@Jordan2 wrote:
@gardenman wrote:
@Nuttmeg wrote:
@Jordan2
@Nuttmeg
I am not a techie, so this is whoosh right over my head! So are you saying I should wait 12-18 months to buy a MacBook ( it's not like I can't wait I have a Chrome book that I'm using)?
@Jordan2
Anyone can buy a bad tech product, and I have purchased a few over the years.
I would wait for the improved products with the ARM processors.
I wouldn't count on the products with the ARM processors being improved. ARM processors have a smaller instruction set and integrate more functions onto a chip to reduce the power required, but in the CPU world power consumption and performance are closely linked. The most powerful CPUs use the most power. Apple is looking to squeeze more profit from consumers by using their own CPUs instead of buying those made by Intel or AMD, but Intel and AMD make CPUs for a living and know what they're doing while Apple is largely learning PC CPU design on the fly.
I wouldn't be an early adopter of the new CPUs if I had a choice. There are likely to be significant hiccups along the way. If there's a big booboo, you could end up with a very pricey paperweight a year or two down the road. You've got two companies (Intel and AMD) that have been building CPUs for 40-50 years versus a company (Apple) that's just started doing so recently. Maybe Apple can pull it off without a hiccup, but odds are there will be multiple hiccups.
I was reading a couple of articles about the ARM processors. The article stated it could be a two year transition until there will be full support for it. Apple still has products they are going to release with Intel. My father, God rest his soul NEVER bought the first year model of anything. His thought process was there are bugs to be worked out, he waited to see how it fared. At least that was the excuse as to why I didn't grow up with color tv!
Your father was a wise man. I build my own computers and I never put in anything that's just hit the market. I wait at least six months before considering new stuff. Motherboards, new CPUs, new graphics cards, etc. almost always have an issue of some sort that the early adopters have to sort out. Sometimes they can be without a computer for days/weeks while new drivers or BIOS fixes are developed. After six months the issues are typically fixed and you get a good product, but in those first few weeks/months things can get scary.
Apple is reportedly introducing the ARM processors on their lower-end line of PCs first to work out the bugs then over a couple of years they'll transition their higher-end PCs to ARM. It'll be interesting to watch the transition. Relying on your own processors is a bit dangerous as what happens if there's a major issue (earthquake, fire, tornado, etc.) that hits your manufacturing facility? They can't just switch over to Intel or AMD in the blink of an eye as their whole design is based around the ARM processor. It's an interesting gamble they're making. I probably wouldn't have made it, but hey, more power to them.
Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
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