WWDC 2020 was a historical day for Apple because of its shift from Intel-powered Macs to its own Apple Silicon processors for new Macs next year.
Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company will take the Macs’ fate in its own hands. Cook shared that Apple will no longer rely on Intel for its processors for their computers. Instead, it will produce its own processors.
No more Intel-powered Macs?
Apple’s WWDC 2020 announcement completes the trifecta of Apple produced processors for iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers.
The thinking behind the strategy was simple. The Cupertino-based company has always been known to be one that aims to control the entire user experience of its customers. It wants to do the same for its Mac users moving forward.
In the past, Apple has been relying on third-party suppliers for some of its devices’ parts. Unfortunately, Apple feels tethered to these suppliers’ development progress. Consequently, Tim Cook and his team slowly veered away from them leading them up to the decision of dumping Intel for its own Apple Silicon.
Is it still wise to buy Intel-powered Macs then?
The biggest question after the announcement in WWDC 2020 was ‘what will happen to Macs with Intel processors then?’ The answer of Tim Cook was,
“Apple will still continue to support Intel-based Macs for years”
Whether or not that statement is reassuring enough or not will solely be based on the gut feel of Apple customers. Nonetheless, as history would show, Apple only supports a ‘legacy’ platform for an average of five to six years. After that, Apple computers that run on old processors are left on their own.
‘We should stop buying Macs’
Gordon Mah Ung the executive editor of PCWorld is hard on saying that intending Mac-buyers should hold off their purchase until Apple Silicon is out. He said,
“There’s a practical, real reason why you shouldn’t drop $1,500 or $4,500 on a new Mac: You’ll be abandoned.”
His statement will ring true for those that held on to PowerPC Macs when Apple shifted to Intel. He recounted that PowerPC users were left hanging after five years when Apple completed its transition to Intel. Since then, the rollout of support to PowerPC users was practically non-existent.
Additionally, even if Apple really does follow through on its promise, Intel-based Mac users may experience terrible lags in support. In other words, the security and performance of their laptops will be compromised for certain periods of time.
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