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Do you guy feel the "need" to get a New MBP Every year ?

I usually upgrade every 2 years or iteration of MacBook and max it out. Honestly, I purchased and base M5 with 24gb. I never purchased base models. My plan was to upgrade to the pro chips. After using this machine for a couple months . Ive felt like I know longer need an upgrade and feel like ill keep this machine for the next few year. It just runs perfect.

Apple got it right.

I'll wait till year 2 or 3 for the redesign.
 
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I’ll answer honestly… lol

Yes, I feel the need (obviously it’s a want not a real need)

I own a MacBook Air 15 m4, and MacBook Pro 14” M4Pro, I love having both.

I’m in my 40s… this is how i like to spend my money, this plus travel. I don’t need a lambo for similar dopamine hits.
 
With Intel i did. With Apple Silicon I haven’t felt that. I will say the thunderbolt speeds are enticing on the newest models, but in terms of performance my M1’s are still working for me.
 
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Ursadorable said:
A refresh every 3-4 years isn't a bad idea. But let's be honest, unless you're a power user, you're not going to even really notice the difference if it was ever 5-6 years. MacBooks (especially Pro models) age very well, and it's not like MacOS is a bloated mess like Windows.
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I only try to refresh when a device gets so slow relative to OS versions that it is necessary; or, when there are multiple significant improvements that will enhance the experience. Currently own a MBP 14” M3 Pro and will only upgrade when they introduce OLED for the M6 and the new design. This equals huge display upgrade plus battery improvements. Plan to max out (or come close to maxing out) the ram, too, as that will increase longevity of the machine.
 
TheRealAlex said:
I get a new iPad Pro every year. And now with my M4 Pro MBP I am really thinking I need a new M5 Pro. Thanks to new GPU and WiFi 7.

But I really want the Tandem-OLED will that be 2026 or 2027 ?
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Several years ago, maybe. But today? I just don’t see a technical nor financial reason to upgrade yearly with anything Apple related. I say that with love as I use Apple for everything. But I only see upgrades as necessary once every 3-4-5 years depending on the Apple product.
 
Sorry to say that, but in my opinion this topic and discussion about it is a kind of ... decadent. Sorry guys, such "issues" are generating me head-shaking...
 
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punkwood said:
So you mean want.

I've been on my current Macbook Pro for 10 years and will be upgrading to a 15" MBA this year. I know I am an extreme case because I am a very casual computer user and in fact try to be away from my computer as much as possible. But I cannot imagine many use cases even for work or productivity in which an upgrade is warranted every year, or even every two years. 3-5 is more likely. You wouldn't even feel the difference, so where do you feel your money was spent?

I try to consume as little as possible and got myself out of the mental upgrade trap with all tech many years ago. I think it is far more rewarding and worthwhile to get as much use as possible out of an item you buy, especially an expensive one. Ride it until the wheels fall off and that next one will really feel great.
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I'm currently on the 10 year upgrade cycle. I don't think my latest computer will last that long, because with my old one I bought lower end and then added RAM and hard drive over time to save money. My M1 is stuck as-is, so we'll see. I've had it for 5 years already, though.
 
Ursadorable said:
A refresh every 3-4 years isn't a bad idea. But let's be honest, unless you're a power user, you're not going to even really notice the difference if it was ever 5-6 years. MacBooks (especially Pro models) age very well, and it's not like MacOS is a bloated mess like Windows.
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I upgraded from an M1 Air to my current M4 Pro, only for the larger drive; went from 512 to 1tb and both had 16gb ram, and I can't tell any difference whatsoever on day-to-day usage.

It's mostly just a browsing machine, but I do some 4k video work from my GoPro and video editing from my decade-old DSLR, and if it's faster, then it's not enough for me to tell. I assume it is, but for my hour or so every couple weeks, it's all the same. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I'll probably go back to Air with my next Mac.
 
Which MacBook has WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6?
I think only the latest iPhone 17 series and iPad Pro M5 has these specs.
 
TheRealAlex said:
I get a new iPad Pro every year. And now with my M4 Pro MBP I am really thinking I need a new M5 Pro. Thanks to new GPU and WiFi 7.

But I really want the Tandem-OLED will that be 2026 or 2027 ?
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Ma boy I’m 100% fine with my m4 MacBook Pro, no need of m5 and I don’t care for m6… I will upgrade when I need to so when it will be too slow…

Upgrading just because I want is not my thing… I always upgrade when it’s getting slow for my needs… I don’t waste money!
 
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Even if I had the money to upgrade a MacBook every year, I wouldn't.

The year-over-year changes between MacBook models are fairly incremental and they wouldn't make a huge difference in how I use my computer.

I think Apple will consider slowing down their annual operating system update cadence, too. It's expensive to continue updating and fixing macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS, tvOS, and anything else I've forgotten like this, especially when the actual hardware capabilities of Apple Silicon evolve at a slower pace.
 
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People who replace their Louis Vuitton every year rarely have a genuinely practical reason - but they’re very good at inventing scenarios where, if they ever drowned, the bag would still be doing just fine.
 
I explicitly do NOT upgrade very often. My Macs are on six to seven year replacement cycles. A couple of times I've had to buy at shorter intervals, but that is because my requirements changed.

Oh, and I'm a power user too. I hit some of the CAD stuff very hard - it's moderately often that I run some single-threaded things for two hours at a time, and it's also a moderately common occurrence that I pin 10+ cores on this M4 Max Studio, although those periods don't last more than a handful of minutes at a time. I am actually exploiting the 40-core GPU *and* the 16-core Neural Engine. Some of my photography and video stuff also hits the machine very hard. I am exactly the kind of user that really can consume the new hardware as it is available. I am emphatically not the sort of user that "wouldn't notice" an upgrade.

And yet I'm not even remotely considering an M5 Max upgrade for 2026. An M6 upgrade in 2027 is both unlikely and probably economically infeasible - this machine put me back $5k. At best (worst, really) I might consider an M7 Max or Ultra in 2028. More likely this 2025 machine has to last me until 2030 or 2031.

I also have the additional complication that it's not just this desktop. I have a 2021 M1 Max MBP that will need replacing sometime around 2027-ish, and while it will probably be replaced with some kind of Air, it won't be one of the lower end model Airs. And my wife's 2022 MBA will also need an upgrade eventually - I'm hoping to avoid that until 2028 or 2029 since she is a much less demanding user than I am (she is a writer and novelist).

Considering that we're on 6+ year upgrade cycles on our iPhones (11 and 12 Pro) and that she also uses an iPad Pro that will become Vintage in 2026 or 2027, even these very extended replacement cycles mean that we're shelling out on a big expenditure practically every year. Now that the kids have achieved escape velocity and are contributing members of society, I "only" need to worry about two phones, two laptops, a desktop for me and an iPad Pro for her. With six major devices on 6-7 year cycles, it's almost affordable. It would be utterly unrealistic, to say nothing of financially stupid, to upgrade these *tools* even every OTHER year, let alone every year.
 
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blw777 said:
I explicitly do NOT upgrade very often. My Macs are on six to seven year replacement cycles. A couple of times I've had to buy at shorter intervals, but that is because my requirements changed.

Oh, and I'm a power user too. I hit some of the CAD stuff very hard - it's moderately often that I run some single-threaded things for two hours at a time, and it's also a moderately common occurrence that I pin 10+ cores on this M4 Max Studio, although those periods don't last more than a handful of minutes at a time. I am actually exploiting the 40-core GPU *and* the 16-core Neural Engine. Some of my photography and video stuff also hits the machine very hard.

And yet I'm not even remotely considering an M5 Max upgrade for 2026. An M6 upgrade in 2027 is both unlikely and probably economically infeasible - this machine put me back $5k. At best (worst, really) I might consider an M7 Max or Ultra in 2028. More likely this 2025 machine has to last me until 2030 or 2031.

I also have the additional complication that it's not just this desktop. I have a 2021 M1 Max MBP that will need replacing sometime around 2027-ish, and while it will probably be replaced with some kind of Air, it won't be one of the lower end model Airs. And my wife's 2022 MBA will also need an upgrade eventually - I'm hoping to avoid that until 2028 or 2029 since she is a much less demanding user than I am (she is a writer and novelist).

Considering that we're on 7-year upgrade cycles on our iPhones (11 and 12 Pro) and that she also uses an iPad Pro that will become Vintage in 2026 or 2027, even these very extended replacement cycles mean that we're shelling out on a big expenditure practically every year. Now that the kids have achieved escape velocity and are contributing members of society, I need to worry about two phones, two laptops, a desktop for me and an iPad Pro for her. With six major devices on 6-7 year cycles, it's almost affordable. It would be utterly unrealistic, to say nothing of financially stupid, to upgrade these *tools* even every OTHER year, let alone every year.
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67? lol

I mean true
 
Absolutely not. I'd still be using a M1Pro MBP if Apple wouldn't have had problems getting the parts for it in a timely manner, but I'd be planning my next purchase.

They replaced my broken MBP with a comparable spec M4Pro for my AppleCare deductible in September. I'll use this device until 2028-29, most likely.
 
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Use case and speed… for myself, my M1 Max MBPro is still good. I notice no lag in any activities and it can run the latest macOS updates (even if I probably won’t upgrade to 26). Either this year or next it will be relegated from my main machine to my backup/travel device (Mac Studio of some sort will replace it). The likelihood that I’ll ever upgrade a model with the immediate next generation version fades to near zero. I haven’t felt that need since my 2014 27” 5K iMac purchase.

That said, I have a friend who works in marketing and advertising and he’s likely to upgrade every one to two generations. He even ditched the Mac, moving from an M2 Max to a WinPC with RTX 4080, because raytracing and mesh shading were so important to him. The experience harrowed him. He still has that PC (it sits, gaining dust) but also an M4 Max MBPro. If there’s a use case benefit, time is money.
 
TheRealAlex said:
I get a new iPad Pro every year. And now with my M4 Pro MBP I am really thinking I need a new M5 Pro. Thanks to new GPU and WiFi 7.

But I really want the Tandem-OLED will that be 2026 or 2027 ?
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❌
Not for me!

I only upgrade when my stuff feels like it’s done! Not upgrading out of my MBP until 4-5 years later!
 
I did a couple of yearly upgrades, largely making up for my own errors in choosing a machine, I think that was a 12 inch to a 17 MacBook Pro. Now? I have a 16” M1 Max and so far I’ve seen no reason whatsoever to upgrade. If my job circumstances change, then maybe. I just upgraded from a 2020 iPad Pro to an M4 which was half price. I don’t foresee any upgrades in the near future.
 
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