I have to admit, this something I have been looking forward to comparing. Although they are not technically equals since the Wallstreet predates OS 10.0 by a few years, its a G3 that's a supported model. But when some of us complain about the constant progress of innovation, we have a lot to be thankful for. I thought the PB was a relatively small but weighty device, but this thing is brick/tank next to the M1 MacBook. One thing I have to say though, I am not sure how well Big Sur's look will hold up over the next 20 years. Minus the overuse of pinstripes, 10.0, still looks good to this day, and that cool relaxing Aqua wallpaper is just timeless.
Its just amazing to think, these are two 13 inch devices, 23 years apart. Moving between the keyboards can be a bit jarring, the PB's keyboard is actually nicer to use. Keys feel like you are typing on pillows, while the M1 is more akin to typing on a scientific calculator. Its definitely improved since the first time I tested it in 2016 at the store, but it just cannot compare to the right balance of my 2015 MBP.
But, with those minor trade offs, 23 years of refinements offer huge benefits:
I can't imagine what's in store for the next 20 years, much less next week. But when you do comparisons like this, you really get to see the big picture. Of course, no one in their right mind would be using a PB with OS 10.0 up to now, but again, its about the refinements and appreciating that. This is certainly not my last Mac and I will likely be taking out the CC in 2023 for a iMac then another MacBook in 2023.
Certainly, Apple has delivered a successful integrated package with the M1 and really delivers and end to end seamless experience throughout its wider ecosystem of products.
Its just amazing to think, these are two 13 inch devices, 23 years apart. Moving between the keyboards can be a bit jarring, the PB's keyboard is actually nicer to use. Keys feel like you are typing on pillows, while the M1 is more akin to typing on a scientific calculator. Its definitely improved since the first time I tested it in 2016 at the store, but it just cannot compare to the right balance of my 2015 MBP.
But, with those minor trade offs, 23 years of refinements offer huge benefits:
- Fast boot up - this 512 GBs SSD flies, compared to the old creaky 20 GB mechanical disk in the PB. Although I haven't been pressed for space on my devices over the years, its gonna be a challenge filling this up.
- RAM - The PB has 160 MBs, which I think back in 2000 was absurdly a lot. 10.0 flies on it; Finder windows pop open but it sure can't help the lack of optimization in some apps. An app like Mail 1.0 takes 8 bounces to open, versus a single launch for Mail 14.0 on Big Sur.
- Displays - hands down the Retina is a reminder of how grateful I am. Although the 1024 by 768 does well on the PB with the help of 10.0s anti-aliasing, for the time that would have been considered much improved experience. The sharpness and fine details of icons transparency; some of which OS 10.0 had is just superb on the M1.
- Battery life - on the PB, its dead, anytime I shut this down, requires resetting the date and time. But, even with the battery working, the M1 with its 20 hour battery life is insanely great. This puts it on par with my other Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad.
- Speed - Obviously no comparison, M1 is just super duper fast. System doesn't warm and I can have many apps and browser tabs open with worry.
- Everyday usage - I just got the M1 yesterday, but I've elected to not install any third party apps. That for me is intentional because unlike the PB 20 years ago, I would have still needed to keep Classic around to do some of really basic things like word processing or watch DVDs. Pretty much everything you need to use this computer already is included. I was even gonna install Chrome because its native and I've been using more often on my older Mac, but I decided to skip. I'm not even gonna install Microsoft Office. Pages does what I need and I plan on weaning myself off products that require spending more money.
- Reliability - OS X's UNIX heritage has always been shining advantage: pre-emptive multi-tasking, memory protection lead to less system instability, especially with bad behaving apps. On the M1 that of course continues and with Apples deep integration with their SoC, its even more significant. I can't even begin to explain it, but even operations like booting into recovery is a world difference. I always found OS X's recovery options confusing, even though they might be better than Windows or Linux. Just the ability to hold down the Touch ID power button versus the scientific laundry list of holding C after boot chime voodoo is appreciated. Although, I rarely ever need to go into recovery these days, its just a reminder of the finer details.
I can't imagine what's in store for the next 20 years, much less next week. But when you do comparisons like this, you really get to see the big picture. Of course, no one in their right mind would be using a PB with OS 10.0 up to now, but again, its about the refinements and appreciating that. This is certainly not my last Mac and I will likely be taking out the CC in 2023 for a iMac then another MacBook in 2023.
Certainly, Apple has delivered a successful integrated package with the M1 and really delivers and end to end seamless experience throughout its wider ecosystem of products.
