If I’m in the market for a laptop I would not buy an Intel Mac. Like you said, 3 generations ahead, it would be foolish. If we take what you said at face value then going from the latest Intel Mac to the M1 Mac is enough for most people to upgrade regardless (usual upgrade cycle is 3-5 generations). But I wasn’t making the argument that everyone should throw away their Intel Mac’s- only that if you can live with the limitations (as in, they don’t harm your productivity at all, many non-devs do use only one external screen if they use one at all) then it’s a no brainer and deserves the hype it gets.
Everyone here in this thread is talking about 'upgrading'. We are not talking about new users who don't have a Macbook. Both the comments I replied to previously have stated they 'upgraded' to the M1 Macbooks. I obviously said 'Given one already has a Macbook'.
> If we take what you said at face value then going from the latest Intel Mac to the M1 Mac is enough for most people to upgrade regardless
So you want to tell me that it's worth upgrading to the M1 Macbook in 2020 even when someone already has bought an Intel Macbook in the same year, telling them to waste another $1000+? Most people don't upgrade their Macs like they upgrade their iPhones so your comment about 'upgrading' absolutely makes no sense to the average user. Perhaps it makes sense to the devoted Apple fanatic in the comments above.
They already said they have 'upgraded' to the M1 Macbook and now will buy the latest M1 iMac by saying 'I'll be dumping all my money into this new gear on April 30th.' Again, most people are not Apple 'fanatics' and always listen to whatever Apple is marketing in front of their presentations. Instead they ignore the hype squad, read the disclaimers, compatibility reviews (does it run X or Y) and what will break and then buy in when it makes sense.
So, given one already has an Intel Macbook (Even if it is a 2020 version) and hasn't bought into the M1 mania, why would they want to 'upgrade now' to last year's model when they can wait for M1X or M2 this year for a newer line up? Intel is still supported for several years so there is no hurry. By the time Intel support is phased out, the M1 is ancient history and it will be an M2 or an M3 line up. So it's quite clever to be bullish on Apple Silicon in general and not be long term with M1.
Ok, but here's the rub: YOU said the M1 is three generations ahead of intel.
If I had a 3 generation old CPU I might consider upgrading, if I had a 5 generation old CPU I would certainly upgrade.
So, if you have a macbook that's >2 years old, I would upgrade, based on _your_ own words.
If you can wait for M2, sure, but by that logic you can always wait for the next big thing. You can always wait for the nVidia 40-series.
This was a multi-generational leap, and if you're considering getting a new device, this is a good time. Or you can wait for the M2, which has no specs, no known limitations, no release date, no price information and little other than imagined vague ideas that "it might remove the limitations and be faster".
I'm not even making the argument that M1's can run x86 programs as fast as Intel, but there is an argument there.
It's obviously up to the individual; but "the M2 might come" is a shit response to someone who is considering upgrading a laptop today.
> Ok, but here's the rub: YOU said the M1 is three generations ahead of intel.
Not the exact quote but if it disrupts my software or if my workflow is broken because something is incompatible, then I will stay on something that already works until the new platform is mature with all those programs being compatible. For it being 'a generational leap' is the reason why I wait for the software developers to catch up.
> If you can wait for M2, sure, but by that logic you can always wait for the next big thing. You can always wait for the nVidia 40-series.
Again, it's clear that you misunderstood the whole point. Perhaps you should re-read my actual reason and then you can see why this 'logic' is completely flawed. Just like you said it being a 'multi-generational leap', my point is that it's the first generation of another new processor architecture for macOS which is a significant change to the software ecosystem and it will take time to fully transition the ecosystem to this platform.
That is plenty of time for existing Macbook users to wait. Even especially those who upgraded to the 2020 Intel models. By then, M1 will become superseded by a new revision, M1X, M2 or whatever it is called.
> Or you can wait for the M2, which has no specs, no known limitations, no release date, no price information and little other than imagined vague ideas that "it might remove the limitations and be faster".
Actually, that is the smart thing to do for those looking for a smooth upgrade process and not to run into the hidden incompatibilities or breakages which is what happened on launch day for the M1 Macs. Maybe you already know the exact date of when Intel will become unsupported by macOS, but Apple isn't silly to outright throw in any date on either releasing M1X, M2 or deprecating Intel. There will certainly be a new revision based on Apple Silicon.
Until then, I can keep using my already working Intel Macbook and skip M1 to upgrade to a newer generation Apple Silicon Macbook with the software ecosystem 'actually' being mature.
> I'm not even making the argument that M1's can run x86 programs as fast as Intel, but there is an argument there.
Don't bother. Apple intends to support Intel macOS for years. Whenever the date that Apple will end support for Intel comes, I can keep running those fully supported Intel programs without them breaking or being 'half-supported' on M1.
Wake me up when these programs have fully transitioned AND are optimised for Apple Silicon, then I'll switch to a >M1X or and >M2 Mac. Otherwise, I'll wait.
> It's obviously up to the individual; but "the M2 might come" is a shit response to someone who is considering upgrading a laptop today.
Depends on this 'someone'. Given this is all about 'upgrading today', telling some to 'wait' is much better than telling them to upgrade to M1 now and then the software is not compatible and Apple Silicon support is still immature and it breaks on their new system. With that, you wasted their time and money.
The M1 sceptics and those who are upgrading are waiting for either WWDC or September for the second generation. Which ever comes first, they can wait and are not in a rush. Unlike the hype fanatics like yourself.
If I’m in the market for a laptop I would not buy an Intel Mac. Like you said, 3 generations ahead, it would be foolish. If we take what you said at face value then going from the latest Intel Mac to the M1 Mac is enough for most people to upgrade regardless (usual upgrade cycle is 3-5 generations). But I wasn’t making the argument that everyone should throw away their Intel Mac’s- only that if you can live with the limitations (as in, they don’t harm your productivity at all, many non-devs do use only one external screen if they use one at all) then it’s a no brainer and deserves the hype it gets.