Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What's the point of the MBP when the MBA uses the same chips
- Thread starter maflynn
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
That’s what I mean, they save costs by using chips that would be otherwise tossed out
Exactly. If we compare to the Intel Macs, the “better binned” chips are sold as the i7 models, with the base models getting the i5. Now it looks like each product line will get the same chip, and the “binning” will occur between product lines, with somewhat lesser binning within each line (such as the 7-core GPU MacBook Air).
Yes, but we should know soon, with consumers getting both starting Tuesday (though I’m guessing those doing lots of video editing are opting for the 16GB models that don’t start arriving en masse until the following week).
I don't know why anyone would by a first generation chip. These machines seem to be thrown together just to get something out. I imagine Apple with have the second generation much more refined.
The real benefit of the Air is no Touchbar. Apple needs to ditch that terrible thing asap.
It will be a revelation how well these edit video. That's really the key here, given how well the iPhone 12 & new iPad Air does working with 10-bit 4K HDR. I suspect the bar will be on the floor now.
It may be the 16MB is enough. After all, you are not going to be running a virtual machine in the background. Possibly you use Docker to provide a Linux/Ubuntu development environment but that is lightweight compared to a VM
Because it's not a first generation chip, it's 10th generation. It's based on, and very similar to, the A14 in the new iphone / ipad. Apple have been making computers based on Apple Silicon (yes, iPhones and iPads are computers) for over 10 years now.
And they're reusing the base computer design of the existing MBA/MBP/Mini lines rather than add additional risk.
... and we're inside Apple's holiday extended return period with returns accepted into late January, giving plenty of time to see if there's issues or not.
The lineup has gotten a lot of flack but it makes total sense to me.
- The MacBook Air is the model most people will buy and it's the one that makes sense for people that just want a mac for web browsing, emails, and documents.
- The MacBook Pro is, as noted, essentially the exact same computer but for the people willing to spend a little extra on minor details (screen, battery, fan, etc.) - it's the iPhone 12 Pro of the MacBook and not a "MacBook Pro" in the professional sense.
- The Mac Mini is, as far as I can tell, basically targeted to app developers who didn't qualify for the DTK.
surface devices with those good cameras are more thicker...the lid of the macbooks has 1mm in thickness o
physics
Last edited:
its not a first gen chip...Apple is doing arm chips for a decade ...the chip brain that Apple has is the best in the business, he alone helped Intel in the past and since he left, Intel is where it is, and apple it is where it is
what you mean by refined?
Apple from now on, every year will improved their chip perf and thats it, like intel did
Apple is now selling a premium well build laptop for 1000$ that has more power and more battery life than any more higher end windows OEM
Apple will just start to make redesign from the next year..so, no "refined"
I bet next year you will say "why anyone would by a first generation redesign laptop" and so based on that, you suggest no one should buy a mac...since every year has some flaw in your opinion....
For us, who buy macs, its easy, we take it, use it, test it for days or a week, and if we are not happy, no question asked return....not to mention that we can return these until January now
yes very hard to place an v good 1080p camera in that thickness...lets remember Apple placed 1080p facetime camera in the 2020 imac that has a top thickness of 4-5mm
It's a new line of computer. This to me is a first generation arm computer. Sure it's the same chassis, but it's a new architecture. When Apple went from PowerPC to Intel were they the same computer?
yes, that was the question...why imacs didnt placed 1080p sooner, and wait for the imac pro to do that
for laptops its harder and know the answer...only if Apple will redesign the laptop...and we hear some rumour that an 14" and 16" redesign mbp could come next year
yes, no issues at all there too. was even better perf/w , rosetta1 was available for 3 years and everything was great
Again, your questions/or possible issues could be a fact IF apple or we didnt lived in an era with great return policy, but since we don't gamble nothing here....(and these arm macs we can keep them until January and still return them if we want)...there is no issue. If its not working for you, return it...simple. You dont have to be a layer to know this
here in my country, kids do that...test almost everything and if they are not happy they return it
Again, is not like ordering a brand new car with new platform engine etc and you can't return it after if it has issues (birth issues like it is called)
Last edited:
the benefit of the egpu is greater performance (won't be bottlenecked with TB3 to any meaningful extent) AND the ability to drive more than ONE external display
The 2 MP 1080p laptop camera in the Pixelbook Go (except under low light conditions). So it is possible.
At 13.5 mm, the overall thickness of the Pixelbook is less than the MBP's 15.6 mm. But of course it's the thickness of the top half that matters when it comes to fitting a camera, and I don't know how those compare.
Now you might argue that the Pixelbook Go is the exception to the rule (which it is), and thus it's not a big deal that the Mac doesn't offer that same level of tech -- i.e., its 720p camera is the same as most everyone else's (including that on the Dell XPS, which is arguably the MBP's closest PC competitor)
But, if so, I would disagree—the MBP is a premium-priced product, from a company that prides itself on high-quality graphics (its displays). Thus, to my mind, unless there's a compelling technological reason Apple can't (or shouldn't) do what Google did, it doesn't make sense to me Apple wouldn't offer a 1080p webcam. It would be a logical product differentiator for them (to add to their existing quality/performance differentiators).
Of course, maybe people who are working from home don't want their faces to be shown with super-crisp detail!
Here's a great laptop webcam comparison video from the WSJ:
Last edited: