M1 Mac for Online Teacher Needs

[wacomme]

I currently have a 2012 13" MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM. I upgraded the SSD drive, attached a 4K 27" monitor, a LogiTech webcam, a USB mic, and external keyboard and mouse (laptop in clamshell) - it runs ok. However, Chrome with 15+ tabs is laggy and it just all-around runs slow. My biggest complaint are Zoom, WebEx, and Teams meetings. My video is delayed and my mic cuts in and out. It's a horrible experience. I need to use my school Dell PC for all of my virtual meetings - yuck.

So I'm thinking of buying either the Air or Pro - 512GB drive with 16GB of RAM. Would either, or both, or these laptops meet my needs? I'm not a gamer (never played a video game), but I do make online videos (as a teacher - mostly screencastify, but iMovie's too) and view videos, but I participate in a lot of WebEx meetings, live my life in Chrome with many windows open, and have many MS Office apps open at once. So, I have many apps open at one time and switch between them often.

My biggest concerns with the M1 are:

1) Is 16GB of RAM enough? And to last me 5 years?
2) Would I benefit from the Pro over the Air? Does what I do create a big enough CPU load on the computer for long enough period of time where a fan would keep the CPU from throttling back due to heat?

Thank you.

Michael

 

[FNH15]

I currently have a 2012 13" MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM. I upgraded the SSD drive, attached a 4K 27" monitor, a LogiTech webcam, a USB mic, and external keyboard and mouse (laptop in clamshell) - it runs ok. However, Chrome with 15+ tabs is laggy and it just all-around runs slow. My biggest complaint are Zoom, WebEx, and Teams meetings. My video is delayed and my mic cuts in and out. It's a horrible experience. I need to use my school Dell PC for all of my virtual meetings - yuck.

So I'm thinking of buying either the Air or Pro - 512GB drive with 16GB of RAM. Would either, or both, or these laptops meet my needs? I'm not a gamer (never played a video game), but I do make online videos (as a teacher - mostly screencastify, but iMovie's too) and view videos, but I participate in a lot of WebEx meetings, live my life in Chrome with many windows open, and have many MS Office apps open at once. So, I have many apps open at one time and switch between them often.

My biggest concerns with the M1 are:

1) Is 16GB of RAM enough? And to last me 5 years?
2) Would I benefit from the Pro over the Air? Does what I do create a big enough CPU load on the computer for long enough period of time where a fan would keep the CPU from throttling back due to heat?

Thank you.

Michael

My only concern would be 16GB RAM. Chrome is awful with memory management (try Safari if you haven’t, perhaps?), as are the MS Office apps - Outlook in particular is just an awfully coded app. That being said, the M1 chip seems to have a better handle on memory management. From a processor perspective, an M1 machine should be fast, or even faster, than my 2018 15” with a dedicated GPU. I have a similar workload as you and my machine, for the most part, holds up fine, with the exception of spinning the fans up due to the abysmal Intel thermals, an issue not present on the M1. If you’re doing video editing, get the Pro - better thermals for extended video transcoding.

Try an M1 out! I have a feeling that you’ll find 16GB RAM to be more than adequate...

 

[mr_jomo]

For what it's worth: tested my base M1 macBook Air today using teams (Microsoft Edge, Rosetta), screen sharing, 3 x 4K videos streaming from youtube using Safari, a couple of office apps (beta, native ARM) open for good measure, connected to an external 5K monitor with Air in clamshell mode ... the Air took it like a champ, got a little hot on the bottom, but nothing else.

External trackpad over bluetooth seemed a bit laggy, but might have been me.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

Full-day video conferencing battery test (2020 M1 MBA 8C/7G/8GiB/256GiB)

Hi! I'll keep track of what I'm doing today all day. Start is 09.11am and at 100% charge.

forums.macrumors.com

that's my thread.

flawless performance today.

 

[acidfast7_redux]

8 GiB RAM is more than enough. I had no issues with the connection and the video was flawless. Mostly connections on the other end weren't great.

No slowdowns and no hiccups.

 

[FNH15]

Full-day video conferencing battery test (2020 M1 MBA 8C/7G/8GiB/256GiB)

Hi! I'll keep track of what I'm doing today all day. Start is 09.11am and at 100% charge.

forums.macrumors.com

that's my thread.

flawless performance today.

It’s a testament both to how awful Intel thermals are, and how phenomenal the M1 chip is that your machine, which was literally 1/2 the price of mine, does that much better! Strongly considering dumping the 15”...

 

[James_C]

1) Is 16GB of RAM enough? And to last me 5 years?

For what you do today 8GB will be fine. 16GB may help you future proof your Mac.

2) Would I benefit from the Pro over the Air? Does what I do create a big enough CPU load on the computer for long enough period of time where a fan would keep the CPU from throttling back due to heat?

I would stick to the Air, which I have been using for a day now. It replaces a 2016 MacBook Pro 15". It has twice the performance of that machine. Yes the Air can throttle under significant load but under sustained load it only loses 10-15% CPU performance.

 

[limesmoothie]

I'm also a teacher, working both on and offline at present - heavy use of Zoom/MS Teams and screen recording software like Loom, alongside normal productivity work.

I've ordered an M1, as I believe the chip and the battery life combination to be a huge step up. I've gone for 8gb this time, as the likelihood of a chassis redesign in the next few years is high, so I didn't want to go all in on 16gb only to want to upgrade in the event of a big redesign.

Plenty of people reporting excellent performance on the base model so far, but if you're planning to keep the machine for 3-5 years, 16gb is probably worth it.

 

[wacomme]

I'm also a teacher, working both on and offline at present - heavy use of Zoom/MS Teams and screen recording software like Loom, alongside normal productivity work.

I've ordered an M1, as I believe the chip and the battery life combination to be a huge step up. I've gone for 8gb this time, as the likelihood of a chassis redesign in the next few years is high, so I didn't want to go all in on 16gb only to want to upgrade in the event of a big redesign.

Plenty of people reporting excellent performance on the base model so far, but if you're planning to keep the machine for 3-5 years, 16gb is probably worth it.

Did you go with the Air or Pro?

 

[MTD's Mac]

I'm a teacher, currently on my lunch break on Day 1 with my M1 MacBook Air. It's a dream to use. I went with 16gb to future proof it, but between the battery life and overall speed, I'm so pleased I made the leap. This replaces my 12.9-inch 2018 iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard.

Early reviews tend to be from tech geeks and focus on benchmarks, pro apps/workflows, and raw power. But what has amazed me is how everyday tasks are significantly faster. Copying files, opening apps, connecting to devices, the things I do a thousand times a day are much smoother and quicker, making for a very pleasant experience.

 

[Branmonkey]

I just got the Mac Mini 8GB for Remote Teaching as well. Loving it. Probably gonna get the MBP with 8GB to tide me over till the re-design. I'm with the others... you'll be pretty great with just the 8GB model... I've heard some issues with Teams and the Air though so sticking with the Pro. Unless you want to keep the device for awhile like others said the 16gb may be what helps it stay around in your life longer though. It's speedy awesome!

 

[MK500]

I absolutely recommend the 16GB Air. Throttling is not an issue (and I've dealt with plenty of throttling on Intel Macs). It rarely gets warm. Remember this CPU was originally developed to work in an iPad or even iPhone. The big metal heat sync available in the Air is a big improvement over thermal management in the iOS devices. It sounds like the fans aren't really doing a lot in the Pro and Mini anyway; as they barely run. I think they are mostly there to just guarantee that extra 15% performance when running everything full tilt.

The keyboard is also big advantage on the Air over the Pro unless you love the Touch Bar.

 

[Kaze9]

I just picked mine up today. Base Air with 8gb ram. If you want to splurge I would say get the 16gb just to future proof your laptop to last the same amount of time as your previous MacBook. I just retired my 2013 Retina 15" MacBook Pro with an i7 because this cheapest Air basically smokes it for every task I can possibly throw at it.

Unless you're teaching video editing I don't think you'll have an issue with an Air. I do some processor and graphic heavy tasks like graphic design, photo editing, web development, and light video production and I don't think I'll have a real problem with the MacBook Air. My iPad Pro can do the majority of these tasks and this is a more powerful device than that. I honestly think most people are over analyzing the situation. The pro is really for sustained power heavy usage which is kind of difficult to do unless you already live that life.

 

[wacomme]

I just got the Mac Mini 8GB for Remote Teaching as well. Loving it. Probably gonna get the MBP with 8GB to tide me over till the re-design. I'm with the others... you'll be pretty great with just the 8GB model... I've heard some issues with Teams and the Air though so sticking with the Pro. Unless you want to keep the device for awhile like others said the 16gb may be what helps it stay around in your life longer though. It's speedy awesome!

What have you heard about Team and the Air? Why would you opt for the Pro over the Air?

 

[adgoodma]

Teacher here too... I use a multiple monitor setup for my online and in person classes, usually with ecamm broadcast software. I am not going to pull the trigger on this one because it can't run enough monitors. Everything else will be great with the air. I just cant deal with grade books etc on a small screen.

 

[Branmonkey]

What have you heard about Team and the Air? Why would you opt for the Pro over the Air?

One of my teacher friends had to exchange the Air for an MBP because Teams was stuttering and never working well. The M1 will most likely be a different story. That chip is a beast! My MacMini is amazing with Teams already!!!

 

[Cape Wolf]

Fellow teacher!

Moved from a 2017 MBP 13" 3.1 16gb, 512SSD...solid machine. to......!

M1 MBA 16GB 1TB Beast. minus losing 2 ports (MBP had 4)...its working well so far. I sidecar during zoom onto my iPad Pro (2015) so I can have more screen space and it has done just fine. While zooming, I'll multitask google slides, classroom, videos and other essential apps to teaching.

I am looking to grab a good monitor that can double for gaming on to really test this machine and provide just a bit more screen space. Basically transitioning into a twitch stream teacher (according to the students)...ha!

 

[wacomme]

Thank you. It certain sounds like either the Air or the Pro will fulfill my teaching needs. My wife is also a teacher, now teaching from home. She wants one too. So guess what we're getting for Christmas?

Michael

 

[Branmonkey]

So cool to see so many teachers on here. I have to say Teams was AMAZING on my new M1 MacMini today... SOOOOOO much better than before (and my junky Surface Pro)! This M1 chip is gonna blow everything away plus the battery life is incredible, showing a 8 - 9 hour battery life on video calls (Teams, Zoom, etc.). So happy for us all to be able to lead remote learning better now! You all rock, stay safe and keep inspiring our students!

 

[Branmonkey]

Wanted to update - holy cow the MacBook Pro is a beast too! Ran Teams almost all day, no issues and videos were wonderful. I'm sitting at 56% and haven't charged all day (which is by far the craziest feeling especially when a teacher forgot her charger today and was at 16% by 10am)! Incredible!

 

[pshufd]

I think that this is a huge potential market.

 

[wacomme]

I'm still trying to decide between the Air and the Pro - 16GB RAM and 512 SSD in either. I know I should just go for the Air and save a little money, but . . .

 

[pshufd]

I'm still trying to decide between the Air and the Pro - 16GB RAM and 512 SSD in either. I know I should just go for the Air and save a little money, but . . .

If you want it soon - you might just go with the one that you can actually get.

 

[wacomme]

OK. Now I'm thinking I'll buy the base model Air. The price is less than 1K out the door. If I upgrade to the 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM, I'll increase the cost of the computer 50% to $1,500 out the door. What would this 50% increase in cost buy me? I'm seen reports that the base model functions just fine, and with my use (web, school, business apps, webinars), the base model appears to be more than adequate. Am I missing something?

I usually never buy the cheapest approach. I usually upgrade to future-proof my purchase. However, since these are first generation entry models, I presume Apple will be offering faster and better computers during next two years. So, if the base model Air can last me a year or two I'll be happy. At that time I can upgrade to something presumably much faster; the upgrade to 512 GB SSD and 16GB RAM now will be insignificant to the computer improvements two years from now.

It would be nice to wait a half year or more to see what comes out next. However, my mid-2012 13" MBP is woefully slow and webinars are nearly impossible. I need a new computer now.

Does this make sense?

Michael

 

[Branmonkey]

OK. Now I'm thinking I'll buy the base model Air. The price is less than 1K out the door. If I upgrade to the 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM, I'll increase the cost of the computer 50% to $1,500 out the door. What would this 50% increase in cost buy me? I'm seen reports that the base model functions just fine, and with my use (web, school, business apps, webinars), the base model appears to be more than adequate. Am I missing something?

I usually never buy the cheapest approach. I usually upgrade to future-proof my purchase. However, since these are first generation entry models, I presume Apple will be offering faster and better computers during next two years. So, if the base model Air can last me a year or two I'll be happy. At that time I can upgrade to something presumably much faster; the upgrade to 512 GB SSD and 16GB RAM now will be insignificant to the computer improvements two years from now.

It would be nice to wait a half year or more to see what comes out next. However, my mid-2012 13" MBP is woefully slow and webinars are nearly impossible. I need a new computer now.

Does this make sense?

Michael

I wouldn't upgrade for now honestly. I'm in the same boat as you. I got the base MBP model and plan to upgrade when the redesign happens. The 8GB RAM on either Air or MBP is more than enough. These machines are gonna last way longer than their Intel Predecessors and that's saying a lot for us educators... we usually only get devices updated at school once every five years which will be awesome for these models!