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Difference between November M1 Mac vs Spring M1 Mac?

F

Frixos

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 17, 2020
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I know with cars, if they notice there is an issue with a new model they’ve come out with, say the models made in Nov-Dec, then they may make a change in the Jan-onward cars to fix that.

If (a big if) some of the M1 Mac issues are hardware rather than software related, would they revise the model so that the ones this spring are fixed, or would they just wait until they release the next model?
 
Nope. Don’t see why the same hardware will feel different or be produced differently in 6 months.

Most, if not all, problems with M1 Macs are macOS related and/or caused by software (and external hardware) not being designed for it.

In 6 months, the environment will change but the product will remain the same.
 
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Frixos said:
I know with cars, if they notice there is an issue with a new model they’ve come out with, say the models made in Nov-Dec, then they may make a change in the Jan-onward cars to fix that.

If (a big if) some of the M1 Mac issues are hardware rather than software related, would they revise the model so that the ones this spring are fixed, or would they just wait until they release the next model?
Click to expand...
If the fixes are subtle enough, they'll be fixed mid-lifecycle. And that's assuming the problem in question is not resolvable via an OS or Firmware update.

If you're wondering on the timeline, it would have to depend on the problem, when it was discovered, how widespread it is, etc. But, yes, Apple does do that as well.

Is there an M1 issue in particular that you're worried about?
 
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Why not? If there was a hardware problem it would be foolish to carry on supplying the defective part to new customers.
Particularly as any fix would cost Apple money. And particularly as there are no serviceable parts in them nowadays meaning Apple would be replacing a lot of logic boards.
I suspect most (if not all) of the current M1 problems are likely to be software problems, whether that be firmware or Big Sur glitches.
Time will tell.
 
Yes. The initial machines at launch will be the best for the first six months while supply ramps up to meet demand. After equilibrium is reached, quality will uptick to meet the quality upon release.

Buy on first day of sale or wait six months. Everything between is enhanced risk.
 
Quackers said:
Why not? If there was a hardware problem it would be foolish to carry on supplying the defective part to new customers.
Particularly as any fix would cost Apple money. And particularly as there are no serviceable parts in them nowadays meaning Apple would be replacing a lot of logic boards.
I suspect most (if not all) of the current M1 problems are likely to be software problems, whether that be firmware or Big Sur glitches.
Time will tell.
Click to expand...
Not a hardware design problem. Manufacturing problems during expansion.
 
acidfast7_redux said:
Yes. The initial machines at launch will be the best for the first six months while supply ramps up to meet demand. After equilibrium is reached, quality will uptick to meet the quality upon release.

Buy on first day of sale or wait six months. Everything between is enhanced risk.
Click to expand...
Which rules out the BTO 16 gig models, unfortunately.
 
Quackers said:
Or just faulty parts.
Click to expand...
That's a manufacturing problem and not a hardware problem. By definition. And that's more likely in the six months after launch as supply ramps up to meet demand.

You're argeeing with me with incorrect terminology.

MR can be obtuse at times.
 
Yes, they could possibly make mid-cycle changes that would not be publicized. My late cycle (Octoberish-2020) 16-inch MacBook Pro appears to have some subtle differences from earlier models (including my first 16-inch which was made earlier on) that could be explained by minor hardware/parts differences.


JohnnyGo said:
Most, if not all, problems with M1 Macs are macOS related and/or caused by software (and external hardware) not being designed for it.
Click to expand...

This is absolutely impossible to say this early in the product lifecycle. The M1 Macs look very promising and they have the benefit of using an established chassis, but they are still in their infancy.
 
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