Fast. Like the fastest. Simply fantastically fast. The best fast in the world.
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.
Apple M1 MacBook Air vs. M1 MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Fast. Like the fastest. Simply fantastically fast. The best fast in the world.
The 13" Air has always hovered at 3 lbs or slightly less... I would say it the other way around, the 13" pro doesn't seem very Pro these days. But they will sell well and I suppose we will just have to wait for the benchmarks.
They will segment the line by then into:
M7 Pro
M7 Max
M7 Mini
M7 Air
M7 Book
M7 Power
I think this article should be updated when we get more information about external monitors support. Right now it's hard to parse Apples actually meaning in their descriptions, but it says either:
1) You can only drive one external monitor, but it can be up to 6K (The Pro Monitor)
2) You can only drive one external monitor up to 6k while the laptop display is in use, but if you close the clamshell you can support two external 4k or 5k monitors.
I believe its going to be #2, but my sole reason for believing that is the $1,500 I just spent on my brand new M1 MacBook Air.
1) You can only drive one external monitor, but it can be up to 6K (The Pro Monitor)
2) You can only drive one external monitor up to 6k while the laptop display is in use, but if you close the clamshell you can support two external 4k or 5k monitors.
I believe its going to be #2, but my sole reason for believing that is the $1,500 I just spent on my brand new M1 MacBook Air.
I pretty much agree.
Apple wanted to avoid the war comparison and just cranked up all old inventory entry lever Macs to finally sell out, so the specs were improved based on what was previously used.
So, if we interpolate those numbers they kept saying x-time faster, we can get pretty good picture how faster or better they are. I personally get excited mostly by the Mac Mini, it was the ASi DTK on sell. For that price i guess it's really entry level M1..
They did say on the presentation the fan allowed sustained work.
Also from what they said these 2 laptops are their most popular. Makes sense to release them first if they are the lowest powered too.
UK prices, everything configured with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD to make prices comparable:
- MacBook Air, 7 core GPU = £1,399
- MacBook Air, 8 core GPU = £1,449
- MacBook Pro, 8 core GPU = £1699.
No? I have a max spec'd 2020 13" Pro that handles heavy loads quite well right now. Neither of these are a replacement for that, which is why you can still purchase the higher spec MBP with Intel parts.
Um... Apple did, when they put the thing in their Macbook PRO line, and then wasted 15 minutes of a 45 minute presentation showing "professionals" oooo'ing and aaaahhhh'ing over the thing?
I think that is indeed pretty much the idea, it sounds like driving the 6K display requires fan cooling, presumably so you don't start dropping frames when the chip has to self regulate itself for temperature. That also seems to be true with the Apple TV 4K, they've added a fan to that, presumably to ensure it can keep pushing out the 4K frames at a consistent frame rate.
That's my thought as well, but I have to imagine that having a fan allows the M1 to run at higher frequencies and for a much longer duration. It will probably be a difference mainly seen on pro level tasks such as exporting video or exporting a large batch of edited RAW files. Things that are done over a longer timespan. I think even when the iPad wasn't sporting an X variant in the past, it still ran at a faster frequency. Now imagine how fast that iPad could run if it had a fan—not that I want the iPad to have a fan—but just imagine it. Now imagine it with at least double the thermal envelope (large enclosure) and a laptop-caliber fan. The thermal headroom on these efficient little 5nm chips is probably substantial when you add active cooling. Still yet to be seen. I think Apple didn't push it much on the MacBook Pro because they didn't want to marginalize the Air for not having a fan. I also think the Air is their best selling computer?
Given that the chipset and almost all of the options are exactly the same between the Air and the Pro, it might be easier to see them as the same device, with the "pro" part just being an upgrade. I made a handy overview using this perspective:
MacBook Air (256 GB, 8GB ram, 8core, 7core GPU) base price: $1000
512 GB: +200,
1 TB: +400,
2 TB: +800
16 GB ram: +200
Extra GPU core: +50 (required for Pro)
Pro*: +250
Pro = 2 hours extra battery, active fan, brighter display, Touch Bar, better sound, 100 grams heavier, faster charging (I think?)
MacBook Air (256 GB, 8GB ram, 8core, 7core GPU) base price: $1000
512 GB: +200,
1 TB: +400,
2 TB: +800
16 GB ram: +200
Extra GPU core: +50 (required for Pro)
Pro*: +250
Pro = 2 hours extra battery, active fan, brighter display, Touch Bar, better sound, 100 grams heavier, faster charging (I think?)
Just a reminder of what used to be considered portable, and at 10x the price. We are truly living in a world of plenty.
I‘ll be a Pro because every time I hear that fan and look at my laptop I’ll see the word ”Pro”. And then I’ll know I’m truly a Pro* because I paid more money for basically the same machine as the Air. ‘Cos if that’s not Pro, what is? 🤔
(I cancelled my order for a Pro & bought an Air instead).
I am very interested by the evolution and the arrival of these 5 nm CPUs. I am eager to see the first benchmarks and feedbacks by real users with regular applications.
Same old story. Apple is no longer on Intel and everyone get crazy because one to one spec comparisons are not possible. It’s happened when Apple was on PowerPC and it looks like it is happening again. Real world ability to perform tasks is the most relevant thing. But I guess people just love comparisons charts.
I hope, for your sake, your "better half" handles the money in the family.
It's all going to come down to cooling with the two devices and thorough tests before I pop my cash. Right now I am favoring the MB Air all the way while I wait on the iMac 24" to come hopefully soon.
Keep in mind that "Pro" does not mean "Professional" but "Profit." That should clarify most of the design differences.
Similar discussions have been made for the Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR. Many people buying for how they look sitting on their desks. Many professionals saying they aren't good enough for their workflows.
Similar discussions have been made for the Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR. Many people buying for how they look sitting on their desks. Many professionals saying they aren't good enough for their workflows.