Apple Silicon M1 Chip in MacBook Air, MacBook Pro Mac mini

I'm not a power user so the increased performance will be lost on me. I was also disappointed Apple didn't pass on any savings to consumers and offer lower price points. Also, did anyone else feel confused between the Air and Pro versions? They pretty much have the same specs except one has a fan. IMHO the biggest positive news will be significantly increased battery life.
 
You can argue you're getting a lot more value/performance for the same price. Unverified benchmarks show the new Macbook Air faster than 2019 16-inch Macbook Pro (https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/11/12/apples-macbook-air-with-m1-chip-outperforms-16-inch-macbook-pro-in-benchmark-testing). I agree battery life is huge improvement. The new Air and 13-inch Pro are definitely very similar. I think the fan in the Pro is only helpful for power users who need sustained performance, which I think makes the Air a huge value.
 
freedomcm said:
screen is a bit better on the pro

True, only in terms of max brightness I believe. But the screen on the new Air is an upgrade from the last Air (moved from sRGB to P3 Wide Color gamut - same as the Pro).
 
I received the M1 Air a few days ago. It seems pretty great so far and it is replacing my 2013 MBP. Hoping this lasts for several years as well! :)
 
zovall said:
I received the M1 Air a few days ago. It seems pretty great so far and it is replacing my 2013 MBP. Hoping this lasts for several years as well! :)

Congratulations! The press reviews are gushing about how Apple silicon is going to revolutionize PCs. How do you like it so far? Is the battery life as good as advertised?
 
Battery life seems great. I use Chrome and they just came out with an Apple Silicon version and it flies!
 
There are leaked news of a 2021 MacBook Pro 16" & 14" with a new form factor and hotter M1X chip. I'm hoping they finally upgrade the pitiful/low res camera.
 
The GPU on my 2009 27" iMac died so, rather than fixing it I bought a new M1 Mac Mini in 16GB/500GB config.

After doing some research here are my recommendations:

* Costco has very good price on the base M1 Mac Mini with 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD.  However, I can only recommend this configuration for light use. 

* Since the RAM and built-in (soldered) storage cannot be user upgraded, I'd suggest paying more for 16GB RAM to accommodate future versions of MacOS and applications.  More RAM also means less disk swapping, which in theory prolongs SSD lifespan.

*  I'd also suggest 500GB or larger internal storage.  The default OS + apps install already consumed 100 GB.  There are also reports that the M1 Mac's have excessive SSD wear, which could be actual (write cycles) or incorrect reporting.  Assuming the excessive wear is true, smaller disks will mean higher % of disk wear in shorter time.

* If the internal disk fails, it's still possible to boot via external drive connected to thunderbolt port, but there are some questions regarding the reliability so more data is needed.

* Unless if you really need to replace your Mac now, if you can wait a bit, I'd suggest waiting for v2 of the new production line.

* Don't buy the LG monitor with desk clamp if you have a thin desk.  I had to add to the thickness of my desk with piece of wood + screws so the clamp would work.  Though it is possible to mount the arm on the wall or screw directly to desk.
 
momopi said:
The GPU on my 2009 27" iMac died so, rather than fixing it I bought a new M1 Mac Mini in 16GB/500GB config.

After doing some research here are  my recommendations:

* Costco has very good price on the base M1 Mac Mini with 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD.  However, I can only recommend this configuration for light use. 

* Since the RAM and built-in (soldered) storage cannot be user upgraded, I'd suggest paying more for 16GB RAM to accommodate future versions of MacOS and applications.  More RAM also means less disk swapping, which in theory prolongs SSD lifespan.

*  I'd also suggest 500GB or larger internal storage.  The default OS + apps install already consumed 100 GB.  There are also reports that the M1 Mac's have excessive SSD wear, which could be actual (write cycles) or incorrect reporting.  Assuming the excessive wear is true, smaller disks will mean higher % of disk wear in shorter time.

* If the internal disk fails, it's still possible to boot via external drive via thunderbolt port, but there are some questions regarding the reliability so more data is needed.

* Unless if you really need to replace your Mac now, if you can wait a bit, I'd suggest waiting for v2 of the new production line.

* Don't buy the LG monitor with desk clamp if you have a thin desk.  I had to add to the thickness of my desk with piece of wood + screws so the clamp would work.  Though it is possible to mount the arm on the wall or screw directly to desk.

When is v2 scheduled to come out?
 
eyephone said:
momopi said:
The GPU on my 2009 27" iMac died so, rather than fixing it I bought a new M1 Mac Mini in 16GB/500GB config.

After doing some research here are my recommendations:

* Costco has very good price on the base M1 Mac Mini with 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD.  However, I can only recommend this configuration for light use. 

* Since the RAM and built-in (soldered) storage cannot be user upgraded, I'd suggest paying more for 16GB RAM to accommodate future versions of MacOS and applications.  More RAM also means less disk swapping, which in theory prolongs SSD lifespan.

*  I'd also suggest 500GB or larger internal storage.  The default OS + apps install already consumed 100 GB.  There are also reports that the M1 Mac's have excessive SSD wear, which could be actual (write cycles) or incorrect reporting.  Assuming the excessive wear is true, smaller disks will mean higher % of disk wear in shorter time.

* If the internal disk fails, it's still possible to boot via external drive via thunderbolt port, but there are some questions regarding the reliability so more data is needed.

* Unless if you really need to replace your Mac now, if you can wait a bit, I'd suggest waiting for v2 of the new production line.

* Don't buy the LG monitor with desk clamp if you have a thin desk.  I had to add to the thickness of my desk with piece of wood + screws so the clamp would work.  Though it is possible to mount the arm on the wall or screw directly to desk.

When is v2 scheduled to come out?


M1X based new Macs are expected later this year, but I would keep an eye out on fixes for current issues like excessive SSD write cycles, printer drivers, bluetooth/wireless keyboard/mouse connectivity, etc.

There's some weird bug that cause interferences with wireless keyboard/mouse devices.  I'm now using a hard-wired 3rd party Mac keyboard, and my wireless mouse (w/USB dongle) freaks out when plugged in next to USB printer connection or USB external drive connection.  Should have kept my old USB cable mouse with extra long cable.

Have an older printer?  Chances are it's not supported on M1 running Big Sur.  I was able to get my Canon jet printer working with 3rd party drivers from Gutenprint, but it prints slow.

None of these issues exist under Mojave on my old iMac or MacBook.  If my iMac's GPU didn't die I would have kept using it for another year or two.  Though it was possible to replace the high performance GPU or disable it, I didn't think it was worth the trouble for a 2009 iMac.

On the plus side...  the new Mac is going to be great for video editing.
 
momopi said:
eyephone said:
momopi said:
The GPU on my 2009 27" iMac died so, rather than fixing it I bought a new M1 Mac Mini in 16GB/500GB config.

After doing some research here are my recommendations:

* Costco has very good price on the base M1 Mac Mini with 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD.  However, I can only recommend this configuration for light use. 

* Since the RAM and built-in (soldered) storage cannot be user upgraded, I'd suggest paying more for 16GB RAM to accommodate future versions of MacOS and applications.  More RAM also means less disk swapping, which in theory prolongs SSD lifespan.

*  I'd also suggest 500GB or larger internal storage.  The default OS + apps install already consumed 100 GB.  There are also reports that the M1 Mac's have excessive SSD wear, which could be actual (write cycles) or incorrect reporting.  Assuming the excessive wear is true, smaller disks will mean higher % of disk wear in shorter time.

* If the internal disk fails, it's still possible to boot via external drive via thunderbolt port, but there are some questions regarding the reliability so more data is needed.

* Unless if you really need to replace your Mac now, if you can wait a bit, I'd suggest waiting for v2 of the new production line.

* Don't buy the LG monitor with desk clamp if you have a thin desk.  I had to add to the thickness of my desk with piece of wood + screws so the clamp would work.  Though it is possible to mount the arm on the wall or screw directly to desk.

When is v2 scheduled to come out?


M1X based new Macs are expected later this year, but I would keep an eye out on fixes for current issues like excessive SSD write cycles, printer drivers, bluetooth/wireless keyboard/mouse connectivity, etc.

There's some weird bug that cause interferences with wireless keyboard/mouse devices.  I'm now using a hard-wired 3rd party Mac keyboard, and my wireless mouse (w/USB dongle) freaks out when plugged in next to USB printer connection or USB external drive connection.  Should have kept my old USB cable mouse with extra long cable.

Have an older printer?  Chances are it's not supported on M1 running Big Sur.  I was able to get my Canon jet printer working with 3rd party drivers from Gutenprint, but it prints slow.

None of these issues exist under Mojave on my old iMac or MacBook.  If my iMac's GPU didn't die I would have kept using it for another year or two.  Though it was possible to replace the high performance GPU or disable it, I didn't think it was worth the trouble for a 2009 iMac.

On the plus side...  the new Mac is going to be great for video editing.

Do you edit videos and/or pictures?
 
Funny timing Momo - our macbook air died last week (10 years old) and have to finally replace it.  Only non-work computer/laptop we actually have in the house and was eyeing the M1. Have read awesome stuff about it until like 2 days ago - when I read the same issue on the useage and made me debate whether maybe I should just save a couple hundred bucks and get the less efficient but damn reliable intel version. 

Can't wait another 9 months - need it for when my kids have to be remote - cause Ipad doesn't cut it. 

Yours and mine going out - makes me wonder if apple has some exploding ram issue (mine I think went out due to a ram issue - which made my laptop a paperweight - since its impossible to replace).

That said - as a heavy PC user who has owned 1 mac computer (this one) - I was blown away at how this thing hummed along for 10 years while we went through like 3 different PC laptops during the same lifespan (which really is just used by our kids for basic things at this point). 
 
Bullsback said:
That said - as a heavy PC user who has owned 1 mac computer (this one) - I was blown away at how this thing hummed along for 10 years while we went through like 3 different PC laptops during the same lifespan (which really is just used by our kids for basic things at this point).

I have an old PC desktop that I built 10yrs ago and still going strong.  I recently built another PC desktop before pricing got out of hand on the GPUs, but the new AMD CPUs seem to be instock at MSRP a lot these day. 

My Dell XPS laptop is still running well 4 years later, but my 7 year old Dell needs to stay plugged in for it to work, not worth buying a new battery on that one.  I'm primarily a PC user as well, but use iPhones and iPads for everything else. 
 
irvinehomeowner said:
I thought you only bought used technology Momo. :)

Buying an intel Mac (new or used) today is like buying a PowerPC Mac in 2006-2007.  By 2009 Snow Leopard had dropped support for PPC.

I do however still have my old white MacBook running Mojave for 32 bit app compatibility.




Bullsback said:
Funny timing Momo - our macbook air died last week (10 years old) and have to finally replace it.  Only non-work computer/laptop we actually have in the house and was eyeing the M1. Have read awesome stuff about it until like 2 days ago - when I read the same issue on the usage and made me debate whether maybe I should just save a couple hundred bucks and get the less efficient but damn reliable intel version. 

Can't wait another 9 months - need it for when my kids have to be remote - cause Ipad doesn't cut it. 

Yours and mine going out - makes me wonder if apple has some exploding ram issue (mine I think went out due to a ram issue - which made my laptop a paperweight - since its impossible to replace).

That said - as a heavy PC user who has owned 1 mac computer (this one) - I was blown away at how this thing hummed along for 10 years while we went through like 3 different PC laptops during the same lifespan (which really is just used by our kids for basic things at this point). 


The issue with my iMac was bad GPU.  I know this because it can boot to safe mode and run fine.  On iMac (and some other models) they have 2 graphics chipsets, the high performance card with ATI or NVidia chipset, and the low performance one built on the main board.  If the high performance GPU died you can boot into safe mode which disables the GPU.  It's also possible to run MacOS or Linux with the GPU disabled.

On the 2009 27" iMac the GPU going bad is a known issue with various homebrew fixes on YouTube, including one where you bake the card in your oven.  :D  Alternatively you can connect your MacBook to the iMac and use it as an external monitor via target display mode.

If you absolutely have to buy a replacement MacBook today, I would not recommend paying for a new intel Mac.  I would suggest either a cheaper used/refurnished intel Mac or M1 MacBook with 16GB/500GB configuration.  Used 2015+ MacBook Pro in decent condition can be had for $500-$600+ with warranty, will run Big Sur.  If I'm not mistaken the RAM cannot be upgraded but the SSD is user upgradable on 2015 MacBook Pro models.  Apple will likely release newer models of M1/M1X Mac this year and hopefully they will have the various issues resolved.

 
I haven't read the latest regarding the M1 issues and it has only been a few months but our M1 MacBook Air has been great so far. I do hope it lasts for as long as our prior Mac products.
 
Back
Top