When it comes to computer updates, nothing is quite as exciting as an entirely new computer! I’m excited to share I recently got a new primary laptop – Aurora.

Aurora is a 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro. Aurora replaces Venus as my primary computer, although Venus is not being retired — she is transitioning to being a secondary household computer. Prior to getting Venus in 2015, I had always had a Windows desktop as my primary computer. Venus brought two changes to my computing life — a laptop as a primary computer, and macOS.

Using a laptop as my primary computer has enabled me to not be chained to a desk, but still have a powerful, consistent computing experience wherever I need it. This wouldn’t have worked without a decently powerful laptop, but Venus has been able to handle all of my tasks. It did require me to re-think how I store data, since laptops typically have smaller and not-as-upgradeable storage. As a result, I added our file server, Iris, and have also embraced cloud storage more.

I’ve also been very happy with macOS. It’s an extremely polished, stable operating system. I love the design, the high quality software available, the iOS integration, and it seems to perform better on comparable hardware than Windows. I didn’t know what to expect back when we got Venus, but now I wouldn’t turn back.

All told, Venus is the best computer I’ve owned (so far) and replacing her was not a decision I took lightly. But, I’d owned Venus for 5 years, and as a refurbished computer her hardware was actually 7 years old. She still performed very well — better than any other 7-year old computer I’ve used — but some video editing tasks I perform are completely CPU-bound, so getting a computer with a more modern CPU would directly make those tasks faster, and there had been enough other improvements in technology that it seemed to justify it. Also, my oldest son was increasingly needing a computer for schoolwork, and so it seemed like a good time to branch out and have two active laptops rather than just one.

The 2020 MacBook Pro was everything I was looking for. It’s quad-core, so more than doubles my CPU performance. It returns MacBooks back to the traditional scissor keyboard after several years of the problematic butterfly keyboard. It has great speakers, great microphone, a still-great display, Force Touch trackpad, and the great MacBook Pro physical design.

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Posted in Aurora Venus by Greg Leedberg No Comments Yet