Post-Wonderlust Presentation: Is It Time to Update Your Mac Stuff?

Apple had their Fall event last Tuesday and introduced the new iPhone 15 and updated AppleWatch. If you didn’t get a chance to watch the 82-minute event, the folks at the Verge did a great 17-minute version. Enjoy.

So, is it time to upgrade or wait until a later product cycle? It’s good to remember that there might be another event/product announcement in October for iPads, but that guess is based on past product cycles and how long it’s been for some tech to get updates. Just like when we checked on upgrade cycles in July , our best first step is to check MacRumors Buyer’s Guid e, where all the products are listed with an easy to follow color-coded tabbed chart showing which products are safe to buy, which products are neutral, which products get a caution warning and which products one should not buy. The warning statuses are based on how recently the specific products were updated and if they are due for an update soon (click on the image to go to that page of the guide

https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#music

https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#other

I have no idea how often “normal people” replace or upgrade their tech. I’m guessing that they replace it when the current one breaks. The tech podcasters I listen to usually upgrade every cycle, but it’s their “job,” so I know that’s not “normal.” I’ve averaged an iPhone upgrade every other year, skipping one or two models before upgrading, and the upgrades are usually related to improvements in cameras. I currently have an iPhone 13 Pro Max and I’m not feeling like the improvements are enough to justify buying the new model. I used my iPhone camera a lot at work over the last three years, but that’s changed, so the need just isn’t there. I upgraded my old series 2 Apple Watch last year for a series 8, so no need to upgrade there. I looks like the items discussed in this event were a bust for me. I know it’s a way off and may never happen, but I’m curious how long it’ll take Apple before they release a foldable iPhone (a la Samsung).

As for products not announced, my desktop 27” iMac is three-years old and my 16” MacBook Pro is four-years old (both are running “vintage” Intel CPUs). I had been thinking that I would like to replace the older MacBook Pro with a current 14” Apple Silicon model, but when I bump up the storage to 2TB (which is what my machines current run) the price jacked up the $3,299. That’s a lot, but that is also the price that I paid for my current MacBook Pro back in 2019. Hmmm.

Then I got to thinking, I liked having the MacBook Pro because I used it every day at school… but I’m not doing that anymore. Why get an expensive device that I now rarely unplug or take take anywhere when I can “save” $700 by getting a (more powerful) desktop instead of another laptop? Besides, whenever I am out and about I have my iPad to do any mobile computing that I can’t do on my iPhone, I’m not anticipating being away from home and needing the services of a full blown laptop (actually, the truth of the matter is that the chips in the current generation of iPad are the same ones in the MacBooks, it’s just a matter of form factor and the Operating Systems running the devices…). Consulting the MacRumors chart it looks like the idea of buying a 14” MacBook Pro is neutral whereas buying a Mac Studio is a BUY NOW. I’m seriously leaning in that direction. I’ll probably be replacing my monitor setup with the new desktop. But I’m holding back a little with anything monitor upgrades because I’m intrigued by the possibilities presented by the very expensive Vision Pro AR headset that Apple has said they’ll have available “early” next year. Again, hmmm.

When it comes to upgrading or replacing your technology are you more of a “when it breaks” kind’a person or do you feel the need to have the latest and greatest?

I enjoy the periodic Apple Events, even when they don’t announce anything that I’m in the market to purchase. Even when I don’t spend any money it’s interesting to see the directions these companies are going in. It can be anxiety inducing for those who want things to stay the same and are uncomfortable with change. Alas, tech has always been about navigating change.

One part of the Apple that I found amusing and that others thought cringe-inducing was the Mother Nature skit. Whatever. Just remember, don’t disappoint your mother.