I’ve had my M1 Pro MacBook Pro since 2021. It’s a fantastic piece of kit.
Despite buying a new MacBook Pro last December 12, 2024, it actually took a while for me to try using the new device since I had a lot of stuff to transfer over and I was quite busy during the holidays.
I think it’s a good time to reflect about my use of Apple stuff in general.
Currently, my Mac history is as follows:
Here’s my biggest lessons in points:
I'm grateful to my past self for documenting everything. I've customized my Mac so extensively that I don't trust Time Machine or any backup tool to perfectly copy everything from my old Mac to my new one—and this careful documentation has proven invaluable.
While Time Machine is excellent, Mac software management can be complex. You'll accumulate numerous applications from diverse sources: the App Store, DMG files from websites, Homebrew packages, and various programming environments. Take Python, for instance—you might have multiple versions and virtual environments installed for compatibility. Some tools install globally, others don't.
With so many moving parts, I prefer following a step-by-step checklist rather than relying on automatic syncing. Though syncing might appear to work initially, it often leads to configuration conflicts and breakages down the line.
The trickiest aspect is managing paid software. My Mac contains several paid apps with different licensing schemes—subscriptions, device-specific license keys, license files, and online activation requirements. I'd rather avoid transferring these directly, as they tend to cause authentication issues later.