It's official: Apple will soon begin selling Macintosh laptops and desktops with main processors the company has designed itself, moving away from Intel chips. The future is intriguing, but the present is clear as mud.
If you need to buy a new Mac, what do you do: Get an Intel-based system now, or wait for systems with the new chips to come? When I wrote about this conundrum last week, the chip switch was just a rumor. I was hoping for enlightenment with Apple’s keynote presentation, presented virtually on Monday, but was left confused.
If you missed the news, Apple confirmed it will begin building Macs with processors it designs, similar to the chips that power iPhones and iPads. Those processors use technology from a company called Arm, and are referred to as ARM-based chips. Apple’s versions of them are more powerful, and draw less power, than some of the chips it now puts in its Intel-based Macs.
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There are several benefits to the change. Batteries could last longer, performance may improve and developers will be able to create apps that work more easily across Apple products. It will also save Apple lots of cash, because it won’t have to buy processors from Intel anymore. Whether the company will pass that savings onto its customers remains to be seen.
But there is a big downside for those who need a new Mac now.
During its presentation, Apple executives said the first Macs to use the new chips - which for now are referred to as “Apple Silicon” - will be out before the end of the year. More Macs with these ARM-based chips will be out next year, and the transition to an all-ARM lineup will be complete in 2022.
If you need to replace a Mac, will you buy an Intel-based one, or wait for Apple’s ARM-based Macs to ship?
— Dwight Silverman (@dsilverman) June 23, 2020
But Apple CEO Tim Cook also said during the presentation that there are new, Intel-based Macs that are coming soon, and that new versions of the macOS software will be available for Intel Macs “for years to come.” That means someone in market for a new machine will need to choose between Apple’s past and its future.
One of those someones is me.
As I wrote last week, I have a 2012 Mac mini that I feared would drop off the compatibility list for the new macOS. Those fears were realized. While I could keep using the mini with macOS 10.15 Catalina and subsequent bug/security updates for at least two years, I need to keep up with Apple’s operating systems as part of my job. I need to be able to use the new macOS 11 Big Sur, as it’s called, when it comes out in the fall. (And yes, Apple is finally moving on from the 10 versionafter 19 years.)
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Should I - and anyone else in the market for a new Mac now - go ahead and an Intel-based desktop now? Or when the new Intel models come out? Or wait until later, when the first Apple Silicon Macs arrive?
Here are the pros and cons for mainstream Mac users in this position:
Buy Intel now. This seems like the least-advisable option, at least if you’re not in dire need, and depending on what you need to buy. It makes sense that Apple will not soon release new versions of Macs it just introduced, like the new 13-inch MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.
Both the current designs of the Mac mini and the iMac are long in the tooth, so there’s a good chance one or both will be among the new machines coming soon, or near the end of the year.
Wait for the new Intel Macs. It’s not clear what these models will be, though I’d put money on a redesigned iMac, at least. But these will be the most tempting choice for those who want to stick with an Intel-based machine as long as they can. While Cook didn’t specify how long support would remain for Intel Macs, I suspect you’d have at least five years.
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That’s based on Apple’s previous chip transition to Intel processors from PowerPC, which began in 2005. In 2007, Apple released Leopard, the last version of the Mac operating system that supported PowerPC chips. Two years later came Snow Leopard, which would not run on PowerPC Macs at all, but included an emulator dubbed Rosetta that let PowerPC apps continue to run on Intel Macs. Apple provided security fixes for Snow Leopard until 2013. If history is a judge, Cook’s “years to come” should be a lot of years.
This is also a good choice if you have custom applications, or unusual programs that may not run well (or at all) on the upcoming ARM-based Macs and their emulation software, which will be called Rosetta 2. While Apple promises most programs will work with Rosetta 2, “most” is not “all”.
Wait for Apple Silicon Macs. If you can hold out, and if the apps you rely on are mainstream, this is probably the best course of action. This puts you in the best position going forward, particularly because Macs tend to last a long time.
But even here, if you can wait until 2021 for the next wave of ARM-based Macs, you’re likely better off. It’s always a risk to buy version 1.0 of anything. Let others live on the bleeding edge.
As for me, I’ll wait to see what the first Apple Silicon Macs look like, and go from there. Regardless, I suspect my next desktop computer won’t have Intel inside.
dwight.silverman@chron.com
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Buying a new Mac: Trapped between the past and the future - Houston Chronicle
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