Have the 14" and 16" MBP Taken a Step Back?

[m1maverick]

In battery life and heat output? When the M1 Macs were released battery life and heat output (or lack of) were impressive given the substantial performance the processor offered.

Reading through various discussions here I get the impression both have take a step back, especially on the 14". Performance, at least multicore and GPU has increased but it appears to be at the expense of battery longevity and temperature. Is this just my inference or is it more than that. I'd be interested in hearing others opinions.

 

[wilberforce]

They are tilted more towards performance, than battery life (in the case of the 14") or smallness (in the case of the 16").
So perhaps a step sideways, not backwards. But options with more performance is what many (not everyone!) have been asking/waiting for.
The MBA (and its upcoming refresh) is tilted more towards smallness and battery life.
Options for everyone.

 

[m1maverick]

I never considered the 13" MBP (Intel or AS) to be anything more than a "MacBook" type of system despite the pro branding. IMO the 14" and 16" are the true MBPs.

 

[wilberforce]

I never considered the 13" MBP (Intel or AS) to be anything more than a "MacBook" type of system despite the pro branding. IMO the 14" and 16" are the true MBPs.

Yes, the 13" M1 MBP is basically an MBA with a slightly bigger battery. A few other minor differences

 

[nquinn]

You can't think about battery life that way. You have to think about work performed per amount of battery life.

If these new machines can render animations, handle video, or compile xcode in 1/2 the time of the previous laptop, you could technically have half the battery length and still get the same amount of equivalent usage.

They probably are slightly less efficient in idle or low power modes, but doubt it would be by very much.

 

[TSE]

Absolutely not. My 14" MacBook Pro has been overwhelmingly my favorite laptop I've had so far.

 

[mi7chy]

Would've made more sense to introduce M1 Max in a desktop and limit it to the 16" MBP desktop replacement.

 

[darngooddesign]

In battery life and heat output? When the M1 Macs were released battery life and heat output (or lack of) were impressive given the substantial performance the processor offered.

Reading through various discussions here I get the impression both have take a step back, especially on the 14". Performance, at least multicore and GPU has increased but it appears to be at the expense of battery longevity and temperature. Is this just my inference or is it more than that. I'd be interested in hearing others opinions.

I dont consider them a step back because I understand what they are. Performance-focused chips are always going to run hotter with less battery life than efficiency-focused chips. If performance isn't your priority then just wait for next year's M2-based laptop(s).

Of course, if the M2 Air has significantly worse battery life than the M1 Air, then it is a step back.

 

[robco74]

Depends. Apple hasn't been able to put this much power into a 14" laptop before. Previously, the smaller laptops were limited to Intel iGPUs. It's not surprising that the new chips are going to be pushing the limits of the smaller chassis. I think the performance gains, especially for graphics, over the old 13" Intel models are worth the tradeoffs.

The Pro lineup should be skewed more toward higher performance and better thermals. I hope that, like the iBooks of old, there will be different sizes for consumer models as well, those can prioritize battery life and thinness.