The first Apple Silicon Macs are available for order today, shipping next week.
So, who’s ordering one?
Honestly, I’m conflicted.
Update: Ordering is live on Apple.com now.
I am really, REALLY tempted to get a decked out 13’ Pro. (FYI, it’s still using the Magic Keyboard. Looks the butterfly is out for good.)
I use a Mac mini as my primary computer. I just ordered a mini with 16 GB RAM; 1 TB SSD. Delivers by Nov 24-27th.
Looking at the side-by-side comparison, the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro look almost identical. The only difference seems to be that the Pro has a Touch Bar (which many users would rather not have), marginally better speakers and brighter display, and a slightly bigger battery. It is hard to see why anyone would want to pay the premium for the Pro over the Air.
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The battery life seems even better.
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As I said, I’m conflicted. My current laptop is a 15" 2012 Retina MacBook Pro. It won’t be upgradable to Big Sur, so it’s stuck on Catalina forever. The 15" was a good choice for me when it was my primary machine, but these days I’ve got a 27" iMac so the laptop only gets used when I need a computer I can pick up and take somewhere. A smaller lighter computer would definitely be welcome.
On the flip side, given the current circumstances, I don’t really get a whole lot of use out of a laptop. I used to take the MacBook Pro into the office every day (so I could work on a Mac rather than a Windows desktop). I haven’t been going in to an office since March. Not doing much traveling, and what little traveling I am doing is road tripping rather than flying, so the size and weight of the 15" don’t matter as much.
I think I may have talked myself into holding off on an Apple Silicon laptop until after the pandemic.
(If Apple introduces an Apple Silicon 27" iMac, all bets are off, though)
I really wish they’d released a less expensive native monitor to go with the Mini.
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A little over 10% (up to 20 hours on the Pro as opposed to 18 hours on the Air.) IMHO, that doesn’t seem significant enough to warrant picking the Pro over the Air.
I guess perhaps a major difference is that the Pro has a fan and the Air doesn’t.
Yep, just like the Mini, it will allow it to run hotter under load and so run faster.
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Im tempted with a new Mini, but the drop to 2 thunderbolt is a little annoying ,and the max of 16mb of RAM, I think ill wait for the reviews before ordering…
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I still 
mine
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I think there’s potential for better sustained performance on the Pro because of its active cooling.
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The limit of 16GB RAM on the 13" Pro is disappointing. Hopefully there will be a higher end 13" with 4 ports and (at least) 32GB RAM available when they introduce the next CPU.
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I have a mini and I use all 4 thunderbolt ports. This is a non-starter for me. I’ll be interested in the redesigned iMac in the next couple years.
I agree, my monitor is on its last legs so it would be nice to get a full system next…
Just ordered the same to replace my 2014. Bummed only 2 thunderbolt ports as well but a hub will fix that down the road if needed.
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For me the mini is my primary computer. It’s connected to a 27 inch monitor and is on 24/7. I use a MacBook Air or my iPad Pro if I’m working in another room in my house or if I’m traveling (rare). I also use the air or the iPad if I have to do a video call, as the mini does not have a microphone and my monitor does not have a camera. I guess the question for you is: do you want a desktop or a laptop?
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The Intel minis have four Thunderbolt 3 ports and two USB-A ports.
The Apple Silicon minis have two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and two USB-A ports. So you loose two Thunderbolt ports going to the Apple Silicon model.
I have a 2019 iMac. I had been considering replacing my 2017 iPad Pro with a new iPad Pro.
Now though, I think I’m going to extend the life of the iPad and get a MacBook Pro. This will become my mobile machine while I will keep the iMac as my desktop battle station.
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Might be better to wait as read that new Macs won’t be able to support eGPU (yet)?