I was so hoping the new 16” would be accounted at WWDC but oh well. I’m wondering if I should upgrade now to the current 16”. I’d be upgrading from at 2014 MBP. All I really use it for is work stuff, Microsoft Apps, Browsing, and email. I can’t remember the last time I ran video and encoded it, but its been years. So - just upgrade to the current 16 or wait. ?
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Wait for the new 16” or buy now?
- Thread starter n198ua
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I would wait
The intel to Apple chip transition is not a small change, its significant enough to make it worth while waiting until you need a new laptop right now.
The intel to Apple chip transition is not a small change, its significant enough to make it worth while waiting until you need a new laptop right now.
Why do you need a 16"? From your usage it sounds like a MacBook Air would suffice. At any rate, there is very little reason to buy a 16" model now. Once the ARM models will come out (and I don't think it will take too long at this point), the value of the Intel 16" will drop hard.
- Personally I like the bigger screen. Ofc a smaller Laptop would do the Job, but I can understand his decision.
I would actually wait. Imo the current MBPs 16" with Intel have to much thermal problems + for ur describes usage, the better Battery management and the M1 Chip would make the experience much better.
I'd wait OP if you can. There is no doubt going to be some type of update this year and it should be within the next few months (we all hope).
General advice in any computer buying decision:
If you're asking if you should wait for an upcoming model, that suggests you don't really need to do anything right now and can wait. Just don't get in the trap of always waiting for some rumored next new thing. Also don't let impatience push you into buying something that doesn't fit your needs.
If you're asking if you should wait for an upcoming model, that suggests you don't really need to do anything right now and can wait. Just don't get in the trap of always waiting for some rumored next new thing. Also don't let impatience push you into buying something that doesn't fit your needs.
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Unless you have a use case that specifically requires an intel processor, I would not buy an Intel Mac at this time.
If you require a 16" laptop, wait for the update. If you do not require a 16" laptop, don't buy the 16" Intel Pro, but rather either of the M1 offerings.
Age old advice is buy what you need, when you need it. Don't wait for whatever's on the horizon because then you'll always be waiting. If the M1 16" Pro is 6-9 months away, that's 6-9 months you could be using an M1 Air with significantly better performance than your 2014 machine.
There is an additional benefit that I guarantee the M1 Air will be substantially cheaper than the 16" M1 Pro. And it already performs near-or-above the 16" Intel MBP.
If you require a 16" laptop, wait for the update. If you do not require a 16" laptop, don't buy the 16" Intel Pro, but rather either of the M1 offerings.
Age old advice is buy what you need, when you need it. Don't wait for whatever's on the horizon because then you'll always be waiting. If the M1 16" Pro is 6-9 months away, that's 6-9 months you could be using an M1 Air with significantly better performance than your 2014 machine.
There is an additional benefit that I guarantee the M1 Air will be substantially cheaper than the 16" M1 Pro. And it already performs near-or-above the 16" Intel MBP.
I was in the same dilemma a couple of days ago. I really needed a computer, and it needed to be a Mac.
I ended up buying a second-hand 2019 16" base MBP for half the MSRP. It has 26 months left on AppleCare and 99 battery cycles. You could consider something like that, as you can always sell it (for pretty much the same price you bought it for) when the new ones come out if you want to.
I ended up buying a second-hand 2019 16" base MBP for half the MSRP. It has 26 months left on AppleCare and 99 battery cycles. You could consider something like that, as you can always sell it (for pretty much the same price you bought it for) when the new ones come out if you want to.
I was in the same boat. I was hell-bent on skipping the touch-bar gen entirely and had a 2015 rMBP to ride it out with but I caved and bought an 8-core, 16GB / 1TB MacBook Air for now.
I'm definitely waiting on upgrading my MacBook Pros. I have 2014 and 2015 and have been waiting for a worthy replacement for a long time.
Upgrade to the current, is your best option. Nobody knows when the next ones will come out.
Not really true. We know they’re coming. Only question is if it will be July or October. Waiting three months is nothing if it means not spending $3,000 on outdated architecture. Apple silicon is the future. (Hell, Apple silicon is the present, what with Monterey requiring Apple silicon for many features.)
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Honestly Apple should finally offer a 15 (or even 16") version of the Air. Many people don't need the weight/size/power/graphics etc etc of the Pro, but just want a bigger screen for their Excel sheets or web browsing or photo editing work or to watch videos. None of that needs the power of the 16" MBP
I have the mid-2014 15" rMBP and I'm thinking of getting the new Apple Silicon 16" if it really amazes me and the feedback on it from real users is good or probably waiting for compromises and issues in the first gen to get sorted in the 2nd or 3rd gen. The 2014 can run Big Sur which will still get security updates for a little over 2 years from now, so it's not like there is a rush to have to get a new MBP straight away.
Silicon as you put it will also quickly become outdated…just wait a few years and see
A 2021/2022 Apple Silicon is far more likely to still be able to run the latest version of Mac OS come late 2024 than the currently shipping latest 16" Intel rMBP. Whilst it will become outdated unless your use case needs Intel, the AS will likely be a better machine to have if your the kind of person who buys a Mac and keeps it for as long as you can before getting a new one, rather than someone who gets a new one every few years.
To each his own…I don’t agree with you at all. The OP by his own admission doesn’t require “silicon“ architecture.
I hope I'm wrong and I will probably buy more Intel Macs personally because of some legacy software and that Intel Macs can run x64 Windows. However we've already seen a number of Intel Macs dropped with Monterey and already a number of new features are being restricted to Apple Silicon Macs. PowerPC was dropped quickly by Apple when they transitioned to Intel so if past history is any guide Apple swiftly moving to only providing security updates for Intel Macs is not out of the question.
If you are buying to hold a machine for 7 years you need to consider not only what will meet your needs today but which will appear to be better for you in say 5 years time.
All I can say is I’m good with latest mbp 16 for quite the while. Does everything I need. Can boot windows. Runs parallels. Egpu. Don’t care about apple silicon for mother 3-5 years. If apple had released one at wwdc I couldn’t buy because lack of software and compatibility.
My prediction has been that the dazzling pro-level Mac event will come in October, introducing the higher-end MacBook Pro, iMac ("Pro"?), and Mac Pro or higher-end Mac mini.
The current 16" MacBook Pro will probably last you for years, and it might not be a big deal if you only use it for what you mentioned. The case for waiting: the performance will undoubtedly be better, the overall future-proof-ness will be even higher, and there are already smaller macOS features which are only making it to Apple Silicon Macs because of their integrated custom processors (e.g. Portrait Mode in FaceTime calls).
The current 16" MacBook Pro will probably last you for years, and it might not be a big deal if you only use it for what you mentioned. The case for waiting: the performance will undoubtedly be better, the overall future-proof-ness will be even higher, and there are already smaller macOS features which are only making it to Apple Silicon Macs because of their integrated custom processors (e.g. Portrait Mode in FaceTime calls).
Meaningless features. Heck I’m still on Catalina for my mbp. And Mohave for iMac. Updating macOS is asking for stuff to not work. I only update macOS (besides the minor updates). if I have to or with a new mac.
Have a m1 mini to screw around with latest macOS versions. It’s more for the kids tho.
The features may not be significant features this year, but next year or the year after they may be much more important ones.