So is it completely IDIOTIC to buy a M1 Max/Ultra Mac Studio now?

[Daydog]

yes hold on for M4 studio in a few months...

 

[Mac-key]

As it stands I’d buy the M4 Pro Mac Mini and spec it up from Apple. Give it a whirl and if it’s not what you expected take it back for a refund. An M4 Pro 14C/16G 64gb RAM 1Tb SSD is the same cost as the Ultra studio you’re considering directly from Apple themselves.

This probably isn’t what you need for such a workflow but it would let you get the measure of whether or not its worth waiting for the M4 Studio or not.

I've got a stacked shooting and editing schedule that - although that's a good idea - I simply don't have the time to do it. I think I'm gonna wait for the M4 Studios. CERTAINLY they will be released by June/July - I HOPE!

 

[mcnallym]

Great feedback - thank you! Luckily my m2 Pro is getting the job done. I think I'm leaning toward waiting for the M4 studio's and HOPING they make the base model m4 max with 64GB of RAM as opposed to 32GB. I think if they do that and keep the price at 1999 - I'll be a day one buyer. Last fall I was so close to buying the m2 Max Mac studio, but since I was also getting an apple display, keyboard and mouse - I was just trying to save some $$. Plus I knew the m2 Pro Mac mini would be a major improvement over my 2017 i5 iMac - and it has been. I'm just a little bummed I didn't get more RAM on the front end. I won't make that mistake again.

With the M2 studio then bumped to 2099 so you won’t be getting for 1999 I expect that whilst likely will bump then most likely 36gb that the higher spec MBP Max starts with or 48gb tops.

With 32Gb then already double the Mini starting point so won’t need the bump that the 8gb machines did for Apple Intelligence. Cannot see them being that generous to go 64Gb as the M4 Max seems to top out at 128Gb still.

 

[Mity]

I bought one from iPowerResale but from eBay. I noticed that their eBay listing had a 30-day return period vs. 15-day on their website. And I believe the warranty is through Apple - message them to confirm because it depends on the listing.

I consider the following when trying to determine if buying an older product is financially better than a brand new one:

Assuming 7 years of total support for an Apple Silicon Mac, this machine's depreciated value (straight line) is $1620 as of today, so buying at $1400 means you're getting about a 14% discount, not 50%. "Half the original" IMO is not the right way of looking at it.

However, you can look at it another way too: what else can you buy for $1400 to give you similar performance? Can you use it until 2029 (4 years of software updates for $1400)? If you buy an M4 Max Studio later this year, it'll likely cost you north of $3000 for 64GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Is paying double worth it to get faster exports?

The reasons why the Studio makes sense to me (coding, data analytics/engineering) is that it can support up to 5 displays and has more ports than a M4 Pro Mini, for example. The M4 Pro Mini supports 3 monitors but I have 4 displays. I also like the extra ports and a more sensible power button location.

Also, I'm very disappointed that the newer Macs don't have WiFi 7. If I buy an M4 Macbook Pro, am I suppose to upgrade AGAIN in a year or two just for this? My logic is that if I can spend the next 2 years on a relatively cheap machine, then I can buy a computer that offers a real, genuine upgrade, maybe an M5 or M6, which may also get FaceID.

I know your situation is different since you're trying to decide between a product that is rumored to be released soon and you have an immediate need to deal with the memory pressure, but I wanted to show you that financially, it really depends on what you value. If you can deduct this for your biz expenses, then the only consideration is the Apple Care warranty. If something goes wrong with it, who is going to help you?

Edit: Full disclosure - I haven't opened the Studio box yet because I haven't completely decided between the M1 Max Studio and an M4 Max Macbook Pro. I have some money sitting in my Apple account and the net cost cost of the MBP will be the same for me after using these captive funds. So, the calculus is a bit different for me.

 

[Mac-key]

I bought one from iPowerResale but from eBay. I noticed that their eBay listing had a 30-day return period vs. 15-day on their website. And I believe the warranty is through Apple - message them to confirm because it depends on the listing.

I consider the following when trying to determine if buying an older product is financially better than a brand new one:

View attachment 2483296

Assuming 7 years of total support for an Apple Silicon Mac, this machine's depreciated value (straight line) is $1620 as of today, so buying at $1400 means you're getting about a 14% discount, not 50%. "Half the original" IMO is not the right way of looking at it.

However, you can look at it another way too: what else can you buy for $1400 to give you similar performance? Can you use it until 2029 (4 years of software updates for $1400)? If you buy an M4 Max Studio later this year, it'll likely cost you north of $3000 for 64GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Is paying double worth it to get faster exports?

The reasons why the Studio makes sense to me (coding, data analytics/engineering) is that it can support up to 5 displays and has more ports than a M4 Pro Mini, for example. The M4 Pro Mini supports 3 monitors but I have 4 displays. I also like the extra ports and a more sensible power button location.

View attachment 2483289

Also, I'm very disappointed that the newer Macs don't have WiFi 7. If I buy an M4 Macbook Pro, am I suppose to upgrade AGAIN in a year or two just for this? My logic is that if I can spend the next 2 years on a relatively cheap machine, then I can buy a computer that offers a real, genuine upgrade, maybe an M5 or M6, which may also get FaceID.

I know your situation is different since you're trying to decide between a product that is rumored to be released soon and you have an immediate need to deal with the memory pressure, but I wanted to show you that financially, it really depends on what you value. If you can deduct this for your biz expenses, then the only consideration is the Apple Care warranty. If something goes wrong with it, who is going to help you?

GREAT information and a fresh perspective. Thank you for this post!