advertisement


New M1 Pro/Max Macbook Pros

Ha! I’m holding off as I just don’t need one right now, though I feel a lot happier knowing Apple actually make a laptop I’d like to own again. I’ve really not liked what they were doing at all for a few years and was seriously considering flipping to a high-end corporate-grade Levovo or Toughbook. I still prefer the modular serviceability of this kind of machine, but as an iPad/iPhone and Logic Pro user it just makes way more sense to stay in the ecosystem. I’ll stick where I am until the cloud stuff stops working on my MBP due to OS obsolescence or it has a logic board or screen failure.
 
JTC said:
Wife just bought the M1 MBA and I’m struggling to think of any real reason to want more power in a laptop. These new MBPs will probably be overkill for most who buy them IMHO…
Click to expand...

The newer machines have twice the CPU cores, and 2/3x the GPU performance, and allow >16Gb of RAM. The most likely users of this will be photo/video bods, whilst i'll be leaning on the extra CPU cores. But you are right, the MBA is a great machine, and no fans is awesome.
 
Tony L said:
To my mind there has been, but that’s because over recent years they removed all the ports people needed, made the keyboard so absolutely awful even a spec of dust would stop it working, stuck that dumb touch-bar thing on instead of proper function keys and considered ‘thinness’ to be the key performance metric. The bizarre thing is just how much like my mid-2012 13” MBP the new model looks. It is a huge step back to sanity IMHO, though I await a proper iFixit teardown with interest to see whether it has any improvements in serviceability.
Click to expand...

Not had any issues the keyboard on this 2017 13" MBP and gets used outside on a regular basis. I quite like the Touch Bar too but know it's not for everyone. Te only thing that bothers me id the screen is marked from the grease/oil etc from the keyboard keys. I've tried to clean it but no luck.

I'm still trying to work out why Adobe Lightroom Classic is slower on the 15" which is higher spec than the 13". I've tried to uninstall it but no luck if anyone has any ideas? I don't think the Adobe uninstall app actually does a full removal as my presets (after importing) still load.

Bloody annoying and costing me time editing.
 
When I was working and traveling, a laptop was essential. Still is for Mrs. Hook. She tethers her 2019 MB Pro to her camera for customer photo shoots. But, like Tony, I now do 90% of my computing on a 2020 12.9” iPad, with the rest done on my 2021 24” iMac. The new laptops look great, but I no longer have the need.

That said, I am keeping my 2010 MB Pro for those rare instances where a CD drive may come in handy (like ripping a disc that’s included with a vinyl record).
 
Cesare said:
The newer machines have twice the CPU cores, and 2/3x the GPU performance, and allow >16Gb of RAM. The most likely users of this will be photo/video bods, whilst i'll be leaning on the extra CPU cores. But you are right, the MBA is a great machine, and no fans is awesome.
Click to expand...
I’m doing 4K video editing on the M1 Mini (16/1TB) using FCP X and it’s buttery smooth to use. More than enough for multi timeline editing. Maybe 8K might stress it, admittedly, though I doubt most people really need the extra power. Like, sure, but need? Nah.
 
Hook said:
When I was working and traveling, a laptop was essential. Still is for Mrs. Hook. She tethers her 2019 MB Pro to her camera for customer photo shoots. But, like Tony, I now do 90% of my computing on a 2020 12.9” iPad, with the rest done on my 2021 24” iMac. The new laptops look great, but I no longer have the need.

That said, I am keeping my 2010 MB Pro for those rare instances where a CD drive may come in handy (like ripping a disc that’s included with a vinyl record).
Click to expand...

Buy said vinyl from Amazon and it comes with a digital download code or it's on Amazon music ergo no need for a CD drive:D
 
Tony Lockhart said:
Perhaps it’s just the way things are. Top end seems to cost this sort of money.

Click to expand...

Perhaps.

But 16/512 for $2500 USD (for the 16") is absurd. That should be $1999 and the base 14" should be something like $1599.

By the time you move to the next chip up, and bump up to 1 TB storage, it's something like $3300. (And yes, RAM bumps up to 32 GB in that configuration. Automatically.)
 
JTC said:
Wife just bought the M1 MBA and I’m struggling to think of any real reason to want more power in a laptop. These new MBPs will probably be overkill for most who buy them IMHO…
Click to expand...
More than likely… however I tend to buy a machine to use for five years or more. I maxed out my 2012 13” MBP and used it until earlier this year… then bought another 13” highly specced up Intel MBP (not knowing how powerful the M1 machines will be and fearing losing dual boot capabilities)… it’s way more powerful than I need now, but will still hopefully be powerful enough for what I need in another five or six years, if I’m still using it then, it’ll have cost similar, or maybe less than a base model that I’ll have replaced a couple of times, and I’ll have enjoyed having totally effortless performance in that time.

Also, I don’t think they sell many truly maxed out 16” models… they exist for either those with money to burn, or people who need a true high performance portable work station. The base models of each screen size will likely be the most popular options by far.
 
I hear you. My 2015 i7 13” MBP continues to soldier on; I’m not sure whether the entry M1s will necessarily have that longevity; only time will tell.
 
JTC said:
I hear you. My 2015 i7 13” MBP continues to soldier on; I’m not sure whether the entry M1s will necessarily have that longevity; only time will tell.
Click to expand...
Depends on what you’re using it for I suppose. They’re pretty fast, at least the equal of the 6 core i7 chip used in the 2019 16” models, so I’d expect it’ll be all any casual user needs for a few years yet.

Your 2015 will probably soldier on for a while yet too… my mid 2012 13” (i7) unibody MBP is still plenty quick enough for any domestic application, my main reason for replacing it was that I wanted a better display, I’d used a modern retina model and the display on my 2012 machine just looked ancient by comparison and I was seduced, but I could still use it on live gigs, no problem. The display is limited on the old machine but the hardware still zips along just fine with 16gb of ram and a decent SSD.
 
JTC said:
I hear you. My 2015 i7 13” MBP continues to soldier on; I’m not sure whether the entry M1s will necessarily have that longevity; only time will tell.
Click to expand...

I get the impression that maxing the RAM out is a wise move as the smaller ones spend a lot of time in the SSD swap file, which is not great given you can’t replace it. This is a good idea with any computer with an onboard/integrated SSD IMO. RAM is obviously totally different/way more durable, so best keep as much activity there as possible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top