What do you plan to do when the M2 (or whatever the next M chip is) launches?

[motulist]

At a bare minimum I'm waiting a few months until more of the kinks are fixed. In a relative way the transition has gone well, but there are still apps that won't even open on it at all, even in Rosetta 2. So I'm not gonna seriously even consider buying one of these apple silicon machines until pretty much all of these show-stopping bugs are gone.

 

[Plutonius]

I never buy until I need a new computer.

 

[canyonblue737]

I always thought A4 was a slow pig (most seemed thrilled with the speed). This feels amazing out of the gates. It is, after all, a derivative of A14. Are we expecting A15 (therefore M2) to be a big step forward?

yeah he isn't quite on the mark about his A4 analogy... the cores in the 8 core M1 are clearly based on the 6 core A14 in this year's mobile device, and the A-lineup has slowed down its progress in the last few years, the giant leaps aren't so giant anymore (but still far ahead of what the competitors are doing!) it is possible the M2 etc. may be much faster but not because we are at the "beginning" of the development process but rather we will see how Apple creates very different variants with more cores or even the potential of discrete graphics. The M2 will not be a "huge" boost in single core speed, it will be a steady progression... but if they put 16+ cores in it... well then, multicore would take off. Same for increasing the number of cores and sophistication of the 8 core GPU (or again using discrete graphics.)

bottom line? i expect big performance gains vs. M1 Macs in the higher end range of MacBook Pros and iMacs because they have to do something to set them apart (and charge much more money) but then it will be a steady progression not some rapid climb in the years to come because the A-series and M-series are already far more mature than 10 years ago.

 

[drsox]

If you’ve already snapped up an M1, do you see yourself selling it on and upgrading to a 2nd gen device?

What do you see yourselves doing?

Just bought the M1. In 2022 I'll trade up to the M3.

 

[DragonRider]

I’m testing in a Raspberry Pi bit it’s not looking good at the moment. Depends on how Hardware Abstraction develops over the next few months for virtual machines via Fusion.

 

[Surf760]

Just waiting on a redesigned 16", even if that just means micro led display.

Would like to switch my set-up from my 27" iMac at the office and 13" 2018 MBP at home and on the road to a single 16" that goes back and forth. In the meantime, these two will do.

 

[kazmac]

why had to return the Air?

Battery issues and other weird stuff during video playback.

Debating picking up an MBP this week.

 

[Internet Enzyme]

My two Macs are pretty new: a 2017 iMac that I purchased in the summer of 2018, and a 2019 13" MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt ports that I got last year. Given that, I could see myself not buying another Mac until maybe the 27" iMac with the M4Z or something is released in the year 2023 or so. What I'm hoping (although not holding my breath) for is Bootcamp support not only returning by then but also that directX, AAA games will begin to all be designed with compatibility for the ARM instruction set in mind. ****, the real dream would be that AAA PC devs begin to target the Mac platform and Metal, but I don't see that happening. Alas, I think that the only games we will get on Apple silicon Macs are iPhone ports.

 

[fivenotrump]

I got the new MBA and love it: shall keep it and get an Mx iMac/desktop whenever that comes

 

[John Calvin Young]

I'd honestly get an Intel Mac, given your use case. Incidentally, I'm in a similar boat. Plus, working in IT, Boot Camp and x86 virtualization are both useful things that definitely won't be coming along for the ride with Apple Silicon.

We'll see. Boss is making noises about getting me a dedicated Windows machine for Autodesk (a small fraction of my work), and I expect everything else I really depend on to be ported, short of legacy games.

It'll definitely be _possible_ to switch. I'm just wondering how painful it'll be, really, though.

 

[MitchellvB995]

If you’ve already snapped up an M1, do you see yourself selling it on and upgrading to a 2nd gen device?

I'm afraid, yes.

Are you planning to keep your current M1 longer, and either expecting the base model to see you through or going 16gb for increased future-proofing?

Or maybe you’re holding back from snapping up a machine now, preferring to wait for 2021?

What might influence your decision to upgrade? Faster CPU, dGPU, 32Gb RAM, 14”/16”?

I'd love to see a bigger screen and a dedicated GPU.

What do you see yourselves doing?

I ordered a MBP 13" with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. I currently have a 16" MBP which I don't utilize enough to keep it. I'm afraid though that I'll also trade this one in when there comes a 16" version with M1, M1X, M2 or whatever the new chip's name will be.

 

[SeattleMoose]

Read about it on my M1 machine which will be my main computer...for years.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Probably won't be upgrading my 16" MacBook Pro any time soon, because I do run Windows and Linux on it, and need the x86 compatibility for now, and I do code compiling in Linux, so native speed is needed.

But my iMac is getting long in the tooth, so maybe it'll be time to upgrade it. Definitely wait for M2 for that, though.

 

[Kiimora]

I am waiting for the redesigned M1 iMac 27” , so need the M1 Air to tide me over till then. I may keep it as a 2nd device or sell it and upgrade my iPad Pro, not sure at this point.

 

[Jimmy James]

yeah he isn't quite on the mark about his A4 analogy... the cores in the 8 core M1 are clearly based on the 6 core A14 in this year's mobile device, and the A-lineup has slowed down its progress in the last few years, the giant leaps aren't so giant anymore (but still far ahead of what the competitors are doing!) it is possible the M2 etc. may be much faster but not because we are at the "beginning" of the development process but rather we will see how Apple creates very different variants with more cores or even the potential of discrete graphics. The M2 will not be a "huge" boost in single core speed, it will be a steady progression... but if they put 16+ cores in it... well then, multicore would take off. Same for increasing the number of cores and sophistication of the 8 core GPU (or again using discrete graphics.)

bottom line? i expect big performance gains vs. M1 Macs in the higher end range of MacBook Pros and iMacs because they have to do something to set them apart (and charge much more money) but then it will be a steady progression not some rapid climb in the years to come because the A-series and M-series are already far more mature than 10 years ago.

Great post. I think we’re agreeing.

I suspect we’ll see higher end Macs with M1x, for example, with more cores.

Subsequent years will see M2 (and family) with progressive improvements to their earlier counterparts.

 

[Argon_]

Great post. I think we’re agreeing.

I suspect we’ll see higher end Macs with M1x, for example, with more cores.

Subsequent years will see M2 (and family) with progressive improvements to their earlier counterparts.

The M4, 2nm. Intel: 14nm++++++++++++++++

 

[MallardDuck]

We'll see. Boss is making noises about getting me a dedicated Windows machine for Autodesk (a small fraction of my work), and I expect everything else I really depend on to be ported, short of legacy games.

It'll definitely be _possible_ to switch. I'm just wondering how painful it'll be, really, though.

I suspect we will see something for these use cases. Either direct x86 emulation via Rosetta and fusion/parallels, or the ability to run windows arm and do emulation in it. The big thing with the latter is licensing. Maybe Apple or VMware becomes a windows Oem?

 

[Scoob Redux]

If you’ve already snapped up an M1, do you see yourself selling it on and upgrading to a 2nd gen device?

Are you purposely buying just the base model now so you feel ‘less’ invested for the above scenario? Or do you think the base will be enough to fend off the lure of M2 power?

Are you planning to keep your current M1 longer, and either expecting the base model to see you through or going 16gb for increased future-proofing?

Or maybe you’re holding back from snapping up a machine now, preferring to wait for 2021?

What might influence your decision to upgrade? Faster CPU, dGPU, 32Gb RAM, 14”/16”?

As for me, I’m pretty sure the base Air would do me just fine and I have the urge to pick one up from a non-Apple store this week. However, I also want to hold on until my 16gb Air arrives mid-Dec in case Parallels actually release a stable Win 10 environment that demands it. The former would make me feel better about upgrading to M2 if appropriate. The latter would make me feel like I have a capable enough tool already.

What do you see yourselves doing?

who cares?
what do you plan to do when the PS6 comes out? or the 2024 Porsche 911? or Panera's next soup special?

 

[richinaus]

We'll see. Boss is making noises about getting me a dedicated Windows machine for Autodesk (a small fraction of my work), and I expect everything else I really depend on to be ported, short of legacy games.

It'll definitely be _possible_ to switch. I'm just wondering how painful it'll be, really, though.

I switched the office to PC’s after WWDC because of Autodesk. And to be absolutely honest [despite my preference to macs] it was the best thing I have done in years.

So no mac M updates for the office, until I see a strong desktop with great graphic capabilities released, together with the apps we use being native. Otherwise maybe a cheap air for home use only.

 

[reyesmac]

I'll sell whatever M1 I end up getting and replacing it with the newer one. I'll take the hit of several hundred less because I see the M1 as an early test drive. The one I replace it with will cost way more so I will end up keeping that one way longer. The base model I end up getting will still have high resale value in one year. The M2 should be at least twice as fast at something compared to the M1. I doubt the low end will see a redesign before the pro machines get one.

 

[XBeatzX]

I will upgrade as well. I sell on Ebay a bunch with very few issues, and every year I am able to upgrade all my Apple/Tech Devices (Iphone, Mac, Watch, Ipad Pro, Airpods, Apple Tv's and a few accessories) for rite around $1k total cost to me. It's my yearly Apple Tax. That's fair in my opinion for all/most of my gadget needs, and always have the latest and greatest. I do the same for my vehicle, I budget $5k a year, no more, no less. So I usually lease a vehicle on a 2-year term at around a $300-350 payment, another $100 or a month for insurance and Reg.. My current vehicle is a $52k Tundra, I had to get Cloth seats to keep me in that $5k budget, but I'm within so good to go. The way I look at it, if I was to hang on to all that tech, vehicles, whatever- for the long haul, I would probably end up spending more on depreciation, repairs, higher purchase costs. This system works for me, so bring on the M2's Apple!

 

[leicaman]

I'm torn between selling my 2018 15" i9 MacBook Pro now to maximize what I can get from it, and with the worry of the keyboard not being as good as it should be (and how expensive it is to replace it or the battery), and waiting for a year to get an M2 Mac that has four USB 4 ports (Thunderbolt 3 for free!).

 

[dtloken]

Sticking with my late 2016 15" MBP for another year or two probably. As of now I need Windows virtualization for some software for work, I'm really curious to see where and if Windows on ARM Macs shakes out.

 

[futbalguy]

Worst advice ever. I would never ever finance such products. If you can’t afford it just wait a year and get the new one.

You should always take advantage of 0 interest financing if you understand how money works and you are competent with finances. Even if you have the money now, you should be able to put it to better use than Apple.

 

[fgengineer]

I am probably definitely upgrading my base mackbook air when the 16 inch version comes out. Although I may return it if the 8 GB does not turn out to be enough.