I am getting strong "iPad 3" vibes from these first m1 macs.

[Mellofello808]

For those who weren't apple fans back in 2012, when the iPad 3 came out, here is the TL/DR.

Apple unveiled a very compelling product with the iPad 3. It had some major improvents over the iPad 2, including a slightly improved processor, and retina screen that was an absolute marvel to see at the time.

Most people in the enthusiast community based their decision to purchase the iPad 3 on the relatively reliable cadence of Apples releases up to that point. Everyone ran out and bought them up.

I was one of those people who got mine day 1.

However a few short months later, Apple came out with the iPad 4.

The iPad 4 shared all the improvements of the 3, but built on them in massive ways, with a much faster processor, and most importantly the move to a lightning charger, that the guys with iPad 3s never got.

Apple was fully within their rights to do this, and sometimes this is the price you pay to be an early adopter, in a technology segment that is ripe for rapid iteration. However myself, and a lot of other iPad 3 owners did feel pretty dumb for rushing out to buy a product that was lacking the latest features so quickly.

I don't have any inside info on what is in the pipeline for M chips, but looking at the writing on the wall, this is obviously just the beginning. The lack of power constraints will surely bring out sleeker form factors on the portable end, and this chip is barely flexing the muscles of the architecture for the high end.

It is pretty reasonable to think that there will be many more shoes to drop in the near future.

So speaking as a iPad 3 owner who felt a little burned by my lust for the latest thing (and ended up selling off a several month old 3 at a loss, to jump to a 4), perhaps waiting a few months to at least begin hearing the rumors of what comes next, will be a prudent decision.

 

[matrix07]

It had some major improvents over the iPad 2, including a slightly improved processor

There you go. Your theory going out the window. M1 is already a massive improvement over previous processor (Intel’s). Will there be (much) better M1X, M2 etc? Of course. But the fact is M1 is already a leap ahead and performs normal computer tasks excellently. This is quite different than iPad 3 whose major selling point is Retina display.

 

[KPOM]

So speaking as a iPad 3 owner who felt a little burned by my lust for the latest thing (and ended up selling off a several month old 3 at a loss, to jump to a 4), perhaps waiting a few months to at least begin hearing the rumors of what comes next, will be a prudent decision.

I bought the iPad 3 (which wasn’t actually branded the “iPad 3” but instead the “new iPad”). Guess what. It was still great even after the iPad 4 game out. I kept it until the iPad Air came out. In any case, the M1 MacBook Air is still faster than the Ice Lake MacBook Pro. If Apple releases an M2 that’s even faster, so what? My M1 MacBook Air is still a speed demon.

 

[alex00100]

Yeah, iPad 3 compared to the 2 or god forbid 1 had way better longevity

 

[throAU]

Whatever comes out in the near future, these new machines are leaps and bounds ahead of anything else on the market in this power envelope.

As always - if you need/(want) now, buy now.

There is ALWAYS something better coming down the pipe.

 

[alexreich]

I was and am excited to have ordered one of the first Apple Silicon machines with my M1 MacBook Air. It serves me just fine for work purposes with pretty heavy multitasking as-is. I transitioned over to it fully Tuesday afternoon and made it through a full workday today without incident. I'll get my years out of this machine even if they release better Apple Silicon desktops in 6 months or less, doesn't really bother me. My next Apple computer purchase will be an Apple Silicon based Mac mini or Mac Pro. If they can push 2X or more performance by May, I'm down for a shiny new desktop machine

 

[mkaen]

In OP’s analogy, the iPad 3 is actually the 2020 intel MacBook airs. I am feeling pretty dumb now, having bought that on day one after 6 years with a previous MBA, only to have this M1 arrive and totally destroy it in every way (except bootcamp).

 

[ruslan120]

For those who weren't apple fans back in 2012, when the iPad 3 came out, here is the TL/DR.

Apple unveiled a very compelling product with the iPad 3. It had some major improvents over the iPad 2, including a slightly improved processor, and retina screen that was an absolute marvel to see at the time.

Most people in the enthusiast community based their decision to purchase the iPad 3 on the relatively reliable cadence of Apples releases up to that point. Everyone ran out and bought them up.

I was one of those people who got mine day 1.

However a few short months later, Apple came out with the iPad 4.

The iPad 4 shared all the improvements of the 3, but built on them in massive ways, with a much faster processor, and most importantly the move to a lightning charger, that the guys with iPad 3s never got.

Apple was fully within their rights to do this, and sometimes this is the price you pay to be an early adopter, in a technology segment that is ripe for rapid iteration. However myself, and a lot of other iPad 3 owners did feel pretty dumb for rushing out to buy a product that was lacking the latest features so quickly.

I don't have any inside info on what is in the pipeline for M chips, but looking at the writing on the wall, this is obviously just the beginning. The lack of power constraints will surely bring out sleeker form factors on the portable end, and this chip is barely flexing the muscles of the architecture for the high end.

It is pretty reasonable to think that there will be many more shoes to drop in the near future.

So speaking as a iPad 3 owner who felt a little burned by my lust for the latest thing (and ended up selling off a several month old 3 at a loss, to jump to a 4), perhaps waiting a few months to at least begin hearing the rumors of what comes next, will be a prudent decision.

Thank you for sharing your experience and warning. I think M2 will be a decent performance boost (not groundbreaking) but agree that Apple has pulled related shenanigans with releasing the top of the line A13 in the iPhone 11 series then added it to the $400 SE.

 

[flowave]

"iPad 3" will the M2 chip. M1 had to be very good because of Rosetta. Now, when the momentum is going Apple will milk us again.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

And original iPhone; and first-gen Intel Macs (which were 32-bit only.)

Yeah, the M1 really is just an A14 with slightly added features. Much like how the first-gen Intel Macs ran what Intel called "Core Duo", but were really just dual-core versions of the "Pentium M" mobile CPU - they had no real relation to the later "Core 2 Duo" at all.

I bought the entry-level MacBook Air for my sister - it'll do fine for what she'll use it for for many years. And I bought a Mini (+RAM) for myself partly just to play with, partly to possibly replace my 2012 Mini as home server. But now I'm not so sure it WILL be able to replace the 2012 Mini as home server...

 

[glindon]

That wasn't at all my experience with the dreaded iPad 3. It was basically an iPad 2 with a better screen. Apps looked nicer, ran about the same or slower because it had to move all those pixels. The new Air is the same as the old Air but almost 3x faster. Expect next year's Air to be ~15% faster with an M2 or whatever they call it. The iPad 3 chugged through the next year's iOS update (iOS 6 or 7, can't remember). Next year's MacOS probably won't change performance much (maybe more optimized?).

 

[827538]

I have my suspicions that a 14" MBP redesign will drop H1 2021 with the fancy new display, much improved FaceTime camera, 4 USB-C ports, M1X chip.

 

[Spindel]

My iPad 3 is still running as my kids toy iPad so I'm not to worried

 

[glindon]

I have my suspicions that a 14" MBP redesign will drop H1 2021 with the fancy new display, much improved FaceTime camera, 4 USB-C ports, M1X chip.

I can see it now, the improved FaceTime camera. 768p. 48 more p's! You will be amazed. ($200 upgrade from 720p camera).

 

[dmccloud]

In OP’s analogy, the iPad 3 is actually the 2020 intel MacBook airs. I am feeling pretty dumb now, having bought that on day one after 6 years with a previous MBA, only to have this M1 arrive and totally destroy it in every way (except bootcamp).

I share that sentiment. After reading so many reviews of the new Macs (including several very detailed breakdowns of performance), I'm ready to trade in my i3 MBA for an M1 model. Given the performance difference between the i5 and M1, jumping from the i3 will be an even bigger jump.

 

[thenewperson]

In OP’s analogy, the iPad 3 is actually the 2020 intel MacBook airs. I am feeling pretty dumb now, having bought that on day one after 6 years with a previous MBA, only to have this M1 arrive and totally destroy it in every way (except bootcamp).

Even more than that, imagine what came after the iPad 3 wasn't the iPad 4 with an A6X but an iPad 4 with an A8X. That's pretty much the kind of jump we're seeing.

 

[George Dawes]

M probably stands for mobile, I expect we’ll see the d1 for desktop and p1 for pro macs ?

 

[ScanTheNavian]

I bought the iPad 3 (which wasn’t actually branded the “iPad 3” but instead the “new iPad”). Guess what. It was still great even after the iPad 4 game out.

Really? Because I remember iOS5 being marvelous on it, then when 6 came it would lag and was considerably slower. Then tech sites recommended not to upgrade it to 7. Mine is still on 6. Safari etc became unusable some year later and I've been only using iBooks and Goodreader on it.

It was fantastic for a few months, a real dream which turned into a nightmare and made me super hesitant to invest in another Apple device, since my experience was that proper support only lasted a year.

 

[playtech1]

I could see the 13 inch MBP getting axed fairly quickly in favour of the rumoured 14 inch replacement. That design has been around since 2016 so is getting long in the tooth.

The MBA on the other hand seems likely to keep its form factor, since it was updated fairly recently in 2018 and you then have a better differentiated line-up, with 13, 14 and 16 inch MacBooks.

On the iPad 3 comparison, I had one and it looked very pretty but did run pretty badly and was quickly replaced by a superior model. I think that's definitely the early 2020 Intel MacBook Air!

 

[Falhófnir]

The iPad 3 had the same CPU and about the same GPU power as the iPad 2 (adjusted for screen resolution) and was succeeded by the iPad 4 which was something ridiculous like 3x more powerful. The M1 is 3-6x faster than what's in preceding machines, and is unlikely in the extreme to be succeeded by something that is 2x faster, let alone 3x.

 

[Abazigal]

For those who weren't apple fans back in 2012, when the iPad 3 came out, here is the TL/DR.

Apple unveiled a very compelling product with the iPad 3. It had some major improvents over the iPad 2, including a slightly improved processor, and retina screen that was an absolute marvel to see at the time.

Most people in the enthusiast community based their decision to purchase the iPad 3 on the relatively reliable cadence of Apples releases up to that point. Everyone ran out and bought them up.

I was one of those people who got mine day 1.

However a few short months later, Apple came out with the iPad 4.

The iPad 4 shared all the improvements of the 3, but built on them in massive ways, with a much faster processor, and most importantly the move to a lightning charger, that the guys with iPad 3s never got.

Apple was fully within their rights to do this, and sometimes this is the price you pay to be an early adopter, in a technology segment that is ripe for rapid iteration. However myself, and a lot of other iPad 3 owners did feel pretty dumb for rushing out to buy a product that was lacking the latest features so quickly.

I don't have any inside info on what is in the pipeline for M chips, but looking at the writing on the wall, this is obviously just the beginning. The lack of power constraints will surely bring out sleeker form factors on the portable end, and this chip is barely flexing the muscles of the architecture for the high end.

It is pretty reasonable to think that there will be many more shoes to drop in the near future.

So speaking as a iPad 3 owner who felt a little burned by my lust for the latest thing (and ended up selling off a several month old 3 at a loss, to jump to a 4), perhaps waiting a few months to at least begin hearing the rumors of what comes next, will be a prudent decision.

The problem with the iPad 3 wasn’t that Apple released the iPad 4 6 months later, but that it came with an anaemic A5x processor that wasn’t powerful enough to power its Retina display. In short, the iPad 3 should never have happened.

We are currently at a stage where Apple’s A-series chips have more power than people have use for. Even if the M2 chip next year outclasses this year’s M1 chip, the people who went out and bought a MBA or MBP on day 1 are still going to have more than enough horsepower to accomplish whatever they want to get done.

I wouldn’t worry too much.

 

[Wando64]

I don't have any inside info on what is in the pipeline for M chips, but looking at the writing on the wall, this is obviously just the beginning. The lack of power constraints will surely bring out sleeker form factors on the portable end, and this chip is barely flexing the muscles of the architecture for the high end.

It is pretty reasonable to think that there will be many more shoes to drop in the near future.

Are you actually suggesting that Apple will carry on releasing updated and new products in months and years to come?

Yeah, I definitely feel cheated. How dare they.

 

[Falhófnir]

Really? Because I remember iOS5 being marvelous on it, then when 6 came it would lag and was considerably slower. Then tech sites recommended not to upgrade it to 7. Mine is still on 6. Safari etc became unusable some year later and I've been only using iBooks and Goodreader on it.

It was fantastic for a few months, a real dream which turned into a nightmare and made me super hesitant to invest in another Apple device, since my experience was that proper support only lasted a year.

I remember it more as 5,6,7 were all ok, 8 and 9 killed it. 9 in particular left the keyboard lagging seconds behind 'keystrokes'. I think people felt 7 was slower because of the over the top animations, but really it wasn't actually too bad performance wise.

 

[zhenya]

Yeah, you’ve got this entirely backwards. Intel Macs are the current iPad 3. The new M1 Macs are the iPad 4+ - way over-powered for their time (we still have an iPad 4 in near daily use).

In 2018 I purchased the new design iPad Pro. It was immediately apparent that Apple had turned a corner in their chip design. In contrast to every previous iPad I’d owned, this one never gets even remotely warm no matter what I do with it, and now, two years on, it is still over-powered for the software available for it - and faster for many of the things that matter - by a large margin - than both my top of the line 2019 iMac and late 2020 Thinkpad.

These M1 Macs are getting nearly all of those advantages, Rosetta appears to be really solid right out of the gate, and contrary to the pundits’ warnings, these chips handle high load work flows just fine (reports are that the fan on the MBP model isn’t even audible, even under full load).

There is virtually no downside unless you really need to be able to run Windows (I do). The improvements for the upcoming generations are likely to be far more incremental.

 

[smoking monkey]

For those who weren't apple fans back in 2012, when the iPad 3 came out, here is the TL/DR.

Apple unveiled a very compelling product with the iPad 3. It had some major improvents over the iPad 2, including a slightly improved processor, and retina screen that was an absolute marvel to see at the time.

Most people in the enthusiast community based their decision to purchase the iPad 3 on the relatively reliable cadence of Apples releases up to that point. Everyone ran out and bought them up.

The HD screen was the big step up at the time. That was about it IIRC. I also jumped on from Day 1, but it went back on Day 2!

I was so disappointed with it. It was quite a bit slower than the iPad 2 and it was bigger and heavier. It was a lemon out of the gate.

I remember reviews coming out after release calling out the problems (along with the yellow screen issue) and it wasn't overly popular soon after release.

That scenario is nothing like the M1. Machines that have almost universally been praised. Also, you aren't going to see low tier Airs or Pros being released within the next 9-12 months. Which is pretty much the normal release cycle anyway. Plus these machines are fast, efficient, quiet and cool. All major step ups from previous releases. Sure there are a few things like the Mini having less ports, but everything else has been impressive.

Yes there will be a 14 and 16 released next year, but they aren't low tier machines. These M1s will continue to be good machines even when those are released due to the price differences we will see.

IF people are buying these but really want a higher end machine, then of course they are going to be frustrated when those machines come out, but if buying for the right reasons, then there will be absolutely no problem.