Around 500 years ago, just as the year 2020 was beginning, I was well on my way to transitioning to an iPad-only computing experience. Then COVID happened, and since then, I haven’t been happier to have access to a MacBook.

On June 30, 2020, & just after its eighth anniversary, the MacBook Pro with Retina display will officially be marked “obsolete,” ending all hardware services & repairs from Apple.

Unless you fit that small overlap of people whose budget, desire for a Touch Bar, & needing slightly improved performance over a sustained period, you stand to save up to $500 by moving into the MacBook Air line while gaining in graphics, memory, battery life, and portability.

As of yesterday's announcement of the updated 13.3" MacBook Pro, Apple finally cleansed its laptop line of the infamous butterfly keyboard.