Yesterday, Apple revealed the future of the Mac platform, the Apple silicon based Macs. Apple revealed a new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini, all powered by the brand new “M1” processor. The M1 processor seems to be made specifically for the Mac, though it’s based off of the 5nm process found in the iPad and iPhone processor, the A14. Apple calls it the fastest consumer notebook processor, and brags that the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini are the most powerful ever.
Apple’s event was short, and focused only on the new processors. That means no Apple Tags, no AirPods Studio. However, Apple’s new M-Series chips are the future of the Mac platform, likely for many years to come. Going off of Apple’s claims, it could blow anything Intel or even AMD are making out of the water.
In This Article:
M1 Power
This looks impressive, but Apple’s labeled nothing.
Apple’s new processor has a 5-nanometer process. This is when Intel recently announced that they’ve hit yet another snag when targeting 7nm. Smaller is better. It requires less electricity for the same power, enabling more transistors in a smaller area. That means more power in a smaller, cooler, more energy-efficient package.
Apple’s system has eight processors. Four are for high efficiency, the other four are just for power, maximizing what the chip can do at the expense of heat and electricity usage. This allows Apple to improve battery life while still offering peak performance.
The M1 system on a chip (SOC) also has up to eight graphics processing cores, a neural engine, the standard cache, and, surprisingly, attached memory in the form of DRAM. This means memory is as close to the processor as possible, vastly increasing performance over standard desktop systems.
Apple claims the M1 can offer up to 3.5x the performance of their previous Intel-powered Macs. They state they can match the power of standard laptop CPUs using just 25% of the power. For the GPU, that goes up to 33%, but it’s still incredible. Matching integrated graphics power with 1/3 the power is a phenomenal achievement.
This is the biggest leap in power for a Mac in a very long time. It blows Intel away. If Apple’s claims are true in everyday practice, Intel doesn’t even have a chance.
Onboard Machine Learning
Often, for machine learning, you’ll use compute units from a service like AWS or Google’s Tensorflow for anything more serious than basic consumer-level operations. This gives you the raw processing power necessary to process large amounts of data into usable models. iOS devices have had on-board machine learning for some time now. With the M1 processor, that power is accessible to Macs at a fraction of the cost the software would usually require. Apple’s 16-core neural engine can process up to 11 trillion operations per second.
Battery Boosted
All of this comes with incredible battery life improvements. For example, the 13-inch MacBook Pro can now last up to 20 hours during video playback. Normal web browsing is around 17 hours. For reference, the previous 13-inch MacBook Pro maxed out at 10 hours. This is an incredible leap in performance with double the battery life.
App Store
The M-series processors in Apple’s Macs will be able to run iOS apps. Any app built for iOS will also run on macOS. New Macs will have an extremely large library of compatible apps at launch because of this. However, we don’t yet know just how well apps made for a touchscreen will translate to the Mac, which, curiously, still doesn’t have a touchscreen.
New Macs
Apple introduced three new Macs with the M1 processor. Each has slightly different performance. This is thanks largely due to customizable GPU options, as well as fan-based cooling. One of these models doesn’t move air around to cool the device. Can you guess which one?
The Macs all use the same M1 processor, and therefore largely have the same power. We’ll have to see if cooling changes anything. They all have an 8 core processor, up to 16GB of ram, 2TB of storage, and up to an 8-core GPU. Only the MacBook Air comes with an optional 7-core GPU for a significantly lower cost. Besides fan cooling, the machines will all have very similar power.
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air doesn’t move air around with a fan. Easy to remember, right? No? Don’t be silly! The Air doesn’t move ai… yeah, I see your point.
The lack of a fan means the MacBook Air will be the quietest option. However, it also means it may have to limit power to prevent overheating.
The MacBook Air starts at $999. That’s for an M1 chip with an 8-core CPU and a 7-core GPU. Why 7 instead of 8? This is a process known as “binning.” Basically, Apple knows that some of their chips will have flaws and therefore only have 7 working GPU units. They’ll sell these at a much lower price as they have less power. It’ll still work perfectly fine, just won’t have the same processing power as the 8-core GPU variants. For that, you’ll have to cough up $250 more. $250 for one more core. However, Apple controls the storage, and this model also comes with 512GB of storage standard instead of the 256GB that the $999 model comes with.
13-inch MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro comes with an M1, like the Air, but it uses fan based cooling. This allows the processor to punch out more power for longer periods of time. It still manages a fantastic 20 hour battery life.
The MacBook Pro will start at $1,299. That’s an 8-core CPU and GPU and just 8GB of memory. It also has only 256GB storage. The device maxes out at only 16GB of memory, the minimum I’d suggest for a computer today. However, this is a different kind of device. Apple can be more efficient with storage and memory on the M1. Perhaps this is all the device will need.
With 16GB of memory and a respectable 2TB of storage, the 13-inch MacBook Pro will cost $2,299. That does seem like a lot. However, the performance to cost ratio may be better than any MacBook before it.
Mac Mini
Apple sold developer Macs with the A12Z processor from the iPad Pro so they could prepare their apps for the new architecture. That developer Mac was the Mac Mini. The Mac Mini now starts at $100 less than before, $699. It’s fan-cooled, like the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and also comes with the same M1 chip. Fully upgraded with 16GB of memory and 2TB of storage, and the Mac Mini can go up to $1,699. Yes, $1,000 for 8GB of RAM and 1.75TB additional storage. It’s an incredible leap in price. However, the Mac Mini remains your best bang for your buck.
If this is what Apple has in mind for consumers, I’m looking forward to seeing what they think professionals will want.
Power Caveats
You may have noticed one of them already. Apple controls all upgrades, and they’re built in to the chip. Adding internal storage, even to a desktop like the Mac Mini, is incredibly expensive. Apple charges $600 for their 2TB drive, though you can buy a 2TB NVMe M.2 drive for under $250. Apple’s also charging $200 for an additional 8GB of memory. You can get that for under $50 elsewhere. Apple controls every thing with these devices, including the price, and they’ve inflated it as a result. It’s like buying a beer at a ballpark. Where else are you going to go?
Don’t expect to upgrade your graphics with an eGPU either. While you could use an eGPU for Apple’s Intel-based Macs to boost their power enough for intense games, with the M-series chips, what you buy is what you get. Forever.
Speaking of performance, most apps won’t be optimized for Apple’s processors. All of those performance gains? “Up to” 3x? That’s in perfect conditions, with Apple’s own apps. When macOS has to emulate an Intel processor. That’s going to slow apps down. Even with the additional power, these apps may not run very well. You likely won’t have access to all of your games either. Some apps and games may never support Apple’s processors.
Do you use Windows for work or play? Well, you won’t anymore. The M-series Macs can’t run Boot Camp or Windows. Apple has not announced any plans to support Windows on these Macs. If you have a game library that runs on Windows, you can forget about playing them on your new Mac.
Buying Advice
That may have sounded exceptionally negative. The truth is, these are very powerful processors and make for some incredible machines. For most users, those who don’t play games or require an eGPU for anything, Apple’s new MacBooks are incredible. They’ll offer performance normally only seen in far more expensive machines. Most people are going to be absolutely floored by these machines.
For anyone who wants more power, app and game compatibility, eGPU support, or Boot Camp support, Apple still sells the 16-inch MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Pro with Intel processors. Perhaps Apple will eventually overcome these obstacles. Developers may love the power the processor is working with. Apple may work with Microsoft to release Windows for Boot Camp again. But, if that takes years, you’ll be set with one of Apple’s current Intel-based solutions.
Apple came out of the gates sprinting with their new Macs. It’ll be interesting to see how this platform evolves.