A Quantum Leap Forward in Computing (for Payam only)

Not so long ago, I commented on how it was difficult to justify spending money on a new computer when my prehistoric 2008 MacBook Pro was managing to run Catalina after being equipped with a Samsung Evo solid state drive and using the DOSdude1 patch. Then came Costco’s crazy deal on the discontinued MacBook. The specs on this computer are not spectacular, but as the photo below attests, an upgraded 2008 MacBook Pro still cannot hold a candle to a 2017 computer. As the photo shows, the newer computer is twice as fast on wifi, and easily 20 times faster with all other tasks, especially editing and processing photos. The time savings alone, then, justified the $1100 expense.

The pictures itself says a lot. The new computer is much smaller, has a vastly superior screen–double the resolution and far less reflectivity–has a battery life nearly times longer (the old computer barely lasts 2 hours on a charge). This table summarizes the objective criteria differences. It’s hard to describe how much easier the higher resolution screen is to read despite its smaller size. The speakers even sound better. I was wrong, after all. It’s nice to have a new computer. Editing photos will no longer be a daylong chore. It won’t take more than 10 minutes.