Will the M1X Macs "eliminate" the M1 models from the line-up as soon as they're released...

[Ctrl-Opt-Del]

...by rendering them technologically "obsolete" due to having been superseded & replaced, or will those models remain on sale at a lower price as has happened with previous-generation iPhones, etc.?

(Hoping this is in the right forum, wasn't sure where else to put it...)

 

[Lifeisabeach]

We don’t know. What Apple will or won’t do is pure speculation.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Traditionally, when a new Mac model comes out, it immediately replaces the older model and if you do order, you get the newer one. This is also why the store goes down while the transition happens.

The refurbished store will stock the previous generations.

The Macs do not work like iPhones with a discount and all that.

 

[Ctrl-Opt-Del]

We don’t know. What Apple will or won’t do is pure speculation.

While I didn't specifically say as much, I meant it to be implicit that I was merely curious to hear others' speculations.

Traditionally, when a new Mac model comes out, it immediately replaces the older model and if you do order, you get the newer one. This is also why the store goes down while the transition happens.

The refurbished store will stock the previous generations.

The Macs do not work like iPhones with a discount and all that.

I was just wondering if there was any chance that the fact that they were now running on Apple Silicon would have some impact on their sales model. I'm aware it's unlikely that it will, but I was just hypothesising.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Apple has been consistent with their sales model with Macs and iOS devices so far. All of the non-Mac devices seem to keep some version of the previous generation around for a little bit of time at discounted prices to get rid of inventory while the Macs don't seem to follow that scheme.

Obviously, you can still visit the Apple store and pick up the previous generation Mac in stock when a newer model is out on the online store, but I don't think you'll get a discount for buying the previous generation.

To that end, if you want a Mac with the Intel chip, too late. If you want one with the M1 chip, order it now, if you want it with the next gen M1 chip, wait until it is announce/released and buy it then.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

...by rendering them technologically "obsolete" due to having been superseded & replaced, or will those models remain on sale at a lower price as has happened with previous-generation iPhones, etc.?

If history is a guide, Apple will continue to introduce new versions of existing models every year to two years. When a new version of a particular model is released, it will either contain a faster version of the same exact processor, or a newer processor that is similarly a speed bump over the older processor.

This site tracks how often Apple upgrades their models:

MacRumors Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy iPhone, Mac, iPad

This page provides a product summary for each Apple model. The intent is to provide our best recommendations regarding current product cycles, and to provide a summary of currently available rumors for each model. This page is based on rumors and speculation and we provide no guarantee to its...

buyersguide.macrumors.com

The very next generation of Apple Silicon processors are slated to go into Apple's iMacs. Rumor is that they will be significantly faster than the M1 processors in the mini, MBP and MBA. But, that's how it's always been; iMacs are desktop computers more designed for speed rather than low power running to extend battery life (an iMac is always plugged into the wall) or for low heat generation (there is plenty of room for cooling in a desktop.)

So it seems unlikely that there will be any changes whatsoever to the mini, MBA, and MBP contemporaneous with the release of new Apple Silicon iMacs. The mini, MBA, and MBP were recently upgraded, and they are very fast compared to their competition. I wouldn't expect to see them get an upgrade for over a year from now.

There were rumors that since Apple has ditched Intel, and third party video processing circuitry, for it's own hardware, that they would be passing a huge cost savings on to their users. So far, that hasn't happened. Instead Apple is offering superior performance for the price. My guess is that the new iMacs, therefore, will be priced similarly to the iMacs that they replace. But I expect the new iMacs to be a very significant leap forward in performance.

 

[chscag]

There were rumors that since Apple has ditched Intel, and third party video processing circuitry, for it's own hardware, that they would be passing a huge cost savings on to their users. So far, that hasn't happened.

We really didn't think Apple would lower prices did we? As a matter of fact, with regard to the rumored large screen iMac that we may see sometime later this year, I expect a price increase.

Also, I'm betting that the new desktops will be fixed for memory. In other words, no user replaceable memory even in the large screen models as now with the current 27" Intel models.

 

[rman]

Hopefully the maximum amount of memory is more than 16GBs.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Also, I'm betting that the new desktops will be fixed for memory. In other words, no user replaceable memory even in the large screen models as now with the current 27" Intel models.

I think that is almost a given. The M1 is a complete system on a chip. In other words, CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage are all integrated into the one chip package. There is no separate RAM or storage attached to the motherboard that can be accessed to upgrade A major reason for this is efficiency, resulting in better performance. I don't see Apple giving up this advantage with future Apple Silicon chips.

See:
Why Is Apple’s M1 Chip So Fast?
https://debugger.medium.com/why-is-apples-m1-chip-so-fast-3262b158cba2

 

[MacInWin]

Actually, Randy, I read that the memory is on separate chips, but that they are very difficult to remove or replace. I'll see if I can find the article on it to post here. They showed pictures of the removed memory and then told the tale of how hard it was to get new memory properly installed and running.

EDIT: Found it. https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/06/m1-mac-ram-and-ssd-upgrades-possible/

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Actually, Randy, I read that the memory is on separate chips, but that they are very difficult to remove or replace. I'll see if I can find the article on it to post here. They showed pictures of the removed memory and then told the tale of how hard it was to get new memory properly installed and running.

EDIT: Found it. https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/06/m1-mac-ram-and-ssd-upgrades-possible/

The RAM is soldered in as part of the single chip package. It was never meant to be user upgrade-able, or, for that matter, upgrade-able at all even by an experienced technician. The article you cited, while certainly of academic interest, repeatedly points out what a bad idea it would be for anyone to actually try and do this.

 

[MacInWin]

True, Randy, but your original statement was "The M1 is a complete system on a chip. In other words, CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage are all integrated into the one chip package. There is no separate RAM or storage attached to the motherboard that can be accessed to upgrade" (Emphasis added) which is technically incorrect. Turns out the SoC is three chips. And removable, even if impractical for the average user. The article says it may turn out to become more practical for tech shops to do in the future as the system gets out there for more of them to work with. I don't know about that, but I do know there are many repair facilities with the capability to do the work.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

There is no separate RAM or storage attached to the motherboard that can be accessed to upgrade" (Emphasis added) which is technically incorrect.

Yes, and I still stand by all that I said. Anyone can look at the photo in the cited article and see that the memory chips were never meant to be de-soldered and replaced, and that anyone attempting to do so would be extremely foolish. Sure, someone somewhere did it, but there will always be folks that do stupid things that were never meant to be. That doesn't suddenly mean that the RAM in an M1 chip stack should be considered upgradeable, and, of course, as I stated, none of that RAM is attached separately to the motherboard.

 

[MacInWin]

The RAM is soldered in as part of the single chip package.

Emphasis added.
Did you miss this picture? Sure looks like three chips to me. But maybe it's my lying eyes again.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Emphasis added.
Did you miss this picture? Sure looks like three chips to me. But maybe it's my lying eyes again.

I not only didn't miss it, I referenced it.

Once again, those chips are soldered in as part of the single chip package. They aren't soldered to the motherboard. Anyone, no matter how much of a lay person, can see how incredibly hard it was to desolder that chip. NO ONE in their right mind is going to be desoldering those chips with the thought of upgrading them. Not even the most skilled technician is going to be offering to do so.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I think this is a matter of semantics. TECHNICALLY there are three separate chips, but since they are soldered in place, they collectively comprise a single chip "package". For all the effort it takes to do this "upgrade", you could just as well claim that individual DIMM modules can be upgraded also by de-soldering and replacing the individual chips on those. Being possible doesn't make it practical.