Apple first revealed its plans to abandon Intel processors at WWDC in June, detailing that the first Mac with Apple Silicon would be launched before the end of the year. It turns out that Apple launched three Macs with its new M1 chip: a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini.
Despite Apple having a strong 2020 in almost every aspect, the M1 Mac is what we are officially crowning as the Product of the year 9to5Mac.
We debated whether we should focus purely on the M1 MacBook Air or branch out and include the M1 Mac mini and MacBook Pro in the “Product of the year” category. Ultimately, as these three machines are very similar, we decided to focus on the entire family of Macs M1. This is a monumental change in the state of the Mac, and even greater changes are yet to come in 2021.
Continue reading for a roundtable discussion with the 9to5Mac team about what we liked most about the first M1 Macs.
Seth Weintraub, founder and editor of 9to5Mac:
M1 MacBook Air
Of all the incredible Apple products launched this year against the backdrop of the pandemic, the M1 Macs and, specifically, the M1 MacBook Air were the ones that changed the game the most. Those who worked from home now found themselves with agility beyond the desktop level on the MacBook Air without an envelope-sized fan between offices. If that weren’t enough, the actual battery life went from less than one day of work to several days of work. In terms of compatibility, Apple beat out of the park with almost everyone, except for some extreme case apps running out of the box and an almost transparent Rosetta 2 emulator cleaning up apps still built for Intel.
For me personally, it means that I no longer need a professional machine when I’m away from home (which I will one day enjoy!). And, specifically, when I go on ski trips, I no longer need to bring an iMac to do serious work. I can just leave a big $ 200 display in my office and in our ski condo and it looks so fast. I imagine that far fewer people will choose desktop computers in the coming years, when all that power is available in a laptop … without fans!
Chance Miller, lead editor of 9to5Mac:
M1 MacBook Air
Right away, this is the most excited I’ve been with the Mac line in years. Also, I was not a Mac user during the transition from PowerPC to Intel, so the transition from Intel to Apple Silicon is especially interesting for me.
During the era of the butterfly keyboard, stagnant performance improvements and a difficult transition to USB-C and Thunderbolt 3, it was hard not to be discouraged by the state of the Mac. In the past 12 months, all of that has changed and now I can safely say that I’m hopeful and excited about the future of the Mac.
I’m using the basic MacBook Air model M1, and it’s the best Mac I’ve used in years. It’s fast, reliable, has a stellar battery and costs less than $ 1000. I upgraded to the MacBook Air M1 from a 16-inch reinforced MacBook Pro, and the only thing I miss is the bigger screen.
As such, I hope to upgrade to the Apple Silicon-equipped 16-inch MacBook Pro whenever it launches in 2021. For now, however, the M1 MacBook Air is the best Mac for most people, and the first Mac that I feel entirely comfortable recommending to the average consumer in years.
Jeff Benjamin, 9to5 leader on YouTube:
M1 Mac mini, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro
M1 Macs deserve to be crowned the product of the year, not just because they have impressive power and are incredibly efficient, these qualities have been given to anyone who has been paying attention to Apple’s silicon advances year after year. What surprised me, however, was how well Apple was able to make the software work perfectly on the first day.
The experience didn’t go without a few setbacks, but in general, M1 Macs are a feat when it comes to software compatibility. Right from the start, all so-called “professional” Mac applications were updated with native universal binaries, and even applications that were not designed for Apple’s silicon worked perfectly thanks to the impressive translation of macOS Rosetta 2.
Of all the products launched in 2020 – and it’s an impressive line if you go back and look at the entire timeline of the year – the M1 Macs are the only ones. Think about it: Apple launched three new Macs with a whole new architecture in the middle of a pandemic. This is incredible to me.
Zac Hall, Space Explored Principal Editor and 9to5Mac Emeritus Editor:
M1 MacBook Air
I bought my first Mac in 2009, when I started college. It was a 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2009 and looked like the future. Three years later, I upgraded to the 13-inch MacBook Air with solid state drive and it felt like another leap ahead.
We’ve seen hardware redesigns, operating system evolutions, Retina displays and even a bizarre butterfly-shaped keyboard disaster since then. Still, nothing was as dramatic and changed platforms like the debut of the M1 processor. The $ 999 MacBook Air not only outperforms machines that cost 3 times that amount, but it does so with remarkable battery life and a fanless design without compromising cooling and performance.
The current design is still approved, as it only debuted in 2018, and the M1 chip is a major breakthrough in the overall experience. My biggest wish for a second revision in the future is built-in cell phones, you know, like iPads. The MacBook Air is so portable and adaptable that the integrated LTE or 5G would be an obvious update for me.
Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac editor:
M1 MacBook Pro
I took the basic 13-inch MacBook Pro M1 at launch with the plan to replace my 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro. I was a little hesitant to go to 8 GB of RAM with the new machine, as I had 16 GB with my machine. 15 inches. However, I was really curious to see how the basic MacBook Pro M1 could work.
For the past two months, I am happy to say that it circles circles around my 15-inch MacBook Pro. I don’t have really intense daily workflows, but I usually run 7 or 8 apps at the same time with several Safari tabs open and some light photo edits.
The best way I can describe how an Apple Silicon Mac feels is that it is as close as a MacBook (or any notebook / desktop) has come to move as fast as I think. Applications open almost instantly, it’s so responsive and smooth.
And even Intel applications work very well with the Rosetta 2 translation, making the Apple Silicon a non-compromise scenario. I am super impressed with the first generation M1 Macs and I am very excited to see the whole Mac family make the transition.
Bradley Chambers, 9to5Mac contributor and administrator:
M1 MacBook Air
I’ve been a Mac user since 2005, when I bought the PowerBook G4. This was the only PowerPC computer I owned when Intel’s transition happened a few years later. In my life, I can count on only a handful of technology transitions that look like real discoveries: Wi-Fi, solid-state drives and Apple Silicon.
In just a few weeks with the M1 laptop, I can say that I never imagined that a laptop’s battery life could achieve these results while remaining so powerful. For those people who wanted Apple to launch a Netbook for ultra portability, they finally made it. Apple Silicon is as important to Apple’s future as any consumer product it has launched in its history.
Parker Ortolani, 9to5Mac contributor:
M1 MacBook Air
No other Apple product has improved more this year than the MacBook Air. I’ve been an Air fan since Steve pulled one out of a manila envelope more than a decade ago. But the 2020 M1 MacBook Air is the first version not to compromise when it comes to performance. It’s the thinnest Mac you can buy, but now it’s also one of the most powerful. I switched to the new M1 MacBook Air from a 16 ”MacBook Pro 2019. It looked like it would be a radical change, but I was used to the form factor of how I had used a MacBook Air 2018 before.
They may look the same, but they look very different in everyday use. I feel like I haven’t compromised by moving to a smaller, lighter and much more affordable machine. It is very fast and rarely has hiccups. I can push you to your limit and not be afraid to receive the dreaded rainbow beach ball spinning endlessly. It is the first Mac that can answer the question that Steve once reflected when introducing the 2010 MacBook Air: “What would happen if a Mac and an iPad were connected?”
Stephen Hall, Growth Marketing
Yesterday, I returned my new MacBook Air with Apple’s M1 chip. This may not sound like a resounding endorsement in an article that proclaims it as the best Apple product in 2020, but it really is. In fact, I came out of it so surprised by its performance that I’m looking forward to picking up whatever the next version of this silicon is on Apple’s high-end Pro laptops – hardware that will likely bring other features I need (especially just more USB-C ports, to be honest).
I took a look at how the basic computer performs under load with its measly 8 GB of RAM at launch, and the results were surprising to say the least. And after more than a month using the computer, I keep most of what I said in that article. Even with just 8 GB of RAM, I can’t express enough how nice it is to juggle multiple tasks on this $ 999 machine, and performing those tasks seems as fast in normal use as Apple’s top-of-the-line offerings.
For now, I am so impressed that I prefer to wait a year or two to get the same benefits of Apple Silicon on a machine (M2X?) That is more in line with my needs. Oh, and I’m also looking forward to rumors of modernizing external design coming to next generation laptops. If it’s not you, you should certainly feel confident about making the MacBook Air 2020 with Apple Silicon your multi-year laptop commitment. It is truly an incredible value.
Trevor Daugherty, Editor-in-Chief of 9to5Toys:
M1 MacBook Pro and Mac mini
In general, I am slow to understand when it comes to first generation technology. When it came to the new MacBooks, I felt that I needed to stay even longer, given how much I loved my 16-inch MacBook Pro. But the hype eventually wore me out and I couldn’t resist. I now have a 13-inch MacBook Pro and a Mac mini, both with the new M1 silicone. Is so good. Although my daily use may be more limited than some, all the applications I use regularly work without problems. The original software has been perfect and the speed of apps like Pixelmator has been a joy. I can’t remember the last time I was genuinely excited about new technology.
Blair Altland, editor of 9to5Toys:
M1 Mac mini
The M1 Mac line is easily one of the most interesting machines to launch from Apple in years, and the latest Mac mini has proven it to me. It’s as fast, powerful and efficient as all the fuss allows, making your application as a home media server even more remarkable in my use case. Instead of taking a walk as a daily driver, I made him deal with the Plex alongside a number of other tasks with impressive results. So, if there was ever a Mac mini intended for use as a home server, the M1 model is certainly this one and far exceeded my initial exceptions.
What do you think?
Now that we have expressed our opinion on the “Product of the Year”, we want to know what you think. What was your new favorite Apple release this year? Let us know in the comments!
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