Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
Mini review of the 2020 MacBook Pro M1 (which I may update later).
My configuration is 16GB of RAM and 500GB of storage.
The reason for getting this computer was due to the fact that I have a new job and will be essentially living out of a suitcase for several months (Monday through Friday) and my old laptop was in the process of kicking the bucket (Google Pixelbook).
When looking for a new computer my main requirements were:
Higher than 1080p resolution (16:10 preferred) with a high quality panel
16GB ram
Quiet
USB C charging
High quality track pad
Reliability
“Enough’ performance
Some of the competition was the Dell 9310 XPS 13 with the i7, 16GB Ram, 512 storage and 4k+ screen and the Lenovo X1 carbon.
The pixelbook was okay. It had an amazing screen and touch pad, but it was replaced 4 times under warranty (the last time it broke it was still under warranty but they were not all that willing). The other issues I was having dealt with the fact there was no file system and when attaching documents to forms I could not see the full file name (ie a date on the end of a file).
The Lenovo at the time was to expensive and the Dell was within $10 in price.
My brother has the previous gen XPS 13 but I was not very impressed by it. It has the 1200p screen and the i7. What I did not like was the plastic bezel around the screen and worrying about the screen touching the keyboard, driver issues, and blue screen issues. Reading around online I was also seeing a lot of other people with quality issues related to Dell and even the 9310 specifically.
The things I liked about the Mac (and ultimately won me over were the following)
The fully glass screen (traveling a lot I was worried about screen flex into the keyboard)
I know several people with 5+ year old Macs (before the keyboard design changed)
The M1 processor seemed powerful and interesting
Positive reviews of the screen
Very high battery life
High quality touch pad
My skepticisms about the Mac.
The M1 chip
With my pixelbook running emulation it got very hot and horribly inefficient. I am worried the Mac would do the same when running something not specially written for the M1/ ARM chip
With the M1 chip Apple locking down not only apps from the app store but limiting the programs (or approved developers) that could be installed on the computer to begin with (see political censoring)
The fact that I have not used a Mac for around 7 years
I had a few issues with how the Mac worked in regards mostly to the Dock
People are really anti touch bar
The ability to put on Linux or different OS in the future if I choose
What I have come to find out/learn about the Mac over the past few days.
The screen is indeed really good looking
The touch pad is nice (using the haptic click is still a little weird)
Even when playing Civ VI the fan could only be heard (barely) if you put you ear near the computer
I became spoiled by having a charging port on both the left and right side of the laptop with my pixelbook. Now I feel like I am going back in time with only having it on the left.
Enough of my games can be played to keep me amused in the evenings. Some that I play are windows only, but the XPS 13 would not have been able to run them anyway.
When you specify the touch bar to be extended all the time it works just like normal function keys so no problem there.
When pressing the FN button it takes a split second before the touch bar changes to the function keys (not that is really matters, but just something I noticed). Maybe it is a reduced refresh OLED like on the watches?
They keyboard makes a kind of hollow sound when typing on your lap as opposed to a table (which makes sense as it is an aluminum tub)
The back hinge is a little sharp and could use a better chamfer
The speakers are not as load as the old pixelbook, but they are a higher quality
There are still a few Mac things I am getting used to (using the program altTab and Magnet to help fix them), but not being able to click on the icon to minimize programs is annoying and command C or V is more awkward than control I think (placement wise).
In summary
I think I ended up with the right computer. I was also figuring if I needed to return it for any reason it would be easier with the Apple vs. Dell (I called Apple as I had a question on my old account and payment and I got a real human who spoke English in about 2 minutes). Yes this computer is a little more dense (little heavier) than some of the competition, but I don’t mind that. It seems solid and hopefully about to survive many months/years of travel.
For me this laptop is mainly just a laptop. I have a fast desktop with a large monitor at home and this does not replace that. But for staying on the couch, vacation, or work trips this computer is doing just fine (I have a Dell workstation as a work computer).
Mini 2020 Macbook Pro M1 review
Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by Clutch, Jan 25, 2021.
