What recommendations do you have for mobile editing hardware?

I’ve avoided learning Lightroom and Photoshop, but it’s clear I need to jump in. I use my iPad for personal travel, but PC and Laptop for work. I’m retiring soon and contemplating moving to all Apple for synergies between iphone, ipad, laptop, and desktop.

A friend recommended nano-texture MacBook Pro 14” with M4 Pro, 48 GB unified memory, 1TB SSD.

Now that the M5 is out, but no mention of M5Pro, do I get the M5 or wait for the M5Pro?

Thanks,

Evan

If you wait you will wait forever. The 5 Pro will beget the 6 then the 6 pro etc. For travel I have a Mac Air (M4) 24 GB ram and 1 TB ssd. Plenty fast enough and have no issues. We bring a bunch of 4TB ssds with us as primary and backup.

BVA

Bill,

Thanks. I figured as much, but my buddy did stress that the M4 Pro was significantly faster than the M4 for LRC work. I assume the M5 Pro will be a similar step up.

I just checked configs on the Apple site, and all the MacBook 14s max out memory at 32GB, so I think I'll wait a bit anyway. I'd like to get 48GB memory.

Evan

I jumped to Apple (14", M1Pro, 32 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD) when I retired almost 3 years ago and these M processors became available (In my profession I needed some programs that exclusively ran with Windows PC, no chance for Apple).

It was a leap forward when working with LR and PS, I never looked back (although the reliability/stability of MacOS in general, reminds me at the earlier stages of windows 🫤)...

I am using this laptop during travelling and also at home (at home I have a second calibrated monitor for photo processing). The laptop is still perfect for me for travelling - no complaints for standard procedures...

At home I frequently use the new AI functions of LR and PS (e.g.: denoise in LR and also the backscatter removal by Erin Quingley in PS). Then the M1 chip comes to its limitations (amost 1' for AI denoising in LR or backscatter removal in PS; 61 Mpixel raw files). I read that the new M5 chip is the first of this series that has special hardware, that accelerates AI functions. I guess the time ripens to upgrade (the bottleneck is AI, all other performance is totally o.k.), but no hurry, I easily can wait for M5Pro or M6Pro...

Just for travelling, for me, any Mx laptop would do it (small 14" for better fit into the backback), but I like the "Pro" because it has multiple slots, including a card reader (the "Air" versions are quite spartanic with just a single USB-C slot and I would nee dto carry an adapter with me (also o.k. but better "Pro")).

When buying new, however, I would not go for an older model, the newest hardware is the most futureproof and will serve the longest time (buy cheap, buy twice...)...

Wolfgang

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Architeuthis