new computer. For example, what peripherals will you connect to your Mac and do you need a multi-port hub or other accessory to accommodate those device connections?

And, is the model and configuration you want available refurbished? There are a number of reasons to consider a refurbished Mac, notably the average 7–15% discount. These and other questions are worth discussing with me before you go out and buy a Mac.