Some pics of my M1 MacBook Air in use...

[dandeco]

Well, I've had my M1 MacBook Air for 3 1/2 weeks now and have been really enjoying it! I'm glad that I now have a much newer Mac laptop that can run Mac OS 11 Big Sur, AND I am really impressed by its' performance. Ever since I heard really good things about the M1 chip, I thought I'd give it a shot, and so far it's lot's of fun, and I'm even still using my 2012 quad-core Mac Mini as my main desktop (sometimes I'll run both Macs alongside each other, and sometimes I'll even run the Air in desktop mode!) So I thought I'd also share some interesting photos of my usage of it here...

I use a Falwedi 10-in-1 USB-C hub with the MacBook Air, for when I want to connect to one of my USB 3.0 drives or a thumb drive, charge my iPhone SE, insert the SD card from my Canon AVCHD camcorder to import video footage into iMovie, use the HDMI output on an external screen, or sometimes use an Ethernet connection if the Wi-Fi is acting up.

Look, I can even run the latest GarageBand now, as it was designed to be used on Big Sur only. What you see open is one of my Stupid Statement Dance Mix compositions for one of my YouTube Poops (I find GarageBand particularly useful for making those!)

Using the UTM emulation software (the Mac OS version, of course), I can even run a Windows XP virtual machine for playing old PC games from my childhood on! Sure, the startup process is slower than when I use VMWare Fusion or VirtualBox on an Intel Mac, but for my purposes this suits me just fine. (This will especially be handy once Anthro New England 2022 rolls around, as I plan to host a panel there about 1990s kids' computer games, as the con will have a 1990s theme to it, and I want to demonstrate some games from them, using this virtual machine and also ScummVM and Boxer.)

I can also now import my older DV tapes on the MacBook Air via daisy-chaining Apple's Thunderbolt 3-to-2 and FireWire adapters and hooking my Canon Optura 60 MiniDV camcorder up to it! Of course I still need to make sure the tape is already playing when I open the capture window to make sure the sound goes through. And it only works when the screen is open and it's in laptop mode.

 

[outlawarth]

Thank you for sharing.

 

[trevpimp]

Cool M1 Rocks

I place mine on my bed for now

 

[mj_]

That desk (or rather area) needs some serious cleaning up

 

[MBAir2010]

Vote to get some sandpaper, some good stain and re-finish that desk!
You will be happy!

 

[mj_]

Desk? What desk? There's a desk under that mess?

 

[dandeco]

That desk (or rather area) needs some serious cleaning up

It's a pretty old desk, hence its' unattractive-looking top. Plus, what's a computer techie's desk without a bit of a mess of wires and gadgets? I guess it runs in my family, since my dad's computer desk is similarly cluttered, and his father was also known for being really cluttered as well.

 

[xraydoc]

Time to dust that monitor.

 

[James_C]

My OCD kicked in big time looking at the photo's. I could definitely not work like that. Expensive laptop perched precariously on the edge of the desk. Very dusty monitor and cluttered desk.

 

[canuckRus]

Screen shots from TV's Hoarders?

 

[mj_]

It's a pretty old desk, hence its' unattractive-looking top.

Let me put it this way: it's not the weathered "antique" desk that triggered my reaction

 

[dandeco]

My OCD kicked in big time looking at the photo's. I could definitely not work like that. Expensive laptop perched precariously on the edge of the desk. Very dusty monitor and cluttered desk.

Well, I have since wiped down that monitor I use with my Mac Mini, and I don't have the MacBook Air perch so close to the edge anymore either. I'm getting a little better with moving things around for which computer(s) I am using.

 

[dandeco]

A couple more pics of using my MacBook Air...

Made my first Youtube Poop (well, an enhanced/redux version of a poop I made almost 10 years ago) on the M1 MacBook Air. I appreciated the much quicker render times. And if this is amazing compared to my 2012 quad-core i7 Mac Mini, I sure can't wait to see how the planned higher-end Apple Silicon Mac Mini will be able to handle this!

I also got a LaCie 4TB rugged external USB-C hard drive to use with the MacBook Air! This would especially be helpful for video projects I do. I got the rugged model since I would travel with it as well. It also came with a USB-C to USB-A cable so you can connect it to a "regular" USB 3 port or even a USB 2.0 port, if I need to use it with another Mac (like my quad-core i7 Mac Mini or the 21" unibody iMac at my workplace.)

 

[trevpimp]

Ps I don't know why my sheets are so wrinkly lol

 

[dandeco]

Got me a nice method for watching DVDs and Blu-Rays via my MacBook Air...

I have my LG external Blu-Ray burner hooked up to my Falwedi USB-C hub that's also powering my old Dell LCD display that I can view the discs on. (For DVDs I generally use the built-in Mac OS DVD Player, and for Blu-Rays I use the Leawo Blu-Ray Player app.) A little cumbersome, but for watching desktop movies and TV it suits me just fine.

Also, today I visited the college campus I graduated from early last year to network a bit, i.e. tell any of my old teachers and other faculty that know me about my computer tech job, and they were pleased to hear it. And I brought my MacBook Air to show a couple of them, and they sure were impressed, particularly the Radio/TV studio director. I brought up how the M1 Macs so far perform a lot faster and more powerful than their Intel predecessors, and that Apple's developing an even beefier chip to use in the higher-end Macs (i.e. the "M1X" that will be in the new high-end MacBook Pros) and how Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro work great on my Air. (They also recently replaced their 2012 i7 Mac Minis in one of the Fine Arts building computer labs with mid-2020 Retina 27" iMacs. I would assume in a few years once the higher-end Apple Silicon iMacs have been out for a while, the video-editing lab will replace their mid-2017 Retina 21" iMacs with such a model.)

 

[JustAnExpat]

Can you expand on something?

>Using the UTM emulation software (the Mac OS version, of course), I can even run a Windows XP virtual machine for playing old PC games from my childhood on!

How is it able to emulate Windows XP virtual machines, since there's no Windows XP version for ARM? Is this being run through some type of x86 cloud provider?

 

[dandeco]

Can you expand on something?

>Using the UTM emulation software (the Mac OS version, of course), I can even run a Windows XP virtual machine for playing old PC games from my childhood on!

How is it able to emulate Windows XP virtual machines, since there's no Windows XP version for ARM? Is this being run through some type of x86 cloud provider?

Oh, UTM can emulate x86 systems, making it possible to run some older versions of Windows on an Apple Silicon Mac. Being an emulated system instead of virtualized, my Windows XP VM is a bit slower, but since I just use it for running old PC games from my childhood, I don't mind too much.

 

[jdb8167]

Oh, UTM can emulate x86 systems, making it possible to run some older versions of Windows on an Apple Silicon Mac. Being an emulated system instead of virtualized, my Windows XP VM is a bit slower, but since I just use it for running old PC games from my childhood, I don't mind too much.

UTM is using Qemu to emulate a variety of different architectures. You can even use it to run more modern x86 Windows but it is pretty slow.

 

[steve217]

Got me a nice method for watching DVDs and Blu-Rays via my MacBook Air...
View attachment 1823339
I have my LG external Blu-Ray burner hooked up to my Falwedi USB-C hub that's also powering my old Dell LCD display that I can view the discs on. (For DVDs I generally use the built-in Mac OS DVD Player, and for Blu-Rays I use the Leawo Blu-Ray Player app.) A little cumbersome, but for watching desktop movies and TV it suits me just fine.

Is that the Beverly Hillbillies you're watching?

 

[dandeco]

Is that the Beverly Hillbillies you're watching?

Yep!

 

[DMG35]

OP I am really enjoying these photos and insights you are giving us. I hope there is more to come as I find this information and also a lot of fun to see what you are doing with your stuff. Nice work.

 

[steve217]

Yep!

I thought I recognized that gorilla suit as one of Ellie May's pets that kept getting spanked by Granny.

I've always felt bad for those actors who had to don those suits under the hot TV lights. Bet that was brutal.

 

[dandeco]

I've always felt bad for those actors who had to don those suits under the hot TV lights. Bet that was brutal.

As a fursuiter and part-time mascot performer, I've felt such heat numerous times, but I've gotten used to the sweating. As long as I stay hydrated, I'm good!

Anyways, here's some more updates involving my M1 MacBook Air, since I've had it for well over six months now...

I recently bought a 2008-2011 Apple 27" LED Cinema Display from my workplace, and I got it cheap as it was used and has some very slight defects (i.e. small chips and cracks on the front bezel.) And thanks to an Answin HDMI(male)-to-MiniDisplay(female) adapter I ordered off Amazon, I can use my M1 MacBook Air with it! One thing I can do is have it set up as a secondary display; especially handy for when I want to watch something on a streaming service, Blu-Ray or DVD, or as one of my digital files, and still browse the web and check email and stuff as it plays!

I can also run it in Clamshell Mode! I will admit that 13" screen did start to feel a little cramped recently, and for when I am working at my computer desk, I feel more comfortable working this way. Plus, when editing video (like the Halloween YouTube Poop I'm editing there on Final Cut Pro 10.6) I seem to prefer working with a mouse more than the MacBook Air's trackpad.

I also just got this G-Technology 4-TB Thunderbolt-3 GDrive! This will be WAY more useful for video editing at home or anywhere I need to use AC power, as I can even provide AC power to the MacBook Air using it (it'll charge, but more slowly than my actual MacBook Air AC adapter). I plan to largely reserve this drive for audio-video production, compared to my LaCie 4-TB USB-C rugged hard drive serving multiple purposes.

 

[dandeco]

So I've made an exchange at my workplace, swapping the 27" LED Cinema Display with an Apple Thunderbolt Display, AND I also got a Thunderbolt 3 dock!

A CalDigit TS3 Plus! You get two Thunderbolt 3 ports (one to connect to the computer), two USB-C ports, five USB 3.0 ports, DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet, an SD card slot, Digital Optical audio, and analog audio in/out jacks! This I definitely plan to only use here at my home desktop setup, and once I get a beefier Apple Silicon Mac (possibly a higher-end Mac Mini with the M1 Pro chip), I'm definitely going to use that TS3 Plus dock with it! (I'm still definitely using the Falwedi USB-C hub for when I am on the go.)

The ports on the back of my Thunderbolt display. That uSB 2.0 port is just being used to charge my iPhone SE, and I also use it for the wired Ethernet connection, especially for when I use this display for my 2012 i7 Mac Mini. I could also use the FireWire 800 port for when I archive my older DV tapes, and the extra Thunderbolt port for when I want to transfer something between computers via Target Disk Mode.

The full setup. I only really set it up this way when I need to charge the battery on my MacBook Air. The bezel also has a crack on the right, but I can overlook it easily.

 

[darkus]

What I take away from this is that Apple really needs to make a 15” MacBook Air