Reviews are in, Intel out? Poll!

[bill-p]

Okay, so... here are thoughts after spending some more time to use and study my M1 MacBook Pro:

1. macOS Big Sur is still quite an unstable mess. 11.0.0 was disastrous. It crashed and restarted multiple times due to no apparent reason at all. 11.0.1 was slightly better, but still very unstable. Apps running through Rosetta 2 were still crashing a lot. 11.1 beta is... ironically, the most stable version so far for me despite being beta software. Heck, this first 11.1 beta should already be pushed out as 11.0.2 update for M1 users. Not only does it solve some app compatibility issues (CrossOver now works, plus a few others), it's also far more stable overall.

2. Emulator fans, rejoice! OpenEmu works, and is not only very stable now, it uses between 20 - 30% CPU at any random time. So what that means is... you can run your favorite game system and the battery will last ridiculously long. I think I drained like 10% battery while playing Metal Gear Solid - The Twin Snakes. So... expect around 8 - 10 hours of play time, or more.

3. Games vary, but I can keep around 900p or 1080p, medium to high settings, and most games get >60fps. That's more than "playable".

4. On the photography side, Capture One Pro works well. I'm using version 21 beta, and... it works like a dream. Far faster than anything else, including Lightroom. If this is what is possible with Rosetta 2, I can only drool at what a native version of Capture One can achieve.

5. Fusion 360 works very well as well. It's not... mind-blowing like all of the above, but it's usable. Certainly, the GPU doesn't seem as powerful as my 16" MacBook Pro, but the fan never comes on, so there's that.

6. External monitor support is a pleasant surprise. Full screen animations and everything else seem faster than on my 16" MacBook Pro. I had to double check resolution to make sure I didn't accidentally set the resolution to something lower. Even at scaled resolution, the M1 runs smoother and faster than the 16" Pro.

So, at this point, I think I'm ready to part with the 16" Intel MacBook. It's not a bad device, but I think M1 is the better computer overall. Software (OS and Rosetta compatibility) just have to be improved ever so slightly, and I'd actually be happy with sticking to this M1 MacBook Pro for some years to come. Actually, I'm not even tempted by the thought that a 14" or 16" MacBook Pro will come next year, or the year after anymore. I might as well brave it out until M4 or M5 comes along, when 8K video editing becomes like the norm for the lowest-end chip, and most of the lines have transitioned over to being fanless. Only then will an "upgrade" be worth it. This M1 MacBook Pro has spoiled me.

P.S.: you may have noticed that I didn't mention anything about dev software. Let's just say... those are a work in progress. I didn't try any of them, because I know Brew is not ready, Docker is not ready, etc... I might as well just keep using this as a general emulator/game/light-computing machine for a while.

P.S. 2: on peripherals, a 30W charger kinda works, but it'll appear as "not charging" from time to time. Pics or it didn't happen:

Charged from 30% to 91% just to prove a point. I did open up some games, apps, etc... in between. The charger worked, albeit maybe slower than the 61W charger, but... this is far more compact than the brick Apple shipped with the computer.

 

[Zazoh]

Odd. Big Sur has not crashed for me once, in a week of use.

 

[bill-p]

If you're on M1, it's a bit less stable. It's rock solid on my 16" Pro. I'm guessing it's Rosetta 2.

 

[blindpcguy]

Ah, nice.

If I had the space I would buy some of these older models. It'd be a complete waste of space and a hobby my wife wouldn't like - but I think I'd enjoy it. I'm still using a 2009 4,1 Mac Pro and am debating selling it and my iPad Pro for a M1 machine but I don't want to let such a classic go. It's a great computer even today and would make a great server. And personally I think it's just a classic design.

Ya iv got various mac desktops in the collection currently on my desk is my 2017 Imac and my g4 mdd and i use them both all the time but iv got the other imac another lower end g4 and a 06 core duo mini stored

 

[aednichols]

If you are an enterprise developer, then I completely agree. Docker is coming but there is no time frame yet. There is a patched version of the Java JDK but I have no idea how stable it is. I'll be checking on that sometime this week. The lack of any working VM is also a problem. These will be solved in time but right now, it is going to pretty painful. Luckily my MacPro still works

I have been testing the Azul Zulu native build of OpenJDK on my M1 MacBook Air.

My big Scala/Java project from work builds and runs great with it, more than twice as fast as my 15" MacBook Pro.

 

[dougellison]

I didn't just dump Intel for M1. I dumped an MSFT Surface Laptop 3 for an MBA. It's a BIG jump in pretty much every area.

 

[Zazoh]

If you're on M1, it's a bit less stable. It's rock solid on my 16" Pro. I'm guessing it's Rosetta 2.

I’m on an M1. Only using two apps that are intel. No crashes. It must be the apps you are using are not compatible.

Using Zoom and VM Ware Horizon both for hours on end no issues. Haven’t restarted all week. No crashes. all the rest are Universal apps.

 

[Sydde]

I know we are all just waiting for M5, the SoC that will be able to control a NCC-class starship.

 

[smoking monkey]

I know we are all just waiting for M5, the SoC that will be able to control a NCC-class starship.

You jest, but if Apple can keep up the year on year massive improvements... hey, the sky and outer space is the limit!

 

[bill-p]

I’m on an M1. Only using two apps that are intel. No crashes. It must be the apps you are using are not compatible.

Using Zoom and VM Ware Horizon both for hours on end no issues. Haven’t restarted all week. No crashes. all the rest are Universal apps.

Yeah, that must be it. I have quite a few things that are not native, including some development frameworks. 11.1 has been rock solid stable so far, but 11.0.0 and 11.0.1 crashed quite often. I haven't even been able to crash 11.1 by forcing some weird Intel code through Rosetta 2.

 

[moonwalk]

Any word on when they’ll release M3?

 

[pioneer9k]

After using the new air for a few days I have concluded I can throw my 2017 MBP off a cliff and forget it ever existed and also laugh at the fact I almost spent $2400 on a 16”

 

[calstanford]

Selling my 32GB 2TB 8core 16" MBP and have replaced it with a 16GB 2TB MacBook Air. Lovely machine without a fan. Unlike the heavy loud always-too-hot intel monster

 

[thenewperson]

If you're on M1, it's a bit less stable. It's rock solid on my 16" Pro. I'm guessing it's Rosetta 2.

It probably is. I've seen multiple people talk about 11.1 containing critical fixes for Rosetta, which may be why it's rock solid there.

 

[Serban55]

Any word on when they’ll release M3?

We dont have M2 yet and you are thinking on M3?
I think in 2022, since next year will be probably about M2 on the 24” imac and M2 into the 16” macbook pro

 

[Henk van Ess]

think I drained like 10% battery while playing Metal Gear Solid - The Twin Snakes. So... expect around 8 - 10 hours of play time, or more

That’s impressive

 

[Zazoh]

After using the new air for a few days I have concluded I can throw my 2017 MBP off a cliff and forget it ever existed and also laugh at the fact I almost spent $2400 on a 16”

I want to laugh and cry. I had a 15” MBP, from like 2013 maybe. $2600, heavy, loud, hot, battery lasted only a few hours, and at the time, considered a marvel of speed and engineering, at the time ... put it this way, I could take it to an aluminum recycler and get more for it. It did have a CD burner tho.

 

[jdb8167]

Battery on the M1 Air is impressive. I just spent all day since around 11 am until 7 pm and used about 60% battery. This was spent mostly trying to discover what is working in MacPorts and what isn't. MacPorts seems very far ahead of Homebrew for some reason. I was able to get FFMpeg installed by skipping the VLC x264 library but oddly the VLC x265 library installed just fine.

I'm stunned that spending 8 hours doing compiles and installs doesn't come close to killing the battery.