Mac does rebuy hardware if you're upgrading to a new model. I wonder what they will offer for a 16 inch macbook in 2 years if a new ARM version comes out. If they throw you $1,500 or something I wouldn't be as pissed I guess. Seems like this could be a solution in some cases -- maybe artificially high buy backs of intel products, or at least fair prices. I'm on the fence about returning my mbp 16 since I love it so much.
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Buying an Intel Mac after the announcement of 11.0
- Thread starter nnavas13
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It's a tough decision that many folks who just purchased a new Mac and are within the 2 week return period are going to have to make. My Mac (2017 iMac) will be at the right age to update it to a new Mac when Apple cuts off Rosetta 2. If you really love your new MBP, then keep it until Apple no longer supports it. But if you have any kind of buyer's remorse about it, send it back.
I think I'll keep it. I have no other mac and need to start learning my way around. I don't even mind... renting it for 2-3 years for $1,200 or something, if I can upgrade again and Apple will pay good money for it in 2023 or whatever. I just don't want to end up with a brick that is worthless. Lol I want a brick that's worth something. I understand things evolve.
If you prefer Windows support, I’d get an Intel Mac. Otherwise, my advice is wait if you can, and if you need to replace a Mac in the interim, get the lowest-spec model that suits your needs. Don’t worry about “future proofing” (i.e. getting more RAM or SSD, or a faster processor than you need) since the future is Apple Silicon. Within 2-3 years we’ll know how well the transition went, and how the new Macs run.
I was planning to run bootcamp, though my last laptop is a Thinkpad that still works (just with 8gb of ram, so it's slow as hell). I needed a new laptop and figured I'd get a Mac since I need to be using both going forward. I'm not going to buy an expensive laptop (all MBs are pretty expensive) with anything less than 32gb of ram, so the model I purchased (around 2300 refurbished, i7, 512gb, 32gb 5300m) is about as cheap as it gets (though it's around 3k with applecare and tax). I found the pricing on the 13 inch macbooks to be uncompetitive once you spec'd them... you were only a few hundred short of a 16 inch. The air meanwhile has a lot of issues with performance, though it is cheap.
If it wasn't for the ARM announcement, I'd be extremely happy with my purchase, glad to have spent $3,000, even. But now I'm not sure. I need a fast laptop... I could buy another thinkpad but that feels like a step down and in any case I can probably survive on my 8gb thinkpad for another year. But I have a lot of work... and I never believe in waiting more than a few months if you need to get things down now. ARM is a different ballgame, though. Main thing is I want my laptop to retain value, so I can resell it in 2 years if I need to.
If it wasn't for the ARM announcement, I'd be extremely happy with my purchase, glad to have spent $3,000, even. But now I'm not sure. I need a fast laptop... I could buy another thinkpad but that feels like a step down and in any case I can probably survive on my 8gb thinkpad for another year. But I have a lot of work... and I never believe in waiting more than a few months if you need to get things down now. ARM is a different ballgame, though. Main thing is I want my laptop to retain value, so I can resell it in 2 years if I need to.
It's hard to predict how much an Intel machine is going to be worth once the ARM machines begin to populate. A lot is going to depend on the current and future software compatibility and whether or not the new ARM machines will be able to run Windows via Boot Camp or something similar.
The key unanswered question for me is: How open will MacOS on ARM be?
For example, will it run unsigned apps downloaded from a website? Will I be able to dual-boot Linux?
We probably won't know this for a while. Even if they don't lock the devkits down, the final shipping versions of MacOS for ARM might still be as locked down as iOS. If that turns out to be the case, I won't ever be interested in am ARM Mac and will keep the latest and greatest Intel Mac for as long as possible.
For example, will it run unsigned apps downloaded from a website? Will I be able to dual-boot Linux?
We probably won't know this for a while. Even if they don't lock the devkits down, the final shipping versions of MacOS for ARM might still be as locked down as iOS. If that turns out to be the case, I won't ever be interested in am ARM Mac and will keep the latest and greatest Intel Mac for as long as possible.
The PPC>intel transition was a bit different as moving to intel made things easier for devs that were already used to coding for x86. So PPC support was dropped pretty quickly and there were many new devs that came to the Mac platform that hadn't made products in the PPC era.
I think it will probably take a lot longer for devs to got on board with ARM, let along transition completely to ARM so they are making APPs which are no longer compatible with x86. Even when that does come, we will still be able to run Windows programs (by virtualisation or Boot Camp). So I wouldn't be too worried at this point about getting an Intel machine.
I think it will probably take a lot longer for devs to got on board with ARM, let along transition completely to ARM so they are making APPs which are no longer compatible with x86. Even when that does come, we will still be able to run Windows programs (by virtualisation or Boot Camp). So I wouldn't be too worried at this point about getting an Intel machine.
If Catalina were less of a disaster, one reason might be to have the option to keep on Catalina. I’m on Sierra currently (by preference, due to having too many 32 bit apps with 64 bit replacements that went the subscription route) on a 2014 MBA that’s showing its age, and I dread the fact I‘m locked to Catalina if I dare keep the 2020 MBP that just arrived today and is sitting unopened on the table. I ordered it thinking I could stay on Sierra and, Lo and behold, I realized that MacBooks can’t be “upgraded” to OS’s prior to the one that came with them.
So in short, those like me that dread the iOS-ification of Big Blur, Catalina *might* be the better option...if....Apple were to fix all the bugginess, which is now looking raaaaaaather unlikely. Better to sweep it under the rug and hide behind Big Blur.
Keeping OS of choice is very hard way for Mac users. Currently keeping all my Macs in Mojave due Catalina debacle, but hey Big Sour isn’t my taste too, my heart still not ready to accept MacOS 11 system wide iOS-fication. I guess I stay longer on Mojave until is phased out from support. Another reason is I still not decided yet to convert my curated 11 years old iTunes Library into Apple new Music app which is I not fond of.
First of all, Big Sour is much better than Big Blur. Very nice.
Secondly - do you happen to know whether *any* MBP 16” could be upgraded back to Mojave? Perhaps I’ll send my MBP 13 back and go with the MBP 16...
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Ditto with the Music app. Since iOS7 I learned to no longer trust Apple’s “upgrades” blindly like I did from 2005-2013.
Nope. The first 16" MacBook Pro came preinstalled with 10.15.1. No going back with that one....
Ah crap. Thanks. I feel bookended between awful options. Can’t buy the 16” that’s locked into catalina, not excited to await Big Sour going forward that looks way too iOS-ifield, and won’t go backwards towards the butterfly keyboard. Ugh.
I’m already making the assumption I won’t like Big Sour’s IOS-ifield interface just like I hated iOS7 and generally still dislike much of iOS13’s flat vague thin low-contrast interface methods compared to an earlier generation.
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All in all I’m looking forward to the possibility of ios devices being able to run as a desktop. macOS should be able to run as an app and boots back to mobile mode on demand. I’m sure Apple is researching docks that should hold the OS apps to save storage. You then log back into the cloud which should sync your local data. Great move to keep data under their control.
You should buy a NAS in your Network and protect yourself from cloud services designed to get data from you! Modern Smart NASes help you to keep your data from the greedy ISP you are using!
What, exactly, does this have to do with the post you quoted? An off-site backup, cloud-based or by taking a drive to another location, is important if you want to protect your data against a fire or other disaster at home.
It’ll depends on what you are planning to do! If your work with your Mac and you need Windows on Linux in Bootcamp then gets current Intel Mac! If you a studen that is learning a DAW or radio dude! The current plethora Of DAW apps will at first dry up on Arm Macs! It will take at least 3-5 years for Arm Macs pro apps to catch up!