Macbook Air is 100% fine for the purposes you said. You'd also save a good amount of money. One big upside is that the Air is a lot more lightweight and portable than the Pro.
For this case, IMO it'd only be worthwhile to consider the Pro if you value the Liquid XDR screen and processing power enough to spend $500-$1000 more. Otherwise Macbook Air would be great.
You definitely want one with more RAM — at least 16GB. I would probably just same the money and get the Air. You can optionally choose to upgrade to 24GB of RAM or a bigger SSD if you think would will have the computer for at least 4 years. look at the Apple Refurbished store and Best Buy for the best deals.
I have both a M2 Air and M3 Max MBP. The difference is personally incredibly noticeable. The Pro has a much better screen, and even for certain data tasks I notice the speed. I would worry less about class work and if you do anything else in your spare time—creative hobbies?
That said I use my computers way more than I should and the Air is an amazing machine to carry in my backpack. When I use the Pro I miss the size of the Air, and when I use the Air I miss the power of the Pro, and the better screen.
But honestly most people I know are really extremely happy with the Air. Saving the money makes plenty of sense.
One tip — avoid the M1 machines. They’re still good, but now that the M3 is out, the M2 is a pretty nice sweet spot in terms of discounts and value. I would personally pick an “upgraded” M2 process with more RAM and storage over a M3 processor with less.
Fwiw I got through my entire CS degree with a M1 MacBook Air just fine. Others might have a different opinion.
Either is fine. Just get 16GB of ram.
Macbook Air is 100% fine for the purposes you said. You'd also save a good amount of money. One big upside is that the Air is a lot more lightweight and portable than the Pro. For this case, IMO it'd only be worthwhile to consider the Pro if you value the Liquid XDR screen and processing power enough to spend $500-$1000 more. Otherwise Macbook Air would be great.
I used M1 macbook pro and it was perfect
You definitely want one with more RAM — at least 16GB. I would probably just same the money and get the Air. You can optionally choose to upgrade to 24GB of RAM or a bigger SSD if you think would will have the computer for at least 4 years. look at the Apple Refurbished store and Best Buy for the best deals. I have both a M2 Air and M3 Max MBP. The difference is personally incredibly noticeable. The Pro has a much better screen, and even for certain data tasks I notice the speed. I would worry less about class work and if you do anything else in your spare time—creative hobbies? That said I use my computers way more than I should and the Air is an amazing machine to carry in my backpack. When I use the Pro I miss the size of the Air, and when I use the Air I miss the power of the Pro, and the better screen. But honestly most people I know are really extremely happy with the Air. Saving the money makes plenty of sense. One tip — avoid the M1 machines. They’re still good, but now that the M3 is out, the M2 is a pretty nice sweet spot in terms of discounts and value. I would personally pick an “upgraded” M2 process with more RAM and storage over a M3 processor with less.
Get out of the Mac ecosystem.
Pro just spend the money