Shajini Surprise

Updated September 2026: in 2022, with my 2012 MacBook Pro failing, I settled on a 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro but kept failing to buy it: festive sales lacked good deals, among other setbacks. I have rewritten it into a guide to buying a MacBook Pro in India at a sensible price.

My old MacBook Pro had started failing, with intermittent problems traced to the logic board. After trying everything, I accepted I needed a new laptop and chose the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro. Even with the decision made, I did not manage to buy one. The festive sales did not bring the deals I hoped for, and I kept waiting.

When are MacBooks cheapest in India?

Usually during major online festive sales, around Apple launches when previous models are discounted, and through education pricing for students and teachers. Bank card offers often add further discounts on top.

Should you buy the newest or a discounted previous model?

For most people, a discounted previous-generation MacBook Pro offers excellent value, since year-on-year chip gains are modest. Buy the newest if you need a specific feature or plan to keep the laptop for many years.

Which configuration matters most?

• Memory: at least 16 GB; more for heavy creative or development work.
• Storage: 512 GB or more if you keep files locally.
• Chip: base chips suit most work; Pro and Max for video, 3D or large builds.

How do you avoid waiting forever for a deal?

Set a target price based on past sale prices, and buy when it is reached. Waiting for a perfect deal can cost more in lost time with a failing laptop than any discount saves, which is the lesson from my own delay.

What about refurbished MacBooks?

Refurbished units from reputable sellers with a warranty can save a lot. Check battery cycle count, condition and that the Mac is not locked to someone else's account.

Should you buy AppleCare+?

Consider it for a laptop you rely on for work, since out-of-warranty repairs, especially logic boards and screens, are expensive.

Keep reading

• Base Mac Storage: Does SSD Speed Matter?
• Which iPad to Buy: Standard, mini, Air or Pro
• Buying a Treadmill Online: Pros, Risks and Checks

Updated September 2026: in 2022 I argued against buying the base M2 MacBook Air, whose 256 GB model used a single storage chip and had slower SSD speeds than the M1 version, suggesting an M1 model or a higher configuration instead. I have rewritten it into advice on choosing Mac storage.

After the M2 MacBook Air launched, reviewers found that the 256 GB base model used a single storage chip instead of two, making its SSD noticeably slower in benchmarks than the M1 model it replaced. Apple said real-world use was unaffected for most people. Based on my own reading, I recommended avoiding the base configuration.

Does a slower SSD matter in practice?

For everyday tasks like browsing and documents, the difference is rarely noticeable. It shows when copying large files and, importantly, when the Mac runs short of memory and uses the SSD as swap space. On an 8 GB machine that swaps often, a slower SSD can make it feel sluggish.

How much storage should you buy?

• 512 GB is a comfortable minimum for most people keeping a Mac several years.
• 256 GB works if you store most files in the cloud and use few large apps.
• 1 TB or more for photo and video work.

Storage cannot be upgraded later, so buying slightly more than you need now is sensible.

What about memory?

It matters more than SSD speed. Apple moved base Macs to 16 GB of memory in late 2024, which reduces swapping. On older models with 8 GB, the base SSD's speed matters more.

Is an older M1 or a discounted model better value?

Often, if it has enough memory and storage. A discounted model with 16 GB and 512 GB can outperform a newer base model in daily use.

How do you check SSD speed and swap on your Mac?

Activity Monitor's Memory tab shows memory pressure and swap used; frequent yellow or red pressure means the Mac is leaning on the SSD. Free disk speed test apps show read and write speeds if you want to compare.

Can external storage help?

Yes, for archives, photo libraries and backups. A fast USB-C SSD is inexpensive. Keep apps and active work on the internal drive.

Keep reading

• Buying a MacBook Pro in India at a Sensible Price
• Which iPad to Buy: Standard, mini, Air or Pro
• The 3-2-1 Backup Rule for Family Photos

Updated September 2026: in 2022, following advice online, I replaced my AirPods Pro silicone tips with memory foam tips to fix weak bass and a loose fit, but saw little improvement. I have rewritten it into a guide to ear tips for AirPods Pro, and what else to check when the sound seems thin.

Many people online said foam tips would cure the common AirPods Pro complaints of weak bass and poor fit. I had both problems, so I bought memory foam tips. The bass did not improve noticeably and the fit issues continued.

Why does fit matter so much for AirPods Pro?

Noise cancellation and bass both depend on a good seal in the ear canal. If air leaks, bass drops and outside noise gets in. That is why fit problems and weak bass usually appear together.

How do you check the fit?

Use the Ear Tip Fit Test in the AirPods settings on your iPhone. Try each silicone size, and remember that the best size can differ between your left and right ears. Many fit problems are solved simply by changing tip size.

Do foam tips help?

• Pros: they expand to fill the ear, which can improve the seal for some people and feel more secure during exercise.
• Cons: they wear out faster, can be harder to clean, may not fit the charging case well, and some interfere with the fit test.

They help some ears and not others, which matches my experience.

What else can cause thin sound?

Blocked mesh from earwax, a firmware issue, or settings such as Conversation Awareness lowering volume. Clean the mesh gently with a dry brush, check for updates by keeping AirPods connected to a charging iPhone, and review the audio settings.

When should you contact Apple?

If one earbud sounds different from the other, crackles, or loses noise cancellation after cleaning and resetting, it may be a hardware fault. Apple has run service programmes for some earlier AirPods Pro units with sound issues, so check eligibility.

What worked in the end?

For most people, the right silicone size and clean mesh. Try that before buying accessories.

Keep reading

• Buying a Treadmill Online: Pros, Risks and Checks
• Which iPad to Buy: Standard, mini, Air or Pro
• Base Mac Storage: Does SSD Speed Matter?

Updated September 2026: in 2022 I complained that Time Machine offered no choice of daily, weekly or monthly backups, along with other frustrations. Apple has since added a frequency setting. I have rewritten it into a guide to configuring Time Machine well.

I keep backups of everything important on my MacBook, both in the cloud and with Time Machine. My frustration was the lack of control: once Time Machine was on, it backed up hourly with no option to choose a different schedule.

Can you change how often Time Machine backs up?

Yes, since macOS Ventura. In System Settings, open General, then Time Machine, then Options, and choose Backup Frequency: automatically every hour, daily, weekly or manually. Hourly gives the most protection; daily or weekly suits people who find hourly backups disruptive.

What else can you configure?

• Exclusions: skip large folders you do not need backed up, such as downloads or virtual machines.
• Battery: choose whether to back up on battery power.
• Multiple disks: add a second backup disk and Time Machine alternates between them.
• Network backups: back up to a NAS or another Mac over Wi-Fi.

How long does Time Machine keep backups?

Hourly backups for the past day, daily backups for the past month and weekly backups for previous months, until the disk is full. Then the oldest are removed. Use a disk at least twice the size of the data you back up.

Is Time Machine enough on its own?

No. It protects against mistakes and drive failure, but a disk in the same room is exposed to theft and damage. Add an offsite copy, in the cloud or a second disk kept elsewhere.

Which frequency should you choose?

Hourly if you work on important files all day, since it limits how much you can lose. Daily if backups slow your Mac or you mostly browse and read. Weekly or manual only for machines that change rarely. Whatever you choose, keep the backup disk connected often enough for it to actually run.

How do you restore a single file?

Open the folder where the file was, choose Browse Time Machine Backups from the menu bar icon, move back to a date when the file existed, select it and click Restore.

How do you check backups work?

Open Time Machine occasionally and restore a test file. The menu bar icon also shows the date of the last successful backup.

Keep reading

• The 3-2-1 Backup Rule for Family Photos
• Keeping a Photo Library Organised in OneDrive
• Base Mac Storage: Does SSD Speed Matter?