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Apple Silicon Macs are turning 4 in November...

A

aj_niner

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Dec 24, 2023
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Will Apple Silicon (Arm) Macs be retired and let the Mac models be the subfora to have discussions for specific Mac mini, iMacs, MBA, MBP, Mac Studio & Mac Pro?

Since as early as 2010 per Apple typical replacement cycle is every 4 years for Macs.
 
This discussion has been had before and thankfully it was understood that this sub-forum was better off staying alive.
 
thenewperson said:
This discussion has been had before and thankfully it was understood that this sub-forum was better off staying alive.
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Will it be around by Nov 2030? On the 10th anniversary launch of Mac chips?

When Apple transitioned from PowerPC to Intel chips was there a "Intel Mac" sub for 4 years?

After 4 years I think it is time to allow Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio & Mac Pro be dominated by Apple Silicon discussion?

Early Intel Macs exists.

Shouldn't it consolidate all Intel Macs from 2006-2020?

I'll likely ask this question by Nov 2026... on the 6th year of Apple Silicon Macs.
 
If the subforum gets rolled into the main forums and Intel Macs are rolled into their own category, it’ll probably be after Apple completely drops support for the last Intel Macs.
 
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Does it actually matter in any material way?

Given that Apple are (presumably) going to keep progressing with new iterations of Apple Silicon, and each with have performance gains and characteristics of their own, not to mention potential flaws and vulnerabilities, I would personally have thought that there's a lot of life in this subforum yet.
 
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Helvete! I will have had my M1 Mac Mini for 4 years on 20 November o_O

I had my previous iMac for 8 years and that felt like ages (and the computer felt really old when I switched) and I've already racked up almost half the time owning that one with owning this one.
 
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Spindel said:
Helvete! I will have had my M1 Mac Mini for 4 years on 20 November o_O

I had my previous iMac for 8 years and that felt like ages (and the computer felt really old when I switched) and I've already racked up almost half the time owning that one with owning this one.
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I really wish I was using a late 2021 iMac 32" 6K M1 Pro for 29 months already. This 11.5yo iMac's long on the tooth.
 
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aj_niner said:
After 4 years I think it is time to allow Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio & Mac Pro be dominated by Apple Silicon discussion?
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I think they already are.

However, post-Apple Silicon, everything is running on the same handful of systems-on-chips and there's much less variation in terms of CPU, GPU, software compatibility issues etc. between the different form-factors than there was with Intel, so it makes sense for more discussions to go into the "Apple Silicon Macs" forum unless they're primarily about model-specific features.

aj_niner said:
Early Intel Macs exists.
Shouldn't it consolidate all Intel Macs from 2006-2020?
I'll likely ask this question by Nov 2026... on the 6th year of Apple Silicon Macs.
Click to expand...
Bear in mind, that Intel Macs remained on sale for a couple of years after the launch of Apple Silicon - the last Intel models were only discontinued less than a year ago, so it will be 4 years or so before they become "vintage".

I think an "Intel Macs (i-series)" sub-forum will probably be needed (maybe when Apple drops Intel support from a future MacOS release). The Core Duo/Duo 2/Solo machines in the "Early Intel Macs" really are getting "retro", whereas things like the 2020 iMac and 2019 Mac Pro are going to be perfectly capable machines for some time yet.
 
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theluggage said:
I think they already are.

However, post-Apple Silicon, everything is running on the same handful of systems-on-chips and there's much less variation in terms of CPU, GPU, software compatibility issues etc. between the different form-factors than there was with Intel, so it makes sense for more discussions to go into the "Apple Silicon Macs" forum unless they're primarily about model-specific features.


Bear in mind, that Intel Macs remained on sale for a couple of years after the launch of Apple Silicon - the last Intel models were only discontinued less than a year ago, so it will be 4 years or so before they become "vintage".

I think an "Intel Macs (i-series)" sub-forum will probably be needed (maybe when Apple drops Intel support from a future MacOS release). The Core Duo/Duo 2/Solo machines in the "Early Intel Macs" really are getting "retro", whereas things like the 2020 iMac and 2019 Mac Pro are going to be perfectly capable machines for some time yet.
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I expect Apple's final macOS Intel update to occur in 2028.

As of the moment 5% of all Macs online are pre-2012 models.
 
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aj_niner said:
I expect Apple's final macOS Intel update to occur in 2028.
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Sounds reasonable for updates - with the last major Intel-compatible release in 2025 and 3 years of support. But, honestly, Apple could drop support for Intel with this year's MacOS release if they wanted - just by providing "extended support" for Ventura. They'll be in hot water with countries like the EU if they render anything less than 5-6 years old useless or irreparable, but that doesn't mean the latest OS - once they've sold you a machine they're under no obligation to provide you with any new features

aj_niner said:
As of the moment 5% of all Macs online are pre-2012 models.
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Mac Rumors' definition of "Early Intel Macs" seems to end with the Core 2 Duo, and I think the last models with that were ~2010. It's as good a cut-off point as any, since its nice and clear from the CPU names.

I guess that leaves "Mid Intel Macs" (i-series chips with standard PC architecture) and "Late Intel Macs" (i-series chips with Apple T1/T2 architecture) - but that may be too fine a division.
 
theluggage said:
Sounds reasonable for updates - with the last major Intel-compatible release in 2025 and 3 years of support. But, honestly, Apple could drop support for Intel with this year's MacOS release if they wanted - just by providing "extended support" for Ventura. They'll be in hot water with countries like the EU if they render anything less than 5-6 years old useless or irreparable, but that doesn't mean the latest OS - once they've sold you a machine they're under no obligation to provide you with any new features
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Features just slows down hardware. I'd like security updates to keep my data privacy solid
theluggage said:
Mac Rumors' definition of "Early Intel Macs" seems to end with the Core 2 Duo, and I think the last models with that were ~2010. It's as good a cut-off point as any, since its nice and clear from the CPU names.

I guess that leaves "Mid Intel Macs" (i-series chips with standard PC architecture) and "Late Intel Macs" (i-series chips with Apple T1/T2 architecture) - but that may be too fine a division.
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Either way we're nearing the 4 year mark for M1 Macs.
 
aj_niner said:
Either way we're nearing the 4 year mark for M1 Macs.
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...but less than a month since the last M1 Mac was discontinued. Apple were still selling M1 MBAs as new a month or so ago, M1 iMacs 6 months ago. The countdown to "vintage" or "obsolete" status and the end of support starts counting down from then, not release day.
 
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HDFan said:
The data from that link, at least for OS versions, is almost 4 years out of date. Last OS it shows is Catalina.
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As a security measurement Apple made all macOS version after Catalina self report as Catalina.

So any Mac older than a 2012 model cannot run Catalina.

Again, would the 5% of users on Macs more than 11.5 years old be able to pay for SaaS for macOS updates?

Highly unlikely.
 
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