What will be your first ARM MAC?

[Boil]

Under normal circumstances, I had scheduled the replacement of my current 15' mbp late 2013 model, with a new 16' mbp model, 2nd generation with intel, for 2021.

But now that apple silicon transition is announced, I will not go for an intel machine any more.
So, I will go for an apple silicon model.

The problem and my worry is, that in 2021, the new 16' mbp model with apple silicon, will be the 1st generation of its kind, and I don't want to buy a machine on it's 1st generation.
I am totally sure that it will have some kind of issues, I think it is expected to do so, regardless of the efforts of apple to show something flawless. It is inevitable.

So, I am thinking that this possibly means, that I will have to wait until 2022, for a 2nd generation of 16' mbp with apple silicon, giving the fact that apple makes a model refresh only once a year.
I have no problems with my current mbp, but for several reasons I should go for something newer.
As I am thinking of it, in 2021, I will not have the option to go for my new machine.
I would hope that the situation was different and more convenient...

Reviews are a thing, first gen is not always a guarantee of a buggy product. Apple has been working on all of this for quite some time (like, the past decade) so I am sure they have a solid chance at releasing a fully functional non-buggy first gen Apple silicon Mac product..!

A 32" 6K iMac would be interesting, though I will dislike having windows re-size when I move them to my second screen (since I have no intention of buying a Pro Display XDR as my second display).

I'm hoping for 27" at 5K since that will mimic what I have now and my second display (an ASUS 27" QHD gaming monitor) works perfectly with it.

Sorry bro, the 27" iMac (Pro) will have its bezels pushed out to allow for a 30" screen in the same overall chassis size as the outgoing 27" model(s)...

 

[theorist9]

I suspect it will be this:

 

[Hoby]

I’ve been wanting Apple to make a laptop with a touchscreen. That would be my first choice for an ARM Mac.

I think the hardware choices made in the Samsung Chromebook Pro and the Lenovo Yoga laptops have been pretty impressive. Their only flaws are being stuck with those operating systems.

 

[nquinn]

I don't understand people that want touchscreen laptops. How uncomfortable would it be constantly holding your arm up like that?

 

[pldelisle]

I don't understand people that want touchscreen laptops. How uncomfortable would it be constantly holding your arm up like that?

And having a dirty, oiled screen... I wash my iPad Pro once a day because it annoys me to read on a dirty screen. I take the pencil even more...

 

[dmccloud]

I don't understand people that want touchscreen laptops. How uncomfortable would it be constantly holding your arm up like that?

If you're using a 2-in-1 laptop, you don't have to hold it at all to use the touchscreen. You can set it on a table or even use it in tent mode, which basically makes the laptop its own stand. That being said, neither my Mac nor my MSI laptop are touchscreens, because I have no need for touch on either MacOS or Windows. I have my iPad and iPhone for that.

 

[NewUsername]

If you're using a 2-in-1 laptop, you don't have to hold it at all to use the touchscreen. You can set it on a table or even use it in tent mode, which basically makes the laptop its own stand. That being said, neither my Mac nor my MSI laptop are touchscreens, because I have no need for touch on either MacOS or Windows. I have my iPad and iPhone for that.

I think that's the problem. Give the 12" MacBook a touchscreen and a hinged screen like the Lenovo Yoga, so you can turn it into an iPad anytime you want. That would be absolutely amazing, but... no one would buy an iPad anymore.

 

[thenewperson]

I

I think that's the problem. Give the 12" MacBook a touchscreen and a hinged screen like the Lenovo Yoga, so you can turn it into an iPad anytime you want. That would be absolutely amazing, but... no one would buy an iPad anymore.

I doubt. All I see is people crying about the lack of touch-optimised software and using it like a regular Mac anyway.

 

[Laurent François]

To answer the original question : none.
I will follow the news, as I'm interested in technology, but I won't buy one.
The iMac that died last month was my last Apple computer.

Unless I'm delusional or paranoid (or both), I think I have a rather clear idea about where Apple is heading, and I won't follow them there.
Let's be realistic : it's a question of time before the app store becomes the one and only place where we can find and install software.

A tight GateKeeper was a first try, and it backfired.
But this idea is still in the back of their minds, let's not fool each others here.
After all, trapping users in the ecosystem is in the company's very DNA.

With the sort of fusion between Mac Os and IOS, it's a question of time before Apple ask/force developers to create software that will run on both (how this will translate for apps and games that require touchscreen remains to be seen).

It's also a question of time before new updates and support to Intel-based machine stops.
Rosetta will stop too.
Once we'll reach that point it will be App store or nothing.

And, to be honest, it's not something I'm 100% against per se ... if Apple didn't have all these crazy requirements, or even refuse some apps altogether. Anyone into retrogaming / emulation knows what I mean.

I could be accused of being a relic who doesn't want to adapt to a new paradigm, or to show a great deal of hypocrisy here. Fair enough.
It's true that, after all, I've owned / still own game consoles with very strict publishing rules (looking at you, Nintendo), or that the Amstrad CPC, Atari ST and Amiga 500 I grew up with were also closed ecosystems.

But I quite enjoy the freedom to install whatever I want on my computers, from whatever source I want, and a Windows + Linux dual OS PC is probably what's best for me (OK, and the Chromebook I use to type this very message, but that was a gift ).

The ARM Macs are certainly going to be good machines.
But if I have to end up with just one computer as my go-to machine, I don't want to be at the mercy of Apple and let our friends in Cuppertino decide what software I'm allowed to install and use.

Sorry for the late night rant.

 

[kp98077]

What is an “ARM” mac?

 

[Jorbanead]

It will probably be a Mini, or possibly a ~30" iMac.

Same here. I’ll probably stick with the mini because I already have one, and I love my current setup and monitors. So I don’t have a need for the iMac, but I do need performance too. I hope they continue to beef up the mini with high core counts and MUCH better graphics. I love my 2018 i7 mini but I need an eGPU for any serious video editing.

 

[thenewperson]

it's a question of time before the app store becomes the one and only place where we can find and install software

Possibly, but it's been almost ten years since the Lion preview that began this prediction and it's pretty annoying at this point to have so many Cassandras. Besides, I really don't think they'd have gone through the effort of making Notarisation a thing if they were just going to ignore it and go App Store-only. But maybe I'm just naive.

 

[cosmolv]

For sure Apple silicon macBook pro 16" to change my current 2012 MBP pro retina. And MacPro on apple silicon to change my current 5.1 mac. Let's see any news and bench marks, real life tests.

 

[OldCorpse]

I thought my first AS Mac would be a 27" iMac, because my current 27" is a late 2009 that taps out at High Sierra and soon will no longer be supported in any way (November), which means I may need to wait until fall of 2021.

But then all sorts of things happened - my wife's Windows PC collapsed and she's in the market for a new one. She's not an Apple fan and much prefers the control you get with Windows. But she's had no luck with PC hardware - all her laptops, including expensive HP laptops that work gave her have developed all kinds of problems. She's sick of it. So sick of it, that she's even contemplating coming on over to the enemy - Apple. So since I'm on the Apple train (iPhone, iMac, iPad - and in the past many Apple laptops), she asked me to get her something that's LIGHT and reliable. She needs something pretty soon because she'll be teaching classes as a side gig and it's all remote.

Oh what a terrible dilemma. How can I in good conscience get her an Intel Apple?? Terrible. I want to get her a macbook Air, but it's at the end of its useful lifespan as a product and I sense that the Air of all things is probably going to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of AS - talk about LIGHT AND CAPABLE!!! Except who knows when that may come out...

Meanwhile, while I really like my 2019 iPad Air3, unfortunately the iPadOS apps are a garbage fire - at least the ones I use. Specifically, and I cannot believe it myself, such as simple thing as word processing. I need both a screenplay writing software Final Draft and long form novel writing software. Both of these are VASTLY AND INCOMPARABLY superior on MacOS. Final Draft on iPad (Final Draft Mobile) is simply SH|T. I struggle with it daily. I am ready to throw in the towel. But I love the form factor of the iPad and the lightness of it. So in the end, I think I'm forced to like it or not get a Macbook Air just for MacOS. Now if only they made an iPad with MacOS, I'd RUN to give them my money! But I know they never will, sadly. My only hope is that one day the iPadOS apps will catch up with MacOS app quality... probably a vain hope.

Meanwhile, much as I like my iPad Air 3, I'm watching a lot of youtube and movie content and I kinda miss not having 4 speakers like an iPad Pro ... so I am thinking of getting an 11" iPP - as soon as they come out with a new one... I don't like getting old tech and I feel like the iPP has not been *really* updated for a couple of years now. So whatever the new upcoming iPP 11" is, I'm thinking of getting it.

To sum it up, I want to get the AS 27" iMac, but I'll probably get the first AS Macbook Air for my wife and the next AS Macbook Air for myself and then the next 11" iPP for myself...

Apple better get on with the AS transition - there's a lot of pent up buying out there, judging just by myself ..

 

[theorist9]

I thought my first AS Mac would be a 27" iMac, because my current 27" is a late 2009 that taps out at High Sierra and soon will no longer be supported in any way (November), which means I may need to wait until fall of 2021.

But then all sorts of things happened - my wife's Windows PC collapsed and she's in the market for a new one. She's not an Apple fan and much prefers the control you get with Windows. But she's had no luck with PC hardware - all her laptops, including expensive HP laptops that work gave her have developed all kinds of problems. She's sick of it. So sick of it, that she's even contemplating coming on over to the enemy - Apple. So since I'm on the Apple train (iPhone, iMac, iPad - and in the past many Apple laptops), she asked me to get her something that's LIGHT and reliable. She needs something pretty soon because she'll be teaching classes as a side gig and it's all remote.

Oh what a terrible dilemma. How can I in good conscience get her an Intel Apple?? Terrible. I want to get her a macbook Air, but it's at the end of its useful lifespan as a product and I sense that the Air of all things is probably going to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of AS - talk about LIGHT AND CAPABLE!!! Except who knows when that may come out...

Meanwhile, while I really like my 2019 iPad Air3, unfortunately the iPadOS apps are a garbage fire - at least the ones I use. Specifically, and I cannot believe it myself, such as simple thing as word processing. I need both a screenplay writing software Final Draft and long form novel writing software. Both of these are VASTLY AND INCOMPARABLY superior on MacOS. Final Draft on iPad (Final Draft Mobile) is simply SH|T. I struggle with it daily. I am ready to throw in the towel. But I love the form factor of the iPad and the lightness of it. So in the end, I think I'm forced to like it or not get a Macbook Air just for MacOS. Now if only they made an iPad with MacOS, I'd RUN to give them my money! But I know they never will, sadly. My only hope is that one day the iPadOS apps will catch up with MacOS app quality... probably a vain hope.

Meanwhile, much as I like my iPad Air 3, I'm watching a lot of youtube and movie content and I kinda miss not having 4 speakers like an iPad Pro ... so I am thinking of getting an 11" iPP - as soon as they come out with a new one... I don't like getting old tech and I feel like the iPP has not been *really* updated for a couple of years now. So whatever the new upcoming iPP 11" is, I'm thinking of getting it.

To sum it up, I want to get the AS 27" iMac, but I'll probably get the first AS Macbook Air for my wife and the next AS Macbook Air for myself and then the next 11" iPP for myself...

Apple better get on with the AS transition - there's a lot of pent up buying out there, judging just by myself ..

If your wife wants to stick with Windows, and her issue is reliability, she has a couple of options. According to Consumer Reports' most recent survey of laptop reliability, Apple is indeed no. 1, but just behind is LG and then Samsung (some of Samsung's are reliable, some not). By contrast, and consistent with her experience, Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, and Dell don't fare so well. So she could go for an LG. [And, of course, if you do go with Apple, especially for laptops, I've found Applecare is essential, since laptops are inherently more trouble-prone than desktops.]

Alternately, she could get an Intel Mac and use Windows with Bootcamp. You'll just want to make sure the current version of Bootcamp offers the latest drivers (this is dependent on Apple, not on Microsoft). I remember using Bootcamp a while ago, and the SSD was much slower in Windows than in Mac, because the Mac side had an AHCI SATA interface for the SSD, but the Bootcamp side only had an older type of SATA interface.

 

[honestone33]

Tough one for me, as I just recently got my late 2018 Mac Mini, and have had my mid 2017 Mc Book Air for about 2 1/2 years. They are working flawlessly.

I guess it would be the Mac Mini, as that is my primary machine that I use. I just hope that 1) I can sell the late 2018 Mini at that time, and 2) I can get a decent price for it.

 

[zedsdead]

In terms of want:

- iMac 27 or 32 whatever it becomes
- 14" MacBook Pro redesign

However, I will see what they release this fall. I am very tired of my battery draining, heat box that is the 13" MacBook Pro. Even without a redesign, I might bite this fall. Very excited.

 

[theorist9]

With WFH, and the need for multiple monitors plus Zoom, I'm sorely feeling the need for more computing power. For instance, I bought a Huion tablet for my lectures. When I use the tablet to draw a horizontal axis in Word or PowerPoint locally on my (then top-of-line) mid-2014 MBP, there's no lag. But when I try to do the same while screen sharing in Zoom, the line doesn't finish drawing until 20 seconds (!) after I finish drawing it on the tablet, making it unusable.

Given this, if I'm still doing WFH in a year or two, and given that I'd also like a large retina monitor, I'm thinking my next AS purchase will be a maximum size (hopefully 32", 6k) iMac. Maybe an MBP would give me the computing power, but I'd need to pay separately for the screen.

 

[OldCorpse]

If your wife wants to stick with Windows, and her issue is reliability, she has a couple of options. According to Consumer Reports' most recent survey of laptop reliability, Apple is indeed no. 1, but just behind is LG and then Samsung (some of Samsung's are reliable, some not). By contrast, and consistent with her experience, Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, and Dell don't fare so well. So she could go for an LG. [And, of course, if you do go with Apple, especially for laptops, I've found Applecare is essential, since laptops are inherently more trouble-prone than desktops.]

Alternately, she could get an Intel Mac and use Windows with Bootcamp. You'll just want to make sure the current version of Bootcamp offers the latest drivers (this is dependent on Apple, not on Microsoft). I remember using Bootcamp a while ago, and the SSD was much slower in Windows than in Mac, because the Mac side had an AHCI driver for the SSD, but the Bootcamp side only had a SATA driver.

Heey, total brainfart, but I forgot about Bootcamp! You really have something there - get her a Macbook Air and Windows Bootcamp! Genius! I don't know how long Apple will support their 2020 Macbook Air's but I figure if I buy AppleCare, it should take me to 3 years or so at the very least Thanks for the suggestion, theorist9!

 

[theorist9]

Heey, total brainfart, but I forgot about Bootcamp! You really have something there - get her a Macbook Air and Windows Bootcamp! Genius! I don't know how long Apple will support their 2020 Macbook Air's but I figure if I buy AppleCare, it should take me to 3 years or so at the very least Thanks for the suggestion, theorist9!

Happy to help. If she needs both light and capable, have you considered a 13" MBP instead? I assume it's significantly more powerful than the MBA, and the difference in weight is only 0.3 lbs: 2.8 lbs for the Air, and 3.1 lbs for the 13" MBP. The length and width are about the same, but the Air of course has that nice taper in front.

MacBook Pro 13 2020 in Review: Apple's subnotebook only gets the mandatory update

Notebookcheck reviews the new 2020 Apple MacBook Pro 13 w/ 4x Thunderbolt 3. Except for the new keyboard, however, the update is pretty boring.

www.notebookcheck.net

Apple MacBook Air 2020 Core i5 Review – The best MacBook you can get? – No

Notebookcheck reviews the new Apple MacBook Air with the quad-core i5 CPU. The keyboard has been improved, but the performance is still the Achilles heel of the laptop.

www.notebookcheck.net

Though if she does get the Air, and uses it for Windows:

The Apple MacBook Air 2020 is 30% brighter when you use Windows

During our tests with the new 2020 Apple MacBook Air, we noticed that the display is around 30% brighter when you use Windows. But how is that possible?

www.notebookcheck.net

 

[OldCorpse]

Love it, theorist9! I’ll look at the MBP too.

 

[nquinn]

Heey, total brainfart, but I forgot about Bootcamp! You really have something there - get her a Macbook Air and Windows Bootcamp! Genius! I don't know how long Apple will support their 2020 Macbook Air's but I figure if I buy AppleCare, it should take me to 3 years or so at the very least Thanks for the suggestion, theorist9!

Just a note that the macbook touchpad works horribly with Bootcamp. If you go this route she'll definitely need to use a mouse.

 

[kazmac]

Same here. I’ll probably stick with the mini because I already have one, and I love my current setup and monitors. So I don’t have a need for the iMac, but I do need performance too. I hope they continue to beef up the mini with high core counts and MUCH better graphics. I love my 2018 i7 mini but I need an eGPU for any serious video editing.

I’d happily and finally buy a Mac Mini if they bump up the graphics on the AS version. I’ve wanted one for years, but cannot see myself dealing with an eGPU too.

While I’ve said I may get the smaller iMac first, I might try the first laptop that can run Affinity software and FCPX native and wait for the second revision of the smaller iMac or the AS Mac Mini.

Really want a new Mac, but am hesitant to buy current Intel models.

 

[jazz1]

I’d happily and finally buy a Mac Mini if they bump up the graphics on the AS version. I’ve wanted one for years, but cannot see myself dealing with an eGPU too.

While I’ve said I may get the smaller iMac first, I might try the first laptop that can run Affinity software and FCPX native and wait for the second revision of the smaller iMac or the AS Mac Mini.

Really want a new Mac, but am hesitant to buy current Intel models.

I know all we have is rumors on when the ARM devices will be out. Then there is a worry on a constrained supply.

I’m in for either a new ARM laptop or Mac-Mini. It is going to be hard to resist any Apple ARM device the comes out first

It will be very interesting to see the first reviews that pit the Intel vs. ARM Apple computers in similar forms. A wise person would wait. Then again I purchased the first Mac, an XL, and a Newton

 

[MrGunnyPT]

I'm very excited about a possible 12" or a Air.

Definitely looking forward for something less or around 1kg to carry around when I go to coffees and the beach and I want to do some sort of home office.