Apple M1 Chip Powers New MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini

Article Comments
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That’s because the 13" MBP with AS released today is a replacement for the previous low-end 13" MBP (2 TB ports). The high-end 13" (4 TB ports) is still Intel all the way and will likely stay that way until next year when also the iMac and the 16" MBP go AS.

As with the previous low-end 13", I’m not really sure who the target demographic is. It’s got a tad more horsepower than the MBA (due to its active cooling and increased thermal envelope), but it offers hardly anything really compelling in comparison. It is however $250 more expensive (8/512).

I wouldn’t hesitate at this point to recommend an AS MBA to a casual Mac user. It’s apparently got great battery life and really good all-round performance. Same with the mini if you’re not looking to do serious number crunching.

If you’re a more pro-minded user who needs lots of performance from a small package, I would however wait until next year when the high-end 13" MBP gets released. By then also much more software will have caught up and you’ll see an even greater boost.

I plan on replacing my few-months old 10th-gen Core i7 13" MBP (32/1000) with an AS 13" MBP once it’s released next year. I’m looking forward to better CPU performance and improved battery life. Compared to my old 2013 Core i7 13", the new Core i7 13" battery life kinda sucks. I’m still hoping the new AS MBP will then be 14" with slimmer bezels similar to the recent 15" → 16" MBP improvement.

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And this is one reason Magsafe for the MacBook family went away. If a portable device has that much battery life, then maybe it wasn’t that necessary anymore to have a proprietary detachable cable.

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Thanks for the clarification. This eliminates the svelte, fanless Air. I’m also considering a Mini and a big new super duper screen, but the Pro’s portability is a plus.

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My guess is that in actual practice the lack of a fan and associated throttling will make the performance difference considerable for intensive tasks like Lightroom or video processing…but until we see them in the field we won’t know. The Air would be great for my wife…and my 12 rMBP will get replaced by something lighter when COVID is over and we can travel again. I need to do LR and PS while traveling and am afraid the Air will be lacking there but have a wait and see thought so far…I too would rather have 4 ports for better flexibility. Perhaps the Air will be sufficient for traveling since my main LR catalog is home on the iMac… it I need to process photos for the blog while I’m away.

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I agree it is iconic, and I would also like to see it, but I’m not so sure it costs them nothing. In the past, when panels were lit using CFL tubes and LEDs on the display edges, this would simply be a matter of making that part of the case transparent, maybe adding a light pipe.

With more modern displays, where LEDs are embedded in the middle of the panel (and even more so as mini- and micro-LED displays start to become available), that’s not really an option anymore because the LED are lit/dimmed in order to provide zone-based brightness control. So you would need at least one extra LED to drive the lit logo.

Even more so if/when OLED displays are used, since they have no backlight at all.

But I agree, it would be worth it. It shouldn’t raise the price of the computer more than a few cents to put an LED and a light pipe in the display’s enclosure. Maybe even combine it with a power/sleep indicator on the front of the display, which would only involve a little more light-pipe.

I noticed. Even the mini only has two TB ports (in addition to two type-A USB ports). I suspect the M1 only supports two TB interfaces. This might be fine for the Air, but it’s a step backwards for the MacBook Pro and Mac mini.

Hopefully the next version of the chip (M2? M1X?) will have support for 4 or more TB ports. It will be needed on the larger MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Pro platforms.

Agreed, depending on the purpose. It will probably still perform better than the Intel-based Air, but losing the fan will restrict its capabilities. On the other hand, if you primarily use it for web surfing and Microsoft Office (using a different computer for heavy lifting activities), then it might be just fine.

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I’m pretty sure that the two port 13" MBP only replaces the previous two port 13" MBP and that they’re likely going to replace the current four port 13" MBP with a similar ARM version with four ports.

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Note that the multi-port versions of the mini and MBP are still selling as Intel variants. The M1 Macs launched yesterday are not intended as replacements for those higher-end models, but rather for the more modestly spec’ed lower-end versions of mini/MBP. This is just Apple starting out at the lower end. I don’t expect this to be any kind of reveal about Apple changing stance regarding the higher end. I’m confident we’ll see M1X or similar with support for more interfaces, DRAM, etc. in springs/summer. It will find its way to the high-end mini and 13" MBP as well as the 16" MBP. Probably also iMac.

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I respectfully disagree, at least with respect to the mini. The M1 Mac mini is intended as a replacement for the i3 and i5 minis, which have four Thunderbolt ports.

As I wrote, it seems pretty clear that the M1 doesn’t have support for more than two Thunderbolt ports. You seem to agree with me that Apple will need to add support for more to the next version of the SoC in order to satisfy the product requirements for the next round of ARM-based Macs.

I hope nobody confuses my (obvious, to me) observation with a value judgement or criticism of yet-to-be-announced product designs.

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I’d point out those i3/i5 minis were also more expensive. I believe we just might be observing a split on the mini similar to what has already existed on the 13" MBP. Apple sees 4 TB ports as a more “pro” feature and considers that to be reserved for more expensive models. The 2-port models are lower end and less expensive. It appears Apple has chosen to launch the M1 on those lower-end models.

I’m not at all against 4-port models (I only buy those myself), but I can see how Apple would want to use this to differentiate between more casual and more serious use with an obvious difference in price point. That said, I have zero doubt Apple will release M1X or similar with support for 4 TB ports etc. It’s just I expect those to be reserved for more expensive MBP and mini models.

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And that’s where our opinions differ. I think the 2-port mini is a stopgap because Apple felt that they must update the mini (because a mini-like system was used for the developer kit).

I think that once an M-series chip with 4 TB support is released, the next Mac mini refresh (possibly at this time next year) will once again offer four ports on all models.

But this is just two differing speculations. I certainly wouldn’t place any bets based on my opinion here.

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A few points of clarification/correction/encouragement:

First, this is the low end of the Mac line and according to preliminary benchmarks, these Macs are faster than the 2020 MBP 16 (geekbench 5 scores of 7220 are showing up). So cheaper and faster, yet still some people’s wish lists are out there. I get it, but these are the first releases at the low end of the price range.

limited to 8 and 16 GB or ram, these are more than adequate for most uses, and combined with the faster SSDs and uber faster M1, you may not even notice that a program is using virtual memory instead of RAM. Again, on the cheapest configurations at prices below those with intel chips

“Apple made a big fuss”. if you meant they mentioned the cameras should look better than yah, but I’m going with mentioned, not “big fuss”

“I recommend avoiding the 7-core model”…why? it seems really weird to make this statement with no reason.

“the weird 7-core GPU”, yah got it, you think its weird, again with no reason.

oops, You missed the brighter display on the MBP 13 500 nits/400 nits. While the published specs are the same, is it the same display just turned up higher, or a better display?

“4 thunderbolt ports, instead of 2”. while true, you know they can be daisy chained, right? If there are the same number of controllers inside, this would not represent any change In performance (OK, you might have to buy a dock to connect more if your device does not allow daisy chaining, but they are pretty cheap now). and USB 4 while not out yet is a way bigger deal

To re-emphasize, these are the low end offerings, which literally blow away the intel machines and a lower price point, so while faceID, better cameras (you know you can get an external cam if 720 HD, is not good enough), thinner bezels (except some people will use an unnecessary and bulky camera cover and break the screen glass), touch screen, and Apple Pencil (can’t you do that by connecting an iPad?).

Gorsh (to quote Goofy) these are the first releases of the low price offerings which blow away the intel equivalents in performance. Yah, they don’t have everything for everybody, but they are a dynamite offering at the price/performance point.

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So… who’s buying one?

My first Mac was a Power Mac 6100 (first PowerPC Mac). I also had the first MacBook Pro (first intel Mac).

And PowerBook 190cs (last 68k laptop).

I also had a Bondi blue iMac.

The MacBook Air is the star of the show, but I might only join in later.

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I’m just waiting to see benchmarks for the MBA. I want to convince myself throttling is reasonable. Once I’ve seen those figures and things look good I’m buying my wife a 16/1TB MBA to replace her 2010 13" MBP. It’s getting time to update that dinosaur.

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Well that sure didn’t take long. Doesn’t look like too serious throttling.

13" MBA M1 8GB RAM: GB5 1687/7433
13" MBP M1 16GB RAM: GB5 1714/6802
Mac mini M1 16GB RAM: GB5 1682/7097

Obviously these are just individual benchmarks, but consider that the high-end 10th-gen Intel i9 16" MBP scores 1096/6870 in GB5 this just goes to show how awesome these new AS Macs will be. :slight_smile:

Now I just have to convince the wife she finally needs to replace her old MBP so I can order one of these to play with. ;)

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And here are links to the GB5 search pages so you’ll get updates scores as they come in.

13" MBA M1 “MacBookAir10,1”
13" MBP M1 “MacBookPro17,1”
Mac mini M1 " Macmini9,1"

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whereas the M1 Mac mini has only two Thunderbolt 3 ports

That “3” should be removed, right? The sentence that follows says the mini’s ports are Thunderbolt/USB 4, like the other M1 models.

M1 mini ports
M1 mini ports1708×945 66.2 KB

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Great write up! I was commenting in other section, and on reddit (before Mac Mods gave me the boot) that the M1 is Apple’s answer to Intel’s design flaws (5 years of unfixable security flaws) and a move to have one OS instead of the iOS and MacOS as some have “forseen”.
My two bytes on this M1 is that I am disappointed in the MacMini’s castration of ports. Apple continues to remove ports based on its “analysis” and data gathering of users. “Use bluetooth input devices to save ports!” they claim. More like, “Marketing says to Engineering to limit the ports and save costs, increase profit. Users that need more should be coddled to higher-end models or use docks/hub that we license out for…”. Right?
I would buy that MacMini with M1 “if” it had 4 ports (USB or USB4), Gigabit with option for 10Gb (maybe this is only been boon for MacPro buyers?), and 64GB/128GB ram (I use creative apps like Affinity and Adobe) and dual internal storage (user accessible). Why not a Raid1 internal option? Push me toward a Raid USB4/Tbolt array? OK. But now, have a hydra of cabling that dwarves the Mini.
But the price for a Mini with 16GB ram, 1TB ssd, is $1400. Through in a 4K LG display and now at $2000. Which then puts you in the iMac 5K range (if the M1 or variant for that comes out).
Having Wifi 6 is a good start. I suppose we’ll see OWC and others with Thunderbolt 3/USB4 docks/arrays and hubs trickle out.
How is it the MacbookAir (M1) can have Space gray and not the Mac Mini (M1). Intel version can.
And why no other colors? (Seems the Air can have colors). And what is with ram limit to 16GB? (Apple wants you to buy higher (cost) end models…I get it).
If anything is desirable, and some of you would agree, is that there needs a model between the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro that isn’t an iMac (you bring your own display) but fills that gap for storage and price.

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I agree. I’m wondering if macOS may use RAM a little differently when it’s being shared between the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine too.

It was something they called out explicitly with both laptops, and I suspect it was to head off the legitimate criticism that these two machines still have 720p FaceTime HD cameras. Would have been nice for Apple to bump them to 1080p at least.

It’s weird because 7 isn’t a number you ever see in the computer world. Powers of two, multiples of 2, etc. It seems likely that the 7-core model are chips where one GPU core failed testing. Is that indicative of anything? Probably not, but it’s an outlier.

Yep. I don’t think anything has changed there, nor do I have a sense of whether 100 nits is a big deal or not. I’d need to see them side-by-side.

Yep, but as you say, you may need a hub, which isn’t always convenient with a travel Mac.

I ordered a 16 GB/512 GB MacBook Air as soon as I was done writing. :slight_smile:

I’m still wrapping my head around all this. I think it’s still correct to say that they’re Thunderbolt 3 ports because they are. What Apple’s saying now is that Thunderbolt 3 is basically USB 4 (or, more accurately, USB 4 is basically Thunderbolt 3). There are a few differences but not many. So Apple hasn’t really changed anything, I don’t think, apart from now talking about USB 4.

With a Mac mini, Thunderbolt daisy-chaining or a hub would seem to be a good solution, no?

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My sense is that there’s not intended to be a market for a Mini plus a good-quality display as a cheaper alternative to the iMac. The Mini is an option if you already have a display; if you’re committed to having a separate display, then you can choose Mini+display over iMac but without a significant cost savings for it.

I’m still working with a 10-year-old 27" iMac; I’m hoping it holds out long enough for me to replace it with an Apple Silicon iMac–I definitely feel like my 2010 decision to buy at the top end for longevity was a good one. If circumstances don’t force me, I’m not sure whether I’ll go for the first or second generation of Apple Silicon iMacs. (Maybe the first generation of AS iMacs will represent the second generation of AS machines?)

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For the daisy-chaining of Thunderbolt ports, its been mixed for me. I had to shutdown an array (Tbolt) that is connected to a OWC dock but you want the Display in the chain to always be at the end (bandwidth of storage should take priority). Well, I lose the display once I disconnect/powered down the array - where I was adding a drive.
A big deal when its a hydra of wires behind my desk. Now, with HDMI 2.0, I am not concerned in that I can use a display (4K) on the HDMI port, and save the Tbolt3 ports for other storage or devices.

Oh and PC World has not a nice word about Mac Laptops.