RustyBug
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rscheffler wrote:
^ IIRC the PowerMac MDD was the G4 chip. The G5 was only in the 'cheese grater' tower. 
Kent, for me it was roughly 3-4 years in the 2000s, with the last major round being in 2010-2011. For various reasons, that surprisingly held me through to the present reasonably well. Last week I picked up a 14" MBP M1 Pro to be a 'do it all' stop-gap solution. Eventually I may get a Studio or an iMac if it is ever released in SoC configurations comparable to the Studio.
I feel for me, Apple computer upgrades have gone similarly to digital camera upgrades. In the 2000s there were significant camera improvements in what seemed like shorter intervals that also benefitted from faster computers. But in the 2010s I didn't have much need to go beyond 24MP and the circa 2010 hardware handled that OK. As mentioned in the other thread, the tipping point for me is current software incompatibility with hardware that old, whenever I next upgrade cameras. Like Peter, I will keep my old iMac and an old 2011 MBP to run 10.6.8 for a couple specific programs.
Things could change for me if I transition to more video work, which would require more horsepower than I'd need for photography....Show more →
Yeah, the maturation of capability vs. needs ratio for stills would be fine for a long time to come at my status quo (24MP + pano stitching + uprezzing). Video brings another realm into the equation, but unless I get into the drone thing (which, is starting to tug) video isn't likely. I figure that if this M1 gets me in the 4-6-8 realm, then the next rig should be more in the 8-10 ... combined for abut +/- 15 years out. Hard to predict the future, but that's kinda the model that I'm thinking.
I was just wondering how others experience represented this "model" as being realistic or not. Peter's "it depends" adds both plausibility and uncertainty to it. To that end, software utilization of GPU processing (for stills) is probably the biggest wildcard for down the road longevity.
One one hand, if I get a rig that isn't maxed out on the GPU, I can keep the $$$ in check better. Otoh, if I spend the $$$ for the maxed out dual GPU, I'm "future prepped" for video needs and software improvements for stills (if). Of course, if software development does NOT improve the utilization of GPU processing, then 1) it's "lost money" and 2) the reliance on CPU processing mostly means the upgrade cycle will likely be shorter as (if) demands increase and the CPU gets long in the tooth.
My .02 is that the "next one" will occur in the 4-8 year realm, maybe 6-10. Kind of a wide berth, but my crystal ball is a bit hazy.  I've heard many anecdotal users talking about the Mac's by what year it is, kind of like a car. To that end, I've mostly had "good" older cars / trucks, as well as "good" older cameras.
So, I'm thinking that even as the Mac ages ... I'll be good, as long as the compatibility issue(s) doesn't get in the way. I figure that'll be the determinant, so my "crystal ball" worse case scenario (see the math on other thread) ... ain't so bad. Everything else, is better. 
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