Should you purchase one of the brand new Macs?

You may have read in the press in the last couple of weeks that there is now a new series of Macs available - MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini - and these new Macs no longer use Intel Chips. Instead, Apple has developed its own chip - a high performance chip called M1.

So, if you are in the market for a new Mac right now, should you consider getting one of these new Macs?

There are some good reasons to consider the new M1 Macs

• This new Apple chip is going to be the future for Apple - so buying an Intel-based Mac now means that, eventually (eg in 7-9 years), your new Mac may no longer support certain apps and updates.
• They are faster than the Intel Macs - in fact, the new M1 MacBook Air is as fast as the Intel MacBook Pro.
• The battery lasts longer
• They will be able to run iOS/iPadOS apps.
• Media reports about these new Macs have been very positive.

But it's not completely clear cut if you are looking to buy right now. Here are some reasons why you might hold off on the new M1 Macs

• It's early days - and it's always a good idea to let new technology settle in for a little while
• This first lot of M1 Macs look the same as the Intel Macs - and some commentators speculate that the next models could be quite different and with new features. So if you buy this year, you may find your Mac becomes the 'old look' next year.
• Third party (non-Apple) apps won't initially be able to run 'natively' on these M1 Macs so will use emulation software called Rosetta. This means these third-party apps won't initially be as responsive - until they are updated to run 'natively' on the new chips. 
• For some Mac users, it is best to stick with an Intel Mac for now - for example, if (like me) you run Windows on your Mac using VMWare, Parallels or Boot Camp. Boot Camp won't be available on the new Macs, and Rosetta won't support something called 'virtualisation' - which the other products require. And even if makers of VMWare and Parallels are able to work around this, Windows is likely to run much slower on these new Macs.
• If you require an iMac or the larger screen version of the MacBook, you don't yet have the option of the M1 chip yet - so will have to go with Intel.

For those who want to read more, here are a few good articles about these new Macs:

• Should You Skip the Apple M1 Chip?
• Is It a Good Idea to Buy an Intel Mac Right Now? (Probably Not.)​
• M1 MacBooks blow the competition away with power and persistence

Need further advice or help with setting up a new Mac?

iTandCoffee can help! Book a time with us by calling 1300 885 420, booking online here, or emailing bookings@itandcoffee.com.au