M5 today vs. M6 presumably next Spring

[Yebubbleman]

Not wanting to buy an M5 with what is arguably the worst macOS release in years (Tahoe), only to wipe it in a month or so when Golden Gate comes out (my usual OS upgrade behavior), I've held off on buying the "MacBook Air (15-inch, M5)" to replace my "MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)" until Golden Gate releases. I have the Apple gift card money saved, so it's really just a matter of pulling the trigger.

That said, M6 is out and it's only a matter of time before the MacBook Air gets it. My main concern when it comes to whichever MacBook product I replace the MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) with is that it not be the first of a new design. It seems like the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are most definitely the last of their designs and that it's ambiguous as to whether the base M6 14-inch MacBook Pro will use the current or the next body style. But, it seems safe that the M6 MacBook Air will retain the same design that the M2 through M5 models have. Or am I mistaken?

A base M5 would absolutely serve my needs. I wasn't super thrilled to see that it's a hotter running chip than M4 was, but it sounds like M6 ought to run cooler given the shift to 2nm? Or am I mistaken? I'd be more than happy to wait for a cooler running chip, especially on a Mac that won't have active cooling.

Anyway; I can probably hold off until M6, provided the price doesn't go up.

That said, would you guys hold or upgrade next month?

 

[snipr125]

From rumours, the MBA is supposed to get a OLED display in 2028 which will be its redesign likely with a price increase, so the next M6 MBA will likely be the same as the current model. Theoretically if the M6 is on a smaller die it should run marginally cooler, but its fanless so if your pushing all 12 cores its going to get hot regardless. Also the M6 MBA should be the same price as current model as it already got a £300 price increase.

 

[G5isAlive]

Not wanting to buy an M5 with what is arguably the worst macOS release in years (Tahoe), only to wipe it in a month or so when Golden Gate comes out (my usual OS upgrade behavior), I've held off on buying the "MacBook Air (15-inch, M5)" to replace my "MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)" until Golden Gate releases. I have the Apple gift card money saved, so it's really just a matter of pulling the trigger.

That said, M6 is out and it's only a matter of time before the MacBook Air gets it. My main concern when it comes to whichever MacBook product I replace the MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) with is that it not be the first of a new design. It seems like the M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are most definitely the last of their designs and that it's ambiguous as to whether the base M6 14-inch MacBook Pro will use the current or the next body style. But, it seems safe that the M6 MacBook Air will retain the same design that the M2 through M5 models have. Or am I mistaken?

A base M5 would absolutely serve my needs. I wasn't super thrilled to see that it's a hotter running chip than M4 was, but it sounds like M6 ought to run cooler given the shift to 2nm? Or am I mistaken? I'd be more than happy to wait for a cooler running chip, especially on a Mac that won't have active cooling.

Anyway; I can probably hold off until M6, provided the price doesn't go up.

That said, would you guys hold or upgrade next month?

Spec games sorry. No one knows what the future holds for RAM pricing, we all hope it eventually comes down, but it's all speculation. You can always wait. M6 will be better than M5. M7 better yet. There are no real consequences of M5 heating versus M4. My M5 MBA runs fine. But you can always find a spec that says 'wait.'

So what is pushing your decision to buy? Wanting to own the latest and greatest? Thats a thrill that lasts for a few months. You 'need' the processing power today? Buy today. You 'want' it today? Buy today. You want the latest and greatest? good luck.

 

[mj_]

The real question is whether you need one right now or not. If you do go buy one. If you don't then wait. It's really that simple.

 

[Ifti]

Well I wanted a laptop now - didnt really need it, but wanted one, so I bought one now. M5 with the upgraded GPU and base everything else (16GB/512GB). Just as a secondary machine for basic use during travel. My primary system is the M4 Max Studio on my desk.
The way I see it, you can always be chasing and waiting for the next upgrade, but how long do you wait for? Any system will be superseded within a year or so regardless. Go for whichever tool gets the job done depending on how urgently you need it.