As expected, although with a team presented more than what was rumored, Apple has just introduced its new MacBook Air, new MacBook Pro and new Mac mini (the one we did not expect) in today’s Keynote.
These new Macs have the same exterior design, but they have an M1 processor, which is what Apple called the first chip they designed for Macs, with ARM architecture. Thus, we see that for iOS devices Apple will use the A-number nomenclature, and for Macs it will use M-number.
Most of the presentation has been focused on comparisons with previous Macs models and also with supposedly equivalent computers with Windows for sale in the market today, although at no time have they mentioned neither processor nor brand, so we will have to check on the Apple website what exactly they were referring to. In any case, the comparisons with previous generations of these Macs when they had Intel x86 CPUs and integrated graphics from the same company, have been devastating. CPU from three times faster, GPU up to six times faster… USB-4 ports and the possibility of connecting 6K monitors with a single cable and full refresh speed. All this thanks to a single M1 chip.
What Apple now offers in its new Macs is simple: Much more speed with much more battery life, for the same price, or as in the case of the Mac mini, even less money.
The M1 chip, Apple’s first CPU and GPU for its Macs
The M1 chip has, as in the case of the iPhone or iPad, several layers, for the CPU and for the GPU, which are integrated in the same package. The CPU has 8 cores, with 4 low-power (and slower) cores and 4 high-performance (and higher power) cores. In total there are 8 cores that can work at the same time. During the presentation Apple has said that one of the low-performance cores is already faster than one of Intel’s x86 CPU cores, although they have not specified the exact model. High-performance cores are simply much more powerful. We still don’t know exactly where these CPUs are when compared to, say, an Intel Core i7 or Core i9 running at full capacity, but we will most likely be out of doubt soon.
The M1 has all the advantages that iPhone processors also have; 16-core Neural Engine for machine learning applications, Secure Enclave for the fingerprint that unlocks the computer and Apple Pay or other passwords, improvements in the image processing for the front camera of MacBooks (although it seems that it will continue to have the same resolution) and much more.
The RAM is also integrated into the M1 chip, which makes it clear that these new Macs are not going to offer the possibility of expanding their RAM. To begin with, Apple sells all these new Macs with 8 or 16 GB of RAM, so keep this in mind because the user cannot expand it later. What you buy is what you will have throughout the life of the product.
Like the A14, the M1 has a manufacturing process of just 5nm, making it the first computer CPU to use such a small process.
The first MacBook Air with M1
The new MacBook Air with M1 CPU is the first Mac they have presented today, and its main novelty is that it is passively cooled, that is, without a fan. Therefore, it is 100% silent , in any situation, as if it were an iPad. It remains to be seen how hot it gets when a lot of performance is required.
The starting price of this new MacBook Air is the same as the previous MacBook Air, starting at $ 999 for the most basic model with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD. The GPU is 7-core in this case. In Euros, it costs € 1129, which is the same price as the MacBook Air with Intel CPUs. The model with 16 GB of RAM and 8-core GPU has a 512 GB SSD and leaves the Apple stores for € 1,399. There are on-demand configurations with SSDs up to 2TB, obviously much more expensive.
Another great novelty is a battery life of 18 hours. It’s 6 hours longer than the previous version of the MacBook Air with Intel CPUs. It is a very important leap in autonomy, and this is one of the most important characteristics of a laptop. At the end of the event Apple has published a video in which they have said a phrase that has touched our hearts. It was something like This MacBook has more autonomy than the time I spend awake in a day .
This new MacBook Air can be purchased from today, with the first deliveries arriving late next week.
Mac mini with M1
To be exact, the Mac mini that Apple introduced today is not the first Mac mini with an ARM CPU. The first Mac with an ARM CPU was a Mac mini aimed exclusively at developers, which had an A12Z as a processor, just like the one Apple uses in the 2020 iPad Pro. It is curious that they made a limited run of this equipment only for developers, that they could thus compile their applications for this new architecture. Interestingly also, the Mac mini that Apple has decided to sell to all its customers does not have an A12Z, but an M1 that is probably like the MacBook Pro because it is also cooled with a fan, unlike the one on the MacBook Air.
The color is the silver of a lifetime, and it’s funny because the previous Intel CPU model had a darker space gray color, which made it very attractive. It’s a shame they didn’t choose that same color for this new Mac mini.
Although externally it looks the same, it now has USB 4/Thunderbolt ports in addition to the usual USB-A ports, and it can control a 6K monitor at 60Hz, along with another 4K monitor at 60Hz refresh rate as well… simultaneously. It is clear that these new 8-core GPUs that the new M1 Macs carry is far above any integrated GPU that Intel has offered so far.
The Mac mini with M1 is cheaper than its previous version with Intel CPU, about 100 eurodollars less. It leaves from Apple’s Spanish stores for € 799 with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD, or € 1029 with a 512 GB SSD. With 16GB of RAM, the price goes up to € 1,259. In all models, the M1 has 8 cores in its CPU, and 8 cores in its GPU… this loss of a core in its GPU does not occur here as in the case of the MacBook Air with the less expensive M1.
It can be booked from today, with the first deliveries in a week.
The first MacBook Pro with M1
As expected Apple has also updated its 13-inch laptop aimed at the most demanding public. Unlike the MacBook Air, the CPU here is cooled with a fan, so we can assume that it runs at a higher clock speed, although Apple does not specify this data now. It is surprising that they do indicate that the Neural Engine, that part of the CPU dedicated to artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, has 16 cores. However, they never indicate the clock speed of your processor. We’ll have to wait a week or probably less for someone to run the first benchmarks and we can see the difference between that passively cooled M1 in the MacBook Air and the M1 in the MacBook Pro.
As in the case of the Mac mini, in the MacBook Pro Apple always uses an M1 with all its 8 cores in the GPU. Externally, the laptop has not changed its appearance one iota, and continues to have the same Magic Keyboard without any durability problems, as well as the Touchbar on the keyboard, or the fingerprint sensor to unlock the equipment.
Apple has only put its M1 CPU in the 13-inch MacBook Pro, leaving the 16-inch with its Intel Core i9 CPU available without price changes. If you want a MacBook Pro with a 16-inch screen and M1 chip, you have to wait a while for Apple to add that new model to its production chain. We are sure that it will not be long until that happens, probably with the launch of the first versions of Macs for the desktop (iMac, Mac Pro) with apple ARM processor.
The new MacBook Pro also has a much improved autonomy, with up to 18 hours on. Its price is € 1,449 with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD, and € 1,679 with 512 GB SSD. If we put 16 GB of RAM, the price goes up € 230 more.