M5 today vs. M6 presumably next Spring

[Yebubbleman]

Not wanting to buy an M5 with what is arguably the worst macOS release in years (Tahoe), only to wipe it in a month or so when Golden Gate comes out (my usual OS upgrade behavior), I've held off on buying the "MacBook Air (15-inch, M5)" to replace my "MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)" until Golden Gate releases. I have the Apple gift card money saved, so it's really just a matter of pulling the trigger.

That said, M6 is out and it's only a matter of time before the MacBook Air gets it. My main concern when it comes to whichever MacBook product I replace the MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) with is that it not be the first of a new design. It seems like the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are most definitely the last of their designs and that it's ambiguous as to whether the base M6 14-inch MacBook Pro will use the current or the next body style. But, it seems safe that the M6 MacBook Air will retain the same design that the M2 through M5 models have. Or am I mistaken?

A base M5 would absolutely serve my needs. I wasn't super thrilled to see that it's a hotter running chip than M4 was, but it sounds like M6 ought to run cooler given the shift to 2nm? Or am I mistaken? I'd be more than happy to wait for a cooler running chip, especially on a Mac that won't have active cooling.

Anyway; I can probably hold off until M6, provided the price doesn't go up.

That said, would you guys hold or upgrade next month?

 

[snipr125]

From rumours, the MBA is supposed to get a OLED display in 2028 which will be its redesign likely with a price increase, so the next M6 MBA will likely be the same as the current model. Theoretically if the M6 is on a smaller die it should run marginally cooler, but its fanless so if your pushing all 12 cores its going to get hot regardless. Also the M6 MBA should be the same price as current model as it already got a £300 price increase.

 

[G5isAlive]

Not wanting to buy an M5 with what is arguably the worst macOS release in years (Tahoe), only to wipe it in a month or so when Golden Gate comes out (my usual OS upgrade behavior), I've held off on buying the "MacBook Air (15-inch, M5)" to replace my "MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)" until Golden Gate releases. I have the Apple gift card money saved, so it's really just a matter of pulling the trigger.

That said, M6 is out and it's only a matter of time before the MacBook Air gets it. My main concern when it comes to whichever MacBook product I replace the MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) with is that it not be the first of a new design. It seems like the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are most definitely the last of their designs and that it's ambiguous as to whether the base M6 14-inch MacBook Pro will use the current or the next body style. But, it seems safe that the M6 MacBook Air will retain the same design that the M2 through M5 models have. Or am I mistaken?

A base M5 would absolutely serve my needs. I wasn't super thrilled to see that it's a hotter running chip than M4 was, but it sounds like M6 ought to run cooler given the shift to 2nm? Or am I mistaken? I'd be more than happy to wait for a cooler running chip, especially on a Mac that won't have active cooling.

Anyway; I can probably hold off until M6, provided the price doesn't go up.

That said, would you guys hold or upgrade next month?

Spec games sorry. No one knows what the future holds for RAM pricing, we all hope it eventually comes down, but it's all speculation. You can always wait. M6 will be better than M5. M7 better yet. There are no real consequences of M5 heating versus M4. My M5 MBA runs fine. But you can always find a spec that says 'wait.'

So what is pushing your decision to buy? Wanting to own the latest and greatest? Thats a thrill that lasts for a few months. You 'need' the processing power today? Buy today. You 'want' it today? Buy today. You want the latest and greatest? good luck.

 

[mj_]

The real question is whether you need one right now or not. If you do go buy one. If you don't then wait. It's really that simple.

 

[Ifti]

Well I wanted a laptop now - didnt really need it, but wanted one, so I bought one now. M5 with the upgraded GPU and base everything else (16GB/512GB). Just as a secondary machine for basic use during travel. My primary system is the M4 Max Studio on my desk.
The way I see it, you can always be chasing and waiting for the next upgrade, but how long do you wait for? Any system will be superseded within a year or so regardless. Go for whichever tool gets the job done depending on how urgently you need it.

 

[1BadManVan]

By the time the m6 is released, so will the rumours of the m7 and all the possible ways it’s better etc. buy what you need today, the one thing I think most can agree with is M series chips age very well and will be perfectly usable for years to come, as long as you buy the appropriate spec for your needs.

I got the m5 air when it came out and I could care less about the M6. I’ll read up on it and follow along cuz I’m a tech nerd and like to learn about it but I won’t be feeling any regrets I didn’t wait because I know my current M5 will serve me well for a long time

 

[snipr125]

By the time the m6 is released, so will the rumours of the m7 and all the possible ways it’s better etc. buy what you need today, the one thing I think most can agree with is M series chips age very well and will be perfectly usable for years to come, as long as you buy the appropriate spec for your needs.

I got the m5 air when it came out and I could care less about the M6. I’ll read up on it and follow along cuz I’m a tech nerd and like to learn about it but I won’t be feeling any regrets I didn’t wait because I know my current M5 will serve me well for a long time

Yeah love my MBA M5 15” fantastic machine to use for the next 5 years easy. I might get an iPad Pro M6 though, will have to see.

 

[maflynn]

If you need one now buy one now, if you can wait then wait - that's been the mantra since the beginning of the computer revolution. Of course inflation, and ram's hyper-inflation is the fly in the ointment. You may be paying more for a MBA in 2027 then you would today

 

[Torty]

I wouldn’t buy a price hiked M5 if you don’t have to.

 

[doogm]

FWIW, rumors are that Apple is quickly developing the M7, that the M6 series will not have any more powerful variants (M6 Pro, M6 Max, M6 Ultra), and that the M7 and Pro, Max, etc., may be available in the first half of 2027, so I think it's possible that next year's Air will go directly to the M7 rather go to the M6.

 

[Yebubbleman]

The real question is whether you need one right now or not. If you do go buy one. If you don't then wait. It's really that simple.

Actually, no. There's actually a lot more to it than that.

1. While a given Mac is a current model, the several-years-long countdown clock until it is no longer supported, let alone able to meet my needs is paused. When you buy any tech device/gadget/whatever, it is inevitable that you will need to replace it. So, what you're really buying is time and, here, time is literally money. The earlier you buy (albeit, waiting a month or two is usually safest), the more time you have for the money you spend.

2. Waiting is and has been inconvenient so far. Waiting until Spring will be all the more inconvenient. Can I do it? Yes. Do I NEED to buy it today? No. I've already committed to waiting until after Golden Gate is released. The question becomes does it make sense to wait until M6. I'm not chasing the latest. But if I'm most of the way through, what seems like a very predictable product launch cycle (albeit during very unpredictable times), it may not make the most sense value-wise to buy now versus at the earlier end of the next cycle, given the point above.

 

[1BadManVan]

Actually, no. There's actually a lot more to it than that.

1. While a given Mac is a current model, the several-years-long countdown clock until it is no longer supported, let alone able to meet my needs is paused. When you buy any tech device/gadget/whatever, it is inevitable that you will need to replace it. So, what you're really buying is time and, here, time is literally money. The earlier you buy (albeit, waiting a month or two is usually safest), the more time you have for the money you spend.

2. Waiting is and has been inconvenient so far. Waiting until Spring will be all the more inconvenient. Can I do it? Yes. Do I NEED to buy it today? No. I've already committed to waiting until after Golden Gate is released. The question becomes does it make sense to wait until M6. I'm not chasing the latest. But if I'm most of the way through, what seems like a very predictable product launch cycle (albeit during very unpredictable times), it may not make the most sense value-wise to buy now versus at the earlier end of the next cycle, given the point above.

You're not most of the way through though, golden gate comes out in 2 weeks, the next air is still at least 6 months away. You're half way at best. Also a big thing to keep in mind is cost, everything points to further price increases, so waiting also means you may be shelling out a higher premium for the next device. Look at the M6 mini, $300 price increase and it didn't even come with 512gb of storage. So there is a good glimpse into future MacBook releases.

At the end of the day, you do you, i don't advice waiting for next gen, everything points to just as simple spec upgrade, no big design changes and will come in even more expensive than this years M5.

Also, I'm betting the M6 won't be running any cooler in the air chassis, yes its a more efficient chip but they are also pushing out faster clock speeds out of these to squeeze out more performance, so i bet temps will remain nearly identical. My m5 air barely ever gets warm and there's a few videos out there comparing different generations of chips and temps overall are largely the same, literally talking a couple degrees between 5 generations in the air chassis.