Who's rocking an M1 still and how's it holding up for you?

[redcarian]

Honestly I’m not seeing much difference on my M1 Pro 14”.

In fact, one area that I think is more performant, even in this initial DP, is the “clean up” function in Photos. That definitely* used to take a bit of a while to start up, and is much snappier now. Wish they’d let you click though, without having to do a tiny drag for individual spots you’re cleaning up.

*maybe

 

[delsoul]

I wish they’d let you take folders from
You iPhone and transfer them to the Mac instead of making you go through and select each individually or importing all of them. Maybe they can add that to Tahoe

 

[dumastudetto]

While watching the keynote, I had one prevailing thought - how much horsepower will these visual effects require? I don't think all of the lagginess can be attributed to debugging code embedded. I'm sure thats a lot of it, but I think the OS is just going to require more potent processors then the M1. Just my unofficial, unqualified opinion

Agreed. I think they’ve solved the M1 is too good “problem”.

 

[woolypants]

While watching the keynote, I had one prevailing thought - how much horsepower will these visual effects require? I don't think all of the lagginess can be attributed to debugging code embedded. I'm sure thats a lot of it, but I think the OS is just going to require more potent processors then the M1. Just my unofficial, unqualified opinion

It's extremely unlikely Liquid Glass will be CPU or GPU intensive in the final release. If it were, laptop batteries would drain quickly, not to mention iPhones and iPads (assuming they're using the same code libraries).

However, this also isn't outside of Apple's often surprising occasional incompetence. They've done dumber things in the past with RTM/gold releases, and had to row them back in after a few point releases.

Ultimately, I'm unsure quite HOW they could make Liquid Glass so CPU/GPU intensive. Things like translucency and blurring are fairly elementary effects for a GPU to handle. As many have pointed out, Microsoft was doing something not dissimilar with Vista decades ago.

 

[redcarian]

Also worth remembering that even the current top-line iPhone SOC - the A18 Pro - is a shade slower than the M1. And that’s going to drive an implementation of Liquid Glass with quite a lot more Liquid Glass in it than macOS (e.g. look at Music on iOS/iPadOS vs macOS - the former is very glassy, the latter less so)

 

[MultiFinder17]

I'm consistently impressed at how the M1 is holding up. I've had my base M1 Air since early 2021 in daily use, and it's still holding up with no issues. One of the things I'm interested in as time goes on is to see just how well the worst-performing Apple Silicon Mac will age, and so far it's quite impressive. This machine is used for most of my simple computing at home or to tote around as a "beater" laptop, having spent the last four years as my primary school laptop to go back and forth between home and my classroom. I only retired it from that duty because its 8GB of RAM was getting a tad tight for what I used it for at work, though it's still more than fine for home use.

Here's to the M1, and many more years of use out of it!

 

[woolypants]

I'm consistently impressed at how the M1 is holding up. I've had my base M1 Air since early 2021 in daily use, and it's still holding up with no issues. One of the things I'm interested in as time goes on is to see just how well the worst-performing Apple Silicon Mac will age, and so far it's quite impressive. This machine is used for most of my simple computing at home or to tote around as a "beater" laptop, having spent the last four years as my primary school laptop to go back and forth between home and my classroom. I only retired it from that duty because its 8GB of RAM was getting a tad tight for what I used it for at work, though it's still more than fine for home use.

Here's to the M1, and many more years of use out of it!

Computers became "good enough" for pretty much everything around 2020, when Apple Silicon hit the market. SSDs became insanely fast, processors became more than fast enough for most tasks, and if you had 16GB of RAM then it was difficult to make a case for needing more.

Then AI came along. Assuming that AI becomes integral to our workflows (and remember, this isn't a definite yet!), then we're back to the old situation from computing's history where more is always going to be better.

But only on Apple devices, at least right now, because only Apple is doing ALL this AI stuff on-chip. Google, Adobe, ChatGPT are doing it in the cloud, in those massive data centres that are gobbling up electricity and water.

However, you don't have to be psychic to realise that the future of AI is going to be at least partially on-device. It's just quicker. But this is if, and only if, generative AI is going to be integral to our workflows! It's racing ahead in certain industries, such as software development and perhaps creative tasks, but it's been essentially the same for a few years now for the rest of us in terms of everyday workflows like search and document creation.

TL;DR: M1 will last years if AI is a flash in the pan. If AI is NOT a flash in the pan then it's always going to be the latest Apple Silicon, plus gallons of RAM (32, 64GB and maybe even higher in the years to come) that will deliver the best results. And lots of storage for those LLMs. 😳 The M1 will start to seem very old, very soon. I went for an M1 Max, because of the faster memory interlinking and higher quantity of RAM, because I knew it would eke out the last bits of life from the laptop as it aged. I think I made the right choice.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Minutes after the MacBook Air M1 was announced, I had ordered one and put my then just year old 13" MacBook Pro (the baby-one with 2 thunderbolt ports) up for sale. That is the first time I've ever sold any of my Macs, all previous ones I've had until they break and/or were more or less useless otherwise. The (last) baby-MBP is (alongside the 12" MacBook) the worst ever Macs I've ever had (private or through work), and I genuinely hated that machine.

Now, I ordered the Air with the same specs as I had on the Pro, 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD (lots of photos and a big pre-Apple Music music collection), and I don't regret that (like I do with buying a 256 GB iPhone 15 pro, even if storage rarely take over 70GB, even including Apple Intelligence, on my iPhone). It makes it just as capable today as the day it was new.

The MacBook Air M1 is my favourite Mac ever (tied with the original 11" Air that was my main machine for about 9 years), and it does everything I need to do at home...

...or at work really. I have a MacBook Air M2 16/512 at work, and there's no real life difference working on one or the other. (I do prefer the old, tapered form factor of the M1, but also like the new screen on the M2, even with the notch.)

Now, I've been tempted to upgrade a couple of times, like the 15" MacBook Air and the new "regular M-chip" 14" MacBook Pro, but sanity and reason has - so far - won, and barring a catastrophe I'll probably use the M1 Air for a while, still.

Next year's rumored slimmer MacBook Pro with a 2nm M6 and OLED screen might be the first real threat, though, but we'll see...

 

[redcarian]

TL;DR: M1 will last years if AI is a flash in the pan. If AI is NOT a flash in the pan then it's always going to be the latest Apple Silicon, plus gallons of RAM (32, 64GB and maybe even higher in the years to come) that will deliver the best results. And lots of storage for those LLMs. 😳

I think lower-powered systems will just offload their AI processing to the cloud. A faster chip will get you faster and even offline processing, but I doubt Apple will cut off M1-era chips for a good while yet.

Not least because the iPhone exists.

 

[woolypants]

I think lower-powered systems will just offload their AI processing to the cloud. A faster chip will get you faster and even offline processing, but I doubt Apple will cut off M1-era chips for a good while yet.

Not least because the iPhone exists.

Apple could never do this under any circumstances because of its commitment to privacy. That's why they're doing it all on device, and it's why they're also lagging behind in the whole AI space in that they haven't access to the huge amounts of customer data that, say, Google has.

 

[redcarian]

Apple could never do this under any circumstances because of its commitment to privacy. That's why they're doing it all on device, and it's why they're also lagging behind in the whole AI space in that they haven't access to the huge amounts of customer data that, say, Google has.

How does this fit into that, then?

 

[woolypants]

How does this fit into that, then?

View attachment 2520899

ChatGPT is a stop gap measure, only until Apple Intelligence is completed.

Apple Intelligence's full Siri integration should've been here by now but, from recent reports, it wasn't up to Apple's quality standards. So Apple had to quickly to a deal with OpenAI. Apple makes it clear that ChatGPT doesn't respect privacy the same way that Apple does.

Once Apple Intelligence is here, the ChatGPT option will either disappear, or become a largely hidden option.

 

[redcarian]

Or they could just use the Apple Intelligence server-based model.

 

[Technerd108]

Since 2022 AI has a problem with clean data. This is why many AI models seem to be stalling because of all the AI generated slop on the net since then.

Who knows how this "slop" will distort LLMs or if it will be possible to recover now that Pandora box has been opened.

My hope is it is an unrecoverable error that won't be overcome hopefully for generations but most likely only a stumbling block.

I know a lot of people are excited about AI tech but IMHO the writing is on the wall. Every corporation that can replace a human with an AI will simply due to economics. Business in general has a huge vested interest in using AI to replace people in as many industries as possible. The implications for business, medicine, and military are frightening. Sure the good side of humanity could come through but for now I see AI as a data privacy threat. As AI gets better it's ability to snoop and predict will only get better.

Apple has received a lot of criticism for being behind the curve but they really had no choice unless they disregarded privacy. I would rather Apple be slow and methodical with at least some safeguards in place. I still don't trust the tech but if I were going to willingly use AI for tasks then Apple would be my go to.

If aging of m series chips is mostly dependent on AI capabilities that at least for now are optional then m1 is still looking good and for those privacy minded the fact it might not be able to run certain AI models could be seen by some as a plus rather than a negative?

 

[XboxEvolved]

Considering how good it is holding up, while it isn't the lightning-fast instant machine it once was, it still is doing far better than any computer I have personally ever owned after owning it for 4+ years. I am wondering how they will do updates going forward. This year is the last year that any Intel Mac will get any updates, meaning that it will be seven and in some cases six years of updates for them, and while I do not personally own any of these machines, I would assume most of them don't feel as fast as what I am using either.

So I wonder how they will do it? Logically, we will get macOS 27, but will the updates stop after that, or will it be more dependent on how much RAM your computer has? Also you have to consider the MacBook Air M1 was sold for quite sometime, and in fact is still sold new in some places like Walmart. Will we get seven years of new macOS then? Eight? What if you own a M1 Max? I'm sure however Apple decides to do it, there will be people upset about it, but I think if they separated out any of the more advanced things they plan to do with the AI in the future then they could probably keep the updates going for a bit, especially because consumers don't particularly care for most AI products anyways.

 

[MacRazySwe]

Still rocking my M1 MacBook Air 8/256, best computer I've ever had.

That said, I will be switching to a 16/512 M1 MBA shortly (passed down). I don't really need the upgrade, but I figured since this is my favorite form factor I might as well have the best version of it, and pass the old one on to my mum.

I'm curious about the 15" MBA M4 though. No need for the extra performance really, but the larger screen is appealing!

 

[Makisupa Policeman]

Spouse has an M1 Air that is as fast and capable today as when we got it. I have done just about every task I do on my M3 Pro and it handles pretty much all of it extremely well. It’s noticeably a little slower with processor intensive tasks but the difference isn’t huge.

 

[JackAHyde]

My friend is a diehard Apple user, although I'm more of a vintage Apple tinkerer. That said, I told my friend just a couple of years ago that I was planning on picking up a 2013 Mac Pro (yes, that one) for a fraction of the price from when they were new just to see how much I could upgrade and max it out. He immediately started to tell me that it would be a huge waste of time and money, and that I needed to try out the M1 architecture for myself to see why Intel wasn't worth it anymore.

That said, he was using an M2 Mac Mini at the time for his primary workstation, which left him with an M1 MacBook Air that he wasn't using, so he was extremely kind and generous to let me have it with no real strings attached (except that I promise not to install Asahi on it). I would mostly use it to write some novels on Scrivener, but it didn't really see much use outside of that.

Around a year and a half later, I still have it, although it saw a LOT more use this past year when I got a new job, where company WiFi didn't want me to connect with my Linux laptop, so the M1 MacBook Air became my dedicated work laptop, saving me from having to use a really clunky and garbage Dell laptop with Windows 10 on it.

That said, it has held up tremendously well. Even now, the battery life, the cooling, and overall efficiency still stun me. My friend told me about how M4 Mac minis are going for great prices right now, but I see little reason to stop using the M1 because it holds up so well for my work needs.

 

[Black_Mage]

I'm still rocking a M1 Pro MacBook Pro. I honestly believe it's the best quality laptop I have ever owned. When I bought it, it was around the time I found out my 2015 Intel MacBook wasn't going to get any more MacOS updates. I replaced a weak 2-core Intel CPU with the M1 Pro, 8 GB of RAM with 16 GB of unified RAM, the integrated GPU with M1 Pro GPU cores, 128 GB SSD with 512 GB faster SSD, and IPS display with MiniLED pro-motion display. The speakers are amazing too. Everything about my M1 MacBook Pro is so much better than the 2015 MacBook Pro it replaced. By waiting, I skipped the drama with the butterfly keyboards and having MagSafe removed.

Have I been tempted to get a newer MacBook Pro? You bet. Especially when they were available in space black. I think that started with the M3 series. However, the M1 Pro has just been so awesome that it's been difficult to justify getting a newer MacBook Pro. I anticipate trading my M1 in for the M5 Pro MacBook Pro because it will be equipped (guessing) with Wi-Fi 7. That, plus all the other improvements, will make the purchase worthwhile. Apple's trade-in option will also make it much more affordable.

Buying new tech is really worth it when you wait. For example, I waited until the iPhone 15 Pro to replace my iPhone 8+. That was a hell of an upgrade and so worth it.

 

[TimFL1]

Apple could never do this under any circumstances because of its commitment to privacy. That's why they're doing it all on device, and it's why they're also lagging behind in the whole AI space in that they haven't access to the huge amounts of customer data that, say, Google has.

This is such an ancient marketing spin take. Of course Apple uses your data, they even were sued when people found out that their Siri voice commands are being laughed at by third parties that Apple hired to sift through audio logs for failed Siri prompts. Apple is a master at marketing spin, and you fell for it. Just because they aren't in the business of targeted advertisement, doesn't mean they aren't holding onto your data and using it to improve their products (there is a whole section for you to toggle these things on / off, including targeted / personalized advertisements). Apple is kind of better than other providers though, seeing as they also heavily rely on differential privacy for data collection (e.g. they can collect certain data about you, without tying it to your "profile").

ChatGPT is a stop gap measure, only until Apple Intelligence is completed.

Apple Intelligence's full Siri integration should've been here by now but, from recent reports, it wasn't up to Apple's quality standards. So Apple had to quickly to a deal with OpenAI. Apple makes it clear that ChatGPT doesn't respect privacy the same way that Apple does.

Once Apple Intelligence is here, the ChatGPT option will either disappear, or become a largely hidden option.

It's no stop gap measure, they'll probably introduce Gemini soon too and let users pick. The EU is eventually going to force them to allow third party assistants anyways (not saying that I'm a fan of the EU DMA, it's just how it is).

On the topic of "OpenAI respecting privacy", the deal they have with Apple is that no data can be used for training their models. The deal is entirely based on the off chance of someone on an Apple device signing up for a Pro subscription with OpenAI (that and market penetration, more devices and native integrations driving more traffic to OpenAI bolstering it's market position). Kind of a surprising deal, I would've asked Apple to pay me a nice sum / year for direct access to ChatGPT as part of iOS and co. (but I assume they felt like reach is more important than an additional source of income?)

 

[WarmWinterHat]

ChatGPT is a stop gap measure, only until Apple Intelligence is completed.

Apple Intelligence's full Siri integration should've been here by now but, from recent reports, it wasn't up to Apple's quality standards. So Apple had to quickly to a deal with OpenAI. Apple makes it clear that ChatGPT doesn't respect privacy the same way that Apple does.

Once Apple Intelligence is here, the ChatGPT option will either disappear, or become a largely hidden option.

It really doesn't matter since several people are just used to going to ChatGPT in the browser in-app on their phone..built in or not..it doesn't really matter. No one I know uses the Mail app on their Mac, despite it being there and ready to go.

I handed down my M1 Air (16gb ram), but using it today, it feels the same in day-to-day as my M4 Pro. I'm not a power user, so I can't really see any difference. AI isn't a concern as I don't use it (local or otherwise), and I keep it disabled on my devices.

 

[revs]

M1 MBA.

Everything I do is pretty instant. I can’t see any time soon when I’ll replace it.

 

[woolypants]

I handed down my M1 Air (16gb ram), but using it today, it feels the same in day-to-day as my M4 Pro

I'm using an M1 Max 16in and I don't believe I'd notice a single difference if you slipped it out without telling me, and replaced it with an M4 Max. I think the screens are even identical.

 

[RichardC300]

I bought my M1 MBA in January of 2024 after it had been out for over 3 years, and it's still as snappy as the day I got it! Even compared to my M2 Mac Mini. Looking forward to seeing how it does with MacOS 26.

 

[sevoneone]

Apple could never do this under any circumstances because of its commitment to privacy. That's why they're doing it all on device, and it's why they're also lagging behind in the whole AI space in that they haven't access to the huge amounts of customer data that, say, Google has.

In case you missed it, it isn't all being done on device. Probably still more secure than most though.