9to5Mac‘s Ben Lovejoy, and all of us here at MacDailyNews, who currently have Intel-handicapped 16-inch MacBook Pros which are seemingly powered by cooling fans, have been waiting impatiently for the 16-inch M1X MacBook Pro ever since the stunning performance and battery life of the 13-inch MacBook Pro were revealed. If the latest rumors are correct, and the 16-inch M1X MacBook Pro is launched at WWDC, he may not have too much longer to wait.
I am, however, expecting it to be a very expensive upgrade, for three reasons…
First, and most obviously, the purchase price. Looking at the current Intel model, the cost of the base model with middle RAM option and 4TB storage (I’ll get to that) is over $4,000. The M1X version is unlikely to be any cheaper.
Second, the fact that I’m upgrading sooner than would usually be the case… selling a 2019 machine in 2021 is going to result in a higher cost of ownership, even without the third factor.
But that third factor is the likely additional hit to the resale value of an Intel machine when it’s suddenly been turned into last-generation tech.
MacDailyNews Take: As we upgrade to 16-inch M1X MacBook Pro, if we go that route (we may go back to iMacs on the desks and MacBook Airs in the backpacks), we’re going to market our Intel-handicapped 16-inch MacBook Pros not as laptops, but as hot plates that double as high speed hot air balloon inflators. They should be big sellers. 🙄