Yes another two years usually, but features may start breaking in stock apps like notes, reminders, etc. depending on what gets updated in new versions of iOS/iPadOS.
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Who's rocking an M1 still and how's it holding up for you?
- Thread starter FlyingTexan
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Yes another two years usually, but features may start breaking in stock apps like notes, reminders, etc. depending on what gets updated in new versions of iOS/iPadOS.
I had a 15" mid 2012 retina MBP that received 7 years of MacOS updates, + 2 additional years of Safari/system patches, that allowed me to replace it with a 16" Fall 2021 M1 Max MBP using a mini-LED backlit display. Usually Apple's technology milestone transition examples have the most years of MacOS updates, compared to the many years of buy this intel models then 4 years later they start to feel slow to use.
I think 2017-2019 was around the time the macOS community was up in arms about Apple losing interest in developing for their platform. New hardware wasn't being released very frequently, and Microsoft tried to latch onto it by releasing a creators update for Windows 10 (because creatives using professional applications were especially fed up with Apple). Some prominent figures were even calling for Apple to consider open sourcing macOS.
Your trusty 2012 MBP probably benefited from all this in terms of extended support.
IMHO we are straying from the topic. People were worried about Apple dropping support for Intel Macs recently which still hasn’t happened yet. So suggesting that much newer M1 Mac’s would be not MacOS upgradable after only 4 years old is kinda ridiculous. I am using two M1 models and don’t see Apple doing that for any reason. There needs to some more substantial justification for updating starting with Apple updating their 5K and 6K displays.
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I just sold my 14-inch MacBook Pro M1 Pro and got a new 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro, but honestly I don’t notice much difference in performance on a day-to-day basis. The Center Stage camera is nice though.
My M1 Macbook Air is perfect for all my needs. Browsing, e-mail, some light editing, streaming TV.
It's fast, snappy and everything works perfectly. I don't need to update for years to come.
It's fast, snappy and everything works perfectly. I don't need to update for years to come.
Where does this idea come from? Sequoia still supports (some) Intel Macs and M1 was only discontinued in March 2024, and is still sold by Walmart ‘in partnership with Apple’.
I don't think that's what they were getting at. I suspect @dumastudetto was referring to the Vintage & Obsolete designations that get assigned to Apple products starting 5 years after they were last sold and also that they weren't counting correctly.
What It Means When Your Apple Products Become 'Vintage' or 'Obsolete'
Apple products don't last forever. Eventually, Apple classifies them as vintage, and, after some more time, it deems them obsolete. Here's what that means in terms of repairs and software updates.
The 5 years to vintage and 7 years to obsolete timelines aren't hard and fast and they're most consequential as hardware support designations. Vintage and obsolete devices may continue get security patches.
What’s the basis for this understanding?
I just bought an M1 Max Studio from Apple last year (refurbished store) and would be shocked if it’s unable to run the next iteration of Mac OS.
Huh? I’m rocking an Apple MacBook Air from 2019 (non-butterfly keyboard) with 16GB RAM and an Intel CPU and it works like a charm. I just open it once a year and clean it thoroughly and wipe the outer surfaces every few days. It always goes back into its a case. It still looks like I just purchased it.
Honestly, chasing these new hardware chips every year is overrated and a waste of money
Honestly, chasing these new hardware chips every year is overrated and a waste of money
I can’t quite agree with this. There’s something fun about opening a new box that some people — myself included — like. I mean, you could call anything people do for enjoyment a “waste of money.”
Also, we should keep in mind that some people prefer to do computationally intensive work locally rather than on AWS or the like. And for them, it really is consequential.
There are also mild benefits. Even games with old engines (I’m looking at you, WoW) can have improved fps when maxing out visual effects. That’s the graphics cores and not the CPU cores, but that still is about chip.
I went from an M1 Max to an M3 Max and am glad I did. But that’s mostly due to jacking the RAM up to 64GB, not the chip. I can’t agree with the chorus of people saying that no casual users need more than 16GB (now 18GB) of RAM since Apple Silicon is more efficient. If someone is a use-and-abuse person with web tabs, especially with multiple browsers, they’ll benefit from that. Given the option between an M1 Max with 64GB or an M4 Pro with 18GB, I’d almost always choose the former.
Does anybody else feel like they've fallen into a different reality?
Why is that phrased so peculiarly? The latest revisions of the M1 series, such as the Ultra, are little over two years old.
Personally, I opted for an M1 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro in August 2022, so it’s approximately 2.5 years old now. Honestly, I can’t discern any shortcomings. I would expect to see maybe the new AI features performing more slowly, but they've yet to prove themselves useful.
Why is that phrased so peculiarly? The latest revisions of the M1 series, such as the Ultra, are little over two years old.
Personally, I opted for an M1 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro in August 2022, so it’s approximately 2.5 years old now. Honestly, I can’t discern any shortcomings. I would expect to see maybe the new AI features performing more slowly, but they've yet to prove themselves useful.
M1 Max 16” 32GB, my daily driver. Still handles everything I throw at it exceptionally well, including Revit through Parallels and everything else.
I have no reason to upgrade to anything whatsoever.
Agreed. The OP makes it sound like M1 users are utilizing decades old technology.
13" M1 MBP here, have zero reasons to replace. It's my traveller paired with an external SSD for media, has enough games to keep me occupied. I've looked to replace, just dont see the value. If work dictated I'd upgrade instantly.
Battery life remains exceptional which for me is the most important aspect of a portable...
Q-6
Battery life remains exceptional which for me is the most important aspect of a portable...
Q-6
I recently sold my 16GB M1 Mac Mini and purchased a brand-new entry-level M4 Mac mini. While my M1 Mac Mini was still functioning perfectly, I felt compelled to upgrade to the M4 due to its enhanced capabilities and the fact that it’s finally worth the investment. Additionally, I was drawn to the new design of the M4 and wanted to dispose of my M1 before its value depreciated.
M1 Ulra 64GB/4TB (with external TB drives adding 8TB and a USB-C for 2TB) and M1 MacBook Pro 13" 16GB/2TB. There are working as well as they did on their first day (i bought them on release,) and I have no desire or need to replace them.
I have since bought an M4 min Pro 4GB/2Tb for my study with an external 8GB TB/USB4 array. I expect to have that for a long time, too.
I have since bought an M4 min Pro 4GB/2Tb for my study with an external 8GB TB/USB4 array. I expect to have that for a long time, too.
If Apple is on a yearly cadence, I think those who are using M1 with enough RAM and storage (me: M1 Max 64GB RAM, 4TB SSD) should wait for M5 MacBook Pros that Gurman says are coming later this year. They'll be even faster than last year's model, the M4s, and probably support the latest WiFi standards, WiFi 7, (unlike the M4s). And by then, the Thunderbolt 5 enclosures should be inexpensive and maybe 8TB NVMe ssds will be in line with 2TB, 4TB pricing.
Apparently, I've got the feeblest M1 of the bunch, an m1 MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. Both are going great, but my iPad Pro has awful battery four years in. I can do three or so hours drawing on ProCreate before it goes from full charge to critical.
M1 Air 16 GB/1TB and a M1 Air iPad. Both still serve my needs.
m1max 16, 84% battery, basically lives plugged into studio display. only issue I had was left fan going bad, but it also went thru a tree falling thru the house during the hurricane, and then being moved into drastically smaller place with 2 dogs, 2 cockatiels, and a cat that sheds enuf to make my own cat-wool clothing company.... so... im not stunned about the fan, lol. was replaced under warranty free in 4 days
haven't felt the need to upgrade
play wow, and its still going fine.
I don’t see that product relationship? There is nothing about a M4 iPad Pro w/OLED that is using iPadOS 18.x, that begins to approach’s a 14” M4 Pro MBP w miniLED display running MacOS 15.x. Multitasking, Application interface depth, Installation freedom from App Store, multiple browser running their own web engines. The ability to drive multiple 6k displays. Built-in keyboard. I use iPads also but it’s not the same as using various M1 thru M4 Max processors with Macs.
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