November Apple Event Reaction

 

The Apple event has ended, the Hype core is overloading, the barriers have been released, and the Macs have been announced. Today's Apple event might have been the most important event this year, Apple announced a transition to Apple silicon this year at WWDC, these are the first chips and Macs using Apple Silicon.

 

So, let's get into it with the star of the show, the Apple M1 chip.  The M1 is the first dedicated Mac Chip with performance to match, it's built on an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, all on a 5nm process.  It's also packing a 16-core Neural Engine to help improve webcam quality (*cough* about time*cough) and help with machine learning. The Processor itself uses the performance/efficiency architecture that has been used in the A-series chips from Apple. The M1 takes it to the next level, Apple is using 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. the performance core's giving you all they got for processor-heavy tasks (think compiling code), and efficiency cores with give all they can give for...lower-tier tasks (think taking notes or buying a taco online).  

 

Image credit: The Verge

Image credit: The Verge

Image credit: The Verge

Apple has made huge leaps in performance with M1, to put it in perspective the M1 efficiency cores are comparable to the Core i3 in the previous-gen MacBook Air. There's also the GPU, the GPU is said to be the fastest integrated graphics ever, of course further testing will authenticate that claim but for now I'll take their word for it. The new architecture allows for memory and all secondary chips such as the secure enclave to be on the same board, this allows for huge gain in efficiency and power. 

Image credit: The Verge

The M1 is not an off-brand iPad Pro chip, the M1 is a Mac Chip, and with no doubt I think Apple is onto something.  Unlike Qualcomm and their 8cx Apple isn't competing with the latest and greatest from intel and AMD, Apple is pounding them. Of course, what's a chip without a device? Let's look at the 3 Macs announced at the event: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13-Inch, and Mac Mini.

 

Image credit: The Verge

The MacBook Air was the first MacBook that showed what intel could really do, it's only fitting the new MacBook Air shows what the M1 can do.  Not much has changed hardware-wise on this MacBook Air, it still has the same 13.3-inch retina screen, same 4 USB 4 USB-C ports, and same old Magic Keyboard, WIFI 6 and Touch ID. It's the same MacBook Air we've had since 2018. The New MacBook can go up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB SSD, same as the last model but still a notable feature.  The M1 is what'll be powering this MacBook, it allows for a fanless experience with improved battery life.  The Verge Reports:

 

"Apple also claims you’ll get 15 hours of web browsing and 18 hours of video playback to a charge. (If that claim holds up, it would be an improvement from the Intel-powered MacBook Air.) There’s no fan inside, so it should run noiselessly as well."-The Verge

This MacBook Air starts at the same $999 for the base model making the new silicon more accessible than ever before.  My impressions are that this is the baseline meant to promote and spread Apple Silicon support and adoption. That's the story of this next Mac as well.

 

Image credit: The Verge

The Mac Mini was the Mac out of nowhere, there was no hint, no rumors, not even a leak. The Mac Mini powered by M1 is the newest Mac mini and starts at $699, $100 less than the previous-gen.  The Mac Mini has up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage along with 2 USB-C ports, Ethernet, HDMI, and 2 USB-A ports. 

The Mac Mini has always been frustratingly underpowered, the M1 changes that for the better all while making it more accessible to more people.

Then we have the rumored MacBook Pro 13-Inch, the M1 is also used here with fans to enhance performance even more.  It'll have the most battery life ever in a Mac with up 20 hours of video playback and 17 hours of Web browsing, more battery is best for pros.  I often wish I had more when writing, editing, and just web browsing, making this MacBook Pro Mac that made me envious of the Mac for the first time in my life.  All in-house pro apps such as Final Cut Pro have been optimized for M1 along with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, if only those ARM apps could come to Windows on ARM. Honestly there's not much else to say other than that the webcam is going to get improved 1,000 fold thanks to the ISP inside the M1, other than that I'll save more for my deep-dives and editorials coming soon.  

 

Apple silicon is literally the game-changer we've been waiting for and I hope these changes help push the PC industry to do better than they've ever been.  

Best, BenTechCoder

Want to support the blog? You can buy me a Coffee with the button below!