If only the software had better support...!
I was wondering what would happen to the new processor because it was going to be an affair with Intel. It has been finished to something that overturns the common sense of laptops. This time, Mr. Joanna Nelius of Gizmodo, who has been a Windows PC since birth, reviews the M1 MacBook Pro. What about the MBP of the M1 processor that makes enthusiastic Windows PC fans groan?
Apple's lineup has been on fire lately. MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro can all handle native ARM applications at super-fast speeds, but the price is about the same as the previous generation entry model with Intel. I work and game on a Windows PC, but Apple's M1 processor is making me consider a Mac for my next laptop purchase. It's the first time I've thought about buying a Mac since my dad made me sit at a keyboard when I was a little kid.
There are still things I'm unfamiliar with on macOS, and native support for apps hasn't progressed to the point where I'm officially switching from Windows, but at least it's the one I use most on my Windows PC. Google Chrome, Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, etc. are already on the Mac, so they don't have to be fully integrated into Apple's ecosystem. And thanks to cloud gaming platforms such as GeForce Now and Stadia, you can enjoy gaming on your Mac as well. With this new Mac, Apple feels like it's starting to take on PC makers for the first time on price and specs.
Apple M1 MacBook Pro
What is this? : The first MacBook Pro with an M1 processor.
Price: $1,300 (from 134,800 yen in Japan; review machine is $1,900).
Likes: Long battery life, better value for money than the Intel version, very cool and quiet.
What I don't like: Lack of USB ports, little M1-optimized software, still not competitive with some other PC laptops.
Slightly better value than the Intel version
At $1,300, the cheapest base-model 13-inch MacBook Pro comes with 8GB of DRAM, a 256GB SSD, a 13.3-inch, It has a 500nit ISP display. The M1 itself is an 8-core CPU, with 4 cores for performance and the rest for power efficiency. It also has an 8-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine in the same chip. Add in more RAM or an SSD and the price goes up. But compared to the $1,800 and $2,000 Intel MacBook Pros, the M1 MacBook Pro is a slightly better deal for the same price.
Slightly above the base model, the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD is $100 cheaper than the same level model with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor. The model with 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD is $1,900 for the M1 version, but $2,000 for the Intel version. Of course, the M1 also outperforms the 10th Gen Intel Core i5 in terms of performance.
Comparison between Macs is overwhelming...
We have thoroughly benchmarked the performance of the M1 here, and the actual performance is much higher than Intel's 11th generation Core i5-1135G7. I know I have power. Although there were some inferior parts, it was because the software worked through Rosetta 2 (a program for running Intel programs on the M1). In this way, it was almost a crushing victory among Macs, but where the M1 MacBook Pro really lags is not just in the amount of software it supports, but in terms of price and number of ports compared to Windows-based laptops. It's a point.
For example, MSI Creator 15. Like the MacBook Pro, it's a laptop for content creators, but it's also a gaming laptop. The version we recently reviewed on Gizmodo has a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10875H, RTX 2060 GPU, 16GB (8GB x2) DDR4-2666MHz DRAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, and a 15.6-inch 1,080 60Hz touchscreen display. With all these functions, it costs $ 1,900 (about 186,000 yen). Not only does it have higher specs than the Intel 13-inch MacBook Pro at the same price, but it's also priced the same as the M1 MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
Slightly Unsuitable for Gaming
The RTX 2060 GPU completely overwhelms Apple's integrated GPU. Looking at gaming performance, the RTX 2060 can deliver 70fps in "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" with 1080P resolution and the highest graphics settings, but Apple's M1 is trying to get the same frame rate. Then you have to lower the resolution to 720P and set it to Low. If gaming is important to you, the Creator 15's GPU will be attractive when compared to the similarly priced MacBook Pro.
MSI's Creator 15 also comes with more ports. Ethernet, SD, HDMI, one USB-A and two USB-C, one of which is Thunderbolt 3 with PD support. The MacBook Pro, on the other hand, has only two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. Even though they both support PD, DisplayPort, Thunderbold 3, and USB 3.1 Gen 2, the Creator 15 has enough ports without having to buy a hub like the MacBook Pro. It's pretty annoying to have to use a USB adapter every time you want to use a flash drive or mouse. Unless you're looking for something like Satechi's Apple-exclusive USB-C Multiport Pro adapter ($65), the good news is that hubs are getting pretty cheap at around $20.
The display is great
However, there aren't many laptops that have the same display as the MacBook Pro. Such laptops will typically run between $2,500 and $3,000. HP's ZBook Create G7 top model will do more. However, there are not many people who have to choose between a Mac or a PC for their creative work. Creator laptops cost more (than the top-of-the-line MacBook Pro) because they usually have high-resolution screens. Sure, you'll have faster hardware and a better GPU on your Windows machine, but if the same program runs the same or faster on your M1, it doesn't really matter.
Apple has already mastered the design of waste heat. Intel's 10th-generation mobile CPU can reach 100 degrees at times, and the unit itself can get unsettlingly hot, but Apple's M1 MacBook Pro stays cool even after hours of use, as if it's not booting up. is. It's really nice to just want to convert a video file and not have to listen to fans like an airplane about to take off.
Amazing Battery Endurance
Battery lasts longer than any laptop I've personally tried. In our tests, the MacBook Pro lasted 18 hours, lasting 30 minutes longer than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7. That's much longer than the last Intel MacBook Pro released earlier this year (8.5 hours). You don't have to worry about power supply in the university auditorium or cafe.
Past MacBook Pros had the impression that the price was too high for the specs. But when it comes to specs versus price, Apple's M1 is really good. …except that there is currently very little software that supports it. Developers like Adobe, who released a beta version of Premier Pro, just haven't ported all features from Intel to ARM yet, which will be resolved over time and until then, Rosetta 2 will fill the gap. increase. But when the software you use most often doesn't take full advantage of the M1's power, the question of whether to upgrade becomes complicated.
Should I switch?
For both Mac and PC users, switching to the M1 MacBook Pro is a tough decision. The software will eventually support it, but when? I also don't know how Apple will evolve its processors in the future. As someone who has always been a Windows PC user, I think it will take another generation to fully admire the MacBook Pro. Even if you do decide to switch this time around, you still get a lot more out of a PC laptop than a Mac for the same price.
But if you've been using a MacBook Pro for years and have been waiting to upgrade, and you don't want to wait for specific software to natively support Apple Silicon, then this is definitely recommended. is.
