08-06-2020, 09:33 AM | #16 |
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My question, how long will it be before this iMAC is obsolete and no new software will run on it? It's a lot of money to spend on a computer that you know will eventually become obsolete because the processor is Intel.
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08-06-2020, 11:51 AM | #17 | |
cosiñeiro
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In the last 20 years they moved from PPC-only binaries to "universal" PPC/x86 binaries, to x86_64-only. And now again to "universal" x86_64/arm binaries. There are no limitations in place to restrict builds for arm only, so I guess it will depend on when they decide to kill x86_64 entirely as they recently did with x86. People that want to run legacy software should avoid macOS entirely and stick with Windows or Linux, where is still possible to run software from the 90's. |
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08-06-2020, 12:05 PM | #18 | |
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Apple sometimes makes some really stupid decisions. |
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08-06-2020, 05:17 PM | #19 |
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Well, my 27 inch 2015 iMac has no problem running any software I've tried on it, including the most recent Apple App Suite and developer's software as well as some fairly obscure weather station software. Given how many intel Macs there are out there, I predict its going to be a very long time before software doesn't run because the processor is Intel. Even when Apple no longer officially supports it, it's likely that you can run your existing software as long as the machine still boots. I've got a 2010 mac mini that runs Catalina, the old version of iTunes and I can connect to the iTunes store with no problem.
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08-08-2020, 02:41 PM | #20 |
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I’m happy to use my iPad for photo processing, I use a few different apps and Photos is not one of them... it just isnt good enough. RAW Power, Affinity and snapseed do me most of the time, depending on what I am doing with the photo. I never print anymore.
I have a 2012 Mini which I have no plans to be rid of, but I do need to get a faster drive in, a 1TB SSD should be adequate... at least thats an option for that model. No user updating on the most recent, I understand... and my 2010 polycarbonate macbook still works as intended. Might replace the DVD drive with storage, I never use the drive at all. I’ve already replaced the battery, added 8GB RAM, and installed an SSD and it flies (by comparison with how it came to me.) |
08-08-2020, 02:51 PM | #21 |
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08-08-2020, 05:08 PM | #22 |
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08-09-2020, 05:57 PM | #23 |
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Well, the bloke has got a 27". Base-level graphics, mid range processor & storage. It's to replace my 2009 iMac which is on Sierra and won't go past that. (The bloke's Mac Pro is even older and is on Snow Leopard.) My only issue is going to be Kindle for Mac and ADE; I suspect I'll run a copy of Mojave on a thumb drive to get round that, plus I may be able to keep my copy of Office 2008 going that way.
It should be arriving in a couple of weeks time. |
08-09-2020, 06:50 PM | #24 |
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Why do people spend so much on a MAC when they know it's going to become obsolete not because the hardware cannot run the newest OS but because Apple wants you to do just what you did and spend on new MAC?
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08-11-2020, 03:48 PM | #25 |
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iFixit are scathing, especially about the storage:
https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/..._imac_ditches/ |
08-12-2020, 11:39 AM | #26 |
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There are lots of reasons folks prefer Macs to cheaper "superficially similar" options. Look at all the alternatives. MOST people buy the alternatives.
Horses for courses. |
08-12-2020, 11:49 AM | #27 | |
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I bought a really nice and will kitted out Macbook Pro 16 a couple months ago before the Apple Silicon announcement. If I were buying today, I'd still buy it. For MY PURPOSES - the Mac is an "every platform" computer. I can develop iOS apps, run Windows software, and run linux vms. I need to do all of those things (not necessarily every day). The new Macs will not run x86 Windows or Linux. The reason I want to run those environments is for the software. So even if Linux ARM is able to run, linux ARM doesn't run much of the linux catalog of software (yet). I fully expect 5 more years of new Mac OS versions, and 3 years beyond that where I can still keep going with whatever the last intel Mac OS is. Easily the expected lifetime of my "just bought" computer. That was what happened last time. Meanwhile, the Apple Silicon Macs will continue to get better. It's often not the wisest of courses to buy the first version of any new platform. Now, that's for me and my purposes. If one is a general Mac user, running Office, Photoshop and the like...and you don't run Windows or Linux apps....then....well...if you need a computer now, buy one. If not, perhaps wait. But the wait for the Apple Silicon iMac is likely a year or more away. I don't think anybody buying an Intel Mac today need worry. A couple years from now....buying a used Intel Mac might not be the best of decisions. |
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08-12-2020, 11:53 AM | #28 |
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Why do you care? Do you buy Macs? Go with Windows and there "we run software written 25 years ago" awesomeness. And bloated-ness. And security nightmare-ness.
Apple moves developers along, and customers along....providing a better experience for both. |
08-12-2020, 01:27 PM | #29 | |
cosiñeiro
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I think it is a very intelligent move of their part. They removed the need to keep a sane multilib setup and that without bothering the majority of their users. The same for the price bump: a very intelligent move. They still sell products with an even higher margin. They are going to do that until sales drop. |
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08-12-2020, 01:40 PM | #30 | |
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Quote:
Now, that's for me and my purposes. If one is a general Mac user, running Office, Photoshop and the like...and you don't run Windows or Linux apps....then....well...if you need a computer now, buy one. If not, perhaps wait. But the wait for the Apple Silicon iMac is likely a year or more away. I don't think anybody buying an Intel Mac today need worry. A couple years from now....buying a used Intel Mac might not be the best of decisions.[/QUOTE] Thing is, you can run Office, Photoshop, and the like on a Windows computer. So you really don't need a MAC to do most of what you do. I still think the iMAC is expensive. I can get a similar Windows system for less and do a lot of the same things on it that you do on your MAC. |
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