Apple’s MacBook line-up has in the recent past — with the MacBook, touch bars, etc. — been a tad confusing. Thankfully, things have since been simplified. Now the main questions are: do you want an M1 Air or Pro, and how big do you want it to be?
Andrew Griffin for The Independent:
The MacBook Air featured in our round-up of the best high-end laptops for great performance. Our tester said: “The MacBook Air is remarkably lightweight and slim, an effect made the more appealing thanks to a tapering design – at its thinnest point it’s 0.41cm thick. But the new version is the first to use Apple’s own silicon instead of an Intel processor. The M1 chip is breathtakingly fast.
The MacBook Pro also scored a place in our high-end laptop round-up. Our tester raved about the M1 chip, saying: “Like the MacBook Air, this laptop has the brand-new, super-fast Apple-made M1 chip at its centre.” But, as it’s the same as in the more affordable MacBook Air, why would you choose this model instead?
“For the most demanding users, there are benefits to the Pro,” they said. “Unlike the Air, there is a fan in this model, which means the fast performance can continue for even longer. Additionally, the entry-level Pro includes a slightly more powerful graphics chip.”
The most pressing reason to wait will be if you’re very keen on the features of the Intel computers – the extra storage or ports of the four-port 13-inch model, or the variety of upgrades offered by the 16-inch version – but don’t want to be stuck with old chips. In that case, if you can wait, you will be rewarded.
MacDailyNews Take: As users of 16-inch MacBook Pro, we’re happy about everything except the 8-core Intel Core i9 processors inside. Our fans run virtually non-stop (we have a lot of browser tabs open, graphics apps, streaming video, etc. We would not advise buying any Intel-based Mac right now. If your Mac hasn’t been upgraded to Apple Silicon yet, then wait a bit if you can.