I’ve two Studio Displays too, though connected to a M2 Max Mac Studio rather than my M1 Max MBP16".
AFAIR, only the new TB5 docs can handle 2x Studio Displays/XDR’s (or even 8K’s!), all at 60Hz max. Like the CalDigit TS5 – see display specs chart in middle: https://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-5-dock-ts5
I love this comment. I am getting in that ballpark (age-wise) myself, where time seems to be one’s most precious resource, and as a result, the decisions to do or not do something gets close attention.
More generally: Adam, thanks for the article, which provided a lot of good technical and useful information for readers (even those of us not considering starting afresh on the Mac). Also, there was a lot of good discussion here from readers which added to the overall technical, useful information, as a result of this article.
Indeed, running an Intel-based VM under emulation on an ARM system may be the only way to go if it is essential to preserve non-retail Windows licensing or low-level security IDs. I haven’t found any reports of converting the Windows installation inside the actual VM from the Intel version to the ARM version. I’m not holding my breath either for Parallels to solve the issue or for Microsoft to provide a solution soon.
For most users who need to move to ARM hardware, it’s almost always better to install a clean version of ARM Windows in a new VM, and then to migrate apps, docs, and settings to the new VM.
I recently said goodbye to my almost 10 year old aging 27" Retina iMac as well. I thought about switching to a 24" iMac for a while but in the end opted for a M4 MacBook Pro too with a new 4K LG 27 screen. Alas, not 5K, but I can hardly see the difference. And this one works great with the Windows laptop provided by my employer, so I could get rid of the older screen I was using with that machine. I can easily switch between the two laptops. My home office really cleaned up and I like the fact that as an amateur photographer, I now have a powerful MacBook to take with me on holidays. But as this is my primary machine, I realise that my data is at risk while traveling. So I always keep a good backup at home (or take that with me when the laptop stays at home). Maybe I should finally start back-up in the cloud…
I just upgraded from an older, OS constrained MacBook Air to a new one and followed Adam’s lead of installing without Migration Assistant. Pleased with result plus that was also educational for this older (more mature ;) LOL) Mac user. A few Dropbox issues but no biggies.
Thanks Adam for taking us on your journey. I appreciate.
There’s an app, AppCleaner, that can trash all the support files associated with an app when you trash the app. For someone who probably tests a lot of apps, seems like this would be a useful addition to your library.
If you expect to do a clean install in the future, something that can help, but requires more long-range planning, is using Homebrew to install desktop apps in the first place. It can produce a list of apps it has installed, so that you can script their reinstallation on the new machine—even doing it manually from the command line is faster than the usual installation process. Homebrew can also update all the apps it has installed with a single command, which is great for day-to-day upkeep.
No, I don’t use Mail for anything beyond testing, and all my email is in Gmail online. I’m still investigating various ways of backing that data up, just in case, but I wasn’t happy with Mail as a local backup anyway.
That assumes I trash the apps. Most of the time, in fact, I leave them in place because I never know when I might want to check something in them again. So they become digital clutter as well, particularly years down the road when they’re no longer even supported.
Huh! I’d never considered that—can it install any arbitrary app or does it need to know about it in advance?
Thank you wrote this just at the right time for me. My 2019 27" iMac becomes vintage this fall. I read your article over several times so see what conclusions and solutions you’d come to.
My situation is quite different. I am far older than you, a standing desk is out of the question. A laptop computer is a big strain on my eye (singular). My desk is smaller and not amenable to accommodating two screens.
My wife and I watch many kinds of video on our computer but the small size of the text is a strain on her eyes. Benefits are the ability to slow the video and audio down. Videos slowed down to 75% speed enable her to understand accents better and have more time to read the subtitles.
We have a seldom used non-smart 32" TV six feet away from the computer screen and have just mastered the art of mirroring the computer screen to the TV. We use an HDMI cable to link the two. The larger size screen would enable her to read captions more easily. We still use the DirectTV box to sometimes watch TV but spend little time at it.
I see an immediate benefit to replacing the TV with a somewhat larger TV and continuing to mirror the computer screen to the TV.
This fall I think that a powerful Mini Mac and some sort of 27" display will replace the iMac. I’ll have to very seriously contrast the Apple Studio display with a non-Apple display.
I doubt the features to be introduced to the Mini Mac line will be so compelling that I wouldn’t buy a used 2024 Mini Mac on ebay for a bit of savings. I really need the internal 2Tb SSD drive.
I thank you for getting me thinking hard about how we use our computer and the TV. Apple is forcing us to make some changes and upgrades.
Most of the time, in fact, I leave them in place because I never know when I might want to check something in them again. So they become digital clutter as well, particularly years down the road when they’re no longer even supported.