Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
Eldest begins studying sound production in September and is in the market for a high-end laptop to support his education. He’s leaning towards a MacBook Pro ... we’re a Mac household, and he’s been composing on GarageBand since he was about 7. But is it now a serious risk, buying a powerful MacBook in the next 8 weeks? Normally I’d hope for at least 5-7 years service out of such a machine but if their range fully transitions to ARM-based chips over the next 2 years, at some point they’ll cut support for intel machines.
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I purchased a new Macbook Pro just last month with full knowledge that switch was happening. I typically replace on a 4-year cycle but here are my reasons why:
- Intel support is not going anywhere soon. They still have Macs with these chips to release and Apple supports hardware for a long time. At the very least it'll be inclusive of the three year Applecare warranty from the date of the last Intel Mac that can be purchased. They're not going to have Macs still in the Applecare window on an old OS
- I would prefer to have the last generation of the Intel Mac than the first generation of the ARM-based ones. The former is a mature and long-developed range of products. The ARM one will be the first generation with all the risks and quirks that comes with first-generation products.
- Whilst most applications are likely to be native from day one (especially Garageband) you already know your software will work on the current Mac.
- Windows! If you need to Bootcamp for virtualise Windows then that works fine on an Intel Mac.
I get the risk you are worried about. The other thing to consider we expect the first ARM-based Macs to have a nicer screen with a smaller bezel and Face ID. If they were BOTH out today then I might lean towards getting the newer one but it's a close call and i think taking into account the wait then now is a good time.
Just make sure you do get the NEW one so it has the nicer keyboard.
Also if it's for University then wait a bit because Apple always does a 'Back to School' promotion around August/September where you get free AirPods or something. Also, your son would get a UniDays account which gets you 10% off.