The Spectacular M1-Forever a Legend?

[leman]

Well… no.
The M1 was a much faster and far more energy efficient chip. It wasn’t a big deal just because Apple made it. If anything, people were reluctant to leave the Intel brand but these new chips were much better and the proof is that M1 Macs are still fast enough even for many power users.

A14/M4 was just ~ 20% faster compared to Apple A13, which is what I mean. My point is that the impact of M1 was not that it was a huge leap in CPU technology, but that it brought the unmatched performance and efficiency of iPhone tech to the mainstream PC.

 

[Ray2]

It’s also a chip that ran a decent OS, Sonoma. The newer M's are saddled with crap for an OS. Who knows how they compare to an M1 running Sonoma.

 

[AdamBuker]

I think people are going to remember the M1 MacBook Air the same way some people fondly remember the 12" PowerBook G4. Both are/were solid, well-built machines small enough to be comfortable packing around but powerful enough to serve quite satisfactorily as a main computer.

 

[romanof]

No, it won't. This is because Apple sells the customer a package, which includes hardware, software, and support. Just because the M1 chip is capable, doesn't mean Apple will extend support. We've already seen this with the iPad Pro. Once the product reaches 6-7 year mark, it stops getting major updates regardless of processor performance.

I have two M1 minis and a plan for the termination of support. Actually, the plan has been around for many years, beginning when I realized that my year 200x box with noisy fans and XP SP3 with all the old games needed to be disconnected asap, thus I have a separate internal network that cannot see the Internet. Right now, the mini that is my DVD/ripped movie video server (and other stuff that needs no exposure to the outside world) is on the airgapped net and when support stops the other M1 will be brought over to live until some hardware failure occurs. Tasks that require Internet connection will be given to newer boxes.

Around here, hardware runs until it has no further use or dies

 

[Bodhitree]

Apple is a far better platform. I think it's a shame that more people don't see the value of Apple's products, but that's their choice. A Dell laptop configured with 8/512 costs $350. A Neo is $600 in an 8/256 configuration. I think the Neo is definitely worth the extra money, but that's just my opinion.

I think you’re right, and part of the reason is the Apple software supplied with the operating system. I once made a list, comparing Apple’s software to commercial software, and worked out how much the commercial software would cost you in monthly license fees over the 7 year lifetime of a Mac, and it was about 2,000 USD.

Admittedly most of the commercial software was somewhat more full-featured and cross-platform cloud service stuff, but still Pages + Keynote + Numbers are quite usable for most casual users who don’t need all the bells and whistles of Microsoft Office, which was what I used for comparison pricing.

If you buy a Neo, you get the hardware build quality, the operating system, AND all that software as a one-price deal, and I think it’s a really good value.

 

[dandeco]

My M1-chip MacBook Air I've had for five years now, with its 8-core graphics, 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD, is still a really solid performer. It even still renders many audio and video projects quickly, and generally handles multi-tabbed browsing very well.

Heck, my M1 Air even just SLIGHTLY outperforms this 2019 16" MacBook Pro (my "backup" Mac, with a 2.6 GHz Intel 6-core i7 processor, 32 GB of RAM, 1 TB SSD and an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M GPU with 4 GB dedicated VRAM)!
Some time either this year or next once I've landed another good-paying job, I want to get a Pro-chip Mac Mini with 48 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD for home use, while I still use the M1 Air when on the go.

 

[romanof]

Laptype wise, I am coming from a 2017 MBA that I really liked. In fact, I still like it and it works fine but since it can no longer receive security updates I am leary about connecting to the 'Net in a coffee shop or nerd meeting. So, I got a new 25gb 1tb M5 Air. Works the same, feels the same and no regrets about moving. I seldom use laptops for power-programs but when I do, the Intel-M5 difference is like stepping out of a rowboat into the Starship Enterprise.

 

[MultiFinder17]

I've used two M1 machines in my classroom for years now - my M1 Air just hit its fifth year of service as my main work laptop and shows no signs of slowing down, and I just hit four years using an M1 mini to run the big display in my classroom. Both of them perform wonderfully, doing everything I ask of them without breaking a sweat. I actually just adopted another M1 machine, a heavily used M1 13" MBP from a friend to use as my desk away from my desk in my classroom. I'm looking forward to many more years of use out of my M1 Macs 🙂

 

[steve217]

I've used two M1 machines in my classroom for years now - my M1 Air just hit its fifth year of service as my main work laptop and shows no signs of slowing down, and I just hit four years using an M1 mini to run the big display in my classroom. Both of them perform wonderfully, doing everything I ask of them without breaking a sweat. I actually just adopted another M1 machine, a heavily used M1 13" MBP from a friend to use as my desk away from my desk in my classroom. I'm looking forward to many more years of use out of my M1 Macs 🙂

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What's the story behind that pencil in the last photo?

Looks like one Lincoln would have used ....

 

[MultiFinder17]

What's the story behind that pencil in the last photo?

Looks like one Lincoln would have used ....

Haha good question, a kid left it behind so I'm not 100% sure. I find the most fascinating things on my tables at the end of the day sometimes.