Just canceled my iMac 27" Order.....

[Sledneck52]

I was hesitant on getting the intel iMac knowing the introduction of the new ARM CPU. I still placed the order last week but today I decided to cancel it and wait! My current iMac is a late 2013 21.5 loaded. As you can see like most of us we keep our machines for years. I have had mine almost 7 years and not one issue. I would've hated to get the new 27" with the intel only for apple to cut support in 3-5 years!
Now the waiting begins!

 

[cmaier]

Good idea to at least wait a bit and see what happens.

 

[richmlow]

It's good to go with your conscience!

Yes, this is a somewhat disruptive announcement that Apple has made, with regards to the ARM transition. Although not completely unexpected, it still makes Apple laptop/desktop purchases more "difficult" right now.

Still, your current iMac will certainly continue to be productive. When the new Apple ARM computers start rolling out, everybody will have a much better idea of the new platform.

Even after Apple cuts all the support for Intel Macs, it is still not that bad. In that situation, one can always keep it as a legacy Mac system, make it into a dedicated Windows machine (via Bootcamp), or repurpose it as a media/file server.


richmlow

I was hesitant on getting the intel iMac knowing the introduction of the new ARM CPU. I still placed the order last week but today I decided to cancel it and wait! My current iMac is a late 2013 21.5 loaded. As you can see like most of us we keep our machines for years. I have had mine almost 7 years and not one issue. I would've hated to get the new 27" with the intel only for apple to cut support in 3-5 years!
Now the waiting begins!

 

[chscag]

I agree. It's not a good time to be buying a new Mac. It's going to take several years before things shake out and we have a better idea of what ARM is going to bring.

 

[Boil]

Waiting on the return of the Cube...!!!

 

[johngwheeler]

I was hesitant on getting the intel iMac knowing the introduction of the new ARM CPU. I still placed the order last week but today I decided to cancel it and wait! My current iMac is a late 2013 21.5 loaded. As you can see like most of us we keep our machines for years. I have had mine almost 7 years and not one issue. I would've hated to get the new 27" with the intel only for apple to cut support in 3-5 years!
Now the waiting begins!

At a guess, I would say we will see 27" iMacs with ARM in about a year. The iMac Pro will take somewhat longer.

 

[richmlow]

Hmm....I have a feeling that we may not see a refresh of the iMac Pro.

When the iMac Pro was first introduced (after the Mac Pro was "announced" by Apple), I got the impression that originally it was going to replace the Mac Pro. After massive outcry by the Mac community, Apple gave in and started working on the new Mac Pro 7.1. Then, the iMac Pro became a "stopgap" in the interim.

Does anybody know the performance of the 2020 Mac mini vs. the performance of the iMac Pro? In terms of graphics performance, it's likely that the iMac Pro surpasses the 2020 Mac mini. However, for single core / multi-core, I wouldn't be surprised if the Mac mini is much stronger than the iMac Pro.



richmlow

At a guess, I would say we will see 27" iMacs with ARM in about a year. The iMac Pro will take somewhat longer.

 

[Boil]

At a guess, I would say we will see 27" iMacs with ARM in about a year. The iMac Pro will take somewhat longer.

From the Apple press release:

"Apple plans to ship the first Mac with Apple silicon by the end of the year and complete the transition in about two years."

If they literally mean one Mac product going AS (Apple Silicon) by the end of 2020, the easy route would be the Mac mini, but the Apple fashionista route would be a laptop.

Apple also mentioned there are a few more Intel products in the pipeline, I would bet iMacs & iMac Pros! These are the onlyy current products that are somewhat languishing on Apples website. Tech specs does not even state which generation of Intel CPUs are being used (because they are OLD), when Apple has no issue stating which gen is on the most recently updated ("NEW") products. ac mini will not get a new Intel CPU, it was recently spec-bumped & will next get an AS APU. Same for 'low-end' laptops, straight to an AS APU. All MacBook Pro / Mac Pro products will be on the back half of the transition; MacBook Pros, then a new Cube, then the iMac Pro (which is just the Cube specs), and finally the Big Chungus Mac Pro chassis will go AS, but not actually until sometime in 2023 for shipping product (probably announced / paper launched in Dec of 2022).

So iMacs & iMac Pros will get some sort of Intel spec-bump update, because someone is always buying an iMac & the iMac Pro will be an interim sale for someone who is balking at dropping serious cash for a current Mac Pro but needs something before the transition is complete.

New / Spec-bump Intel iMacs & iMac Pros - before end of 2020

AS-based MacBook "I'm living on it..." - Q4 2020

AS-based Mac mini - Q2 2021

AS-based iMac - Q4 2021

AS-based MacBook Pro - Q2 2022

AS-based Cube & iMac Pro (same baseline specs) - paper launch WWDC 2022 (two year transition) / pre-orders Q3 / shipping Q4 2022

My thoughts towards future Apple Silicon intended for a Mac Pro:

32 P cores / 16 E cores / 64 CPU cores / 32GB HBM2e UMA / 500W APUzilla

 

[Sledneck52]

The consensus among a lot of Youtubers is the iMac will be one of the first machines to get the ARM. Possibly a total redesign 24” along side with a spec bump for the current 27” model.
I do have boot camp installed on my 2013 21.5 Running windoze 10 but I never use it.
Using windoze to me is like using an Android phone. I hate it!
I just purchased a new 27” second monitor to replace a older 21”. That will hold over the itch until Apple reveals the future of the ARMacs.

 

[Royksöpp]

Tim did say that they have more Intel Mac's in the pipeline. It's more than likely the long awaited iMac refresh. The first ARM Mac's will be first generation, so I would highly advise against it. Always go for 2nd Gen when it comes to a new technology, especially with Apple. If you can wait for the second Arm refresh, I would say go for it!

 

[Sledneck52]

Tim did say that they have more Intel Mac's in the pipeline. It's more than likely the long awaited iMac refresh. The first ARM Mac's will be first generation, so I would highly advise against it. Always go for 2nd Gen when it comes to a new technology, especially with Apple. If you can wait for the second Arm refresh, I would say go for it!

He “might” have been referring to Mac pros.
I would be really pissed if I ordered a 15K high end Intel Mac Pro 6 months ago only to be told we’re dropping them..
It would make more sense to start in the personal computer line. Home and lite business use.
With the Arm, all iPad and iPhone apps will run natively with very little adjustments.. well.. except they were designed for a touch interface.

 

[gjesp]

Just ordered a Mac Mini and I'm already starting to feel regrets. I'm worried that It'll have a rather short life, with no resell value. Has Apple stated how long they will continue to support Intel based Macs, after the transition period? Will developers still have the option to compile apps for Intel CPU's in say 6-7 years? I think a ********* is on the rise

 

[nothingtoseehere]

The first ARM Mac's will be first generation, so I would highly advise against it.

Many people here advise against 1st generation ARM Mac. I wonder why.
1st gen iPad Pro, for example, was great. Apple Pencil worked from the beginning. In general, with iPhones and iPads, Apple has vast experience with ARM chips.
Comments on Big Sur beta are rather positive.
Butterfly keyboard was a mess but this was a mechanical issue.
Retina display had some problems in early years but these are solved long ago.

I wasn't around when Apple switched to Intel. Were the 1st gen Intel Macs really that bad?

 

[Plutonius]

I was hesitant on getting the intel iMac knowing the introduction of the new ARM CPU. I still placed the order last week but today I decided to cancel it and wait! My current iMac is a late 2013 21.5 loaded. As you can see like most of us we keep our machines for years. I have had mine almost 7 years and not one issue. I would've hated to get the new 27" with the intel only for apple to cut support in 3-5 years!
Now the waiting begins!

I would not consider buying a computer in the first two years of its major redesign.

 

[johngwheeler]

I would not consider buying a computer in the first two years of its major redesign.

It's not so much because the first ARM Macs will be bad, but rather the fact there may be a significant improvements in the second & third generation machines.

iPad 1 was innovative, but iPad 2 was a lot faster and better executed.

Buying brand new tech is enticing but a bit risky; I bought a Microsoft Surface 3 which looked like a great mini hybrid PC/Tablet, but it proved to have very disappointing performance, and has spent most of its life in a drawer...

I would be tempted by an ARM MBP13/14 as a travel computer, but I'll be waiting for at least 3-6 months for the long-term reviews to come in. It would have to be outstanding for me to jump in any earlier.

 

[Janichsan]

Many people here advise against 1st generation ARM Mac. I wonder why.
...
I wasn't around when Apple switched to Intel. Were the 1st gen Intel Macs really that bad?

Yes. The first gen Intel MBP I had was the worst Apple computer I ever owned: badly built, prone to hardware defects, and generally unreliable. It wasn't before unibody MBPs that Apple really had a grip on the new technology.

 

[Sledneck52]

I personally think the iMac redesign with the arm will work flawlessly. Apple knows the hardware after years of iPad and iPhone. They don’t have to worry about cramming components into a small form factor. My first Mac was a first gen Intel. It lasted until I got my current 2013 iMac. I have boot camp with windows 10 pro installed too. I never use windows because it’s horrible! It’s slow. I don’t want to spend 2K on a new machine that won’t be supported in 3-5 years. I want it to last 7-10 years.

 

[Cybbe]

Yes. The first gen Intel MBP I had was the worst Apple computer I ever owned: badly built, prone to hardware defects, and generally unreliable. It wasn't before unibody MBPs that Apple really had a grip on the new technology.

The first gene unibody you mean? It's pretty anecdotal stuff that 1st gen products should be avoided. It's not like Apple hasn't made a computer before. Some designs are bad, some are good. I don't think it has much to do with generations. Look at the criticism against the later generations of the unibody, compared to the first one, for instance.

I personally wouldn't actively avoid a first generation ARM iMac or MacBook or what have you. What would sway my decision would be stuff related to the maturity of the platform for the apps I use, i.e. whether they are available om ARM. The redesign itself could be good, could be bad.

 

[Janichsan]

The first gene unibody you mean?

No, the actual first generation with the same case design as the previous Powerbooks. The unibodies came almost two years later and were actually fine.

 

[maflynn]

Its a tough predicament, Get a machine that is basically being replaced with newer technology, possibly (probably) a newer design or take the plunge on a Gen 1 product that may have some teething issues. Just look at the stability problems with the T2, or the failure of the butterfly keyboard when it comes with embracing a revision 1 product.

If you have windows needs, then it makes more sense to buy the intel cpu and wait out the first iteration of the ARM macs.

 

[Plutonius]

I personally think the iMac redesign with the arm will work flawlessly. Apple knows the hardware after years of iPad and iPhone.

The T2 doesn't support your arguments .

 

[Cybbe]

No, the actual first generation with the same case design as the previous Powerbooks. The unibodies came almost two years later and were actually fine.

That was my point. First generation unibodies were fine, pretty good actually.

 

[Tucom]

Waiting on the return of the Cube...!!!

It could actually be feasible this time.

 

[profcutter]

I had a first gen aluminum PowerBook g4. It was replaced 8 times in the first 6 months because they were trying to find one that didn’t have big white spots all over the display. Apparently the first batch was a total dud. The first gen of Intel was 32-bit core duo, the only 32 bit intel machines Apple made. The very next model were core2duo 64bit machines which were supported significantly longer.

 

[johngwheeler]

No, the actual first generation with the same case design as the previous Powerbooks. The unibodies came almost two years later and were actually fine.

My first Mac was a 2007 MBP15, and this had some very serious defects. I had the NVidia dGPU failure after about 3 years, which was fortunately replaced free of charge. I had at least one battery that developed "swelling" and then failed. The trackpad and keyboard developed an intermittent fault that could be partially fixed by squeezing a bit of paper between the battery and an internal ribbon cable...but eventually that stopped working too, leaving the machine only usable with external keyboard & mouse. The CD drive also failed....

I still kept the machine until last year, and even sold it for about $120, so it wasn't completely useless. Just not very reliable.