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Poll: Could your next Mac be your last?

Could your next Mac be your last?

  • Yes

    Votes: 43 29.5%

  • No

    Votes: 65 44.5%

  • Hard to say

    Votes: 38 26.0%
  • Total voters
    146
WebHead

WebHead

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 29, 2004
473
105
With people keeping their Macs 5-10 years, iPads getting more powerful and the possibility of macOS and iOS devices merging, is it possible your next Mac will be your last (at least the Mac as we know it)?

Personally, I now mainly use my Mac to collect and curate content for my iOS and tvOS devices, so yes, my iMac 2019 could conceivably be my last.
 
I purchased my last new Mac a while ago. I have picked up some older used machines, but it is extremely unlikely I will ever purchase a Mac from Apple ever again.
 
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By "merging" I mean the iPad is increasingly becoming a laptop replacement and macOS and iOS will soon run many of the same apps. So they may not literally merge, but they will definitely overlap to a large extent, especially for the majority non-pro users.
 
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As of today, I have moved off the mac platform I still have an old 2012 MBP and a 2015 iMac. Those machines are only used by my kids and so I feel I can effectively say I'm out of the mac ecosystem.

There are things that I miss by leaving macOS, but I've also gained other efficiencies and advantages. I chose to move on from the 2018 MBP and I'm generally happy with the move. The thinkpad that I bought is superior in nearly every way to the 2018 MBP (comparing similar model years), and less expensive by a significant amount The keyboard failure of the 2018 MBPs was the final straw that broke the camel's back for me.

Seeing the direction Apple is moving in, I felt it was time to find another compute. They're pricing the Macs insanely high and for my needs, budget and wants, it makes little sense to spend 4,600 for a laptop when I can buy a similarly configured Thinkpad for 2200. Apple charging 1,000 for a monitor stand is emblematic of the situation and direction Apple is going. Apple has virtually priced me out of the market and while I don't think they're doomed, they've probably lost a customer - at least for macs.

I'm not willing to close the door completely, the recent rumors of a 16" laptop and dropping the butterfly keyboard has generated within me a level of temptation but given the issues with the 2016 model year and the new designed embraced, I'd be gun shy at getting the first gen 16" model - even if I was willing to pay what I can only imagine is an insanely high price tag.
 
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I'm 63 and expect to live another couple of decades at least (God willing), and I expect Macs to continue to get more powerful and efficient, but I will still want to keep my media that might get replaced by bigger and better, so while I will get new, I will likely have to keep old. But then I've been getting Macs since the early 90's, despite my experience in the Windows environment from the early 80's, so why stop now?
 
Not a chance. Macs are vastly superior to anything else on the market.
 
maflynn said:
As of today, I have moved off the mac platform I still have an old 2012 MBP and a 2015 iMac. Those machines are only used by my kids and so I feel I can effectively say I'm out of the mac ecosystem.

There are things that I miss by leaving macOS, but I've also gained other efficiencies and advantages. I chose to move on from the 2018 MBP and I'm generally happy with the move. The thinkpad that I bought is superior in nearly every way to the 2018 MBP (comparing similar model years), and less expensive by a significant amount The keyboard failure of the 2018 MBPs was the final straw that broke the camel's back for me.

Seeing the direction Apple is moving in, I felt it was time to find another compute. They're pricing the Macs insanely high and for my needs, budget and wants, it makes little sense to spend 4,600 for a laptop when I can buy a similarly configured Thinkpad for 2200. Apple charging 1,000 for a monitor stand is emblematic of the situation and direction Apple is going. Apple has virtually priced me out of the market and while I don't think they're doomed, they've probably lost a customer - at least for macs.

I'm not willing to close the door completely, the recent rumors of a 16" laptop and dropping the butterfly keyboard has generated within me a level of temptation but given the issues with the 2016 model year and the new designed embraced, I'd be gun shy at getting the first gen 16" model - even if I was willing to pay what I can only imagine is an insanely high price tag.
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I echo your thoughts.

After seeing the $999 stand I decided to start moving away from Apple products. I bought the 2018 MacBook Air last year and I like it and will probably keep it for a while. But I have no plans on buying any more Mac's.

I sold my iPhone XR and bought a Google Pixel 3a for $399 and switched from AT&T to Google Fi for $20 per month unlimited text/talk and $10 per GB of data and I have been very happy with this choice, especially since I'm almost always on WiFi. This last month I used 600MB of data on cellular.

I re-formatted my 2014 Mac mini wiping macOS from it and installed Linux on it. I've been using Linux at work for more than a year as my daily work machine.

I think Apple makes terrific products, but I'm done paying the Apple tax and am moving into the FOSS world of Linux and maybe even BSD. My next laptop will be a non-Apple laptop and will load Linux on it from the first boot up.
 
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Very unlikely. I just bought a Macbook Pro 2018 back in September. I just don't find any of the alternatives appealing nor I want to switch anyway. Windows 10 is still an unpleasant experience with its numerous shortcomings, forced updates, privacy concerns, taking user control away (e.g. some Group Policy settings removed unless you upgrade to Enterprise edition), and inconsistent user interface. Also, Linux is not really suitable since it's missing a lot of the proprietary apps I use (Office, Photoshop, etc) and the open source alternatives are inferior. Linux is good for server use, but poor for general desktop use for my needs.

Price is not an issue since I tend to hold on to my devices for several years (5 years minimum) until they don't receive updates anymore.
 
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I don't expect to see a 27" iPad anytime soon (imagine carrying one of those around!), so no, my current 27" iMacs are not likely to be my last. The ergonomics of looking downward at a small display with either a smaller desktop and/or smaller text/screen element sizes all day long just doesn't work for me. Literally a pain in my neck and shoulders, not to mention my eyes. Once you've gone 27" there's no going back!

For portable computing I made the move many years ago... soon after I purchased a first-generation iPad.

But if I was content working on a (maximum) 15" or 16" display, the question might have a different answer.

I can appreciate the platform-agnostics for whom price can be a significant deciding factor. However, I haven't been expert in the intricacies of Windows for several decades. I don't see the point of investing who-knows-how-many hours in reacquiring that level of knowledge, or tossing the investment I've made in the intricacies of macOS. One reason old dogs don't learn new tricks is that a handful of doggie treats is no longer a sufficient incentive (ah, to be young and over-eager again!). Plus, despite iCloud for Windows, iOS doesn't play well with Windows or Linux. So yo ho, yo ho, the ecosystem for me!
 
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I *used* to love Apple, and have been a fan/user of their products since 2001. However, they've slowly pushed me away over the years- via the Apple tax, planned obsolescence, and some sketchy designs (ie. trash can Mac, and Yosemite macOS). My last iPhone was the 4S, and I've been using Android since then. My previous iMac (2010 model) was probably my last Mac. I sold it last year and built a hack. I sill love macOS and consider it the best OS available. Though, with Catalina removing 32-bit app support, I'll stay with Mojave for some time to come (as it works fine for my needs). It's difficult to predict the future, but whenever Mojave is obsolete, I may jump ship to Linux. Windows is not an option.
 
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Everything is subjective including this comment. 66 years old and have been faithful Apple since first Powerbook 12 inch with G4 chip and Tiger. For me, the "Value versus Costs" is now a major factor in any new Apple produce purchases. Last New purchase was iMac late 2012. Since gone the Apple Refurbished route. Even that has become over priced when compared to New Laptops out of Apple Eco System. Bought refurb 12 inch Retina Macbook 2016 with 512 SSD / 8 GB RAM that costs twice the price of New Mid Tier Windows laptop ( no Toggles required for my needs )
So, Value versus Costs will decide all purchases - maybe not Apple in the Near or Lon Term for me
 
my MBP was the worst.
I am not satisfied with all the lies and stealth Apple Inc is pulling off.

windows or linux all have issues too but they cost much less, lower personal hassle, last longer.
 
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jeyf said:
windows or linux all have issues too but they cost much less, lower personal hassle, last longer.
Click to expand...
I found that with macOS, I really didn't need a whole suite of utilities and apps, Apple had done a great job with the OS to provide a seamless and integrated UX.

With Windows, I have a handful of utilities that extend the power and flexibility with windows, and unlike macOS, I have so many options to customize, or tweak the system. The interface is quite inconsistent and MS can't decide if they want to stick with UWP or win32, the pendulum has swung back to win32.

Regarding Linux, its come a long way since I last used it, and I barely have to do much to get it boot up and run, in years past I was editing conf files in the terminal. Even the upgrades are a heck of a lot seamless. The one thing that stopped me dead in my tracks with linux is apps. What I need does not exist on Linux and while there is a healthy population of open source apps, none fill the needs that I have.

All in all, I find windows to be better option for me, as I work, but I preferred the experience that macOS provided. I'm not interested in making my laptop a hackintosh either, I'm very happy at how I have my windows set up configured. Its fast, stable and does everything I need more so then what I could do in macOS
 
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Good question. Planning to upgrade whenever support for the 2012 Minis ends, which should be somewhere towards the end of 2020/early 2021. I bought in 2014, so that would be seven years. Seven years from 2021 is 2028, which is so far in the future that things could be totally different by then.
 
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