“Obsolete seems like a strong word to use for a new Mac that has features no Macs have ever had before,” Jack D. Miller writes for Mac360. “But that’s the price of progress. What’s new today is old tomorrow.”
“An unfortunate set of events has made it clear that all of Apple’s new MacBooks – the 12-inch MacBook, and both 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models – are already behind the times; great machines, yes, but behind the curve of technology changes despite the advances Apple is touting,” Miller writes. “Apparently, Apple couldn’t wait for Intel to deliver the new Broadwell CPUs (smaller, more powerful, faster, less energy consumption), so each of the new MacBook models is saddled with older Haswell technology. That’s not Apple’s fault. Intel was very slow to deliver Broadwell chips, and promises that the next generation, Skylake, might show up before the end of the year.”
“Six months from now whatever gadget you were planning to buy today will be better, improved, more powerful, less expensive, have new features,” Miller writes. “Of course, the problem with that thinking is that you’d never buy anything at all because there’s always something new and better coming down the line.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If you need a new Mac now, you need a new Mac now. If not, you can wait for the next-gen., as always. At the pace of change today, pretty much every tech product is technically “obsolete” when you buy it.
Can we survive to the next-gen 12-inch MacBook with our current “obsolete” 11-inch MacBook Air units (Early 2014: 1.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz, 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM, and 256GB Flash Storage)? Why yes, despite the temptation, yes we can.
SEE ALSO:
Ars Technica reviews 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: ‘New model, two-year-old processor’ – June 4, 2015
Apple’s ultra-thin 12-inch MacBook won’t reach Thunderbolt 3 data transfer speeds – June 3, 2015
Buy a MacBook Pro now or wait until Intel’s Skylake? – June 1, 2015
More reason for Apple to develop their own Mac processors…
I totally agree…so long as Apple licenses and includes support for Intel’s x86/x64 instruction sets in its new processors so that Macs can continue to run Windows natively.
Actually, x86-64 is from AMD and not Intel. After Intel’s failed IA-64 push, they licensed it from AMD.
I don’t know how important this is but there’s no reason this has to be true of every single Mac sold and does not need to be true of the ARM based Macs. Not all Mac users have need of this feature, and there’s no reason to saddle the entire computer with this ancient technology if it’s not needed.
If there was something actually superior and viable to replace the x86 CPUs in Macs, it will happen. The Apple A Series chips are NOT it. And don’t bother arguing with me please. We’ve thrashed out that subject ten times over and over. Wisely, Apple is sticking with x86 for the moment.
But there WILL be better CPU technology than x86 worth Apple’s Mac interests, eventually. Intel beware! Just not anything ARM, certainly not right now, for many reasons.
“Not anything ARM”? Why on Earth? My iPad and iPhone are orders of magnitude more powerful and responsive to Mac laptops from a few years ago. Much of the computation takes place in graphics cores on Macs anyway. What’s with the anti ARM nonsense? Apple can optimize the OS to run fine on ARM, the only major hurt will be people trying to run PC software, which is why they could sell it on a Mac portable first on one or two models and keep the PC compatible ones on sale for as long as needed.
I’m so incredibly tired of the vacuous argument. Everyone have fun talking about it. I’m done.
You think Apple can do a better job than Intel? It’s not just about CPU design, they’d also have to figure out how to actually manufacture them. The latter part is where the issues lie. Intel is running into physical limitations because the transistors have gotten so small (14 nanometers).
“You think Apple can do a better job than Intel?” At design, absolutely. At Fabrication? They haven’t tried to gain this ability, so currently: no.
What people who constantly write and publish this article over and over fail to realize or mention is that Macs retain their value much better than PCs. You can buy the new MacBook today and sell it on craigslist when the new one comes out for almost as much as you bought it for.
No Shit, Mac last forever.
I still have my 1998 PowerBook Wallstreet running for classic old software. I’m using my late 2006 MacBook as a media server on my LAN. Then there’s my 2011 Mac Mini, my 2013 MBP. This is unheard of for Windows boxes.
Well, FTR, actually it’s not. I’m not only still using my 2003 iBook G4 for a few light tasks, my 2008 HP Compaq Vista Desktop still runs as well as well I got it (i.e., fair to middling long as I reboot it every few days).
Better actually since I upgraded to a 7200 spinner 2 years ago.
And my friend’s still running his sign-printing business on an older XP machine.
While they’re also not nearly as well-built or supported, I think it’s more about most Win users don’t really understand or properly protect/maintain their machines – and fail to surf safely/keep up with the endless updates, etc.
Nearly all go down with malware (as semi-happened on my Vista, but I was able to recover everything). So yeah, with regular anti-malware scans, rigorous updating, frequent rebooting, and gentle handling even Win machines can provide long-term service. (As they also do in the corporate world.)
But what’s undeniably true is the difference in resale value over time.
PS: Currently on a 2013 MBA i7/8GB
Fair. All fair!
In situations like this sometimes it is best to buy an Apple refurb that is 1-2 years old now and trade up to “new” later.
I’m running Yosemite on a mid-2009 13″ MacBook Pro and it is working quite nicely, thank you very much. But I’m not one who needs to have every new bell and whistle the moment it appears. And new does not always mean better, such as the “new” Pages with less functionality than the old version (SNAARGH!).
I bought the new rMBP and it feels far from obsolete.
The flash storage speeds are truly mind-blowing and make 4K video editing and my projection mapping work a breeze. The M370x is performing in the real world much better than the benchmarks suggest it would.
I needed this laptop and could not wait any longer but I can understand others waiting especially if they have a recent rMBP. I doubt Broadwell will find its way into a MBP and Apple will jump to Skylake instead which will be a year away.
This rMBP is snappy.
Stupidest article ever! Most people couldnt give a crap about TB3 or the next gen of processors. Half my clients are still trying to figure out how ICloud and photo sharing works (which most Macs 2007-2009 and newer can still handle).
LOL @ Obsolete. Obsolete means basically useless. Apple competes with Apple, so Apple’s newest laptops are not obsolete, as nothing exists to replace them. Stupid article, written by another drooling tech klepto who doesn’t even bother to ask, “Does my writing make sense?”
Well OK – Guess I better sell my obsolete 2012 F150 with 22,009 miles!
Show off!
Ummm, 12″ MacBook and 13″ rMBP are both using Broadwell chips. The author is completely wrong except on the 15″ rMBP.
Yup! The following Macs already have Broadwell CPUs:
– 13″ 2015 MacBook Air: i5-5250U
– 13″ 2015 Retina MacBook Pro: i5-5257U
– 12″ MacBook: Intel Core-M
Meanwhile: Supplies of 15-Inch Retina MacBook Pro Continue to Tighten Ahead of Broadwell Refresh
Yeah, the low power version of Broadwell came out months ago, but the high power versions normally used in 15″ MB Pros didn’t arrive until last week. I thought I read that the processor package size and pinouts were the same as Haswell, so if true, couldn’t Apple easily shift MB Pro production over to these new Broadwell chips this month? I wouldn’t by the current MB Pro knowing that Broadwell processors are available now, and Skylake may only be 6 months later. Wonder how many of the new 15″ MB Pros have been sold since their introduction only a couple of weeks ago.
I just put a 480 GB SSD from Other World Computing my my late 2011 MacBook Pro and I’m blown away by the improvement in speed.
That is a record for becaming obsolete… No wait!
Didn’t windows PC were made obsolete by windows vista EVEN BEFORE THEY CAME TO THE MARKET?
Did you write about that mr Miller?
Déjà vu all over again. We thrashed through this subject already this week.
BLAME INTEL.
Moore’s Law has stumbled.
Obviously.
Better CPUs than x86 are on the horizon.
…waiting for… the new MacBook ‘Invisa’ !
When has the processor been the main thing people buy laptops for. Size, battery life, keyboard and trackpad is what they need. CPUs are import, however if processing power is your top concern than you need a desktop. The new space saving keyboard and trackpad are very important. The MacBook’s battery is amazing. If Intel is the problem then other laptop makers are in the same boat. The few who put the new CPUs out first put them in old laptop designs. Apple may be months behind in chips, but they are years ahead in what really matters in laptops.
Hardware is fast enough. The best way for Apple to speed up the computing experience is to optimize OS X and fix the damn memory leaks. Amen.
I’ll take a Mac mini without soldered in chips, Quad Core CPU, memory upgrade access and a decent GPU.
You know, like the ones they used to make before a British stylist was given the keys to the kingdom.
HP is offering laptops with Broadwell i7 CPUs today:
http://store.hp.com/us/en/mdp/Laptops/spectre-x360-211501–1#!
The headline is, by definition, false.
“Obsolete” = not useful, or no longer in use, according to Merriam-Webster online dictionary.
A better headline would be “Macs CPU are no longer the very state of the Art”. Well, they rarely are. So, even my revised headline is not accurate. What do u think these are ? IBM mainframes ?
Headline writers need to step away from the keyboard once in a while and go back to studying.
Obviously like so many writers that have ZERO experience actually producing anything useful, this writer ASSUMES that a new design simply involves dropping a new part into the chassis and shipping said new design in the millions. Get a JOB.
This is what friend of mine called trying to stay on the bleeding edge of technology. If you try to buy a notebook computer that even has the latest SOA CPU’s, drives, display…you will be forever paying a lot and having to learn a new OS every time you buy. Too much time and money wasted.
In 3 years Apple should move on to a different cpu, in house design the writing is on the wall.
Unless the socket for the new chips was different, perhaps this time around they could have not soldered the cpu and allowed users to get the chip upgraded soon after purchase.
Hmm my MBP 2011 is on its way out , the battery has failed however it also began running slow . I was looking at extra memory plus a new battery however the tech guy also told me I’d be paying out another £100 for a diagnostic to see what was wrong for machine that over 4years old. Had a think and bit the bullet ,brought a 21.5 iMac late 2013 which I’m very happy with. Any suggestions for what I can do with my old MBP .