So nobody wants the crappy ones?

[rodrigezlopez]

Got a base-model 14" M1 Macbook Pro the day after launch from the Apple Store. Very happy -- I think this may be the best laptop Apple has ever made.

But what amazes me is that, at least here in the Bay Area, almost every Apple Store still has the base model 14" and 16" in stock, but is sold out of the upgraded spec models. I did the homework, and at least for most people, with this release there's minimal benefit to the upgraded models.

On the 14", you get two more cores, and a bigger SSD. The computer is '20% faster', yes; but that's only if you're running massively parallel workloads, which most normal people definitely aren't day to day. And the SSD is helpful, but most normal people I know don't even have 512GB of stuff.

On the 16", you get the M1 Max on the upgrade, but unless you're doing a lot of video work or playing a lot of games, the extra 16 cores on the GPU and the extra ProRes hardware isn't going to do much for you. The 32GB might be more valuable but that's an edge case you're paying a lot more money for.

Of course, this could just be a vagary of Apple's supply chain, but very surprised there's so much supply of the base models and so little of the upgraded models.

I guess because these are Pro models and it's strange to buy them to not run massively parallel workloads, memory-demanding tasks and so. There is an Air for hipsters after all. I also think that Apple has taken into account that demand for basic models was high in the previous generation and produced more base models this time.

 

[TinyMito]

Stock models are usually made months before release, I fear that order to make custom config are in rush mode trying to ship before Christmas day, QA may drop a bit.

I have heard some tiny marks, dints or defects.

 

[rodrigezlopez]

Interesting observation: most of early reviews of Pro 16" was in silver (probably sent to reviewers by apple), but now almost all reviews and unboxing are of Space gray. It's also impossible to look at silver in person in stores of my region.

 

[arvinsim]

Got a base-model 14" M1 Macbook Pro the day after launch from the Apple Store. Very happy -- I think this may be the best laptop Apple has ever made.

But what amazes me is that, at least here in the Bay Area, almost every Apple Store still has the base model 14" and 16" in stock, but is sold out of the upgraded spec models. I did the homework, and at least for most people, with this release there's minimal benefit to the upgraded models.

On the 14", you get two more cores, and a bigger SSD. The computer is '20% faster', yes; but that's only if you're running massively parallel workloads, which most normal people definitely aren't day to day. And the SSD is helpful, but most normal people I know don't even have 512GB of stuff.

On the 16", you get the M1 Max on the upgrade, but unless you're doing a lot of video work or playing a lot of games, the extra 16 cores on the GPU and the extra ProRes hardware isn't going to do much for you. The 32GB might be more valuable but that's an edge case you're paying a lot more money for.

Of course, this could just be a vagary of Apple's supply chain, but very surprised there's so much supply of the base models and so little of the upgraded models.

I am not surprised at all.

If I was a professional, I would have probably needed 32GB of RAM and perhaps the M1 Max. Otherwise, the M1 MBA and MBP would have been enough.

That's why I was surprised that there was no 32GB/1TB base model for the 14". I would think that would be the minimum configuration that pros would use.

 

[Jl006p]

I'm currently using a base 14."

For $1999 1TB should be included. There is nothing pro about 512gb in 2021. The cost of SSD is more affordable now.

512GB is absolutely criminal.

 

[Booji]

The simple answer to that is “future proofing.” However, I don’t really see this being an issue with any Mx chips…maybe the RAM.

I got a base 14 myself and am happy with it. It had the future proofed parts I cared about in a laptop (120Hz display and better webcam).

I think the best way to "future proof" is to go with the base model. Why? With a base model, when you sell it, you get by far the highest percentage of your purchase price back when you go to upgrade to the newest model.