It's a great computer for small production studios, because it can be tucked away almost anywhere. It's great if you're working on not-too-taxing video work or podcasting and want to use your own display and input devices. But the Mac Mini is also a niche product. In testing, we found it offers performance on par with or slightly better than the M1 MacBook Pro, which costs nearly twice as much. The often-overlooked Mac Mini is the least-expensive way to get both a MacOS system and an M1 device. The 16-inch Pro remains an Intel-only system, and can ramp up to 64GB of RAM and an AMD 5600M GPU, making it much more suitable for true 'pro' users who are holding off on an Apple silicon Mac until there's something like the rumored M2 version with GPU support. Unless you're a Touch Bar fan, I'd stick with the Air. With essentially identical performance to the less-expensive Air, you're paying for a slightly brighter screen, the Touch Bar and fan-based cooling. My take on the M1 13-inch MacBook Pro has not changed much since it was introduced last year. Read more: MacBook Air M1 review: Big changes from Apple silicon MacBook Pro The biggest performance differences among M1 systems come from seven- versus eight-core graphics built into the M1, and the additional performance overhead available in systems with fans, like the MacBook Pro and 24-inch iMac, which lets systems run hotter, longer.įor students, writers, work-from-home types and most mainstream users, I still think the MacBook Air represents a great value and a good place to start (and maybe finish) your hunt for a new computer. It has essentially the same M1 CPU as the 13-inch Pro and 24-inch iMac, along with excellent battery life and a slim, light design. With the latest M1 version, introduced in late 2020, the classic $999 MacBook Air once again became one of the most universally useful laptops you can buy. FaceTime gets Android, Windows support in browser.WWDC21: Apple previews iOS 15 for the iPhone.

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