Is it worth paying the extra for a 10 core GPU and what difference does it make?

If you're only doing basic photo editing, I'd recommend a 16GB M2 MacBook Air. You may not be doing any batch photo editing, but if you do (or if you have several photos open at once) then the 16GB RAM would be more than enough. I don't think you need the 10 GPU, as you didn't mention any video editing, where it might come into play.

As has already been said here, you simply can't add RAM to any MacBooks anymore, as the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard.

I might ask you to think hard about the internal storage. As photo gear improves every year, so does the amount of storage needed for them. I'd be hard pressed to recommend 256GB internal storage to anyone, to be honest.

I would not worry too much about getting a 10 core GPU over an 8 core GPU.

I would advise getting a M2 MacBook Air over a M1 MacBook Air, and considering an upgrade to 16 GB of RAM. You can’t expand RAM after purchase.

BAZZERUK wrote:

sorry, but what does that mean - don’t they all link up to monitors?

Yes, all of them link up to monitors – but some Mac notebooks can drive more monitors than others. One type of post we see a lot around here is from someone who wanted to drive dual monitors from their notebook, and who bought a MacBook Air without realizing that the machine only supported one monitor.

I thought I'd mention the one-monitor limit in case it mattered to you.

I back up my MacBook Pro to an external hard drive - how do I transfer that to my new air and will it upload both profiles I have on there? Thanks

Physical connection

If your hard drive connects to your current MBP using a USB-A plug, you'll need to adapt to USB-C. There are many ways of doing this. E.g.,

• Apple USB-C to USB Adapter
• Small inline plug adapters (watch out for ones that only operate at USB 2 speeds)
• USB-A hubs that plug into a computer using a USB-C cable
• USB-C to Micro USB 3.0 cables (that can replace the cable that came with a portable hard drive)
• USB-C and Thunderbolt hubs and docks that have USB-A ports (among other things)

Amazon carries a lot of low-end adapters. Other World Computing is a good place to look if you're interested in Thunderbolt docks. They also carry a couple of USB-C "travel docks" that you can carry in a compartment of a laptop bag.

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/thunderbolt/thunderbolt-docks

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-usb-c-travel-dock-e

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-usb-c-travel-dock

Migrating

If your external hard drive contains

• A current Time Machine backup of your old MacBook Pro, or
• A bootable clone backup of your old MacBook Pro (e.g., one made with Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!)

you can tell Migration Assistant (on the new machine) to migrate from it.

Don't migrate over Wi-Fi. Migration Assistant may offer you that option, but the migration may take forever, and I've seen others on this board say it's always best to avoid Wi-Fi migration when you can.

Note: If your old system has more data than your new system's internal drive will hold, then you may not be able to let Migration Assistant do everything automatically. It sounds like that won't be an issue for you.

BAZZERUK wrote:

So i simply use my time machine back up - plugged into my new machine using a "usb - thunderbolt "adaptor and follow the instructions? Sounds too easy! Many thanks - again!

Yes, except it's not a USB to Thunderbolt adapter.

Apple often uses the term Thunderbolt port to describe multi-purpose USB-C ports, because Thunderbolt is the highest-end protocol the ports support. The ports actually adapt to speak the protocol that plugged-in devices need. A lot of the time, that protocol is something other than Thunderbolt.

For a USB-C video adapter cable, that protocol would be DisplayPort. For the USB-C to USB adapter, it's USB.

Note that all of the M1 and M2 MacBook Airs support a single external monitor.