There are issues, for sure, the "2 displays, max" limitation, the memory limitation, these are real problems- but they're not hidden away, they're well known and understood and if you can live with that then these are genuinely generational leaps in terms of performance/watt which _really matters_.
Your negativity is misplaced, the machines limitations are well understood and the performance advantages known too.
We don't know what M2/M1X will bring, but if you want huge performance wins _today_ and not hypothetically then the M1 is delivering that.
Given what Apple has done for their A10+ series processors, in their iPhones and iPads, I am long term Apple Silicon and not long term M1 which is why I skipping it and ignoring the 'huge performance wins _today_' crowd which means get in the M1 hype now, until the M1X, M2 hype starts, which is pointless and short term.
What I'm saying is either stay on Intel until the Apple Silicon ecosystem is stable, then jump on at least M1X or M2 Macs and higher. Or go all in on M2 later.
It is not even a secret that Apple is 3 years ahead of product releases. Thus it is better to wait. Patience comes to those who wait.
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.
> 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.
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.
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.
[0] https://www.displaylink.com/products/universal-docking-stati...
I haven’t bought a DisplayLink and probably won’t. Once an Arm based Mac comes out with dual monitor support I’m giving my wife the M1 Air and buying a new one.
I'm pretty much laughing at the fanatics here and the early adopters, especially the existing power users and developers who went all in and bought it on launch day and until now who were hit with multiple bugs, unstable 'workarounds', beta preview software issues, recovery OS failures and so on with the immature software ecosystem on the M1 which they don't tell you about here. That was the hype.
I am long term Apple Silicon, but not any 1st generation Apple product or even M1.
> It's actually made a mockery of the ancient wisdom of "Always avoid 1st generation Apple products" rule. You are wrong.
Was this you with the 'fanatics' on launch day suggesting macOS for Docker on Apple Silicon at the time? [0]
Say I immediately joined the hype train in November, you're telling me that I have to wait almost half a year since the launch of M1 for Docker to be stable? You might as well skip last year's model and go for the M1X or M2 Macbook. No point chasing a 6 month old product when the software was not even ready and Apple will refresh the line up to M1X or M2 this year.
For professionals and existing Mac users, the rule still stands. It's always about the tiny small prints that Apple discloses or what they just don't tell you until you actually buy it but it's clear that many others have already done this for me; Including yourself.
I don't upgrade my Macs as if they are iPhones. Unlike most here. By the time I move to Apple Silicon, all these issues and limitations will be fixed on a M1X/M2 Mac or higher. No rush to get last year's model and plenty of time to wait for the Intel Macs to be unsupported and I will be getting a newer generation Apple Silicon-based Mac. Not specifically M1.
> I have never been happier with a laptop than this first generation M1 MBP.
I always skip the first generation of any Apple product. The M1 adoption cycle was infested with hype and was somewhat a hacky process, especially for the developer software ecosystem, and it is still immature, un-optimised and still not ready. You still can't even use two monitors on the M1 Macbook Air simultaneously which I can already do on my older Macbook.
The M2 / M3 enabled Mac would be a more worthy upgrade, depending whether or not if they have addressed these issues rather than getting last years model.
From the parent comment:
> I'm a total fanatic. I'll be dumping all my money into this new gear on April 30th.
I hope this is a joke right? Since I would rather dump that money on some cryptocurrency on April 30th, than dump it all on another beautiful expensive downgrade. At least wait until WWDC.
To Downvoters: Given one already has a Macbook, I am in no rush to purchase either last years model or to purchase another shiny new one; especially if it is a first gen M1.
The fanatics will say the same thing in WWDC and in September when they realise their 1st gen transition technology is already replaced. By then the software ecosystem for M1 is hopefully optimised and somewhat stabilised. Plenty of time to wait.