Mobile Device – Music Industry Arts

Apple Mac Laptop is Required

Updated June 18, 2024

Recommended: M1 13” MacBook Pro

If you already own an older Intel MacBook Pro, please contact Professor Kevin Komaranski (komarak@algonquincollege.com) to determine if your machine meets our program’s requirements.

We emphatically discourage students entering the program from purchasing used Intel processor-based Apple laptops. Apple is already four years into its transition to Apple Silicon. The currently supported operating systems do work with a limited set of Intel processors, but they do not have full feature parity and it is only a matter of time before all new releases are Apple silicon only.

Program Recommended MacBooks

MacBook Air:
13” M3 8-Core CPU
8-Core GPU
8GB Unified Memory
256GB SSD Storage
EDU Price: $1,299.00CAD
Link

15” M3 8-Core CPU
8-Core GPU
10GB Unified Memory
256GB SSD Storage
EDU Price: $1,599.00CAD
Link

MacBook Pro:
M3 8-Core CPU
10-Core GPU
8GB Unified Memory
512GB SSD Storage
EDU Price: $1,969.00CAD
Link

Q. What is the difference between the MacBook Air and Pro?

Aside from the stated specification, the Pros have an improved screen, more Thunderbolt ports, an HDMI port, and an SD Card reader. Most importantly, the Pros are cooled by fans, where the cooling in the Air is achieved passively. Even if both machines are using the same processor, the Air will need to throttle its speed once it builds up too much heat. The Pro will turn its fan speed up to compensate while maintain its performance level. The result of this is that both machines will run at the same speed at the beginning of a task, but after a few short minutes the Air’s speed will decrease significantly compared to the Pro.

Q. The minimum requirement for the program is a M1 13” MacBook Pro, Apple does not have these available in the store. Where can I purchase one of these older MacBooks?

A. We recommend trying to find one in the Certified Refurbished section on Apple’s website. These have been refurbished by Apple, you can also purchase Apple Care insurance on these models. The stock in this section is limited and changes from day to day.

If you go outside of the Apple store, make sure you purchase from a certified Apple retailer. We have had numerus students over the years try to save money from an on-line marketplace. Only to realize that what they purchased was either faulty or not the stated specification. Resulting in them falling behind on assignments while they try to purchase a new laptop mid semester. Some were not even able to return their original purchases due to the return date being passed by the time they realized the laptop would not make it through the year.

Q. How can I access the educational pricing on Apple’s site?

A. Go to the bottom of Apple’s main page, in second column from the right there is a “For Education” section. Choose the “Shop for University” option

Q. I can afford to and would like to purchase a single upgrade to my MacBook. Which do upgrade do you recommend? SSD storage space? Or Memory (RAM)?

A. Memory (RAM)! Both the internal storage and memory are not upgradable; you are stuck with the configuration that you select at time of purchase. However, storage issues can be solved cheaply by adding external hard drives, there is no similar option for memory. Apple silicon’s memory is used with both the CPU and GPU, the common advice for purchasing an Apple silicon computer, is to purchase it with as much memory as you can comfortably afford to do so. The base units recommend by us will be 100% adequate for your classes and assignments during your time in MIA, but adding memory will increase the usable lifespan of the computer.

Q. Is there any difference between the 13” and 15” MacBook Air’s

A. Aside from having a larger screen on the larger laptop. The base model 15” Air does have 10GPU cores instead of the 8GPU core on the base 13”. Also, because of the nature of the passive cooling in the 15” has a larger body to dissipate heat into, which can delay processor throttling and add in cooling.