Advice on intel 16" purchase

[DMG35]

I'm a bit confused-- is this laptop for work at the same place that's offering it? They make you buy your own laptop?

Yes we are responsible for our own equipment. I don't have to buy a MAC but prefer working on one as I stopped using Windows with Windows 7 and never looked back.

 

[DMG35]

My primary concern is longevity as you kept your previous laptop for seven years (of which, I might add, you should be proud of!) and here's my thoughts with a little data:

When apple transitioned to Intel the last PPC based machine they sold rolled out of the factory in August 2006 (The Powermac G5 was replaced by the Mac Pro). Three years later, with the release of MacOS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, the Powermac G5 stopped receiving OS updates. It was possible you could have bought the machine and had it stop receiving updates before its AppleCare was out.

That cutover was pretty fast though. Apple did it in about eight months. They've said about two years for this one. With that date in mind I'll estimate we have about another year before Apple stops selling Intel Macs.

With these two data points I'll estimate that about four years from now Apple will stop releasing OS updates for Intel Macs. That puts a bit of a date on an Intel machine bought today.

Crunching the numbers further, you're getting about a 30% discount. Knock 30% off seven years and you get around four and a half. So with that large a discount the buy seems perfectly fine but you'll have to accept that you'll be buying a new machine in four years or so (to keep current with software).

I'll throw another wrench into these calculations: five years after the release of the first Intel based Macs apple stopped producing updates for them because they weren't 64-bit. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the same issue with the M1s. Not a bit bump (we'll be running 64-bit machines for a while) but some other serious change that Apple didn't quite plan for. The Core2 based Macs that came out the same year as the initial Core1 based Macs got another year and a half of updates.

With those couple data points no Mac you buy right now will get you seven years of longevity. Like I mentioned above, the Intel machine is fine if you don't mind replacing it in four years. If that's an issue, though, I'd wait for an M1X or M2 (or whatever they call it) based 16" MBP and buy that at full cost. The amortized cost of each will likely be about the same.

Thank you for the info here. Yeah I would be fine with replacing it in 4 years if Apple is no longer supporting it. I held onto my previous one probably too long as it has definitely slowed down over the years and I've had to start moving things to an external drive it became so full.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I have a corporate discount available on a pretty high end 16" MacBook Pro. I need a new machine pretty bad as my 2014 is really starting to struggle. My company has a new 16" MacBook Pro that is for available right now for $2400. This is the 2.4GHz model with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. This seems like a great value to me for a machine that ought to last me a long time. I know its intel and that M1X or whatever is coming soon but this almost seems to good to pass up. It doesn't come with its box, only the charger, but I've looked at it and it is in flawless condition with only 2 battery cycles. Its also less than 10 days old so AppleCare is available.

Should I go ahead an pull the trigger here? Its definitely more than I need but I only want the larger screen MacBook Pro's and buying this one is less expensive than buying a base model through Apple. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

That's not a bad deal, considering that 32GB of RAM, the 2TB SSD, and the 2.4GHz i9 will all catapult the price of that machine to $1000 more than that asking price. You didn't specify which GPU it comes with, but it almost doesn't matter as that's still a fantastic deal.

And, sure, there is the topic of the Apple Silicon 16" MacBook Pro looming; but, given that all signs point to it being a part of a redesign, and given Apple's poor track record with issues on Rev A MacBook Pros, I'd say that this next one isn't the MacBook Pro you ought to even consider anyway. Its eventual Rev B replacement, on the other hand, is the one worth waiting for, but this deal is on the table now, and it's not like the current 16" MacBook Pro won't be supported for many more years to come (by which point the design of Apple Silicon 16" MacBook Pros will have matured to the point of being plenty reliable).

 

[nordique]

If it’s a big discount then I’d go for it. I got a 16” model with 1TB ssd, 32GB ram, i9 2.4ghz and a 5500M w 8GB vram for 2230$ CAD all in w taxes. This computer is about 5 grand at the apple store.

the M1X computers are just months away but I don’t expect to get a 16” computer with similar specs at that price. Going by the M1 computers, they came in at the same pricing structure, and the base 16” is 3000$ CAD before taxes.

it depends how you are about it. Personally I have zero regrets. Coming from a late 2013 retina pro this was a massive upgrade all around. Certainly a gamble that the price will at the very least remain the same, and being ok with the “previous” gen and Intel based model.

I would do it personally, but it’s a tough call. I get why the hesitancy. I do think outside of fan forums, the M1 hype is a bit less dramatic as well.
Ymmv

if you’re going to replace it in 4ish years then you’ll get the 4 generations newer M series chip, possibly mature display tech (miniLED or whatever) and the kinks ironed out. Who knows another redesign may be around the corner at that time too

 

[nordique]

As a former 16" 2019 MBP owner... I would strongly advise to avoid it at all costs. It's a heat / noise producing, kernel attacking nightmare. If you really must buy something now (vs waiting for the upcoming 16" ), then I would suggest buying a used 16" 2018 or 2019 that you can turn around and sell for what you paid for it...and replace it with the Apple Silicon 16" when you can.

I dunno. I disagree with this. Mine has been whisper silent.

depends on workflow and whether or not you are running multiple displays, and have it closed.

my partner has an M1 MacBook Air, which is completely silent, and the two notebooks have been comparable in my experience.

I am not running external displays with the computer enclosed and editing professional videos though mind you

 

[nordique]

My primary concern is longevity as you kept your previous laptop for seven years (of which, I might add, you should be proud of!) and here's my thoughts with a little data:

When apple transitioned to Intel the last PPC based machine they sold rolled out of the factory in August 2006 (The Powermac G5 was replaced by the Mac Pro). Three years later, with the release of MacOS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, the Powermac G5 stopped receiving OS updates. It was possible you could have bought the machine and had it stop receiving updates before its AppleCare was out.

That cutover was pretty fast though. Apple did it in about eight months. They've said about two years for this one. With that date in mind I'll estimate we have about another year before Apple stops selling Intel Macs.

With these two data points I'll estimate that about four years from now Apple will stop releasing OS updates for Intel Macs. That puts a bit of a date on an Intel machine bought today.

Crunching the numbers further, you're getting about a 30% discount. Knock 30% off seven years and you get around four and a half. So with that large a discount the buy seems perfectly fine but you'll have to accept that you'll be buying a new machine in four years or so (to keep current with software).

I'll throw another wrench into these calculations: five years after the release of the first Intel based Macs apple stopped producing updates for them because they weren't 64-bit. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the same issue with the M1s. Not a bit bump (we'll be running 64-bit machines for a while) but some other serious change that Apple didn't quite plan for. The Core2 based Macs that came out the same year as the initial Core1 based Macs got another year and a half of updates.

With those couple data points no Mac you buy right now will get you seven years of longevity. Like I mentioned above, the Intel machine is fine if you don't mind replacing it in four years. If that's an issue, though, I'd wait for an M1X or M2 (or whatever they call it) based 16" MBP and buy that at full cost. The amortized cost of each will likely be about the same.

Certainly strong and well raised points

however the context is different this time around, with a much richer and more capable apple, a significantly higher market share, many more Intel based macs out there as well as apples commitment to supporting machines as long as they seemingly can, and ultimately relatively more powerful machines

I don’t think this will be a redux of the IBM to Intel transition. I do think the Apple chips will have extra features to entice though, similar to how M1 macs are already getting extra trinkets with macOS 12, and they may transition sooner to “vintage status”

but I don’t think it will be an accelerated loss of support similar to the IBM transition

 

[abelpinate]

If I were you, Im pretty sure I would do the same: buy it.

I pass two week thinking the same, since I found a third party store with the i9 2.3 base machine, with 16gb ram. That wast not so good for me, but they have the machine for 2.500$ saving me more or less 300$. Then, they accept my old 2011 Mac mini which I maxed out since those day and I pay for the machine 2.150$.

I was concerning about all that over M1 machine, but I need a machine that will work right out of the box since I came from a MBP mid2012 non retina. I felt (and got advised) that programs that I usually use (architecture) are not working so good, aren't optimized yet so I decide until last moment and buy it. It's very impressive coming from an almost 10 years old machine.

Oh, and I buy this mid2012 in 2016 when they were still begin manufactured but I didn't feel those proper 10 years since it cannot run Big Sur (I did via micropatcher) but that wasn't the case for the mini which I buy the same year it was released.

I think, two years and far far three, its the sweet point with this last intel machine.

 

[pshufd]

Yeah that's a great point. My only thing with that is that when the M1 is released I absolutely won't be able to get a corporate discount on one. They most likely won't even deploy them as running Windows is required by almost all field reps for some applications.

My son is in the same position. Their workplace requires Linux and Windows and they have numerous packages that haven't been certified on M1. His workplace is supplying him with a replacement for his 2015. It's just a tough time if you need a large screen and have to run x86.

 

[Saturn1217]

My job gave me a 16" MBP when I started this April. It is amazing. For work purposes I think it is best to be behind the bleeding edge so I would personally take the 16"MBP. By the time it is 3 years old and ready for an upgrade apple silicon will be a 100% mature platform and a much safer bet for a production machine.

I'm having a really hard time holding out on upgrading my personal 2017 15" MBP but I only use that for small personal projects so I can wait.