Just got notice that my 16" MBPro M1 Max, 64 GB, 4 TB SSD will be delivered Saturday 20 November 2021. For reference I ordered this on 18 October 14:02 US CDT. It looks as if Apple has recovered some time here (expected was 26 - 30 November, after 2 delays).
My MBPro was delivered late 20 November (8:30pm). So now I have the machine in my hands.
First impressions:
1. Old fashioned looking but solid and beautifully built as always.
2. Superb screen.
3. Mac OS set up was easy and flawless (except Music and Photos which I will comment on later).
4. Fast. Really fast.
5. Keyboard positive and nice to use.
6. Key colored background makes keys more difficult to see and distinguish from one another. Prefer case colored background.
7. Miss the Touch Bar.
8. Quiet and cool. Sips battery.
9. Magnetic power connection useful for travel, but I have a load of USB C charging bricks and cables around the house, so will use those, keeping the magnetic connection for travel only.
10. Weight difference to 2019 MBPro not as noticeable as I thought it would be.
11. Square shape makes it easier to hold and pick up than 2019 model.
12. Not related to this particular machine but makes moving to a new machine such a pain:
a) Setting up Music is a nightmare. I download all content to my machines and it never works the first time through, it takes weeks to get everything onto the machine (network errors galore and I have a 500 Mbs Internet connection). Music is a disaster and I am still actively looking for an alternative.
b) Photos download is very, very slow (Adobe Lightroom and Amazon download content in less than 25% of the time). It usually takes more than 2 weeks to get Photos library onto the machine.
c) Apple cannot handle people with 2 phones and 2 or more numbers (it keeps switching caller id for Messages and FaceTime between the two numbers with the resultant dozens of messages).
Summary:
New Machine is a solid upgrade which feels reliable, well made and a significant upgrade in performance (fast, quiet and cool with a great battery life). A considerable step back in aesthetics in my opinion, but a great function over form machine. A keeper.