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Apple M1 MacBook Pro vs. Intel MacBook Pro (13-Inch) Buyer's Guide

jiholl said:
So with all this said...question...I am used to and much prefer a 15 inch screen...real estate and aging eyes. 13 has always seemed too small for me. I do not use an external display...so the device is really a desktop replacement. In this case, since I would like to replace my Late 2013 15 inch pro...the 16 inch seems like all I can choose. I don't "need" the power of even that, so seems like I would be fine...yes the new M1 is faster...but in day to day basic use...it really is the screen size that is what the experience is all about...for me at least. Thoughts? Seems like it should be supported for many years to come...or am I making a mistake and should just accept the smaller 13 inch screen size? Thanks
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Man, if you need a laptop and a big screen, I suggest you to go for the future 16”, or get an external monitor to put wherever you go daily and use your laptop.
Otherwise, just get an iMac instead!
 
jmgregory1 said:
If history is a guide in how things could play out (which it normally is), I think Apple will see the kind of growth that Microsoft saw back in the ‘90’s during the growth of the PC market. Of course it will be dependent not just on developers agreeing to build for the M1, but on Intel and AMD not being able to move quickly enough to catch up to Apple’s incredible performance per watt numbers. I doubt they can do it, certainly not in 2021, and given Apple is a moving target, by 2022, they’ll likely have yet another jump in performance and efficiency that keeps them far ahead.

Thinking of what the main PC makers must be thinking right now - they have to be screaming at Intel and AMD to get their act together. How can they compete at this point? Every new product launch for PC’s will be compared to M1 Macs, and it’s likely going to be ugly across the board. I’ve watched a few video reviews comparing PC to M1 MacBooks and it’s like Apple isn’t playing fair - and that’s with their base line devices.
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Honestly I don't think PC makers care, they aren't going to lose much to Apple. I know it's nice to think that Apple will see amazing market share growth because of the blazing fast M1, but if as you say history is a guide, Apple will remain in roughly the exact same spot they have been in for decades.
The massive size of the Windows ecosystem, the fact that you can get a useable Windows PC for less than $400 are a part of it. The availability of upgrade parts, ability to build your own machine are another part. And not to mention games. If you are serious about gaming on a computer, the Mac just doesn't compare to what you get with a Windows computer.
I would love to see Apple get more support from developers for the M1, but honestly I just don't see it happening as you say the way Microsoft saw in the 90s.
 
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crescentmoon said:
Still not answered.... memory limitations of 8 & 16 gigs.... can you run just as many plugins as you did with intel macs?? :oops:
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Max Tech did a great follow up testing memory.


It’s legitimately pretty hard to drop performance with just 8GB if you’re running Apple software or highly optimized apps.

SSD swapping will be higher, but you’ll get swapping even with 16GB and for 8GB it won’t be so much to worry about longevity. Unless you’re doing crazy things, in which case you’ll know your own needs anyway.

The conclusion was for most folks 8GB is fine, but if you push your system harder in terms of apps or multitasking, 16 will definitely help. Definitely get 16 if you can afford it, though. Either you’ll keep the device long enough for future app usage to make good use of 16, or you’ll sell the device before too long and have a higher value sale.

But if you are both unsure and you can only afford 8GB, you’ll do fine.

I know that I’ll need 16GB, so that’s what I ordered. I would usually need >16, but the architecture is a bit more efficient so I’m not too worried. I have a workstation for heavy tasks anyway.
 
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jiholl said:
So with all this said...question...I am used to and much prefer a 15 inch screen...real estate and aging eyes. 13 has always seemed too small for me. I do not use an external display...so the device is really a desktop replacement. In this case, since I would like to replace my Late 2013 15 inch pro...the 16 inch seems like all I can choose. I don't "need" the power of even that, so seems like I would be fine...yes the new M1 is faster...but in day to day basic use...it really is the screen size that is what the experience is all about...for me at least. Thoughts? Seems like it should be supported for many years to come...or am I making a mistake and should just accept the smaller 13 inch screen size? Thanks
Click to expand...
I agree totally. I only need a MBA, but also need a 16" screen, and also need mobility. This idea that if I need a 16" screen, then I also somehow must need a super duper expensive high power processor and GPU, is super annoying, and a huge huge reason why I am still holding onto my mid-2015 15" rMBP. It's a brilliant machine, one of the best Apple has ever made, but it is 5 years old already, and won't last forever. Come on Apple, there is a huge market out there for low power laptops with large screens.
 
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sideshowuniqueuser said:
I agree totally. I only need a MBA, but also need a 16" screen, and also need mobility. This idea that if I need a 16" screen, then I also somehow must need a super duper expensive high power processor and GPU, is super annoying, and a huge huge reason why I am still holding onto my mid-2015 15" rMBP. It's a brilliant machine, one of the best Apple has ever made, but it is 5 years old already, and won't last forever. Come on Apple, there is a huge market out there for low power laptops with large screens.
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Everyone I’ve heard mention the LG Gram 17 has said great things about it.

(I don’t mean to recommend it, just realizing the merit of your claim)
 
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I just ordered my MBP M1 after lots and lots of research!! I'm not an intensive, creative, "pro" user but just need two screens. I plan to use the work around with DisplayLink for that and hope to be a very happy upgrade from my 2016 MBP!
 
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sideshowuniqueuser said:
I agree totally. I only need a MBA, but also need a 16" screen, and also need mobility. This idea that if I need a 16" screen, then I also somehow must need a super duper expensive high power processor and GPU, is super annoying, and a huge huge reason why I am still holding onto my mid-2015 15" rMBP. It's a brilliant machine, one of the best Apple has ever made, but it is 5 years old already, and won't last forever. Come on Apple, there is a huge market out there for low power laptops with large screens.
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Yes exactly. I mean, if I used an external display, I would get the M1 for portability as well. But I have always liked the simplicity of having one machine that is both a portable laptop and a desktop replacement....13 is just too small as your one device.
 
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Zen_Arcade said:
Seems like unless someone needs 4 ports, or the ability to run Windows, drive more displays, or run specialized software that won't run (or run well) on the M1, the M1 is the one to get.
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It will be able to run Windows once Parallels is available. 16 GB of Ram and a lack of 2 monitor support will be problematic though.
 
ajfahey said:
MacBook Pro designated products should support more than one display, up to 32 GB of RAM and have more than 2 TB3 ports. In fact, they should ideally have TB4 ports. The M1 MacBook Pro is more of a MacBook Air with a fan.
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I agree, it's a shame, but I suspect all of those are limitations of the M1 chip itself. The M1 MBP does have quite a few other extras over the M1 MBA though.
 
I was impressed buy the memory test video done by Max Tech. I will be happy with a M1 Mac mini 8G ram model..
 
My guess is that we can expect a faster product cycle (more aligned to iPad refreshes) ... some of frustration that many Mac users and Apple had is was partially related to Intel - their release dates and product cycles, and price points for newest chips.

With greater autonomy, if there is something we don’t like about the current model (maybe) we won’t have to wait years to see a refresh.
 
paul4339 said:
My guess is that we can expect a faster product cycle (more aligned to iPad refreshes) ... some of frustration that many Mac users and Apple had is was partially related to Intel - their release dates and product cycles, and price points for newest chips.

With greater autonomy, if there is something we don’t like about the current model (maybe) we won’t have to wait years to see a refresh.
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Maybe not. Apple’s reason for not updating macs in a timely manner was that performance gains with new intel models was marginal most of the time, so why bother.

Will they work as hard as with iPhones to make updates yearly? Could be, and I certainly hope so, but it wouldn’t surprise me if mac refreshes happened every two years, or maybe even more. After all, there will be no other computers with M processors to compare.
 
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torncanvas said:
They really missed an excellent opportunity to answer their “should you plunk down for Intel?” with “No.”

How great would that have been to just end the article with an abrupt “No.” 😆
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But that answer would be wrong. SOME people are better off buying the Intel machines. And those people still read this site.
 
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In a price comparison, "starts at" prices are completely useless.

With 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD, the price is $1,699 vs. $1,799in the USA, £1,699 vs. £1,799 in the UK.
 
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ajfahey said:
It will be able to run Windows once Parallels is available. 16 GB of Ram and a lack of 2 monitor support will be problematic though.
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My understanding is that it will only be able to run ARM Windows, which is super limited app-wise. And since it’s not actually sold right now, you’d need to have an ARM Windows machine to convert to a VM.
 
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