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Is the 2023 MacBook Pro worth it?
Apple
If you’re shopping for a budget-friendly Apple MacBook laptop, one of the latest MacBook Air models is your best option. But if you edit hi-res video, produce music, work in graphic design or manage complex spreadsheets, you may need more power.
The newest MacBook Pros come with one of three processors — Apple’s M3, M3 Pro or M3 Max. A MacBook Pro equipped with the cutting-edge M3 Max processor gives you the computing power to handle virtually any complex computing task.
The 2023 MacBook Pro laptops have a starting price of $1,599 ($1,449 on Amazon), but based on the display size and hardware upgrades, you can spend upwards of $7,199 for a 16-inch MacBook Pro that runs using the M3 Max silicone and that’s configured with every possible upgrade. So, which MacBook Pro laptop is best for you? Keep reading to find out.
What sets each model apart is the size and type of display, the laptop’s processor, memory and storage capacity.
Best value MacBook Pro: 2023 14″ MacBook Pro with M3 processor
Apple
The least expensive current model, 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 processor uses the same M3 processor as the latest 13-inch MacBook Air laptops. But this higher-end Pro model goes even harder, with a larger Liquid Retina XDR display with a 3,024 x 1,964 pixel resolution, a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits and a 120Hz refresh rate. So you’ll see brighter and more detailed content than what you’d see using any MacBook Air.
This lower-end version of the MacBook Pro features a six speaker system, compared to the MacBook Air’s four speaker system. You also get the benefit of an HDMI port and SDXC memory card slot, plus extra USB/Thunderbolt ports.
We recommend this version of the MacBook Pro to people who can afford a few hundred dollars extra for a MacBook Pro (instead of the Air), and prefer more robust audio or richer video.
This version of the MacBook Pro is absolutely perfect for word processing, spreadsheet management, web surfing, photo editing, basic video editing, streaming video content and casual gaming. Like all Macs, it comes with applications to handle all that, plus scheduling, contact management, video calling, email management and more. All of the preinstalled apps integrate seamlessly with Apple iCloud, so data, documents, files, photos and content automatically become accessible on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook and iMac when you need it.
The base model of the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 processor is configured with 8GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD for storage. The starting price is $1,599, but Amazon and Best Buy currently have it on sale for $1,449. At the time of purchase, you can upgrade the unified memory to 16GB or 24GB, and increase the SSD’s storage capacity to 1TB or 2TB, but these upgrades increase the laptop’s price. While the MacBook Pro is more expensive than the MacBook Air, you get a lot of extra computing power and a significantly better display for your investment.
Best MacBook Pro for average users: 2023 14″ MacBook Pro with M3 Pro processor
Amazon
This configuration of the MacBook Pro takes advantage of Apple’s M3 Pro silicon, which gives you faster performance and enhanced processing power, compared to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro that runs using the core M3 processor.
At the time of purchase, choose between 8GB, 16GB, 18GB or 36GB of unified memory and an SSD capacity of 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB.
We recommend this version for anybody who works work with exceptionally large files and you needs faster performance. This laptop does a great job with tasks like photo editing and basic video editing. And when you boost the unified memory and internal storage, it can handle complex tasks like coding, 3D modeling, graphic design and applications that require a higher level of graphics rendering and overall performance.
The starting price of the 2023 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro processor is $1,999 for a system that’s configured with 8GB of unified memory and an SSD with a 512GB capacity. You’re likely to find this version of the MacBook Pro sold for a bit less on Amazon or Best Buy.
Best MacBook for college: 2023 14″ MacBook Pro with M3 Max processor
Amazon
The MacBook Pro comes in your choice of two screen sizes — 14.2-inches or 16.2-inches. Some users prefer the smaller size display, since it makes the laptop lighter and more compact. We recommend this version of the MacBook Pro to college and graduate students, as well as professionals.
After all, the M3 Max processor is the fastest and most powerful silicone that Apple has to offer in a laptop. And with the MacBook Pro, this advanced processor is combined with a higher-end display and the other benefits, like extra ports and better sound (features you won’t find in the MacBook Air). With the Apple M3 Max processor, you want the MacBook Pro to have at least 36GB of unified storage and a minimum of a 1TB SSD for storage.
The starting price of this higher-end configuration with a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display is $3,199 ($2,979 on Amazon). The M3 Max processor can render 3D content and handle editing of 8K resolution video with ease. The M3 Max processor also allows the MacBook Pro to be connected with up to four external displays (while the M3 Pro processor only supports two external displays and the M3 processor supports just one external display).
Even the most complex tasks run efficiently with the full power of a computer workstation or production studio at your fingertips. And while this configuration of the MacBook Pro offers the maximum speed and power Applecan bundle into a laptop, you still get up to a 22-hour battery life from a computer that measures just 14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches and weighs a mere 4.8 pounds.
Best MacBook Pro for coders: 2023 16″ MacBook Pro with M3 Pro processor
Amazon
In addition to giving you access to a stunning 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,600 nits maximum brightness, this configuration of the MacBook Pro takes advantage of Apple’s M3 Pro silicon — offering a 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine.
Choose between 18GB or 36GB of unified memory and an SSD capacity of 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB. We recommend this MacBook Pro to users who work with exceptionally large files — and want more on-screen real estate.
In addition to handling everything the 14″ MacBook Pro with M3 Max processor can do, it can breeze through CAD and applications that require a higher level of graphics rendering and overall performance.
The starting price of the 2023 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro processor is $2,499 for a system that is configured with 18GB of unified memory and an SSD with a 512GB capacity. Streaming movies or TV shows look and sound immersive, while your favorite games will wow you.
Best MacBook Pro for content creators: 2023 16″ MacBook Pro with M3 Max processor
Amazon
Could you use a 16.2-inch display? You could if you crave more immersive streaming video or more on-screen real estate for complex apps like audio production, 3D modeling or working with massive spreadsheets. This extra screen space is also perfect for users who tend to do a lot of multitasking.
The 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED backlit display is absolutely stunning. It offers 3,456 x 2,234 pixel resolution, a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits and up to a 120Hz refresh rate that taps Apple’s ProMotion technology. So video playback and animated graphics appear incredibly smooth and fluid.
This laptop is one of the most powerful and versatile in the world (even taking into account the latest Windows laptops). While expensive, this is the MacBook Pro you want at your disposal if you’re a coder, creative, video producer or music producer.
Whether you’re editing 8K video on location; producing a music track from a hotel room; working from home to design a 3D model for a skyscraper; or programming a new app from the confines of an airplane, your experience will go beyond what’s ever been possible before, even from even the most feature-packed desktop computers. Yet, you still benefit from the ease-of-use of the MacOS operating system and the seamless integration with other equipment in Apple’s ecosystem.
In addition to the up-to-22-hour battery life, transporting this computer is easy. After all, it’s just 4.8 pounds and 0.66 inches thick. The starting price of the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max processor, 48GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD is $3,999 ($3,719 on Amazon or $3,499 at Best Buy). However, if you upgrade the unified memory up to 128GB and the SSD to one with an 8TB capacity, you’ll looking at a laptop with whopping $7,199 price tag.
Is the 2023 MacBook Pro worth it?
Absolutely, especially if you need exceptional performance, speed and reliability from a lightweight and thin laptop that provides all of the power you’d get from an Apple iMac desktop in portable form. And while the MacBook Pro offers advanced hardware and lots of customization options, you also get the ease-of-use provided by the MacOS operating system and seamless integration with all other equipment in Apple’s ecosystem.
The displays are among the very best you’ll find on any laptop, running any operating system. Text will appear sharp, but anything that involves computer generated graphics or animations, or that showcases HD video will appear vibrant, detailed, bright and with a high level of depth and contrast. Features like hardware-accelerated ray tracing allow for much faster rendering with realistic shadows and reflections, along with accurate colors and a wide color gamut.
So, if you need this extra level of computing power, combined with a higher-end display than what MacBook Air can offer, one of the latest MacBook Pro laptops is well worth the investment.
For more help choosing a laptop, be sure to check out our coverage of the five best laptops for 2024, the best laptops for high school grads in 2024, the six best gaming laptops for 2024, the five best laptops for college in 2024, the six best laptops under $500, and the five best budget laptops for 2024. Whether you need to know about the very best laptop computers or any other types of tech, we’re constantly expanding and updating our coverage to offer the most informative, timely and accurate information.
Police arrested a man on murder charges this month, 14 years after he allegedly killed a man in Virginia, but the victim’s body has never been found.
Shane Ryan Donahue, a Virginia man, is presumed deceased, the Prince William County Police Department said Tuesday. He was last seen leaving his parents’ home in Nokesville, Virginia, on March 22, 2010. Donahue, 23, was headed to his house in Nokesville, but never made it there.
Donahue was added to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System after he vanished. According to records, Donahue did not have a car and regularly got rides from friends. He frequented Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Fauquier County, Virginia, and Northern Virginia.
The case stumped investigators, who followed a number of leads over the years. This spring, detectives reactivated the investigation and started looking at every detail of the case from scratch, officials said. They revisited people who had been interviewed during the initial investigation and reviewed “digital evidence in greater detail due to advances in analytical technology and modern police investigative practices,” according to a news release.
Officers said Donahue was last seen leaving his parents’ home with Timothy Sean Hickerson, now a 43-year-old Florida resident. Investigators connected Hickerson to a burglary at Donahue’s home that happened just days before the Virginia man disappeared.
Detectives got an arrest warrant this month and, with the help of Florida’s Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Hickerson was taken into custody in Palm Coast, Florida. Hickerson was charged with murder and burglary, is now set to be extradited to Virginia.
Former President Donald Trump, an avowed proponent of tax cuts, is floating the idea of reversing a measure passed during his tenure in the White House that effectively raised taxes for many U.S. homeowners.
In a post Tuesday on Truth Social, Trump suggested he would scrap a $10,000 cap on deducting state and local taxes (SALT) that was passed as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — a massive revamp that he has said boosted economic growth.
Now, in the run-up to the November election, Trump said in the post he would “get SALT back, lower your taxes, and so much more,” although he stopped short of offering details. Trump made the post ahead of a speech he’s giving Wednesday at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.
Trump’s new proposal for getting rid of his $10,000 SALT deduction cap comes as the presidential hopeful is pitching several additional tax cuts that would, if enacted, reduce taxes for major groups of voters. He’s also vowed to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits, a pledge that could get support from the nation’s senior citizens, as well as to end income taxes on tipped workers and on overtime pay, ideas that would help lower- and middle-income Americans.
Yet Trump’s reversal on the SALT deduction has sparked skepticism from lawmakers as well as economists and policy experts.
“So … now Trump is against the SALT tax cap which *checks notes* is a key part of the — only — major piece of legislation passed during his administration?” noted Chris Koski, a political science professor at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, on X.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from Nassau, Queens, said in a statement on Wednesday that he is “happy that the former president is saying that he has finally reversed his devastating decision in 2017 to cap the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction.” He also urged Trump to convince Republican lawmakers to vote to restore the full deduction “if he is truly serious.”
The SALT deduction cap “has been a body blow to my constituents for the past 7 years,” Suozzi added.
Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, wrote on X,”Donald Trump took away your SALT dedications and hurt so many Long Island families. Now, he’s coming to Long Island to pretend he supports SALT. It won’t work.”
Asked for details about Trump’s proposal to restore the SALT writeoff, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign told CBS MoneyWatch: “While his pro-growth, pro-energy policies will make life affordable again, President Trump is also going to quickly move tax relief for working people and seniors.”
Here’s what to know about the SALT deduction.
What is the SALT deduction?
The state and local tax deduction allows taxpayers who itemize to deduct property taxes, sales taxes and state or local income taxes from their federal income taxes. Prior to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, there was no limit on how much people could deduct through the SALT deduction.
But the 2017 tax overhaul passed under Trump limited the deduction to $10,000 – a blow to many homeowners in states with high property taxes, many of which are Democratic leaning. At the time of the law’s passage, the Treasury Department estimated that almost 11 million taxpayers in high-tax states like New York and New Jersey would forfeit $323 billion in deductions.
Who benefits from the SALT deduction?
Homeowners with high property taxes, such as people in New York, New Jersey and California, were the biggest beneficiaries of the the full SALT deduction.
But some experts also noted that the SALT deduction primarily put more money in the pockets of higher-earning Americans. About 80% of the full SALT deduction had helped people earning more than $100,000 a year, according to the Tax Foundation.
What happened after Trump capped the SALT deduction at $10,000?
The limit has increasingly impacted middle-class homeowners across the U.S. because of rising property taxes and incomes. Some lawmakers have also sought to either repeal or increase the SALT cap, but none of those efforts have borne fruit.
Earlier this year, some lawmakers sought to double the SALT deduction cap to $20,000 for married couples, with the change retroactive for the 2023 tax year. But that bill was blocked in the House in February.
Won’t the SALT deduction cap expire anyway?
Yes, the SALT deduction cap is a provision that’s due to expire in 2025, as are many other parts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, such as a reduction of the individual tax brackets. But Trump has previously indicated he wants to extend the provisions in his signature tax law.
How much would it cost the U.S. to repeal the SALT deduction cap?
It won’t be cheap, according to the the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a think tank that focuses on budget and policy issues.
Eliminating the $10,000 deduction limit “would increase the cost of extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) by $1.2 trillion over a decade,” the group estimates, adding that such a measure would be a “costly mistake.”
Extending the TCJA’s tax cuts would increase the nation’s deficit by $3.9 trillion over the next decade, the group estimates. By adding in a expiration or repeal of the SALT deduction cap, that would grow to $5.1 trillion, it added.
“Lawmakers should not extend the TCJA without a plan to – at a minimum – offset the costs of extension, but ideally the plan would raise revenues relative to current law and help put the nation’s debt on a better trajectory,” the group said in a statement.
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