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

[henkie]

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.

I have a m1pro personal and I received a m4 air for work. Of course, not sure how fair comparing a non pro to a pro, but I prefer my older Mac (that screen….). For me, I don’t see in my day to day (relatively light, with some exceptions) any noticable difference. In my opinion, for most, a m1(pro) + 16Gb will suffice for a long time. Let alone going from m4 to m5. If the additional time saved rendering or what not if going to m5, is worth that investment, I would say you are better off getting a Mac Studio. But I bet it is about the dopamine shot of getting something “new”.

 

[throAU]

No. every 3-5.

Plan on 3-4, push to 5 if the things they have are trash at year 3 (e.g., I skipped butterfly keyboards).

 

[Jamie0003]

Every year? How much money do you guys have lmao

No, every 5 years is more than early enough, though I use a Mac mini these days (the M4 is awesome)

 

[TJFDenver]

I'm still rocking my 2012 MacBook Pro Retina 16gb/768ssd ... ubuntu rules!

 

[Bungobungo]

I’m still using my 2013 13” Pro and it works just fine for what I want out of a laptop. Anything heavy use is on my desktop.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Since the OP never returned, I assume this was a troll post or they were looking for validation, which they never got.

Updating yearly is ridiculous.

 

[East India Company]

No

 

[Apple_Robert]

Every year? How much money do you guys have lmao

No, every 5 years is more than early enough, though I use a Mac mini these days (the M4 is awesome)

I don’t think the OP was serious, given his posting history.

 

[TVreporter]

Having never owned a MBP, my answer is no.

Unless you got money to burn, who buys a new model every year?

 

[m1maverick]

Hell ya! Not only do I upgrade every new model release but I start with the base and then upgrade throughout the year to larger and more capable configurations. Doing so helps me to get my upgrade fix between model refreshes.

 

[Parowdy]

No.
Thanks for asking. My M1 Pro is still trice as capable as my '17 i7.

 

[edubfromktown]

Never.

I get a new one every ~4 years or in the past, while the trade-in / resale value remained relatively high.

 

[bnumerick]

Mostly no, but also yes. I have some pretty time-consuming bottlenecks that have made me feel like it has been worth upgrading my machines every time a new max/Ultra is released. I process a lot of video locally, don't have any control over the resolution I'm given, so often need to run high-quality upscaling on it to get it to 4K. Some of the videos are 4-8 hours long and can take days to weeks to process, so even what seems like an incremental bump can decrease that processing by hours or even days.

 

[MBAir2010]

There’s no need to get a new MacBook Pro every year. They’re powerful enough to last for years. Yearly upgrades are a want, not a necessity. and if you have extra money then you can change it every year.

yes, thank you great reply,
I was wondering if you think I should upgrade my Galaxy Fold 7 to an  device next year?

 

[DFZD]

I only think about upgrading when Apple doubles the RAM on the same class of device.
So my Macbook Pro M1 Pro with 8 core cpu and 16gb/512gb config is still gonna rock for a year or two.

 

[CyberDavis]

My last MacBook Pro was 7 years old when I replaced it.
My iPad Pro generally get replaced after 3-4 years unless there are other issues or considerations.
I would not want to upgrade every year, and couldn’t afford it.

 

[MBAir2010]

Honestly, if you want stability, long software support, and a more polished ecosystem, switching to Apple next year could be a solid move. But if the Fold 7 still works great for you, there’s no need to switch just for the logo.

that and avoiding the construction traffic jams on the new fountain near 5th and 58th by Central Park is keeping me from upgrading as well. boy, what a mess for NYC and the horse carriages there lately!

 

[mike.coulter]

I try to buy items that will mean I don’t need to upgrade for at least five years. Modern consumer habits are gross.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I only think about upgrading when Apple doubles the RAM on the same class of device.
So my Macbook Pro M1 Pro with 8 core cpu and 16gb/512gb config is still gonna rock for a year or two.

Sorry but upgrading based on when Apple changes base RAM makes no sense. For those of us preferring maximum RAM it may make sense to upgrade based around available maximum RAM, but even then IMO RAM is simply something one chooses when configuring any new box.

Since RAM demands are constantly increasing, desired life cycle should have a major impact on what RAM one chooses. For me [YMMV], I choose maximum RAM because I want optimal computing for a 5-7 year life cycle from a MBP. I hate wasting thought cycles on sub-optimal performance as a Mac pages while multi-tasking; and I also hate the time-consuming process of upgrading to a new box. The MBP is a tool to me, period.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Can you name a single task which you perform with your Mac that I cannot perform with my M1 MacBook Pro?

That would depend on how much RAM you configured into that M1 MBP; and for many of us it is not about some "single task" with time-insensitive completion, but rather about smoothly multitasking among multiple apps and actions.

 

[Quackington]

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.

This. I’ve got the last Intel MBP 13” that was released in 2020. It’s still going strong at over 5 years. Prior to that I had the 2011 MBA 11” and before that a 2004 PowerBook 12”.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Absolutely not.

My laptop progression?

2003 - new 12" PowerBook G4 (replaced a Windows laptop purchased in 1999)
2006 - new 15" MacBook Pro - the first Intel Mac, ordered the moment orders went live
2015 - used 2012 Retina 15" MacBook Pro
2019 - new 16" MacBook Pro​

I see no reason to upgrade from my 2019 last-generation-Intel any time soon. Maybe in two years when Apple stops security updates for Tahoe. But then I might just load Linux on it instead, and keep my Mac Studio as my "primary Mac."

 

[hurt97]

I change every six months because after three months Safari isn't snappy enough.

 

[dmr727]

This isn't a serious thread by the OP, but seeing people's purchase progressions is interesting. My laptops:

2001 12" G3 iBook (icebook)
2008 15" MBP
2015 13" MBP
2020 M1 MBA
2025 M4 MBA

I love my M4 MBA, but depending on what Apple does with the redesigned MBP in 2027(?), I might be convinced to upgrade earlier than my usual cadence.

 

[mdcmdcmdc]

Personally, I keep a "main" computer until it can't do something I need. I replaced my late 2013 iMac with a 2020 M1 MBP because some software I wanted to use (don't remember which) required a later version of macOS than the iMac could run.

Now I'm looking to replace the M1 with an M5 Pro MBP, when they become available, because the M1 has been struggling for the past year with my photography workflow.