Has Apple Silicon made you reconsider the Mac platform?

[LeeW]

Just had a friend round with their new 13 MBP M1, 16GB version. I was neither impressed nor put off by the performance. slightly sluggish was my view. We put it against my 16GB MM on exactly the same tasks, shutting down everything but the minimum required on both devices.

The MM was definitely slightly ahead in terms of most tasks. Probably due to the better cooling potential of the MM I guess.

He is happy with it, that is all that matters

 

[ctjack]

Bought open box from BB - Air 512gb in gold. I am totally impressed coming from Lenovo legion 5 17 inch(10750h/1660ti) and rMBP 13 2012. I had much more vivid feelings with this Air rather than Lenovo laptop when first using it. Ordered 2k monitor - we'll see how it goes. Absolutely no regrets - it even opens websites faster than Lenovo and feels 10 times better than my old MBP 2012. Also recommend trying app called "swish" on Mac - best app for trackpad gestures.

 

[The_Interloper]

I've had my base model M1 MacBook Pro for almost a month now and continue to be very impressed by it. From what I've seen, there's simply nothing with this form factor that can compete. Great performance aside, the silent operation and never-ending battery life are just game changers.

That doesn't mean it's perfect. Years of using Surface devices have really spoilt me and I wish Apple would at least give us the option of a touchscreen and pen input. I'd love to be able to simply remove the keyboard portion, like the Surface Book. I also have an iPad Pro and find it wasteful to have two items with the same size screen that both have to be charged up and maintained, running different operating systems.

Also, while optimised (and even Intel) applications work excellently, there is a real gap for me by not being able to run a Windows VM any more. I've got the ARM version working in the Parallels Beta and its impressive but not a real solution as there is currently no way to activate a permanent licence. It leaves me with programs I depend on (such as Dragon voice recognition) that have no equivalent on the Mac at all.

 

[kazmac]

I've had my base model M1 MacBook Pro for almost a month now and continue to be very impressed by it. From what I've seen, there's simply nothing with this form factor that can compete. Great performance aside, the silent operation and never-ending battery life are just game changers.

That doesn't mean it's perfect. Years of using Surface devices have really spoilt me and I wish Apple would at least give us the option of a touchscreen and pen input. I'd love to be able to simply remove the keyboard portion, like the Surface Book. I also have an iPad Pro and find it wasteful to have two items with the same size screen that both have to be charged up and maintained, running different operating systems.

Also, while optimised (and even Intel) applications work excellently, there is a real gap for me by not being able to run a Windows VM any more. I've got the ARM version working in the Parallels Beta and its impressive but not a real solution as there is currently no way to activate a permanent licence. It leaves me with programs I depend on (such as Dragon voice recognition) that have no equivalent on the Mac at all.

I’d ditch iPads permanently if Apple gave their laptops (or iMac) pencil compatibility. Sadly, it will not happen but I kind of wish it would.

I like my M1 MBP, not pushing it because I have no need to and do not want to wrangle an external display (Do not want to deal with an external display for several reasons). That said, I am still keeping an eye on Asus and am very curious about what they will reveal at CES today and tomorrow.

 

[LeeW]

find it wasteful to have two items with the same size screen that both have to be charged up and maintained, running different operating systems.

You call it wasteful, Apple calls it profit.

I've got the ARM version working in the Parallels Beta and its impressive but not a real solution

Nope, the whole point of it for us both I guess is to fill the gap that cannot otherwise be filled.

To be honest I am hoping this puts a rocket under intel and AMD which it does appear to be doing. Alder lake, if it appears and is good, will probably be a contender for the M1 at least in terms of performance and battery life.

 

[Queen6]

Well after some time and a good deal of trial and error it's still kind of a wash. To go with Apple silicon you have to accept Apple's more restrictive policies, you'll also have to trade off a level of flexibility for the impressive 16" performance in a 13" formfactor (M1 MBP). Intel based MacBook's will rapidly overheat and pullback performance due to their inadequate cooling, while the M1 MBP will barely break a sweat and literally tear ahead.

I remain to be impressed as emulation under Rosetta 2 is near seamless (Big Sur 11.1 is a must), the sheer endurance the M1 MBP offers on battery is little short of astonishing. Is still such early days on the SW side and you may struggle with some applications, and that you need to be very mindful of above everything else or you may fall fowl for the intended purpose.

Overall I'm still of the same opinion that the 1st Gen M1 Mac's are a solid purchase, as they present Apple's silicon in tried and proven chassis at a reasonable price point. 2nd Gen personally I'm more cautious of as Apple will undoubtedly switch to new designs & technologies which may or may not bring issues (2016 MBP). Those on the fence and fully in the Apple ecosystem you've likely more to gain than loose with M1. Those with more complex SW demands and or the need for Windows X86 applications 3rd Gen is likely the way to go as the new chassis will be proven and Apple's silicon for Mac's more developed, as will emulation SW.

I do believe that Apple is listening, or at least aware. The disastrous Butterfly Keyboard debacle is embarrassing at best, incompetent at worst and the general pushback by many utilising the MacBook Pro professionally. No doubts that Apple will not want to revisit such circumstance and have it's execs need to publicly spout excuses, only be torn apart by the technical community.

I do genuinely enjoy my own M1 MBP, being the first since the 2016 refresh. It does require more imagination and work to get it where I want, yet overall I think the future is looking bright for the Mac. I also applaud Apple for making the change as it will force Intel and AMD to get out of the past and move into the future. If they don't they will undoubtedly suffer. Already some are simply considering due the power savings alone as they are running significant numbers of systems, given the vast difference in power usage between Intel & Apple Silicon.

TLDR I'm fine with the investment in a base M1 13" MBP, yet would be far more reserved with the likes of a 16" in the range of $3K-$4K until the software side matures and the next Gen chassis are seen to be reliable.

Q-6

 

[kazmac]

Well after some time and a good deal of trial and error it's still kind of a wash. To go with Apple silicon you have to accept Apple's more restrictive policies, you'll also have to trade off a level of flexibility for the impressive 16" performance in a 13" formfactor (M1 MBP). Intel based MacBook's will rapidly overheat and pullback performance due to their inadequate cooling, while the M1 MBP will barely break a sweat and literally tear ahead.

I remain to be impressed as emulation under Rosetta 2 is near seamless (Big Sur 1.1 is a must), the sheer endurance the M1 MBP offers on battery is little short of astonishing. Is still such early days on the SW side and you may struggle with some applications, and that you need to be very mindful of above everything else or you may fall fowl for the intended purpose.

Overall I'm still of the same opinion that the 1st Gen M1 Mac's are a solid purchase, as they present Apple's silicon in tried and proven chassis at a reasonable price point. 2nd Gen personally I'm more cautious of, as Apple will undoubtedly switch to new designs & technologies which may or may not bring issues (2016 MBP). Those on the fence and fully in the Apple ecosystem you've likely more to gain than loose with M1. Those with more complex SW demands and or the need for Windows X86 applications 3rd Gen is likely the way to go as the new chassis will be proven and Apple's silicon for Mac's more developed, as will emulation SW.

I do believe that Apple is listening, or at least aware. The disastrous Butterfly Keyboard debacle is embarrassing at best, incompetent at worst and the general pushback by many utilising the MacBook Pro professionally. No doubts that Apple will not want to revisit such circumstance and have it's execs ned to publicly spout excuses, only be torn apart by the technical community.

I do genuinely enjoy my own M1 MBP, being the first since the 2016 refresh. It does require more imagination and work to get it where I want, yet overall I think the future is looking bright for the Mac. I also applaud Apple for making the change as it will force Intel and AMD to get out of the past and move into the future. If they don't they will undoubtedly suffer. Already some are simply considering due the power savings alone as they are running significant numbers of systems, given the vast difference in power usage between Intel & Apple Silicon.

TLDR I'm fine with the investment in a base M1 13" MBP, yet would be far more reserved with the likes of a 16" in the range of $3K-$4K until the software side matures and the next Gen chassis are seen to be reliable.

Q-6

Well said.

I like my M1 MBP too. I look forward to what AMD will do going forward. Regarding Apple, I hope they do not further lock down their OS, but I think that's a pipe dream.

I am hopeful the design changes will be better, especially after the butterfly keyboard.

 

[GoldfishRT]

The rumors about a 14" model without a touchbar for the redesign have me pretty jazzed for the future. Only time will tell though.

In my ideal world, the chipsets and corresponding GPUs will be fast enough to make the whole emulation piece only a minor nuisance and make the smaller (and more importantly cheaper) model viable again for me especially since it would be a secondary machine.

 

[hajime]

I bought the MBP 16" because Lenovo's build quality is still not as good (e.g. backlight bleeding, jet engine fans for no reason, ugly dots on OLED touch screen, fingerprint magnet cases, larger and heavier AC adapter for workstation class laptops that have similar performance as the MBP 16", etc.) and Apple has Apple Stores in many places in the city so it is more convenience. If Lenovo's or other manufacturer's build quality is like Apple's, I would choose them over Apple.

 

[pshufd]

I bought the MBP 16" because Lenovo's build quality is still not as good and Apple has Apple Stores in many places in the city so it is more convenience. If Lenovo's or other manufacturer's build quality is like Apple's, I would choose them over Apple.

Lenovo has a pretty captive corporate market - they are the goto laptop in most big companies that I've seen. I'd guess that they don't really need to change their model.

 

[Queen6]

Well said.

I like my M1 MBP too. I look forward to what AMD will do going forward. Regarding Apple, I hope they do not further lock down their OS, but I think that's a pipe dream.

I am hopeful the design changes will be better, especially after the butterfly keyboard.

Well seems the path with the OS, equally there remains ways and means although they are becoming more technically demanding, more so with ARM.

2nd Gen we'll see, I don't think will be a big risk, however Apple has failed miserably in the recent past so as stated I'd rather tend to hold off on a significant purchase until the new chassis is tried and proven.

Q-6

 

[Queen6]

I bought the MBP 16" because Lenovo's build quality is still not as good (e.g. backlight bleeding, jet engine fans for no reason, ugly dots on OLED touch screen, fingerprint magnet cases, larger and heavier AC adapter for workstation class laptops that have similar performance as the MBP 16", etc.) and Apple has Apple Stores in many places in the city so it is more convenience. If Lenovo's or other manufacturer's build quality is like Apple's, I would choose them over Apple.

They do and you still don't get it...

Q-6

 

[LeeW]

Apple has failed miserably in the recent past so as stated I'd rather tend to hold off on a significant purchase until the new chassis is tried and proven.

Indeed, happy enough with my M1, it will be kept until something significantly better in the GPU department comes along if at all. Although at present it hardly gets used, in fact, it's a desk ornament at this point. So I may actually just sell it as it will be really easy to eBay a 16GB version.

But I needed to see what it was capable of right at the start, when it comes to Apple devices I never rely on the reviewers and certainly not the sheep reviewers in the general forums who would highly rate a $50 single-use plastic bag if it was made by Apple.

They have certainly proven they can do ARM successfully on Mac, the questions now are whether they will actually produce good devices without all the issues of recent years and will they lock the devices down further, just because they have the total control to do so and it's in their nature. Not sure on either at the moment so happy to wait it out now and see what comes in the future.

That aside I am just too comfortable with Windows and my PC again to start trying to move back. If this puts a rocket under Intel or even AMD and they can come out with something similar that provides better battery life on things like a surface then I can see myself staying away from Apple in relation to desktop/laptops anyway.

 

[pshufd]

Indeed, happy enough with my M1, it will be kept until something significantly better in the GPU department comes along if at all. Although at present it hardly gets used, in fact, it's a desk ornament at this point. So I may actually just sell it as it will be really easy to eBay a 16GB version.

But I needed to see what it was capable of right at the start, when it comes to Apple devices I never rely on the reviewers and certainly not the sheep reviewers in the general forums who would highly rate a $50 single-use plastic bag if it was made by Apple.

They have certainly proven they can do ARM successfully on Mac, the questions now are whether they will actually produce good devices without all the issues of recent years and will they lock the devices down further, just because they have the total control to do so and it's in their nature. Not sure on either at the moment so happy to wait it out now and see what comes in the future.

That aside I am just too comfortable with Windows and my PC again to start trying to move back. If this puts a rocket under Intel or even AMD and they can come out with something similar that provides better battery life on things like a surface then I can see myself staying away from Apple in relation to desktop/laptops anyway.

I will continue to use Windows machines, even with the new stuff coming out. I just hate to see old hardware not put to use.

 

[Queen6]

Indeed, happy enough with my M1, it will be kept until something significantly better in the GPU department comes along if at all. Although at present it hardly gets used, in fact, it's a desk ornament at this point. So I may actually just sell it as it will be really easy to eBay a 16GB version.

But I needed to see what it was capable of right at the start, when it comes to Apple devices I never rely on the reviewers and certainly not the sheep reviewers in the general forums who would highly rate a $50 single-use plastic bag if it was made by Apple.

They have certainly proven they can do ARM successfully on Mac, the questions now are whether they will actually produce good devices without all the issues of recent years and will they lock the devices down further, just because they have the total control to do so and it's in their nature. Not sure on either at the moment so happy to wait it out now and see what comes in the future.

That aside I am just too comfortable with Windows and my PC again to start trying to move back. If this puts a rocket under Intel or even AMD and they can come out with something similar that provides better battery life on things like a surface then I can see myself staying away from Apple in relation to desktop/laptops anyway.

Truth here; you've got to see for yourself as by the vast majority of reviewers are bought & paid for in one way or the other IMO. I find that as I use the M1 more I tend to use it more. Yes it does at times take some head scratching and Q&A with SW vendors to work things out yet month by month it gets better.

I've always been one to use both Windows & OS X in tandem. TBH I'm happy to bring back the equilibrium of a Windows PC and a Mac workflow as they are complementary.

Q-6

 

[pshufd]

Truth here; you've got to see for yourself as by the vast majority of reviewers are bought & paid for in one way or the other IMO. I find that as I use the M1 more I tend to use it. Yes it does at times take some head scratching and Q&A with SW vendors to work things out yet month by month it gets better.

I've always been one to use both Windows & OS X in tandem. TBH I'm happy to bring back the equilibrium of a Windows PC and a Mac workflow.

Q-6

I was fortunate that my daughter wanted a laptop so I got to play around with hers for 30 minutes and it is very, very nice. I wasn't really willing to buy one for myself knowing that better was down the road. But I was sorely tempted. The news today makes it easier for me to relax and wait for the 14/16 models.

 

[Cybertox]

Absolutely Zero interest in getting a Mac as of right now. I adore my iPhone, love my Watch but switched to PC in 2012 and never looked back since. Something that could interest me in the future would be a Mac Mini which I would buy solely for light productivity work, even then I would still have to own a custom rig for all of my other needs.

 

[Queen6]

I was fortunate that my daughter wanted a laptop so I got to play around with hers for 30 minutes and it is very, very nice. I wasn't really willing to buy one for myself knowing that better was down the road. But I was sorely tempted. The news today makes it easier for me to relax and wait for the 14/16 models.

My daughters 1st Gen 2016 Surface Book is on it's last legs, mostly the SW side. She opted for a new iPad Air, Pencil and KB. Ouch cost way more than my M1 MBP LOL. In all fairness it does what she needs it to and that's what counts.

Still of the mind that Apple needs to prove itself, the current notebook chassis, KB is solid, tried and tested. Apple has far too much of a focus on "thin & light" versus structural rigidity and durability in the real world. With that in mind I'll hold off on a 16" until at least 3rd Gen with favourable independent reviews.

Yes the M1 MBP & Air are seriously good notebooks, with little to complain about for the average user. More complex for some Pro applications. M1 brings a smile to the face as the M1 SOC easily keeps up with a fast hex core PC, yeah it's a revelation...

Q-6

 

[LeeW]

I adore my iPhone, love my Watch

I am ok with the iPhone, I don't need a complex or expensive phone but I do love the watch so have no choice but to have an iPhone. Also good with the iPad, Airpods Pro, Apple TV and Fitness+. All of these devices have use and purpose in my life and thus far have always been great, other than me dropping my current iPad pro and breaking the screen.

On the laptop side though it has just been issue after issue and the M1 is not without them. The Bluetooth issues that have been around since 2018 persist. Apple claims to have a fix coming. Be aware that not all wide/ultrawide monitors will function correctly on any M1 device, another fix Apple claims to have en route and there are some other issues.

To be honest, though I see Macs as a legacy part of the Apple line-up now. The sensible analysis that I see takes account for the home working surge and M1 but notes the units are in fact going down whilst everything else goes up.

Not suggesting the Mac is going anywhere, not yet anyway but in time the non-mac devices and services will continue increasing to the point Apple will move even more focus away from the Mac and towards the devices and services that make them the most money and will make even more as the years go on and more users are pulled in as a lot of the devices they really want get cheaper (iPhones, iPads & Watch).

 

[grmlin]

While I'm pretty happy with my ThinkPad right now, I'm looking forward to use a proper Arm MacBook Pro in the future. The idea to have that much power in a near silent device that lasts for 10 hours or something is just insane.
I have to wait for MacOS on ARM to mature though, I don't want to pay the early adopter toll with bugs and problems in software I use for work. Especially Docker.
Once that's figured out I'm ready

 

[Queen6]

I am ok with the iPhone, I don't need a complex or expensive phone but I do love the watch so have no choice but to have an iPhone. Also good with the iPad, Airpods Pro, Apple TV and Fitness+. All of these devices have use and purpose in my life and thus far have always been great, other than me dropping my current iPad pro and breaking the screen.

On the laptop side though it has just been issue after issue and the M1 is not without them. The Bluetooth issues that have been around since 2018 persist. Apple claims to have a fix coming. Be aware that not all wide/ultrawide monitors will function correctly on any M1 device, another fix Apple claims to have en route and there are some other issues.

To be honest, though I see Macs as a legacy part of the Apple line-up now. The sensible analysis that I see takes account for the home working surge and M1 but notes the units are in fact going down whilst everything else goes up.

Not suggesting the Mac is going anywhere, not yet anyway but in time the non-mac devices and services will continue increasing to the point Apple will move even more focus away from the Mac and towards the devices and services that make them the most money and will make even more as the years go on and more users are pulled in as a lot of the devices they really want get cheaper (iPhones, iPads & Watch).

TBH I think it's been that way with Apple for a long time and potentially the root cause of the shabby 2016 refresh, which still haunts Apple. With so many working or simply confined to home due to the pandemic it's hardly surprising that notebook sales have increased, nor are Mac's going to the the weapon choice for the majority by any means.

Problem with the M1 is that it will put off some users/companies as they will not want to deal with the short to mid term SW restrictions or loss of W10, especially as the vast majority of business orientated SW is for both Windows and x86. For me my M1 remains a testbed and something that I can work with slowly to see what Apple Silicon can deliver. Personally not had any issues with my M1 MBP (barring my own doing in SW) and likely as I've not needed or used in a manner to trigger an issue, no doubt that they do exist.

Overall I believe that Apple will always have a Mac line up M1 rather confirms, however the Mac will very much play second, if not third fiddle to other hardware lines and services, which has been more than apparent at times resulting in subpar products...

I would add that I think the Mac is certainly in a better position for the future than it has in the last five years or more of neglect and mismanagement. Ending on the note of the glass being half full, rather than half empty as of early 2021.

Q-6

 

[pshufd]

Overall I believe that Apple will always have a Mac line up M1 rather confirms, however the Mac will very much play second, if not third fiddle to other hardware lines and services, which has been more than apparent at times resulting in subpar products...

Q-6

I agree. But the burst last year and the promised burst this year are really nice. If they implement as promised, then I'm good for five years. In the meantime I will keep two Intel Macs and one or two Windows systems around for those times when I need them.

 

[LeeW]

Overall I believe that Apple will always have a Mac line up M1 rather confirms

I suspect this is an all-in type play to see whether it strengthens the Mac within the line-up. If it doesn't it will be interesting to see how it then develops, I don't think we will see any significant change this side of 10 years.

What I do anticipate as being more likely is the eventual arrival of the iPad with macOS rather than iPadOS. They could (fairly) easily produce an iPad type device like the Surface Pro. Today it is all there except the OS, the Ipad, mouse/keyboard/touch support, ability to use an external display and so on. It will come eventually.

 

[Queen6]

I agree. But the burst last year and the promised burst this year are really nice. If they implement as promised, then I'm good for five years. In the meantime I will keep two Intel Macs and one or two Windows systems around for those times when I need them.

As stated above I do think Apple is aware and listening, equally the implementation will undoubtedly be on their own terms. My fear is that Apple for a long time has been all to happy to sacrifice performance for the aesthetic, and lets be frank reliability in some instances. I fully expect the next Gen MBP to have a similar design language to the new iPad Air with subsequent thinning of the chassis...

Certainly from my perspective trading off performance is not acceptable as Apple's MBP & Air are already easily portable. For me it's been over five years since I bought a Mac, opting for W10 PC notebooks, the sole reason being Apple and it's complete and lack of common sense with the MBP.

Moving on, current direction is definitely encouraging with Apple being more open regarding the Mac. With hindsight, although the Mac is firmly relegated way down the line financially, equally the Mac remains intrinsic to Apple both internally & externally irrespective of sales, as the Mac is Apple...

Q-6

 

[Queen6]

I suspect this is an all-in type play to see whether it strengthens the Mac within the line-up. If it doesn't it will be interesting to see how it then develops, I don't think we will see any significant change this side of 10 years.

What I do anticipate as being more likely is the eventual arrival of the iPad with macOS rather than iPadOS. They could (fairly) easily produce an iPad type device like the Surface Pro. Today it is all there except the OS, the Ipad, mouse/keyboard/touch support, ability to use an external display and so on. It will come eventually.

Tend to agree, recently bought my eldest a new iPad Air, KB & Pencil and it's effectively replaced her 2016 Surface Book. It's not for me, yet I can see the potential. Personally I'll stick with OS X (yeah I know, but don't care), W10 and dabbling in Linux. The desktop OS on an iPad format, I'd go for that, I always thought Apple would...

Q-6