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Apple Silicon: Apple introduces new Macs with own M1 processor

“One more thing” was the announcement of the highly anticipated Apple event, which took place on November 10th. It was the last presentation of the Californian company this year. The bang was all the greater when Apple presented its last exciting thing for 2020. The focus was on the new Macs. As already suspected, these now come with the brand new M1 processor, which comes from the company’s own production.

Bye-bye Intel

Source: Apple

For years, Apple relied on Intel processors to power its popular Macs. But that’s over now. The company has made good on its summer announcement and now equips its Macs with its own Apple M1. This processor, manufactured in a 5 nanometer process, seems to have a lot to offer. Strictly speaking it is a 32-core processor. In particular, the M1 has eight CPU cores (four high-performance cores), eight GPU cores and 16 cores that are supposed to work for Machine Learning (Neural Engine). In addition, a special secure enclave is built into the processor. This enclave is to fulfill tasks around the topics security and encryption. Apple expects two main advantages from its own processor. Firstly, it should have low power consumption thanks to its energy efficiency. But despite its low energy consumption, it should still be extremely powerful.

Rapid fast starts

In the matter of MacOS nothing should change for now. The new devices are still classic MacOS of the version Big Sur. This is hard to believe, considering the announcement of fast system starts. The company has announced that thanks to the M1 processor, the new Macs should be able to start as fast as their iOS siblings iPad and iPhone. That would actually be very impressive. The performance demonstrations made it clear that the processor could be capable of this. Apple showed a number of rendering programs in its presentation. These showed the pure computing power of the in-house processor. However, in order for the apps for MacOS to benefit from this, they must first be rewritten for the new processor architecture. According to the company, it has already adapted in-house apps such as Final Cut Pro X. It will probably not take long for the developers to adapt their apps as well. Until then, the emulator Rosetta 2 should also be able to use apps for the old computer architecture. Development is also possible for both architectures.

MacBook Air in future without fan

Source: Apple

While the last generations of MacBook Air were only marginally different, Apple seems to be making a quantum leap with the latest generation. And in many ways. It’s not without reason that MacBook Air Late 2020 has the honor of being the first Mac with an M1 processor in the video presentation. And nothing has changed in screen size. Apple still offers 13.3 inches with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. But one point is really impressive. MacBook Air no longer needs a fan. This is by no means due to weaker performance. Quite the opposite. According to Apple, the latest generation is even up to three and a half times faster than its predecessor with an Intel processor. This should also apply to the SSDs. According to Apple, double speeds are possible here. However, we know that the company likes to throw around numbers as part of its keynotes. We do not yet know what was used as a basis for calculation here. But the battery life sounds impressive in any case. The latest generation should be able to last a proud 18 hours. Otherwise, we can only notice slight changes. Except for a slightly improved webcam almost everything remains the same. At 1.3 kg, MacBook Air is not a lightweight, but its compact size makes it the perfect companion. The latest Ultrabook from Apple is scheduled to be available from November 17 and will start at 1,100.50 Euro. For this you get the basic version with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. In the maximum configuration 16 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD storage space are possible. This then strikes with 1.363,70 Euro to book.

Mac Mini remains favorable entrance in MacOS

Source: Apple

Even the smallest of the Macs made its appearance at the presentation. The Mac Mini is intended to be equally suitable for beginners and developers. Like the MacBook Air, the dwarf PC also comes with Apple’s M1. It would be exciting to see how the Mac Mini compares to MacBook Air in terms of performance. Unfortunately, Apple has not yet revealed anything in this regard. A big difference might be the fan. In the Mac Mini, a classic representative is used. A look at the price makes it clear why the Mac Mini is aimed at beginners, among others. It is not only the smallest Mac in terms of size. With an RRP starting from 778.85 Euro it is also the cheapest Mac. For this you get 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. If you want an M1 version with double the memory, you have to reach into your pocket. Here Apple demands a proud surcharge and calls a UVP of 1003.05 Euro. The new Mac Mini is also scheduled to be available from November 17.

Professionals reach for the MacBook Pro

Source: Apple

Of course Apple also equips its hobbyhorse among portable Macs with the new M1. But unfortunately the large version with 16 inch screen diagonal has to do without the in-house processor for the time being. Initially, only the 13.3 inch version receives the new processor. The display still has the typical retina resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. Unlike the MacBook Air, the new Pro has a fan. But that would have surprised us, considering the much stronger performance. On the other hand, the battery life of the upcoming flagship notebook sounds really impressive. According to Apple, an impressive 20 hours should be possible without additional power supply. This means it will last even longer than the MacBook Air. And since it weighs just 100 grams more than the in-house Ultrabook, many people will find it difficult to decide between Air and Pro. The other specs also sound exciting. The new MacBook Pro will offer three microphones and the well-known Touch Bar. Of course, a webcam is also on board. As the owner of the 2019 generation, I’m especially happy about the keyboard upgrade. Apple obviously took the positive feedback about the Magic Keyboard of the MacBook Pro 16 inch to heart. Now the Magic Keyboard replaces the problematic butterfly keyboard of its predecessors. It is not only quieter, but also less susceptible to crumbs. For the MacBook Pro in its basic version with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD Apple calls 1,412.45 Euro. For the maximum configuration with 16 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD, however, one has to accept a price of 1,636.65 Euro.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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