First let me say I’ve been in IT/Telcom over 35 years. The processors Apple announced today are truly amazing. BUT… BUT… lets face it. How many people really need that much power in a laptop? Im an IT Pro and my Itel 2020 MacBook Pro and M1 Macbook air are sufficient. Really, think about it, what, aside from creative pros who needs that much power. Im disappointed a 14” MacBook Pro (M1) for the masses was not introduced today. Awesome technology for a very small percentage of users.
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How many people really need M1 Pro or M1 Max
- Thread starter SpartaMAC
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On this site, it isn't really about need for most people as it is about desire.
The 13" Pro (or even air) is the config for the masses. Creative pros and devs often benefit from more, saving hours in compile time, being able to do some local compute instead of sending off to a cluster, or even just working at lower performance for more hours off the power cable.
A budget 14” will probably come when the M2 MacBook Air is released. Having the 14” body with extra ports will give it a little more differentiation when compared to the MacBook Air. Should make things less confusing than the current M1 13” Air and 13” Pro relationship.
As far as who really needs the extra power of the M1 Pro and M1 Max: I think Apple showed who their target user base is with their presentation. These are computers for creative professionals, video editors, developers, music producers, 3D artist. People who push their machines every day. Out side of those groups, I’m sure tech heads will buy in too even if they don’t use the full potential. Everyone else should be more than happy with the already very powerful M1.
As far as who really needs the extra power of the M1 Pro and M1 Max: I think Apple showed who their target user base is with their presentation. These are computers for creative professionals, video editors, developers, music producers, 3D artist. People who push their machines every day. Out side of those groups, I’m sure tech heads will buy in too even if they don’t use the full potential. Everyone else should be more than happy with the already very powerful M1.
There are other reasons to get the M1 Pro or M1 Max. If you need more than 16 GB of RAM. Or if you need more than 2 TB SSD. Or if you need more than 1 external display. Or maybe you really want a 120 Hz display. It isn't just about the number of cores.
The masses could get by with a system from the mid to late 2000s
Exactly. IT personnel are some of the least likely to need a high powered system despite the fact they think they do.
I just switched from a Windows laptop to a 16GB/1TB M1 MacBook air. This thing is amazing, it's already overkill for what I need to do. No way do I need something 70% faster.
I can't see needing to upgrade for performance reasons for a long time. I do envy the MagSafe charging on the new MBPs though, but it's not a big deal.
I can't see needing to upgrade for performance reasons for a long time. I do envy the MagSafe charging on the new MBPs though, but it's not a big deal.
life would be so much simpler if we lived with the "need" philosophy...
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Well I don’t need them and, with little prospect of a decent Christmas bonus*, won’t try to justify them. OTOH if I’m wrong about that Christmas bonus…
* Last year‘s bonus swallowed the base M1 Air which has mostly been more than adequate. Said bonus also bought me a five star, two week, holiday abroad just before the pandemic hit hard. The only things I would like but don't need are 16GB and 512GB respectively.
* Last year‘s bonus swallowed the base M1 Air which has mostly been more than adequate. Said bonus also bought me a five star, two week, holiday abroad just before the pandemic hit hard. The only things I would like but don't need are 16GB and 512GB respectively.
It's primarily for people that shoot in Apple proprietary ProRes video codec and need ProRes hardware acceleration for video editing. So, basically it's a membership fee that gives you the advantage of monetizing YouTube views of Apple product reviews ahead of others.
I like that answer very much. I should have put that in my OP. Great point.
GPU rendering wise there is really no ceiling. The M1 Max is nice. But GPU wise it's entry to mid level. 32 cores is nice, 64 is better, 128 is better, 256 is better, 512 is better, 1024 is better. 64GB unified memory is pretty darn neat tho. I look forward to 128GB+ unified memory. It's pretty wild when current consumer GPU's max out at 16 GB and pro cards are around 32 GB. I think Quadro cards top out at 48 GB? And these are like $5K parts.
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It's a valid reason for purchasing one but it completely ignores your question.
I for sure handle tasks right now that will benefit from the Max's extra horsepower, but I'm also eyeing this laptop as a machine I want to hold onto for 5+ years and have it feel totally capable the whole while so part of it was about future-proofing.
Huh? 32GB? RTX8000? Multiple of these? Or did you miss a 0? DGX Station comes with 320GB GPU memory? Or do you mean Apple only?
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I keep my machines a really long time. Like 10 years long time. The most intensive apps I use are PS and LR so, no, on the face, I don’t need this machine. But I feel like I get good value for my money for as long as I keep things and as much utility as I get out of them. And I can afford it. So why not?
But it’s about setting a new standard. We do know what we need until we have it. 4mbps DSL felt amazing after dialup. Now 1 gbps is the standard.
no its like a car. Do I need a Mustang, no. Would I like one, yes
Regular users got their M1 last year and will get their M2 next year.
Let's be real the GPU performance you get w/ a M1 Max at the form factor and power usage of the new MacBook Pro's is unprecedented.