I need advice on buying a Mac

[HighSierraCatalina]

Hello,
I've been thinking of buying a new MacBook for awhile, since my current MacBook is nearly 10 years old already. So far I've been thinking on waiting till the 2020 MacBook Pro arrives, but then I read that Apple will ditch Intel. I asked advice on it on Reddit and got replies like: "All Macs will be obsolete sooner or later lol" and general fanboy answers.

What I'm rather worried about is this going to be another PowerPC, Intel switch? I mean imagine buying a PowerBook in 2005 and already in 2009 it did not receive new operating systems, but my Mac for example has officially received updates from 2010 - 2017 and still receives security updates.

Should I wait till 2021? What should I do? Because I've been looking around and I've realised that I could get a gaming PC for the price on MacBook Air and a lot more storage, RAM etc.

I want to buy a computer that I could use for years. I dont want people to be like: "You're an absolute moron. You should have waited. It was announced that Apple will ditch Intel" etc as it happened to some of the PowerPC users.

The reason why you guys are my last hope is because yesterday I saw a forum thread named "Windows is just better" and you guys didn't really bash him for that. So should I wait for 2021 or is it safe to buy MBP or MBA in 2020? Will Apple really ditch Intel?

 

[cambookpro]

They say there’s no smoke without fire, and it definitely looks like Apple is at least considering moving to their own ARM chips in the Mac. The big question is whether (if this rumour is true) this will be like the PPC to Intel switch and the whole Mac line will transition in a year or so, or if higher end Macs will stay on Intel.

I’d say at the moment, nobody knows for sure when it will happen and what the transition will look like. Mark Gurman, who is generally pretty accurate and definitely has some sources inside Apple, seems to suggest the first ARM Mac won’t be released until 2021 and will be a lower end model - either a revived 12” MacBook or 13” Air - before being used in more powerful Macs.

I don’t think the ARM chips will be lacking in terms of pure processing power. The current rumour is the first Macs will use a 12 core chip with 8 high power cores and 4 efficiency cores. I expect this to blow low-end Intel Macs out of the water. However, this will require apps to be ported from X86 to ARM, and does not guarantee support for Boot Camp if that is important for you.

Having said this, the 2020 MacBook Air is a very good computer and should be useable for years to come. However, this is probably the least certain time to buy a Mac since the Intel transition. It’s entirely possible that these last Intel Macs aren’t supported as long as they would’ve been if Apple weren’t undertaking this transition. It’s also possible that the transition will be delayed, or that even if it does happen, Apple keeps selling and supporting Intel Macs for years to come. Personally, if I could go with my current computer for another year, I’d wait and see how the ARM rumour pans out - but there’s no guarantee the wait will be worthwhile.

 

[zhenya]

Hi there, welcome to the forum! If anything, despite its name, this forum is somewhat anti-Mac but there are plenty of users here who will offer good advice.

The truth is, nobody here really knows what Apple’s plans are (or if they do, they can’t say). It appears fairly likely that Apple will be attempting the switch to ARM processors with one or more entry-level Macs, probably in the next year, possibly as soon as WWDC (although it seems to me fairly certain if it were that imminent we would have seen some more leaks by now).

So yes, this is a bit of an uncertain time if you are really looking to buy a Mac that will last you another 10 years. That said, the best advice we can generally give people who are asking if they should wait or not is - if you need a new computer now, buy it now. It’s far better to get what you need to be functional and productive now rather than wait even a few months. If your existing computer can get you by a bit longer, it might be good to wait a couple of months.

Now, that said, even if Apple announced a new Mac on ARM next month, most of their line is going to remain on Intel for the next 1-2 years, which means anything you buy now is going to be supported for at least 5 years, probably a bit more. This isn’t all that different than your existing Mac or anything they have produced in the interim - Apple guarantees 5 years of parts and support, and usually moves them to the Vintage and Obsolete list around year 7. You have been getting by for at least 3 years without Apple support now - I expect you could do the same in the future.

The other thing is, that if Apple moves to ARM, initially there is likely to be a robust appetite for existing, recent Intel based machines on the second-hand market. If moving to ARM were acceptable to you at that point, you could likely sell your existing device and move on to Intel for not all that much loss when you consider how long the ARM device should last.

One thing to consider if you buy now with an eye towards longevity is that you’ll probably want to buy either the 16” MacBook Pro or the current MacBook Air both of which have a regular scissor-switch keyboard rather than the problematic butterfly mechanism that is still on the 13” Pro. That model will likely see an update soon, and if it’s what you were planning on buying, that may sway you to wait.

Good luck!

 

[gnasher729]

You can buy any MacBook with Intel processor right now, and it will last for a long long time. If you go for advice on Reddit, that's mostly clueless kids posting with no connection to reality. If Apple produces a MacBook with ARM processor next year, that doesn't mean Intel Macs stop working.

With a ten year old MacBook, you might have lots of software that isn't updated anymore. Check if you have software that you need and that doesn't come with newer versions anymore. 32 bit software won't work on a current modern MacBook. Anything that is getting updates will get updates to run on ARM. Especially anything coming from Apple. So mostly you won't see much difference.

The reason why you guys are my last hope is because yesterday I saw a forum thread named "Windows is just better" and you guys didn't really bash him for that. So should I wait for 2021 or is it safe to buy MBP or MBA in 2020? Will Apple really ditch Intel?

At this point of time, nobody can be bothered anymore to bash anyone for saying "Windows is just better". It's like mud wrestling with a pig: The pig has more experience at it, and the pig enjoys it. Can't be bothered. If someone wants to use Windows, I let them use it and shut up. I won't even say "told you so" when they come back crying. Not worth it.

 

[Fishrrman]

If you're worried about a switch from Intel to Apple's new chip -- the LONGER you choose to wait, the MORE LIKELY this will happen.

If you need/want a new MacBook, and you don't want the 16" size, wait for the upcoming MacBook Pro 14" later this year.

I feel very confident in stating that this one WILL still have the Intel CPU inside it.

We don't know much about the upcoming "new" non-Intel CPU's yet, nor which particular Macs the first of these are going into.

Old saying applies:
If you NEED NOW, then BUY NOW.

Otherwise, you have the luxury of waiting (and agonizing) over the future...!

 

[Infinite Vortex]

Depends on what it is you do with your computer. In a lot of respects it probably doesn't matter which way you lean, x86 or A-Series.

If you're an average user with email, web, photos, word processing etc type needs you'll be mostly unaffected. If you're one who does invest/has invested in apps etc and has specific requirements then I don't feel there's a good answer. The moment there are ARM Mac developers will be placing all of their efforts in that direction. However, until that's happened ARM system may have some serious performance deficiencies with x86 based software. Don't forget that with ARM Macs may well come universal apps across macOS, iOS and iPadOS. This will divert significant developer resources to, in reality, offer nothing but "compatibility". On the flip-side, purchasing an Intel Mac today wouldn't be great value either given software support will disappear quickly in the new future and, while it doesn't seem to apply to you, the 2nd hand market for them will tank.

Having been through more than one transition with Apple my route may well in fact be to switch my Macs to Windows. When the dust has settled, the transitions done, and I can see what landscape there is I'll invest one way or other (Mac or Windows) then. I promised myself that I won't fund Apple, or any developer, through a transition again. It's a massively low value thing for me to do… not stopping someone else doing it. Although that's easy for me to do given I have 2 computers which are 4 years and 18 months old respectively.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

If you're still using your 2010, Mac, you are unlikely to be a high-end user. The change from ARM to Intel is unlikely to have much of an impact for you (or me) when it happens. Your needs will be more than met in the interim.

As others have said, the golden rule is, if you need a new machine now, buy one. The new MacBook Airs have recently been updated and have the new keyboard. If they meet your needs and intended use, go for it. It's a brilliant little machine.

Something else to think about is that new Macs will have Mac OS Catalina as standard. This means 32bit software no longer works with it. Eg Microsoft Office for Mac from 2011. I still use Microsoft Word for Mac from 2011, and I still love it, especially the notebook layout. This feature isn't in the latest version of Word and there are no plans to add it back.

 

[HighSierraCatalina]

If you're still using your 2010, Mac, you are unlikely to be a high-end user. The change from ARM to Intel is unlikely to have much of an impact for you (or me) when it happens. Your needs will be more than met in the interim.

As others have said, the golden rule is, if you need a new machine now, buy one. The new MacBook Airs have recently been updated and have the new keyboard. If they meet your needs and intended use, go for it. It's a brilliant little machine.

Something else to think about is that new Macs will have Mac OS Catalina as standard. This means 32bit software no longer works with it. Eg Microsoft Office for Mac from 2011. I still use Microsoft Word for Mac from 2011, and I still love it, especially the notebook layout. This feature isn't in the latest version of Word and there are no plans to add it back.

Hey!
I mainly use Unity 3D on my Mac and Xampp for databases and from time to time I use Blender. The thing thing is I've been looking around and I've realised I can get a much better PC for the price of a Mac. The change from Intel to ARM might have a lot of impact for me if Apple drops the support for my machine and I no longer will receive updates. To get the current version of macOS is one of the main reasons why I want to buy a new one.

I dont even have any 32-bit apps. All the apps that I used stopped working in High Sierra for whatever reason, so I'm not really concerned about that.

Thank you all for your help.

It'd suck to be in 2005 and buy a PowerBook for almost $2k and then see it losing support already in 2009. Then again there are stories that ARM will be the next PowerPC (will suck) as developers won't port their apps.

 

[Airforcekid]

I would just get the new air Intel chips wont be going anywhere support wise for the next 4-5 years so your looking at a new Mac in 2024 at the earliest and with advancments in Desktop as a service I imagine you will be able to get more life out of older pcs in the future than we do now. You could run a shadowpc on your current mac for a few more years if you can put up with Windows and have the bandwidth.

 

[sundialsoft]

Hello,
I've been thinking of buying a new MacBook for awhile, since my current MacBook is nearly 10 years old already. So far I've been thinking on waiting till the 2020 MacBook Pro arrives, but then I read that Apple will ditch Intel. I asked advice on it on Reddit and got replies like: "All Macs will be obsolete sooner or later lol" and general fanboy answers.

What I'm rather worried about is this going to be another PowerPC, Intel switch? I mean imagine buying a PowerBook in 2005 and already in 2009 it did not receive new operating systems, but my Mac for example has officially received updates from 2010 - 2017 and still receives security updates.

Should I wait till 2021? What should I do? Because I've been looking around and I've realised that I could get a gaming PC for the price on MacBook Air and a lot more storage, RAM etc.

I want to buy a computer that I could use for years. I dont want people to be like: "You're an absolute moron. You should have waited. It was announced that Apple will ditch Intel" etc as it happened to some of the PowerPC users.

The reason why you guys are my last hope is because yesterday I saw a forum thread named "Windows is just better" and you guys didn't really bash him for that. So should I wait for 2021 or is it safe to buy MBP or MBA in 2020? Will Apple really ditch Intel?

There are no facts yet about what Apple might do next year though all the Mac sites expect ARM based Macs in 2021. I had no choice as Apple 'retired' my MBP which couldn't run Catalina so I'm getting by on my 2015 MBA which has a small disk. I have a 2020 MBA i5 on order for May delivery.

I expect Apple will retire 2020 Macs at around the same time they would have without ARM so we will get over 5 years without having to fret. Technology moves so fast that most people will want to upgrade anyway.