Save $400 on 14” MBP M1 Pro, or wait for M2 and pay more?

[tjktony]

Paid $1599 USD for a base model 2021 14” MBP M1 Pro 8-Core CPU/14-Core GPU, 16GB RAM/512GB SSD. Have until 10/16/22 to pick it up, then the return period to make the final decision on whether to keep it or return it.

My quandary: it looks like the M2 version should be coming out soon, but it will certainly cost at least $1999, if not more. Will it be worth the extra cost for a newer model? I can afford it, but don’t need to spend more than is necessary either.

This configuration of the 2021 will do far more than I need it to, so the expected performance increase of the upcoming M2 is not really needed, but I’m wondering if, in the long run, it will “last” longer due to more OS upgrades and security updates.

Another consideration is the OS. The 2021 runs Monterey, which I haven’t used, but have read a lot about, a lot of it not good. But if I hold out for the newer M2, it will be a brand-new Ventura, fresh out of Beta. Being new, will that be worse than a “mature” Monterey? (I don’t need any of the new features of either OS, to me they’re more of an invitation for bugs; I’d rather Apple worked on stability instead for a while, but that’s just an aside to the issues at hand.)

And just to clarify, not interested in a MBA or 13” MBP or 16” MBP, and 16/512 is all I need, so no comments needed on those fronts.

Thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

M2 isn’t anything special, take the money

 

[pmiles]

As far as silicon Macs go, until the first silicon-only OS is released, you haven't actually made the final transition. Keep that in mind. You are still in the transition period even though the M2 chip is out.

Reality is, yesterday's technology is just fine to do yesterday's tasks.

The M2 will receive more updates down the road because it is newer than the M1 chipset. Just like a 2015 laptop has a longer lifespan than a 2012 one does... EOL is based on model year, so the older that is, the quicker it will reach EOL.

I would suspect that the OS following Ventura will not support INTEL based Macs. It's the machines that are released at that timeframe that are post-transition period Macs.

 

[tstafford]

I have a base MBP14 and will skip this round for sure. And would happily buy one today at $400 off. No way the M2 Pro is compelling enough to spend a dime more. Unless there is a specific task that the M1P MBP14 can't do for you, stick with it.

In fact I doubled down on the M1 and just bought a Studio as well. M1 Pro and Max are tremendous chips and I love my machines.

 

[Fishrrman]

"it looks like the M2 version should be coming out soon, but it will certainly cost at least $1999, if not more. Will it be worth the extra cost for a newer model? I can afford it, but don’t need to spend more than is necessary either."

No one here can answer that for you.
YOU have to decide for YOURSELF.
It's that simple.

Having said that, sometimes getting "one generation back" for a significant discount makes the purchase "more worth it".

Again, ONLY YOU can decide if it would be "worth it" in your case.