Should I buy an Intel-based Mac now or wait for an ARM-based Apple Silicon Mac?

July 21, 2023 Update: EveryMac.com's original opinion from July 24, 2020 is below with updates during the transition between Intel and Apple Silicon processors, as well. Apple completed the switch from Intel to Apple Silicon processors on June 5, 2023. Going forward, most users will be best suited by buying an Apple Silicon Mac, an iPad, or a Windows PC rather than maintaining an Intel Mac, but keeping an Intel Mac may continue to make sense for those who have legacy software or hardware that only works with Intel Macs.

Whether or not it makes sense to buy an Intel-powered Mac now, buy an Apple Silicon Mac now, or continue to wait for a future Apple Silicon model, largely depends on your existing computer and your needed software compatibility. The following scenarios can be helpful for you to decide what is most logical for you.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (macOS Big Sur & iOS 14)

From iPad (Wait for Apple Silicon Mac)

If you currently are using a recent iPad Pro and you have no legacy software or old files that you need to access, there probably is no reason to switch to the Mac at all and it makes the most sense to just stick with the iOS ecosystem.

However, if you have an older iPad and you do not use the Apple Pencil -- at least for now, no Macs have touchscreens or support the Apple Pencil -- and you need more power, configurability, and flexibility than a newer iPad provides, you might find it worthwhile to migrate to an Apple Silicon Mac. A new Apple Silicon Mac would provide a traditional keyboard, additional professional software, and would run just about all of your existing iOS software. Depending on the model, it could be faster, too.

From Windows (Buy Intel Mac Now)

If you currently have a Windows computer that is a few years old and you are happy with the operating system, you might prefer to just upgrade to a newer Windows computer.

Nevertheless, if you would like to give the Mac a try, it would be easiest for you to buy an Intel Mac now. Intel-based Macs can boot Windows and run Windows software under virtualization, so you still would have complete, or nearly complete, access to your existing software and files as well as access to a wide range of Mac apps and many iOS apps, also. If you decided you don't like the macOS, you even could just boot into Windows and use the computer exactly like your Windows box.

Apple Silicon Macs now have the ability to run Windows software under virtualization, but they will not be able to boot into Windows at all. For anyone interested in complete Windows compatibility, Intel Macs are a better choice.

August 19, 2022 Update: For most Windows users, an Intel Mac likely continues to make sense because of the option of direct booting the operating system, but Parallels now has released versions of Parallels Desktop for Mac which support Apple Silicon Macs.

From 2-3 Year Old Mac (Buy/Wait for Apple Silicon Mac)

If you are using a relatively new Intel Mac, it likely makes sense to wait for an Apple Silicon Mac, perhaps even a second or third generation model [Apple started introducing its second generation Apple Silicon Mac notebooks on June 6, 2022].

It would be wise particularly to wait for a later Apple Silicon Mac if you have Mac software that would require "Rosetta 2" because it might be slower -- or at least not significantly faster -- than it is on your existing Intel Mac. If you use any Windows software, it originally likely would have made sense to wait for virtualization software to be available on Apple Silicon Macs, as well [virtualization software now is available].

August 19, 2022 Update: Apple Silicon Macs now have been demonstrated to provide highly competitive performance even using Rosetta 2 and Parallels Desktop for Mac now provides the option to run Windows software. It may make sense to continue to wait before migrating to a new Mac, but with multiple revisions of Mac notebooks now powered by Apple Silicon, they have been well proven and those with a sufficient budget have little reason to not make the jump.

From 4+ Year Old Mac (Buy Intel Mac Now)

If you are using an older Mac, and it doesn't meet your current needs, the decision to upgrade to a newer model may depend on whether or not you have mission critical 32-bit apps.

If you already are using all 64-bit apps, or have the option and budget to purchase new 64-bit apps, buying a new -- or newer -- Intel Mac running macOS Catalina (10.15), macOS Big Sur (macOS 11), macOS Monterey (macOS 12), or macOS Ventura (macOS 13) could work well. A newer Intel Mac both would provide a performance boost and add compatibility with many iOS apps that could make a subsequent future migration to an Apple Silicon Mac (or an iPad Pro) easier.

macOS Mojave (10.14) was the last version of the macOS to support 32-bit apps, so if you still have important 32-bit apps, you might choose to buy a used Mac that is capable of running macOS Mojave. You might later also evaluate whether it would make sense to keep an older Mac for "archived" work and migrate directly to the iPadOS for new work or migrate to Windows (which you can easily virtualize or boot on an Intel Mac, as well). Ironically, Windows may offer an easier transition for those with cross platform 32-bit Mac apps than a new Intel Mac or Apple Silicon Mac.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it is your decision whether to stick with your existing computer or upgrade to a new Intel-based or Apple Silicon-based Mac, but it is hoped that this Q&A will help you make an informed decision.

It seems highly likely that Apple Silicon Macs will be faster out of the gate than many Intel Macs when running native software [and this now has been confirmed], but it never is a bad idea to sit out the first version of any new product whether it is a computer, a car, or a washing machine, because second and third versions often are much more reliable. In particular, Apple's late model Intel Mac notebooks are a mature, tested design; have a quality keyboard; and definitely remain well worth consideration.

Apple Silicon Macs started shipping on November 10, 2020 and the company even released its second run of Apple Silicon notebooks on June 6, 2022, so there is increasingly little reason to not make the jump for those with compatible software. Intel Macs remain available for purchase, as well.

Regardless of its underlying processor, you always can buy a Mac directly from Apple, but you often can get a better deal from an Apple Authorized Reseller like site sponsor Adorama. Adorama commonly has deep discounts on recently discontinued models, too.

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