New M1 Mac Models Feature Thunderbolt 3 Ports, Not Newer Thunderbolt 4

[radus]

XPS 9310 Laptop | Dell USA

This XPS 13 inch laptop, which features up to 11th Gen Intel processors and 4K display, perfectly caters to your home computing and entertainment needs.

www.dell.com

thunderbolt 4, 2-in-1 -- Windows 10, Dragon, Linux, eGPU

 

[Lukasz Rewerenda]

MacBook Pro - Tech Specs

See all the technical specifications for the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips.

www.apple.com

🤦🏼‍♂️

Just one external monitor? Killed it for me :-(

As a developer, I'd really be in a market for one of those - I need a quiet machine with burst speeds, don't care about sustained load since compiling happens in short bursts every few minutes. But one monitor, seriously? These days a lot of people use at least two external displays for coding - e.g., one ultrawide for IDE, another 2k or 4k in portrait mode for documentation, logs etc., with the laptop itself set aside, since developers also often prefer aftermarket keyboards.

Geez. What a disappointment.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Glad that I can keep using my beloved Caldigit TS3 Plus dock with the new M1 Macs. It's been working so great for 2 -3 years. Dont like to keep buying new thunderbolt accessories and usb dongles while the USB4 and Thunderbolt 3 can work together and both are 40G.

I would not want to assume that your dock will work flawlessly with the new Macs. I hope it does, but you may want to reach out to Caldigit before you purchase a new Mac.

 

[falkon-engine]

Well duh. USB-4 supports the TB3 spec natively. They aren’t going to add intel thunderbolt controllers to Apple silicon, and will probably only gain TB4 support when it trickles down to the USB stack

Thunderbolt support on USB4 is actually optional. There are 10,20, and 40 gbps variants of usb4, so it’s not a guarantee that a usb4 port will support thunderbolt.

Given that these new Apple silicon Macs support thunderbolt3, how can you say they don’t have intel tech inside? Also, don’t forget that Apple co-developed thunderbolt, and actually extended it (relative to intel’s firmware) so perhaps they don’t need an intel titan ridge (or the successor JHL8440) for thunderbolt support.

 

[MiltonThales]

There is a reason this Silicon is labeled with a "1". This is the first generation, with a basic Thunderbolt controller that supports 2 ports, that can cover the lower end of the Mac lineup, and be ready to produce Macs in the last quarter of 2020. Basic Intel Thuunderbolt controllers are also just 2 ports, which is why the Air and Macbook Pro base machines only have 2 ports.

My guess is that Apple designed and produced this chip as much as a proof of concept as its first step.

But I ordered a mini to replace my 2012 mini anyway.

 

[MiltonThales]

Did anyone else notice how empty the Mac mini case shown in the video was ? Why use the exact same form factor, unless there are plans to add more hardware in the future ?

 

[mannyvel]

Interesting, I thought I saw TB4 on the slide. <shrug>

 

[Johnny907]

So we can openly admit that this first gen is basically garbage, yeah?
I mean the fact that even the top spec Pro model only has two USB-C TB ports and can only handle 16 GB of RAM tells you all you need to know about the IO capabilities of this chipset.
Like I figured when it was first announced, this thing is a toy. It’s has possibilities, but it absolutely is not the killer spec they were hoping for clearly.
If you absolutely must buy into this new architecture, get the Air. If you need a professional work computer, however, get the 2020 11th Gen Intel MBP.

 

[mannyvel]

So we can openly admit that this first gen is basically garbage, yeah?
I mean the fact that even the top spec Pro model only has two USB-C TB ports and can only handle 16 GB of RAM tells you all you need to know about the IO capabilities of this chipset.
Like I figured when it was first announced, this thing is a toy. It’s has possibilities, but it absolutely is not the killer spec they were hoping for clearly.
If you absolutely must buy into this new architecture, get the Air. If you need a professional work computer, however, get the 2020 11th Gen Intel MBP.

You're being a bit harsh. It's orders of magnitude more I/O than 95% of the people need in real life. If you want more memory, get an x86_64 machine. And according to Apple it's a couple of times faster than the corresponding x86 chip.

If this is your definition of "garbage" then you're like "pro".

 

[ruka.snow]

So we can openly admit that this first gen is basically garbage, yeah?
I mean the fact that even the top spec Pro model only has two USB-C TB ports and can only handle 16 GB of RAM tells you all you need to know about the IO capabilities of this chipset.
Like I figured when it was first announced, this thing is a toy. It’s has possibilities, but it absolutely is not the killer spec they were hoping for clearly.
If you absolutely must buy into this new architecture, get the Air. If you need a professional work computer, however, get the 2020 11th Gen Intel MBP.

Other than missing extra 2 TB3/USB 4 and 10 Gbps ethernet, what is missing on the Mac mini? It looks to be a markably faster machine for developing on and great for photo editing. Yes I would have liked over 128+ GB RAM, but 16 GB will get by and that memory architecture looks very interesting with it being right on the same die as the CPU.

 

[CWallace]

Did anyone else notice how empty the Mac mini case shown in the video was ? Why use the exact same form factor, unless there are plans to add more hardware in the future ?

Apple used the existing Intel-version cases out of convenience. A future ASi Mac Mini might very well be smaller.

 

[wood1208]

USB4 support was more important than stretching extra adding TB4. Speed between TB3 and TB4 is same so laptop like Macbook Air, USB4 is more than expected/needed.
Batter performance, same price as before, USB4, WiFi6, almost twice battery life. Can't go wrong. Apple nailed it well.

 

[CJ Dorschel]

So we can openly admit that this first gen is basically garbage, yeah?
I mean the fact that even the top spec Pro model only has two USB-C TB ports and can only handle 16 GB of RAM tells you all you need to know about the IO capabilities of this chipset.
Like I figured when it was first announced, this thing is a toy. It’s has possibilities, but it absolutely is not the killer spec they were hoping for clearly.
If you absolutely must buy into this new architecture, get the Air. If you need a professional work computer, however, get the 2020 11th Gen Intel MBP.

It's just an iPad Pro in a MacBook shell. I know this is first gen, but the trade-offs for power/battery sacrificing Windows/Bootcamp will hit hard. Many who use MacBook's for both work and personal use as they need Windows for work preferred them over needing two systems. Now we're back to the PPC era and don't think for a second MS will work on a full silicon Windows OS - there's no financial benefit for them unlike Intel. I know a few engineers working at AutoDesk who have told me they have no intention on porting over AutoCAD and other engineering/design apps as they're already juggling Windows/Mac Intel versions. This will kill Apple's push in the business market as Intel Mac's opened up the ability for two-in-one systems, a financial and functional benefit. Even using emulation with Rosetta 2 won't cut it - they've tried. The graphics may be decent enough for casual usage but until discrete GPU support is official a lot of businesses looking to update their hardware are either holding off until more systems hit the market and whether or not other companies decide to port their apps, etc. or investing in Windows systems and restructuring their workflow as they don't have the time and money to wait out what if's.

A shame as Apple's initial work with Intel when Jobs was around helped produce better CPU's on a tight schedule. Once Cook decided to focus on iPhone's and iPad's and cut out in-house departments that worked specifically with Intel things began to fall apart. Intel put a lot of time and money into Apple's partnership, couple that with Intel's leadership problems it was only a matter of time before Apple cut ties. Now they can build their own without licensing fees but I can't help wonder what the long term impact will be on Apple's Mac marketshare. Once you tell consumers they can't run Windows virtually or in Bootcamp, it will be hard to sell a $2499+ MacBook Pro when they have to maintain a Windows system as well. People are missing that key factor and don't realize just how much of an impact this move will have on consumers and businesses making financial and operational decisions moving forward.

I know it will be a few years and Apple will support Intel systems for a while but at some point they won't and it already has a lot very weary of investing money and time in a closed ecosystem. I'm all for improvements in power and efficiency but at what cost?

 

[portland_bill]

Did anyone else notice how empty the Mac mini case shown in the video was ? Why use the exact same form factor, unless there are plans to add more hardware in the future ?

Jony didn’t leave any Mini blueprints at the back of his drawer.

 

[wood1208]

Two ports on left good but one additional port on right should have been great.

 

[InGen]

Will come.
iMac 24-inch.
5K.
M2.
Q2/2021

View attachment 1658549

Only the top bezel is necessary for the pending Face ID integration with the desktop line iMacs. Think of a really oversized iPad Pro as the design language for the redesigned iMacs.

Unlike the iPad which does require some bezel in order to hold the thing without your fingers covering everything, the iMac does not, and so with the small size of the motherboard taken into consideration, most of the internal space will be utilised for heat management rather than additional hardware, I don’t see a need for any bezels at all on an iMac redesign

 

[carestudio]

I would not want to assume that your dock will work flawlessly with the new Macs. I hope it does, but you may want to reach out to Caldigit before you purchase a new Mac.

Thanks. glad you brought this up. Just spoke with a friendly support guy from caldigit, their TS3 Plus dock is compatible with M1 Macs. Nice. But all the M1 Macs can only support one display from its Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4 port, I will probably wait for M2 Macs

 

[SSDGUY]

Will come.
iMac 24-inch.
5K.
M2.
Q2/2021

View attachment 1658549

I'd love the see a 30" iMac Pro one day.

 

[Frank Philips]

Hey. Watch you mouth. I have a mini that runs fairly well. I realized it feeling slower lately, but then it hit me that it was 8 years old. In the world of PCs with a 2-3 year lifespan, that is amazing

Please, no, that is simply not true. Most PCs greatly outlive that prognosis. It's the PC gamers crowd that scream update all the time.

I have a HP laptop (i7-3610QM, 16GB, GTX 930M) that still runs great after about 5 years of intense use.
I would assume a desktop built/bought around the same time, with mid to high level components, is certainly still working fine and more than enough for most tasks.

Heck, I also have an even much older (and basement level specs) Sony Vaio laptop that still runs OK thanks to Lubuntu 16.04. And that dinosaur is something like 7 or 8 years old with an AMD E2 APU and 4GB of shared memory.

Edit : I just recalled that my wife was pregnant when she bought the Vaio, so this laptop is actually 10 years old.

 

[name99]

Anyone get the feeling that these were rushed? They're more like proof-of-concepts. I guess I'll wait a bit to see what's in store for 2021. Or maybe 2022. Or I bet there'll be big improvements for 2023.

They're LOW-END machines. Why is that so hard to understand? People are looking at machines targeting students and complaining that they're don't have everything included in a $5000 workstation!

Even as low-end machines they're a whole lot nicer than anything x86 you could get at a comparable (or much higher) price. Sure, they won't match the dGPU performance (or weight... or price... or space heating capacity...) of the most expensive Alienware gaming laptop you can buy. That's not what they're aimed at.

 

[Johnny907]

You're being a bit harsh. It's orders of magnitude more I/O than 95% of the people need in real life. If you want more memory, get an x86_64 machine. And according to Apple it's a couple of times faster than the corresponding x86 chip.

If this is your definition of "garbage" then you're like "pro".

No, I’m being accurate without bias or hype. I’m a professional. I use my 2020 MBP like the 2017 before it and the 2013 before it to edit, batch, sort and process video and photos often in uncompressed formats. I absolutely need four ports minimum and I’m sorry but most travel sized hubs are thoroughly unreliable when processing large transfers. Especially if an SSD is occupying one of those hubs which my setup usually is.
And did you notice none of those videos or demos had it hooked up to an external monitor? That’s because the PRO model can only support one. One. My 2020 11th gen Intel MBP can run TWO and the built in screen at the same time all at 4K resolutions. That is PRO.

This thing is absolutely not “Pro.” It’s a toy, a proof of concept Apple expects people to pay for. That is ridiculous.
I’m fine with the Air version, as that at least takes advantage of the strengths of the platform, but they had no business packaging this thing in the MBP line when it clearly is not ready yet. I’m sure they’ll get it right someday, but that day isn’t today.

 

[name99]

Only 2 USB Cs? My 2019 MBP is sitting in a cradle on my desk with one port used for power, one used for USBC->HDMI and one used for USBC->USB for a document camera. I couldn't manage hub less with 2x ports

Then it's a good thing hubs exist and are cheap, isn't it?

 

[PlainBelliedSneetch]

Thunderbolt support on USB4 is actually optional. There are 10,20, and 40 gbps variants of usb4, so it’s not a guarantee that a usb4 port will support thunderbolt.

Given that these new Apple silicon Macs support thunderbolt3, how can you say they don’t have intel tech inside? Also, don’t forget that Apple co-developed thunderbolt, and actually extended it (relative to intel’s firmware) so perhaps they don’t need an intel titan ridge (or the successor JHL8440) for thunderbolt support.

The event specifically showed that the thunderbolt controller is part of the M1 SoC.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Well, you need to have a new feature to introduce with the M2 late next year.

I wonder how often they will update the Mac processors? Every 1 year? Every 2?

They don’t sell that many Macs compared to iOS/iPadOS. I’d guess they’d make enough processors for 2 years, then start mass producing M2’s 12 months away from delivery date.

but I can't help wonder what the long term impact will be on Apple's Mac marketshare. Once you tell consumers they can't run Windows virtually or in Bootcamp, it will be hard to sell a $2499+ MacBook Pro when they have to maintain a Windows system as well. People are missing that key factor and don't realize just how much of an impact this move will have on consumers and businesses making financial and operational decisions moving forward.

The long term impact is clear with or without Apple Silicon, Apple’s Mac marketshare is eventually going to go away. The M1 merely extends the life a little longer. As shown by sales, the vast majority of consumers are buying iOS devices... because there’s not a deep and powerful need for the average person to use Windows specifically, they just need to do the things they want to do with the system they have.

 

[gtg465x]

Are you guys sure this article is right? I know that below the “Thunderbolt / USB 4” text it says “Thunderbolt 3”, but it also says “USB 3”, so I assumed those two bullet points were saying it’s backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 3 / USB 3.