Hey,
It’s Pete Matheson with a new issue of Experiments in Progress.
Most people overthink buying a laptop, so this week I’m breaking down how to pick the right one (and skip 90% of options).
💻 The Smart Buyer’s Laptop Guide (2026)
Most people massively overcomplicate buying a laptop. They compare specs, watch 10 reviews. But in reality, your decision is much simpler:
What do you actually do on your laptop?
🍏 Basic use: MacBook Neo
If your usage looks like:
- emails
- web browsing
- YouTube / Spotify
- light social media
👉 This is MacBook Neo territory.
It’s:
fast enough
simple
and honestly overpowered for most people already
Perfect for students, kids, “normal” daily use.
Source: Macworld
⚡ Power user: MacBook Air
This is where most people actually land.
If you:
have 15 apps open
20+ browser tabs
jump between tools all day
do light editing (photo / video)
👉 You’re a MacBook Air user
This is the “do everything comfortably” machine.
🚀 Heavy work: MacBook Pro
Only go here if you know you need it:
- heavy video editing
- audio production
- running local AI models
- serious workloads
👉 Otherwise, you’re wasting money.
Most people don’t need a Pro. They just like the idea of one.
🎮 Gaming / niche: Windows laptops
If you’re gaming or need specific software, Windows is still the move.
But bear in mind that ⚠️ performance drops when unplugged.
A lot of Windows laptops:
run great on power
struggle on battery
Do you even need a laptop?
If you’re mainly:
browsing
emailing
watching content
You might not need a laptop at all. An iPad (or tablet) can do all of that.
But once you add a keyboard, and accessories, you’re basically at MacBook pricing anyway.
So at that point, just ask if you want flexibility or simplicity.
🧾 Quick decision guide
If you are… | Get this |
|---|
Basic user (email, browsing) | MacBook Neo |
Power user (tabs, multitasking, light editing) | MacBook Air |
Heavy workloads (video, AI, pro tools) | MacBook Pro |
Gamer / niche software | Windows laptop |
Light use + portability (email, content, travel, simple tasks) | iPad |
Which one are you closer to?
📱 Enjoying this newsletter? Share it with a friend who’s as obsessed with tech as you are:
In this episode of Aspiring Creator, I share what actually happened behind the scenes when I had zero sponsorships booked for Q2 and how that forced me to rethink our outreach and deal structure.
Why having no sponsorships might actually be a strategic advantage
The biggest mistake creators make with brand outreach
Why you should stop sending rate cards entirely
How I built an AI system with Claude to automate deal flow
The real reason brands ignore most pitches
How persistence (not talent) is what actually closes deals
🎧 New episodes every Wednesday
