Poll: Could your next Mac be your last?

[Reality4711]

What does a 1952 Mac look like? Does it have fins?

More interested in ni**les at the time

Sweeping damnation s of a Trillion Dollar company is impressive - yes/no?

Morals/design goals/failure rate/pricing (see morals).

I do understand the problem when you can only see the 'dark side'. Trashcan design was a blind alley concept that for a lot of folks performed/performs perfectly. Just not good enough for the high flyers who have a lot of say in the opinion of the masses.
Other mistakes include (so I read), squeaking hinges, dust inside screen, battery fails, bending, scratches, reception difficulties,cost of out of covered repairs, pr blunders, etc.
My house/office has been Mac only for the last 18 years and has included - G4 (laptops&desktops), iMacs too many to list,MBPs, iPads, iPhones, Airport/various. Probably 20 or so bits of kit from Apple over the latest being 2019 MacMini & 2013 Base MacPro.

The last two appear very regularly on this site (MacPro-less nowadays).

Hand on heart in that time the ONLY problems my wife, I or anyone working for me have come across have almost entirely down to 'Operator error/ignorance'.

Biggest frustration throughout that time have been whenever a third party bit of kit was integrated. Printers, routers and the peoples laptops.

No-one could call me a boy or a fan but I can say staying with Windows and the tech involved would have been a disastrous mistake. My very last PC left via an open window followed by the three(3) techies trying to fix it & me via an open door.

Reboot my business with the wonderful 12"G4 Power book (40Gb)/1.33Ghz and have remained happy in the knowledge that if it don't work I BROKE IT.

My last Mac will be my last because I have little energy left to keep producing the odd image for my walls and, to be frank the internet just makes me sad when all I can find is negativity and moaning.

Probably-if I can budget it- 27"base iMac + iPad Air (base model).

After that bye bye all and fade off into the sunset

 

[Mikael H]

With people keeping their Macs 5-10 years, iPads getting more powerful and the possibility of macOS and iOS devices merging, is it possible your next Mac will be your last (at least the Mac as we know it)?

Personally, I now mainly use my Mac to collect and curate content for my iOS and tvOS devices, so yes, my iMac 2019 could conceivably be my last.

I need real computers. I use Unix command-line tools. I like macOS and the quality we (used to) expect from Mac hardware.

That said, an iPad Pro with a keyboard, a real pointing device for text selection, and a good native Unix shell with support for invoking PowerShell for the odd Windows job, would turn it into a "real computer" for a surprisingly large amount of my use cases. Combine that with "docking" (power in, video out) via USB-C, and I could almost imagine using one as my primary computer.

At home I actually have greater needs and wants than at work. Since I moved most of my lab environment off my laptop and into the datacenter my work computer mostly runs at idle.

 

[ntlman]

I personally had a rocky Apple experience in the 90s. I bought the beautiful PowerBook 180c, only to see it discontinued a month later. I bought the 5300c, only to have the display glue fall apart a year later, and battery issues that doomed it in year 2.

Successive and expensive experiences buying the top line Apple machines radically changed my perspective. I ended up selling the 5300c and cobbling a workable rig out of a Performa 6400 tower with a Crescendo G3 card that lasted 5 years until I bought a brand new Jobs-era G4 tower. Since then, it's been Mac Minis (iMacs are great but I like not having to replace peripherals when I upgrade). So I am used to making do with the least of the Apple hardware available in the market.

As long as there is an affordable option available to me to stay in macOS, I will continue to stay in.

 

[WinstonRumfoord]

If I even buy anoth mac in the first place. My 2013 15"mbp (high sierra) died and I replaced it with a refurb 2018 15" touchbar running mojave. It's awful. I don't know if it's the OS or the machine itself, but it refuses to eject any drives, hangs, and crashes multiple times a day. a month in and the keyboard is still difficult to use. Touchbar has been the opposite of helpful. I am almost regretting getting a mac and not an alternative this time. Need to decide if they deserve another chance...

 

[psingh01]

My last Mac was my last Mac...until I buy again. Currently a 6 year old Air. I will wait and see what future Macs look like before upgrading. I certainly stopped upgrading at my regular interval though.

 

[g2only]

I'm not sure where you are getting that idea. a) macOS and iOS devices are not the same class of machine, and therefore have different operational needs/abilities, and b) Apple has stated forcefully and clearly that they are not merging.

um...you mean like using a stylus on iDevices was a bad idea...?

 

[g2only]

I was looking forward to getting a new Mac Pro...but then the price was announced and just dashed any hopes of buying one new or used (eventually...$4000??). I've been a Mac user since 1986 and paid the extremes of the AppleTax through the years for "the best", but $6000 for the lowest end model is just...WOW! Is Tim only walking in Beverly Hills neighborhoods??

Eh...guess I'll just go take a drive in my Maserati...

 

[ElectricPotato]

It depends on Apple's continuing commitment to Macs. While they appear to be getting back into the game now, the memory of the last 5-6 years of neglect is hard to get past. This current resurgence allowed me to get a couple of machines recently that will last 5 years at which point there should be ample evidence of Apple's intent.

 

[Duckhunter]

I purchased my first Mac (2017 MacBook Air) a couple years ago and have really enjoyed it as I was a windows user before then. But in my field of work I am generally supplied a work computer and my personal use is dwindling down to where most things can be completed with an iPad now. I would much rather use a computer to do these tasks but unless apple gets the pricing figured out idk if I can justify the cost of a new MacBook to pay bills and do some accounting on.

 

[skottichan]

Nah, looking to upgrade to whatever we get for an iMac next year (currently have a 2017 27" i7), going to get a new iPad Pro (12.9) in a couple weeks.

 

[nouveau_redneck]

um...you mean like using a stylus on iDevices was a bad idea...?

Either you quoted me by mistake, or you've been smoking something. What does that have to do with what I wrote?

 

[elbowrm]

I'm not sure where you are getting that idea. a) macOS and iOS devices are not the same class of machine, and therefore have different operational needs/abilities, and b) Apple has stated forcefully and clearly that they are not merging.

Well, the cynical side of me would I'd take that to maybe mean: "they're not merging until we say they're merged." YMMV.
[doublepost=1562636567][/doublepost]

More interested in ni**les at the time

Sweeping damnation s of a Trillion Dollar company is impressive - yes/no?

Morals/design goals/failure rate/pricing (see morals).

I do understand the problem when you can only see the 'dark side'. Trashcan design was a blind alley concept that for a lot of folks performed/performs perfectly. Just not good enough for the high flyers who have a lot of say in the opinion of the masses.
Other mistakes include (so I read), squeaking hinges, dust inside screen, battery fails, bending, scratches, reception difficulties,cost of out of covered repairs, pr blunders, etc.
My house/office has been Mac only for the last 18 years and has included - G4 (laptops&desktops), iMacs too many to list,MBPs, iPads, iPhones, Airport/various. Probably 20 or so bits of kit from Apple over the latest being 2019 MacMini & 2013 Base MacPro.

The last two appear very regularly on this site (MacPro-less nowadays).

Hand on heart in that time the ONLY problems my wife, I or anyone working for me have come across have almost entirely down to 'Operator error/ignorance'.

Biggest frustration throughout that time have been whenever a third party bit of kit was integrated. Printers, routers and the peoples laptops.

No-one could call me a boy or a fan but I can say staying with Windows and the tech involved would have been a disastrous mistake. My very last PC left via an open window followed by the three(3) techies trying to fix it & me via an open door.

Reboot my business with the wonderful 12"G4 Power book (40Gb)/1.33Ghz and have remained happy in the knowledge that if it don't work I BROKE IT.

My last Mac will be my last because I have little energy left to keep producing the odd image for my walls and, to be frank the internet just makes me sad when all I can find is negativity and moaning.

Probably-if I can budget it- 27"base iMac + iPad Air (base model).

After that bye bye all and fade off into the sunset

Amen, brother. Happy trails.

 

[nouveau_redneck]

Well, the cynical side of me would I'd take that to maybe mean: "they're not merging until we say they're merged." YMMV.

I guess if you look far enough into the future, no one will know for sure what the direction will be. But with respect to the current Apple road map, I doubt they have any hidden agenda. They've even broken iPadOS out as a branch from iOS, recognizing how the phone and tablet devices have different needs.

 

[AustinIllini]

There would have to be a revolutionary change at Microsoft to make a switch from Mac viable.

My next machine will certainly be a Mac.

 

[elbowrm]

I guess if you look far enough into the future, no one will know for sure what the direction will be. But with respect to the current Apple road map, I doubt they have any hidden agenda. They've even broken iPadOS out as a branch from iOS, recognizing how the phone and tablet devices have different needs.

Right, but iPadOS is what they’re planning to have subsume macOS...

 

[nouveau_redneck]

Right, but iPadOS is what they’re planning to have subsume macOS...

Perhaps there was a time when some within Apple felt that way, I'd say going back to the early days of the iPad--maybe 2010 or '11. But the reality is that they were wrong, and they know it, or at least the visible evidence would suggest they know it, with their renewed interest in the Mac and revenue numbers.

iPad never went where they thought it would. It is another platform that makes sense to some, but not all. As we go forward, there will be more platforms, not less.

Look at how strong iPad was when it was new, and see how it tappered off to it's current position of 8% of Apple's revenue, versus the Mac at 10%, with it's sales remaining constant.

 

[elbowrm]

Perhaps there was a time when some within Apple felt that way, I'd say going back to the early days of the iPad--maybe 2010 or '11. But the reality is that they were wrong, and they know it, or at least the visible evidence would suggest they know it, with their renewed interest in the Mac and revenue numbers.

iPad never went where they thought it would. It is another platform that makes sense to some, but not all. As we go forward, there will be more platforms, not less.

Look at how strong iPad was when it was new, and see how it tappered off to it's current position of 8% of Apple's revenue, versus the Mac at 10%, with it's sales remaining constant.

View attachment 847349

My prediction is that portables will become a line of “convertible“ AXX devices a bit like the Surface line that run both iPadOS and macOS apps. I think macOS-only will become reserved for desktop Pro machines.

 

[QCassidy352]

I read the title and assumed it meant because a switch to windows. I voted no.

But then I read the question and saw that it was more about a switch to iOS. So I switched to "hard to say."

My thinking is that my current Mac is almost 6 years old and going strong. Let's say it makes it to 7 (could be longer), and then the next one lasts as long. That puts us around 2027 or something.

iOS/iPadOS doesn't fully meet my needs NOW, but could it by 2027? I mean, that's impossible to say. Nobody has any clue what it will be able to do/not do that many iterations from now.

 

[DevNull0]

With people keeping their Macs 5-10 years, iPads getting more powerful and the possibility of macOS and iOS devices merging, is it possible your next Mac will be your last (at least the Mac as we know it)?

Personally, I now mainly use my Mac to collect and curate content for my iOS and tvOS devices, so yes, my iMac 2019 could conceivably be my last.

I had a 2011 MBP (16 gig ram, 2x1TB SSD) which was the best computer I ever owned. I bought a 2017 MBP a couple of years ago. I hate it compared to the 2011. It is just shocking how much worse these machines got in 6 years, and the 2019 is no better. So my 2017 is my absolute last Mac unless Apple does a total 180 in the next few years. And I really doubt that will happen.

As far as your comments on the iPad, I've owned an iPad 1 and iPad 4. The form factor is not for me, and I have zero interest in ever owning another tablet computer. Even within the first year, the 4 went weeks at a time without even being charged.

So I voted yes in your poll, but I won't be replacing my Mac with an iPad, that's for sure.

 

[nouveau_redneck]

My prediction is that portables will become a line of “convertible“ AXX devices a bit like the Surface line that run both iPadOS and macOS apps. I think macOS-only will become reserved for desktop Pro machines.

I agree with you that there will be new devices from Apple that challenge our current idea of tablet/laptop. I just don't see macOS leaving most powerful of those devices, desktop or portable.

 

[kschendel]

My next Mac will be an iMac to replace the tired old Early 2009, which still works (with an SSD upgrade) but is really showing its age. If there's one after that, it will be a laptop to replace the late 2013 rMBP, but that machine is working so well that I'm not in a rush to replace it. I'd say there's a 50/50 chance it will be replaced before I retire or die.

 

[zorinlynx]

By "merging" I mean the iPad is increasingly becoming a laptop replacement and macOS and iOS will soon run many of the same apps. So they may not literally merge, but they will definitely overlap to a large extent, especially for the majority non-pro users.

The problem is the iPad is not a "real computer". You can't develop software for it on it. One of the definitions of a fully general purpose computer is that you can develop software on it.

Maybe Apple will change that, but I doubt it. They're too obsessed with code-signing and controlling the code you run on iPads; for a machine to be a true developer platform the user has to be able to run any code they want and the system can't be locked down.

 

[AustinIllini]

The problem is the iPad is not a "real computer". You can't develop software for it on it. One of the definitions of a fully general purpose computer is that you can develop software on it.

Maybe Apple will change that, but I doubt it. They're too obsessed with code-signing and controlling the code you run on iPads; for a machine to be a true developer platform the user has to be able to run any code they want and the system can't be locked down.

Maybe it's generational, but a touch screen will never replace the magic trackpad for my use cases.

 

[MRrainer]

I was looking forward to getting a new Mac Pro...but then the price was announced and just dashed any hopes of buying one new or used (eventually...$4000??). I've been a Mac user since 1986 and paid the extremes of the AppleTax through the years for "the best", but $6000 for the lowest end model is just...WOW! Is Tim only walking in Beverly Hills neighborhoods??

Eh...guess I'll just go take a drive in my Maserati...

Last time, people complained that the Trashcan MacPro was not "Pro" enough (or not at all).
This time, it's really a Pro-machine (with a capital P). Hobby users need not apply (unless they come from a very well-off family...).

 

[The Clark]

I won't be leaving mac anytime soon. It's unix based and I spend a lot of time in terminal (itemr2), it's always been fast and efficient for me (cannot say the same for Windows) and it plays nicely with all my other apple devices. Does Apple charge too much? Yeah they do, but I can afford it. I like the experience too much to switch. iOS is miles ahead of android in terms of software experience and I can't stand the bloat/spyware in Windows 10. I have a recently built gaming PC, and that's the only time I'll use Windows, well that and for work. I hate my job.