A few weeks ago, we made the decision to buy a new Mac Mini with the M1 processor to replace our MacBook Pro 2016 that I use to edit all of our videos. We made the purchase partially because we needed a new editing station, but also because we wanted to put this new ARM-based processor to the test to see if it would meet all the hype. Spoiler alert: it’s as good as you’ve heard!
If you watch the video, you will see that the Mac Mini is not sloppy and, in fact, it was about 2.5 times faster exporting exactly the same Final Cut project compared to our MacBook Pro 2016. And those statistics alone were enough to convince me that we should keep the Mac Mini close by, but I was honestly more excited that the performance gains were being delivered by an ARM-based processor compared to the Intel processor in our Macbook Pro 2016 more old .
The Mac Mini is a true testament to the capabilities of ARM processors when they are built from scratch for a specific purpose, as Apple did here with the M1 chip. This machine – and the other laptops that Apple announced along with the Mac Mini – proves that the ARM architecture is capable of extremely impressive processing power and, in the case of laptops with the M1 chip, can also provide exceptionally long battery life. Not to mention the fact that these chips are generally cheaper than Intel equivalents on the market.
In the end, the M1 got me excited about Google’s development of its own internal silicon. If Google can build a chip specifically designed for Chrome OS and Chromebooks, this could be a revolutionary breakthrough for the industry and could offer a Mac Mini-like experience with the M1 chip. So, we hope that Google has its best and brightest job on the next generation ARM chip for Chromebooks.
