whatbrentsay
11/18
I really didn't want to write about Apple-related news for the third week in a row but I can't ignore the reception the newly revealed and launched M1-equipped MacBooks and Mac Mini are receiving. As a compromise I'll keep this brief.
Performance and benchmarks
Yes, I know benchmarks are not representative of real world usage and workflows but the numbers the M1 chips are putting out in Geekbench are worth talking about.
First off, when compared to all other Macs, the single core performance is literally unmatched. This is somehow both surprising and expected when you consider the A-series single core performance.
What's really surprised me is how good the multi-core performance is. The M1 is not at the top of the pack, but look at where its wedged—in between two desktop machines—and above top spec i9-equipped 16" MacBook Pros that are just a year old.
The Air is better than it ought to be
Since the only possible performance differences that can manifest between the three M1 machines is based on cooling, the Air has become much more capable. Apparently the fans are a bit conservative on the 13" Pro and the Mini so unless you're really pushing these machines you're going to see very comparable performance for the Air. Again, I wasn't expecting this.
Beyond M1
I don't want to be sensationalist but if you approach M1 from a purely hardware performance perspective, there aren't many downsides to point out for the average consumer. If you had to pick between two identical laptops but one of them performs better, runs quieter and cooler, and has much better battery life, what would you do? You don't even need a moment to think about it; better is better.
It's now clear that the future is bright for Apple Silicon in low end configurations. I don't see any reason to doubt the M-series in any future mid- and high-end laptop configurations or in mid-range desktop configurations, either. While I expect Apple will figure out the desktop high-end, I'm still reserving my judgment because that's a harder problem to solve and M1 doesn't give any obvious hints how its bigger brothers will do it.
Putting Apple aside, what does M1 mean for the wider industry? I can't help but wonder, is this what disruption feels like in real time? Surely, Intel can't keep doing what they're doing and expect to suddenly pull ahead. It was the slowing pace of improvement that helped drive Apple away in the first place.
Other hardware manufacturers are going to crave the kind of performance Apple will be able to advertise as they continue to launch and roll out their converted Mac portfolio. Where will they go for comparable solutions? Will comparable solutions even exist? Is this something that can be generalized or are we seeing the ultimate expression of the benefits of making the widget from top to bottom? I don't have these answers but I can't stop thinking about how sizable this impact tiny chip could be.
M1 content roundup
There's some great M1-related content out there if you're curious. I've included some that I've personally consumed over the last week or so if you're looking for somewhere to get started
9to5Mac's summary what M1 performance looks like in the real world
The Verge's very accessible 13" M1 MacBook Pro review
Matthew Panzarino's very thorough analysis of his 13" M1 MacBook Pro
AnandTech's look at the M1 Mac Mini, with lots of data benchmarks