So loads of talk about the new ARM chips and if they will announce a new macbook pro at WWDC. I'm concerned now, as I've just bought the Macbook pro 13in 2020 model, which is great btw. The question is, should I have waited? I'm sure there would be a lot of frustrated people who did the same as me if Apple where to do this.
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Macbook pro 13in - Should I have waited?
- Thread starter Gbeer
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Any MBP update will be incremental, no design changes, maybe a slight CPU upgrade but nothing else.
You will not see any ARM chips in the MBP just yet, there is no software for one. As the rumour mill suggests there will probably be an MBA first to get ARM just to encourage developers and users to dip their toe in before anything else.
Bottom line, you don't want to go near anything ARM-based unless you just want an expensive web browser.
As an aside, Apple has events at around the same time each year, different things get announced, if you have doubts never buy too close to an event.
You will not see any ARM chips in the MBP just yet, there is no software for one. As the rumour mill suggests there will probably be an MBA first to get ARM just to encourage developers and users to dip their toe in before anything else.
Bottom line, you don't want to go near anything ARM-based unless you just want an expensive web browser.
As an aside, Apple has events at around the same time each year, different things get announced, if you have doubts never buy too close to an event.
I don't expect Apple to announce a new MBP with ARM for immediate release. Currently also Apple doesn't have an excellent track record on MacOS updates and bugs (Catalina doesn't seem to be very popular). Since the switch to ARM will require a lot of work on the MacOS side, I'm not holding my breath for the first-gen Macbook on ARM. It will definitely take a little while before it's at the level of the current offering.
So no, there is no point waiting.
So no, there is no point waiting.
Absolutely, way longer than that. I can see it being 2-3 years before anything ARM-based from Apple will be at the stage where it has the right software available for adoption by the masses, assuming the developers really get on board.
To be honest you are in the best place with what you have until something significant changes and it won't be soon.
It's maybe a bit of a problem for extreme long term use, depending on how quickly Apple phases out Intel support. There are a ton of Intel Macs out there that'll be supported for a while. I'm curious what kind of thin design Apple can get with ARM... maybe these'll be fanless like the iPads.
The model's before a big change in design are a compromise, you lose flash and newness for consistency and a known quantity. I think the current MBP is very good and probably the best they could get out of this design. But it's definitely is a bit of an older design compared to some other laptops out. The next design will leapfrog the other laptops for a while and be nice and forward thinking. Apple just sticks with it's designs longer than other companies.
Getting the Mac right now is a good thing if you need bootcamp also. This'll probably be the best Mac generation that will support it. There are a ton of Intel Macs out there that'll be supported for a while.
There might be a few first generation problems to work out too, it's not always good to jump into whatever new thing comes out. Especially with a new generation of CPU, it'll take a while for the transition. I wouldn't want to get the first ARM Macs anyways... it's bound to have some issues to work out. Especially if you use any software from companies that take a while to update their stuff.
I use Logic Pro, and it's just recently most of the plugin companies have updated their stuff to Catalina. I can only imagine how long they'll take to update to a new CPU architecture.
The model's before a big change in design are a compromise, you lose flash and newness for consistency and a known quantity. I think the current MBP is very good and probably the best they could get out of this design. But it's definitely is a bit of an older design compared to some other laptops out. The next design will leapfrog the other laptops for a while and be nice and forward thinking. Apple just sticks with it's designs longer than other companies.
Getting the Mac right now is a good thing if you need bootcamp also. This'll probably be the best Mac generation that will support it. There are a ton of Intel Macs out there that'll be supported for a while.
There might be a few first generation problems to work out too, it's not always good to jump into whatever new thing comes out. Especially with a new generation of CPU, it'll take a while for the transition. I wouldn't want to get the first ARM Macs anyways... it's bound to have some issues to work out. Especially if you use any software from companies that take a while to update their stuff.
I use Logic Pro, and it's just recently most of the plugin companies have updated their stuff to Catalina. I can only imagine how long they'll take to update to a new CPU architecture.
Considering iOS13 and Catalina's QA issues, I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to buy an ARM Macbook until it's been out a while and thoroughly reviewed.
Just jumping on here, as I am in the same situation as OP, but I plan on using the new 13" for about 5 years. Is that still "possible" with ARM on the horizon, e.g. do I get updates etc. and will be able to use it without any major issues?
I'm still waiting on my 2020 13" MBP to arrive and have no regrets. I'm certain it will still last many years before software for ARM is widely adopted. Don't want to be a guinea pig for first generation product either, given the butterfly keyboard fiasco.
My guess would be the last Intel MBP's will have excellent resale value as there will be demand for x86 processors for a while and businesses can't stock up and have inventory on the shelves for 2 years.
Having gone through 3 architecture changes with Apple all I can say to your question of whether you should of waited is this… no!
If Apple were to release an ARM Mac tomorrow there will be still a significant amount of things to do, by Apple and their developers, between that tomorrow and that future where ARM "performs" better than Intel irrespective of what Geekbench may say. Personally, I've decided to no longer pay Apple money while they figure stuff out. They will have it right or they don't and I will assess things as they happen and as they present product.
Any ARM based system will require code layer that allows x86 code to run under A-series. That comes with a price tag somewhere.
If Apple were to release an ARM Mac tomorrow there will be still a significant amount of things to do, by Apple and their developers, between that tomorrow and that future where ARM "performs" better than Intel irrespective of what Geekbench may say. Personally, I've decided to no longer pay Apple money while they figure stuff out. They will have it right or they don't and I will assess things as they happen and as they present product.
Any ARM based system will require code layer that allows x86 code to run under A-series. That comes with a price tag somewhere.
You don't want to ever buy the 1st generation of any product, its bound to be beehive of problems. I'm sure there are those of us that remember the nightmare that was Core Duo
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Why would they release a new macbook in May then give a roadmap of end of life for it? Would they do this? They are not cheap and a lot of people would be very disappointed.
I've just bought a 13" MBP and no worries about a switch to ARM. I also need my laptop to run Windows so I actually want an X86 device anyway and wouldn't go for ARM even it it were out just now.
As others say it'll be at least a year or two before the main applications outside of Apple's own become ARM compatible. Also, though the battery life will undoubtedly be amazing, I'd question whether the performance will be on a par with current Intel chips for more intensive stuff.
Just look at the current attempts to run Windows on ARM processors. I know Apple has the best ARM chips on the market but even though I think right now many might be disappointed at how they run compared to their current Macbook Pro's.
I wonder if we'll see a 12" ARM Macbook announced at WWDC as developers will need something to test their apps on? Or could it all be done with an ARM software emulator running in Xcode?
As others say it'll be at least a year or two before the main applications outside of Apple's own become ARM compatible. Also, though the battery life will undoubtedly be amazing, I'd question whether the performance will be on a par with current Intel chips for more intensive stuff.
Just look at the current attempts to run Windows on ARM processors. I know Apple has the best ARM chips on the market but even though I think right now many might be disappointed at how they run compared to their current Macbook Pro's.
I wonder if we'll see a 12" ARM Macbook announced at WWDC as developers will need something to test their apps on? Or could it all be done with an ARM software emulator running in Xcode?
That would be my guess. An A14, maybe an A14X, Macbook in the Macbook Air body sold as a developer kit.
I think so. Apple supports hardware for 5 years after it stops selling them as new. That means that the 2020 MacBook Pro will be supported until at least 2026. We don’t know whether the first ARM Mac will be branded as a Pro, Air, or MacBook, but I’d guess the Air or revived MacBook equivalent, as “professional” apps may be the last to transition away from Intel. I also think this transition will be a bit slower than the transition from PowerPC to Intel, simply because Apple has just refreshed its entire notebook line (and notebooks are the best-selling Macs).
Yes, you should have waited, unless you need a Mac laptop right now. I ordered an i5/16GB/1TB on launch day. I had a problem with the backlight on the new “Magic Keyboard” and returned it after 7 days. I’m glad I did not reorder — I can wait for the new 14" mini-LED ARM processor Mac laptops to come out.
So I contacted the Apple specialists about this as i'm concerned a major update such as a change of chip and OS would make my new £2000 Mac worthless. All they could say was,
"I wouldn’t have an information about future releases I’m afraid. We actually find out about new products at the same time as everyone else", "So it’s possible that there may be updates but we will just have to wait and see what is announced at the WWDC event."
Wonder if it is worth speaking to customer services.
"I wouldn’t have an information about future releases I’m afraid. We actually find out about new products at the same time as everyone else", "So it’s possible that there may be updates but we will just have to wait and see what is announced at the WWDC event."
Wonder if it is worth speaking to customer services.
I guess it depends on what you bought your laptop to do? If you bought it purely to browse the web, run video calls and basic spreadsheet/word processing apps then an ARM Macbook might be better suited to your use case.
If you bought the Macbook Pro for tasks like video editing, photo editing, music creation, software development/coding, etc then an x86 Macbook Pro is likely to be the best machine for those tasks for at least the next 3-5 years.
I was going to say the same. Having been an early adopter a couple of times with Apple has made me more hesitant to do the same again. Apple always seem to run into issues with first generation of anything, and unless you absolutely need the product here and now, the wise option is always to wait a bit for the initial bumps to have been ironed out.
That said, I don’t think anyone is really expecting to see ARM macbooks until 2021 anyway.
I needed an upgrade as my Surface Pro 4 was giving up, I waited patiently for the release of the new Macbook Pro 13in and ordered it on the day of release, May 4th. Saved up the money to get the one I wanted. Not all this talk of an ARM Macbook maybe a pro has left me feeling have I done the right thing. What life span does my new Macbook have?
There is always going to be a newer, faster, better machine being announced. Just get what you need when you need it.
As for ARM vs. Intel, I'm personally of the mind that getting intel now and NOT being on the bleeding edge makes too much sense. I lived through the last platform change and I can easily say you really don't want to be on the bleeding edge
As for ARM vs. Intel, I'm personally of the mind that getting intel now and NOT being on the bleeding edge makes too much sense. I lived through the last platform change and I can easily say you really don't want to be on the bleeding edge
iMac G5 Rev C came out 4-5 months before the first intel iMac was released, so it wouldn’t be the first time for Apple.