Apple has finally announced the upcoming Macs, which are the first in a series of changes to leave Intel processors completely running their own. Although this transition comes with many features, today we will focus on several points that you should be wary of before purchasing new devices. Especially since the sale has already started.
The new MacBook Pro is not a professional device
Apple may have launched a new "MacBook Pro". Be warned, however, that it does not mean this device to be truly professional. It replaces the lower-end MacBook Pro and is much closer to updating the MacBook Air than the Pro. If you are a professional who usually buys a high-capacity Pro device and you are waiting for a parallel device in the category with new Apple processors, you may have to wait a little while most of the true Pro processors will be the M2 or the M1 Ultra or something like that. It will represent a much higher jump in performance as you will get four USB C thunderbolt ports instead of two, and may also support an external eGPU card, and the possibility of increasing the memory to more than 16 GB.
Make sure which machine you want, the sheets have changed
Let's give an example for myself. I preferred the MacBook Pro not because I wanted the highest capacity device ever, but because the MacBook Air was too weak. Now, Apple promises more than three times the performance of the previous generation! His performance was already acceptable.
So if you're a low-end MacBook Pro, you might want to rethink. What do you use your device for? Become the web? Writing projects? Photoshop or Affinity projects? Professional non-XNUMXD drawing? Or even worked on video for not long periods? Most likely the MacBook Air is more than enough for you now.
Also, when you think about where to spend money, you find that you can save the increase that you pay for the MacBook Pro and pay the $ 200 to get the MacBook Air 16 GB version, and this will give you a greater push to do several tasks at the same time or open many browser windows . Remember, you cannot change the RAM or SSD by yourself anymore, so think about your needs from the start.
Is the performance equal for all devices?
Not for all users. Although Apple uses exactly the same processor in all devices, there are differences. The most important of them is the difference in ventilation. The MacBook Air is completely fanless. This means that in theory, yes, you can do super-capable tasks like modifying multiple high-speed video streams simultaneously. But the problem is if you want to work on large projects of this type or engineering CAD projects or others. Do not expect to maintain the same performance for a long time as the chip will heat up and reduce its performance to conserve heat. This is where the ventilation systems in MacBook Pro and Mac mini come in, as they are expected to maintain performance for longer periods of time, only for this reason.
Note: Much greater than usual processing performance expected previously. Benchmark tests have appeared for the M1 processor, which is ahead of the processing speed of the Intel i9 processor found in the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Of course, current devices still cannot replace that device because the 16-inch MacBook Pro contains an AMD GPU, while new devices with the M1 contain only internal graphics processors.
the battery
It is true that the new processors maintain excellent battery life. And the buyer of any device will be happy with its battery life. But if you are planning to buy the MacBook Air specifically because its battery is better than the Pro as before, check your accounts. MacBook Pro now gives you better battery life (17 hours of browsing and 20 hours of video) compared to 15 hours of browsing and 18 hours of video with the MacBook Air.
You cannot use an eGPU external graphics processor
This is an important point because recently some people started buying a MacBook Pro or Mac mini and then connecting an external eGPU to increase its graphic capabilities. It is confirmed that you will not be able to do this with any of the three new devices. But if you need it and want to buy a device now, you can purchase an older device with an Intel processor.
The front camera is not 1080p
Apple talked about front camera improvements at the conference. This is something many users have wanted for a while. Especially since we are in the age of working from home. So you might think that the front camera has finally been boosted to 1080p. But this did not happen. Apple was only talking about the image processor in the M1, but MacBooks still have a 720p front camera.
Wait for reviews
Finally, we do not recommend that you purchase the devices immediately. Rather, it is preferable to wait for the reviews that will be issued in the next period. So that we are aware of any possible hardware defects or problems and are not surprised by them when purchasing.
Sources:
Apple - Macbook Air | Apple - Macbook Pro | AppleInsider
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