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Is a maxed out 2019 MBP a good buy in 2022?
- Thread starter DMG35
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Yeah the word “support“ can be used very differently by different people, which is sometimes problematic because when people hear “such and such device isn’t going to be supported”, many may think that means it will be totally abandoned and even dangerous to use, when that’s not necessarily or maybe even not probably the case. As you said, regular security updates continue past an OS version’s succession. And irregular super critical security updates even longer. I used Mavericks for at least 5 years (my memory is hazy on the exact number) and I remember being surprised with one or two random critical security patches in the latter part of that run.
It’s pretty common knowledge that Apple is relatively excellent about “supporting” their older devices. But I don’t think it’s common knowledge just how long Apple continues sending out patches for the most serious security threats. I don’t think there’s even an official policy—it may just depend on case by case, and how serious the particular threat is. But regardless, it’s a really long time. Those updates coupled with reasonably doable user precautions (maybe not using public wifi without a VPN, etc), one can use an ”outdated” Apple device with confidence for a surprisingly long time.
Despite that seeming to be like a great deal, the M1 processors are absolutely amazing. I'd rather try to nab an M1 Pro or M1 Max if I was you. As an owner of a 16' MBP M1 Max .... it is the best computing device I've ever owned in my life. Runs Windows 11 Arm beautifully with no lag and no fan and I can compile an old X86 app in VS 2022 with it.
Here you go: https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/about-software-updates-depc4c80847a/webI missed that. I would appreciate a link.
There have been some localization differences in this particular page, but the US English page says:
See the link at my post above. You can no longer rely on Apple to provide security updates to older versions of macOS.
A family member with a maxed-out 2016 MacBook Pro in pristine condition (that she, in her mind, “just bought”) was excited that shared photo libraries are finally a thing.
She definitely feels abandoned.
What are your plans for that computer? A “good buy” implies that you’re paying a lesser amount of money for something that delivers more value than typically obtained at that price.
So if all you’re doing is web browsing and watching Netflix, buying a maxed out laptop for $2k might not be as good of a deal as, say, a lesser specced Apple Silicon machine.
But if you can use the storage/compute power (or especially if you need native x86 performance), then it might be more tempting. Or maybe you’ve checked prices and believe you can resell it and net a small profit.
One other question you might consider asking yourself is, “If I didn’t spend $2,000 on this, what would I spend it on (including non-tech purchases)?” Personally, if I had a decent computer and didn’t need an upgrade (which I’m assuming is the case for you since you haven’t expressed a need for this computer), I’d be tempted to either mentally bank that $2000 for upgrades on my next machine.
So if all you’re doing is web browsing and watching Netflix, buying a maxed out laptop for $2k might not be as good of a deal as, say, a lesser specced Apple Silicon machine.
But if you can use the storage/compute power (or especially if you need native x86 performance), then it might be more tempting. Or maybe you’ve checked prices and believe you can resell it and net a small profit.
One other question you might consider asking yourself is, “If I didn’t spend $2,000 on this, what would I spend it on (including non-tech purchases)?” Personally, if I had a decent computer and didn’t need an upgrade (which I’m assuming is the case for you since you haven’t expressed a need for this computer), I’d be tempted to either mentally bank that $2000 for upgrades on my next machine.
I read that more as a CYA for Apple when they can't fix Intel-based vulnerabilities. In other words, they'll give you two more year of support/fixes on a best-effort-basis. But Apple Silicon is where you need to move to.
Given that they call out macOS 12, which also runs on Apple Silicon, I think you’re misinterpreting the message. You need to be on macOS 13 now to ensure you’re getting all the fixes, even if you’re using Apple Silicon.
Stunned nobody has mentioned this - search eBay for what they sell for, and if it's way more than what you're being offered (8TB and 64GB is huge), then buy a few, sell them - and then buy the M1 model of your dreams.
I can think of less stressful ways to make more money with less hassle in the same amount of time.
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They were selling the Apple Watch Series 3 right until they released WatchOS 9 (I think) :O
And I think they stopped supporting the iPod touch, and it didn't get the latest version of iOS.
See https://www.macworld.com/article/1364269/ios-macos-upgrades-secure.htmlI missed that. I would appreciate a link.
Is that a new note? It sounds like it could have always been there, as a “temper your expectations” kind of thing. It sounds like they’re saying sometimes newer versions of the OS are too different, so in those cases some security threats in the older OSes won’t be addressed. That makes sense. But I would still say, if the threat is serious enough, they’ll most likely make the effort and send out a patch. I say this because they’ve surprised us by doing that for very old OSes in the past. Also keeping in mind that many businesses stay on older machines and older OS versions because of economy and stability (if it ain’t broke…), especially if they are taking awhile to modify their systems to Apple Silicon. And I don’t think Apple wants to leave these businesses high and dry so soon. But I guess we’ll see.
Sorry, late response. I don’t understand. She feels abandoned because she can now use shared photo libraries on her MBP?
All the fixes, yes. If one wants a guaranteed most secure possible device. But if one wants a device that works well and is reasonably secure enough for practical purposes, I think that’s more flexible condition and includes a lot of older devices.
Again, people use the word “support” differently. I’m not talking about the latest OS, just necessary security updates.
Also AW and iPod touch are different from Mac in that they’re much more consumer facing than business facing.
64 GB RAM / 8 TB SSD is very overkill for most users, and while with those specs you might be getting a good deal, unless you've a specific use case to utilize them you could probably live with less. As a current owner of this last/best generation Intel MBPs they're still solid with performance, but compared to M1 they do run pretty hot and battery life leaves some to be desired.
Quite the opposite, Ventura dropped support for the 2016 MacBook Pro. (Which of course means she cannot use shared photo libraries.)
It seems clear that this is a warning that Apple may do exactly that. For businesses with a policy that mandates fully patched computers, this is a notice that anything that can’t run macOS 13 needs to be disposed of.
The big problem with Apple’s security notices is that there’s no way of knowing if Apple is leaving something exposed or if an older OS just isn’t vulnerable.
At the prices Apple charges sure. There's a lot of PC laptops out there with 2 M.2 slots and 2x4TB will only cost you $600-1000 depending on the drives you get. So if storage is the key concern it can be done for less with a newer less of a dead end machine.