@Miraz @crossingthethreshold @smokey so none of the current crop of Macs excite me except maybe the Air, however I’m not a fan of those keyboards (I’m not just saying that, it’s a step back, highlighted by the fact they’ve finally recognised it themselves). Considering I’m going to be using this machine for another half decade, I want to love it. The power is important, for longevity more than anything else - when I need to push it 3 years from now it won’t flinch (like my broken machine used to).

The repair cost is 1/3 the cost of a new MacBook Air (1/4 of a new MacBook Pro) which is why it’s not such a clear cut answer.