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Comment by doctoboggan | Hacker News Reader

Just a reminder to everyone, always buy the second version of any new product category, even from Apple. The first duo will look primitive in a few refresh cycles. It does look really cool though!

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Considering how many comments I regularly see on Hacker News from people who still love their M1 MacBooks, I’d say that’s not a particularly strong maxim.

Ah yes the m1 air for example which couldn't drive 2 external screens

It's a notebook

It was a regression. Plenty people including myself used macbook airs to drive multiple screens when working behind a desk.

Yeah although my M4 is more powerful I somehow don't perceive it much and it's so heavy and gets hot. My aging M1 is still snappy for most workloads, the battery holds well, it's light. Only thing I resent is the stupid touch bar instead of proper F keys.

But I'd say it's the exception. In general it's better to wait for later generation.

The AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, HomePod, MacBook Neo, and AirTag are also all devices that have had well-received (if not always breakout) 1st-gen releases.

The M1 Macs were a bit different because Apple had already been designing their own CPUs for years, and the machine designs themselves were almost identical to previous iterations with Intel CPUs. The only thing they needed to get right was the software, which they did (and which could have been updated after the fact if they didn’t).

Also the biggest risk with the M1 was really software, that your Intel compiled apps wouldn't work on Apple Silicon

That was solved over time anyway as macOS improved and more developers ported their apps over

Listen, I'm not saying you're wrong, but I will say I hope I'll at least get to update this comment down the line while holding that gorgeous looking phone in my hand

I get the sensibility of that advice but isn't that the case no matter when you buy it? I mean, they announced a nice iPhone Pro, optimized over multiple generations, and then immediately made it look primitive with the Duo. :)

v1 to v2 is the biggest leap, and each leap after that is smaller and smaller. Just look at the difference between the 17 pro and 18 pro.

I'm drawing a different conclusion than you about that upgrade. Sorry! I definitely understand your advice; it's especially the best option when you are financially risk-adverse or pessimistic about technology but need to participate.

M1 -> M2 wasn't a big leap, iPhone -> iPhone 3G wasn't _that_ big a leap (though 3G was nice to have)

what products _did_ have big leaps from v1 to v2?

3G also got gps and the app store. I'd say that was a pretty significant upgrade.

MacBook Air -> MacBook Air 2: unibody aluminum construction replaced plastic, ssd option introduced.

iPad -> iPad 2: cut thickness and weight by 30 %. A4 -> A5 doubled performance. Dramatically better screen. Introduced the magnetic case ecosystem.

iBook G3 -> G3 dual usb: from colorful clamshell/toilet seat design to sleek laptop. 30 % lighter, half the volume, twice as durable, 2-3x the performance.

And… Apple I -> Apple II? Apple I was a motherboard, the II was a complete computer.

*especially from Apple. I live by this maxim.

Especially Apple. Buying a first gen Apple product hasn't been great since like 1999 at least. Very few exceptions.

Of course, if too many people heed this advice there won't _be_ a second version to wait for.

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