M1 14 Pro or M1 Air for years to come

[stmfgmr]

Hi everyone,
Just got my base 14 and it’s really great, however I am now wondering if the hefty price tag is indeed justified by the functionalities it packs. As a non-pro user coming from a 2011 MPB, I love the great screen, the added port and so on, but at the same time I think that for the current non professional use I could also “settle” for an M1 Air.
However, the smaller screen and the fanless design make me actually wondering about the lifespan of those machines, as they may slow down and throttle as the application on M1 grow more “complex”. As I am looking at holding on this machine for the next 7-10 years, this make me leaning more toward the current MacBook Pro, even if refurbished M1 air are now basically 1000€ less than the Pro.
What do you think?

 

[Jimbonatius]

If you only do casual use and are worried about the fanless design causing it to age prematurely, then get the 13 inch MacBook Pro. I have it and it’s absolutely amazing and does whatever I want seamlessly. The newer models are for heavy use.

 

[stmfgmr]

If you only do casual use and are worried about the fanless design causing it to age prematurely, then get the 13 inch MacBook Pro. I have it and it’s absolutely amazing and does whatever I want seamlessly. The newer models are for heavy use.

Thought about it, only problem is the touch bar, which I really don't want.
Also, comparable spec (16Gb and 1TB) will only fall 300€ short of the base MBP 14

 

[ManicMarc]

A fanless design might actually be a boon for longevity. Less dust being sucked inside the machine, and no moving parts. The M1 is so far ahead of anything before it, and the fan only really helps with extended compute tasks. So you'll probably be fine. Also, Apple will be supporting the Intel 2020 Air for some time, which is far slower and hotter than the M1 air.

 

[nappes]

You could get M1 air every 3-5 years for the same price and probably be using a perfectly decent machine now and a much better machine in 3-5 years than getting one pricey pro now.

 

[stmfgmr]

You could get M1 air every 3-5 years for the same price and probably be using a perfectly decent machine now and a much better machine in 3-5 years than getting one pricey pro now.

Not sure if this does really translate 1 to 1, but what I am afraid is that for instance the first generation M1 air will be outpaced in few years and basically struggle with basic operations like it is the case of oldish base iPads for instance.
Nevertheless, getting perhaps too much acquainted with the gorgeous screen of the 14!

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I pre-ordered the MBP 16 M1 Max, but I'm also keeping the MBA M1 forever. I could have traded it in, but IMO it's not worth the trade in. It's just too good of a tiny laptop to get rid of.

The MBA M1 is still going to fly at normal everyday use even 4 years from now. 7-10 years from now (as you stated) might be pushing it.

If you were to take your 14 Pro back and get a MBA M1, then you better get a 16gb ram version if you're going to keep it for that long.

 

[AustinIllini]

If you only do casual use and are worried about the fanless design causing it to age prematurely, then get the 13 inch MacBook Pro. I have it and it’s absolutely amazing and does whatever I want seamlessly. The newer models are for heavy use.

Seconded. I literally have no interest in the new pros. The 13 inch is incredible for my workflow.

 

[flapflapflap]

Thought about it, only problem is the touch bar, which I really don't want.
Also, comparable spec (16Gb and 1TB) will only fall 300€ short of the base MBP 14

Yup, it's hard for anyone to buy a comparably specced out M1 MBP over the 14 with that price difference. I own the M1 MBP and will admit the battery life is astounding.

 

[Joelist]

Both machines are great and will last a long time. It's more a matter of taste. If you want the Air and plan to use it for years and years probably get the 16GB version. A 14 Pro comes out of the gate with more than enough resources for a while.

 

[magbarn]

MBA with 16gb of ram is an excellent long term investment for light use. It's already faster in most situations than my 8 core i9 MBP 16. MBP 14/16 is overkill for surfing and social media use.

 

[flapflapflap]

MBA with 16gb of ram is an excellent long term investment for light use. It's already faster in most situations than my 8 core i9 MBP 16. MBP 14/16 is overkill for surfing and social media use.

Exactly. If you want a larger screen, probably best to wait for the M2, but that may take longer than everyone expects. Perhaps 2 years. Apple will milk and extract money from non-Pros who need a bigger screen in the 16. Apple likely will not introduce the M2 Air 15 anytime soon.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Exactly. If you want a larger screen, probably best to wait for the M2, but that may take longer than everyone expects. Perhaps 2 years. Apple will milk and extract money from non-Pros who need a bigger screen in the 16. Apple likely will not introduce the M2 Air 15 anytime soon.

why not april 2022 actually

 

[bill-p]

Hi everyone,
Just got my base 14 and it’s really great, however I am now wondering if the hefty price tag is indeed justified by the functionalities it packs. As a non-pro user coming from a 2011 MPB, I love the great screen, the added port and so on, but at the same time I think that for the current non professional use I could also “settle” for an M1 Air.
However, the smaller screen and the fanless design make me actually wondering about the lifespan of those machines, as they may slow down and throttle as the application on M1 grow more “complex”. As I am looking at holding on this machine for the next 7-10 years, this make me leaning more toward the current MacBook Pro, even if refurbished M1 air are now basically 1000€ less than the Pro.
What do you think?

It's simple really. I can tell that you are more concerned about performance. And the reality is... neither the M1 Air or the M1 Pro 14" is perfect.

It comes down to: do you want reduced performance but silent operation or... the other way around: it can keep up for years but fan noise just gets gradually worse?

I don't think Apple's new devices are designed to last 7-10 years anymore. These will last maybe... 3-4. When the next generation (or redesign) comes around, you'll want to upgrade because neither machine will be able to keep up with software then. If not due to performance, it'll probably be due to some new hardware feature that Apple will introduce in a few years. That's just the reality of things.

What I can tell is... the last time I had a fanless machine (12" MacBook) from Apple, it was obsolete within 2 years. By then, it no longer could keep up with even just the OS.

 

[stmfgmr]

It's simple really. I can tell that you are more concerned about performance. And the reality is... neither the M1 Air or the M1 Pro 14" is perfect.

It comes down to: do you want reduced performance but silent operation or... the other way around: it can keep up for years but fan noise just gets gradually worse?

I don't think Apple's new devices are designed to last 7-10 years anymore. These will last maybe... 3-4. When the next generation (or redesign) comes around, you'll want to upgrade because neither machine will be able to keep up with software then. If not due to performance, it'll probably be due to some new hardware feature that Apple will introduce in a few years. That's just the reality of things.

What I can tell is... the last time I had a fanless machine (12" MacBook) from Apple, it was obsolete within 2 years. By then, it no longer could keep up with even just the OS.

Yes, that's my main concern as well. Probably will return the 14" and get a refurbished M1 Air with 1TB and 8Gb for about 1300€ (incl. taxes). Guess will do for me, and as other users have mentioned I can always upgrade in 4-5 years if necessary.
For a light use and some basic gaming (Civ 6 and other 4X) the base Air will probably do.

 

[KindJamz]

I just bought my first mac. The M1 air. Should be here soon.

Light user. iOS for most things but need a computer occasionally. Figure the M1 is good for 4-5 years easily

 

[bill-p]

Yes, that's my main concern as well. Probably will return the 14" and get a refurbished M1 Air with 1TB and 8Gb for about 1300€ (incl. taxes). Guess will do for me, and as other users have mentioned I can always upgrade in 4-5 years if necessary.
For a light use and some basic gaming (Civ 6 and other 4X) the base Air will probably do.

Yeah. That's the way to go. To be honest, I am also highly considering returning the 16" and just going with the cheapest possible 14" this round. It's not like cash is strapped but there are few things I'm not quite... satisfied with this year's design.

I know I will definitely upgrade whenever a better design comes around, so... there is no point in going all out now.

 

[magbarn]

It's simple really. I can tell that you are more concerned about performance. And the reality is... neither the M1 Air or the M1 Pro 14" is perfect.

It comes down to: do you want reduced performance but silent operation or... the other way around: it can keep up for years but fan noise just gets gradually worse?

I don't think Apple's new devices are designed to last 7-10 years anymore. These will last maybe... 3-4. When the next generation (or redesign) comes around, you'll want to upgrade because neither machine will be able to keep up with software then. If not due to performance, it'll probably be due to some new hardware feature that Apple will introduce in a few years. That's just the reality of things.

What I can tell is... the last time I had a fanless machine (12" MacBook) from Apple, it was obsolete within 2 years. By then, it no longer could keep up with even just the OS.

The MB 12 was a special case as it was already underpowered when new and throttled easily. The M1 series has such good performance that they’ll last for awhile. Also TSMC is nearing the limit of easy process upgrades so the pace of improvement will be slowing down soon.

 

[bill-p]

The MB 12 was a special case as it was already underpowered when new and throttled easily. The M1 series has such good performance that they’ll last for awhile. Also TSMC is nearing the limit of easy process upgrades so the pace of improvement will be slowing down soon.

M1 Air also throttles... and although it's not to the point where the machines will experience any significant performance degradation, it is still something.

M1 Pro/Max are breaking new grounds in terms of graphics performance for the Mac, and with these as the baseline, Apple may decide to push for even more intensive graphics and visual effects for the next generation of Macs.

Sure, TSMC is slowing down, but Apple doesn't have to. The M1 is the first of its kind and Apple is still learning. They can still squeeze out even more performance as they improve their processes and designs. Note that while the CPU cores in the M1 are very impressive, the GPU is not. Absolute graphics performance of M1 is just about on par with the best in the market now, and any gain in efficiency can almost entirely be chalked up to Apple being one entire process node ahead of everyone else. What happens when nVidia and AMD both get to 5nm? I doubt M1 Pro/Max can maintain the lead then. They don't even lead right now when it comes to performance.

So you're suggesting Apple should not significantly improve upon M1, but I would say... they would do well to not rest on their laurels. And that means the M1 will inevitably be left behind in 4 years, just as the iPhone and iPad are right now. In fact, the base iPad Pro with M1 chip now has 8GB of RAM. Even though it's overkill for iPad as a platform, it's the new baseline. Will developers not take advantage of this much more powerful chip and much more ample amount of RAM? I find that hard to believe.

 

[geejay9876]

Hi everyone,
Just got my base 14 and it’s really great, however I am now wondering if the hefty price tag is indeed justified by the functionalities it packs. As a non-pro user coming from a 2011 MPB, I love the great screen, the added port and so on, but at the same time I think that for the current non professional use I could also “settle” for an M1 Air.
However, the smaller screen and the fanless design make me actually wondering about the lifespan of those machines, as they may slow down and throttle as the application on M1 grow more “complex”. As I am looking at holding on this machine for the next 7-10 years, this make me leaning more toward the current MacBook Pro, even if refurbished M1 air are now basically 1000€ less than the Pro.
What do you think?

As you realise the features do not justify the price difference. Just get a high-end MBA.

 

[flapflapflap]

To the non-Pros who are seduced by the larger and better screens of the 14/16 but are considering waiting for the rumored M2 15 inch Air, would you buy it if these rumored specs and mock-ups are true? Note there is a good possibility that Apple adds the notch to the M2 Air.

 

[astroPaz]

I don't see 14'' will make that much of a difference if 13'' feels small for your workflow.
You'll also be fine with the fanless design as the chip throttles once it's too hot. Use the thermal pad mod if you want to squeeze some extra power out of it.

 

[bill-p]

To the non-Pros who are seduced by the larger and better screens of the 14/16 but are considering waiting for the rumored M2 15 inch Air, would you buy it if these rumored specs and mock-ups are true? Note there is a good possibility that Apple adds the notch to the M2 Air.

I think it's more likely Apple will introduce 12" and 14" MacBook Airs, retiring the 13" line completely.

I'm not holding my breath for M2 since TSMC won't have any improvement to their production process until 2023. It's clear that whatever improvement we'll see next year or even in 2023, it'll be incremental compared to any current M1 chip.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

h

I think it's more likely Apple will introduce 12" and 14" MacBook Airs, retiring the 13" line completely.

I'm not holding my breath for M2 since TSMC won't have any improvement to their production process until 2023. It's clear that whatever improvement we'll see next year or even in 2023, it'll be incremental compared to any current M1 chip.

how do you mean,the a15 is pretty impressive ,great performance and superb efficiency (as well as other improvements)

 

[flapflapflap]

h

how do you mean,the a15 is pretty impressive ,great performance and superb efficiency (as well as other improvements)

If true, how hideous