Lately, leakers, analysts, and journalists have been better at naming Apple products than Apple. Instead of something like “M1X,” we’re instead getting the M1 Pro and the M1 Max in our Macs. Say Max and Macs out loud. See the problem? Guess this is just another way that written word will beat out that pesky yet addictive video review. Right?
Anyway, Apple introduced two new MacBook Pro models yesterday, each taking advantage of their latest processor enhancements. These new laptops check off a list of wants from professionals, and include dramatically improved versions of the M1 processor we’ve seen in the Mac Mini, MacBook, and 24-inch iMac. The M1 already gave Intel’s best chips a run for their money. These new Pro models push that difference further, giving these new models a leap in performance over even Apple’s own Macs.
Are the new MacBook Pro notebooks enough to win over professionals? For many pros, absolutely. Some, especially those who develop software for other platforms or play games on their Mac, may want to wait, but many pros will find the new MacBook Pros are exactly what they were waiting for.
In This Article:
M1 Pro and M1 Max
These two new processors are literally larger and more powerful versions of the M1 chip. They’re using Apple’s 5nm process to make powerful chips that also don’t consume as much electricity as competitors, like those from Intel. Apple doesn’t directly compare benchmark figures, and famously uses dishonest charts that don’t show actual values for any of the axes, but they do seem to offer an undetermined amount of improvement over some Intel chip.
Yeah, don’t look into that too deeply.
What we do know is these outperform the M1 chip by a… yeah, still undetermined margin. However, they feature more memory, more processing cores, higher memory bandwidth, and should be substantially faster than the already fast M1 processor. Geekbench CPU benchmarks placed the M1 MacBook around and exceeding Intel’s best. The M1 Pro and M1 Max improve upon that by a significant amount. In everyday use, they could be two to three times as fast as even the M1 in certain tasks.
M1 Pro vs M1 Max
| M1 | M1 Pro | M1 Max | |
| CPU | 8-Core | 8 or 10-Core CPU | 10-Core CPU |
| Performance Cores | 4 Cores | 6 or 8 Cores | 8 Cores |
| Efficiency Cores | 4 Cores | 2 Cores | 2 Cores |
| GPU | 7 or 8-Core GPU | 16-core GPU | 24 or 32-Core GPU |
| Neural Engine | 16-Core | 16-Core | 16-Core |
| Memory Bandwidth | 68.2GB/s (unannounced) | 200GB/s | 400GB/s |
| Maximum Memory | 16GB | 32GB | 64GB |
The new M1 Pro is a substantial improvement over the M1, with up to twice as many performance cores. Interestingly, there are only 2 efficiency cores, showing a strong favoring of speed over electricity consumption. The M1 Pro features double the cores for the GPU, 16, and the M1 Max has up to twice that as well. Memory bandwidth improves with each version as well, with the M1 Pro being almost three times faster with memory transfers than the M1, and the M1 Max being twice as fast as that. The maximum memory also changes between models. The M1 has up to 16GB, the M1 Pro up to 32GB, and the M1 Max up to 64GB. This memory is shared with the GPU.
Sharing memory with the GPU is an interesting concept. On one hand, many GPUs only feature up to 16GB of memory. Therefore, with something like the M1 Max, there’s the potential for more memory usage. However, if you’re doing non-graphics tasks that take up a lot of memory (say, building an app), then you could take a bigger chunk out of usable GPU memory. Still, even decent desktop graphics cards may have less memory for the GPU. My graphics card, a relatively top of the line one (two years ago), a Radeon RX 5700 XT, has only 8GB of dedicated memory. This additional memory could allow app developers, and perhaps even game developers, to take advantage of the memory boost on the graphics side, storing renderings, using larger texture files, or simply keeping track of more objects. It has potential, if developers can take advantage of it.
It’s not as though game developers have been flocking to Apple’s platform before. Due to Apple’s longstanding lousy support for games and changes in the platform, most games skip the Mac.
That i9 MacBook Pro was the best one you could buy in 2019. Two years later, Apple has an even more powerful solution.
In benchmarks, we’re seeing a 3x leap in performance between the M1 and the M1 Max in graphics tests. The M1 was no slouch, so a 3x leap in benchmarks is rather extreme. These new processors really are beasts.
The New MacBook Pro
Apple didn’t just release a new chip, they released something that can use that new chip. The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro notebooks feature a new design that answers the demands of professionals, all while bringing one idiotic annoyance from the iPhone.
You can probably already guess what Apple took a step back on. Hint: Apple tried to hide it by hiding the menu bar and using a black background in the photo above.
First, the positives. The new MacBook Pro is thinner and lighter than the previous model (correction: thicker and heavier), but with better airflow. Finally. This leads to better cooling for its M1 Pro or M1 Max chip which, incidentally, is easier to cool than Intel’s hotter chips. The 5nm process and ARM architecture makes Apple’s laptops a bit cooler than their previous Intel-based versions.
Apple brought back a few ports too. Now there’s MagSafe charging, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, and, yes, an SD Card. My USB-C dongles are mostly used for an SD card. When I reach for a dongle for my MacBook Pro or iPad Air, it’s usually to put an SD Card in it.
Apple also admitted the Touch Bar is a failure. They brought back a full row of function keys, and even made them full height. Though I never minded that these were half-height. It actually made them easier to feel for. Still, they’re there now. There’s also a full-sized Touch ID button.
But… Touch ID? This MacBook Pro has a notch! Doesn’t it have Face ID? Yes, that would be the only good reason to add a notch, dear reader. Unfortunately, Apple didn’t add a notch for any goddamn good reason. The MacBook Pro now has a notch for its camera. It’s the new 1080p camera that Apple finally started using after years of using an outdated camera in their “pro” setups. But it’s just a camera.
What’s so bad about a notch?
Note how close the notch comes to cutting off Adobe Photoshop here. One more item and it’s hidden.
Many pro users have a lot going on in their menu bar. For example, I have at least three, perhaps four icons in my menu bar that the notch would completely block off. This is because I use a variety of third party software that has monitoring and other features in my menu bar. However, because Apple decided that the worst part about the iPhone should become part of their brand identity, we now have a notch cut out of our displays.
Good grief.
Who is This For?
Apple shows a variety of people claiming the MacBook Pro is perfect for them. The real answer may be photographers and anyone shooting video that they later edit in Final Cut Pro. Developers who work on more than one platform than the Mac or iOS may want to be cautious, as some software may require workarounds or hacks to work. Others, you may simply have to use a PC.
There has been some improvement for developers. Android Studio released some beta support for M1-powered Macs, and even some ARM-based emulators. Docker had hacks working early on, and support has improved since then. But there are still remaining issues. Google’s TensorFlow won’t run on the new Macs. Developing for Android using the NDK? You won’t be able to build on a MacBook Pro. Unity, a popular cross-platform game engine, still only works through Rosetta 2 emulation, making it about as fast as it would be on an Intel chipset… but without the possibility of an external GPU for more power.
That brings up another note. One of the best features for professionals in game development, video editing, or even just gaming, was the support for eGPUs. These allow users to add a powerful GPU to their MacBook Pro over a Thunderbolt cable. They allow you to upgrade the same Mac’s GPU over time, pick the best GPU for your tasks, support more external monitors, and play games. But Apple’s M1 Macs drop support. The performance in your MacBook Pro when you buy it is the best it’ll ever be.
Many of the games I have for macOS have compatibility issues with 64-bit-only macOS versions. This is because they were made for 32 bit and never upgraded. Often these are third party dependencies within games, ones that developers can’t help but include without major refactoring. It’s not easy to update games like that. Apple has a terrible habit of leaving these developers, often from smaller studios, behind. If you were looking to bring a new exciting game to the market, you might look past Apple’s ecosystem entirely, just due to the inherent instability with the platform right now, and not knowing what vital piece of software Apple will drop support for next.
So, Who’s it Really For?
I’m a developer, photographer, writer, and occasional videographer. I wouldn’t even mind using my Mac for more music production again. I look at the new MacBook Pro with its MagSafe, SD Card, HDMI port, and better keyboard with jealousy… because I simply can’t upgrade to it yet. I just don’t know if it’ll have the full support for development yet. Besides, I have many games for macOS that simply wouldn’t work. I’d have an eGPU that would be a paperweight. The truth is, my next computer (if I still can’t get Boot Camp eGPU support working), will be a PC. Maybe for development, definitely for games. Many developers working on iOS or macOS will be able to upgrade, but not everyone, depending on their workflow. Those working on other platforms, like Android, or using game engines like Unity or Epic’s Unreal, may want to wait as well. Especially those using Unreal, as who knows if Apple will even allow Epic to continue making anything for their platforms.
This is really for those doing photo, video, or music work with their Mac. While developers and gamers may be able to upgrade, depending on what they’re using, the people who have seen a lot of support for the new architecture work with visual mediums. Workflows in Adobe’s suite, Final Cut Pro, or Affinity’s software are faster on Apple’s latest processors than even beefy Intel-based setups. Photography, design, and video production professionals are the real winners with Apple’s new hardware.
Oh, and writers too. But let’s face it, fellow writers, we could work on an iPhone in a bar if we really had to.
If you’re just looking for a snappy computer for emails and such, the M1-powerd iMac, Mac Mini, or MacBook is a better bet. If you really need power to do your workflows, and you’re not reliant on many pieces of third party software to build what you’re working on, then the new MacBook Pro may be the powerhouse for you.
As for me? I’ll keep waiting. And eyeing up a mini PC with Thunderbolt 4 support, because, wow, Apple and Microsoft really don’t want to make it easy to use an eGPU with Windows.