October 18th 2021 Apple Event: M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pros

[trs96]

a pair of 16GB DDR5 5200 MT/s modules are US$370. Memory modules in 14" and 16" MacBook Pros are presumed to be DDR5 6400 MT/s.

Makes Apple's M1 Pro/Max ram upgrade prices look fairly reasonable.

 

[mm2margaret]

More 2021 Macbook Pro M1x Pics: Keyboard

Here are two shots of the keyboard. There are two very important details that I don't see talked about much:

1. In shot 1, I think you can see that the keys are slightly concave. This means that your fingers always know the center of the keys. Its a very slight, but very significant improvement. I love this.

2. The second shot doesn't quite show that the keys are slightly bigger than on other Mac laptops and keyboards, by 1-2 mm based on my measurements. Doesn't seem like a lot, but this, plus the adjustment made above, makes typing a dream.

And, here's a very good unboxing video with lots of great extreme close-ups:

(Note: this is the 16", but it looks identical to my 14")

 

[scottkendall]

Doesn't seem like a lot, but this, plus the adjustment made above, makes typing a dream.

There is no adjustments that can be made to make typing on a flat square keyboard a dream... If you want typing to be a dream you get a Logitech K860 or a Microsoft Surface Ergo.

 

[trs96]

I prefer a smaller, lighter laptop such as the 14" MBP but the cooling performance of the 16" is quite impressive too. You'll also get thicker heatpipes with the 16". No thermal throttling and barely any fan noise when stressing the 16" laptop with heavy workloads.

If you will be pushing your M1 Pro/Max laptop for longer periods of time the extra 200 dollars spent on the 16" makes sense. It all depends whether you will primarily keep your new MBP on your desk at home or the office or take it with you on the go. The 16" will be much cooler and quieter under heavy workloads. The 14" will perform nearly as well but you get much hotter CPU temps and more fan noise. This is what the MaxTech YT channel found in their M1 Pro MBP testing recently. Here's a comparison of the fan sizes between the two.

The 14" has a 1.2 lb. weight advantage and is slightly thinner.

 

[etorix]

These side-by-side pictures are worth the proverbial thousand words.

 

[Middleman]

Talking of comparisons I think you guys should have a look at this!

I came across the new Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 today, and I’d have to say it is the most MacBook Pro-like laptop I’ve ever come across from Microsoft complete with smooth brushed metal finish, massive trackpad, MBPro-styled keyboard with wide edges! It looks exactly like a MBPro except for 3 things. Compared to the new 2021 MBPro there are no HDMI ports, no TB port nor SD card slot but just 2 USB-C ports (which is rather unusual for MS).

 

[pastrychef]

Talking of comparisons I think you guys should have a look at this!

View attachment 532759

I came across the new Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 today, and I’d have to say it is the most MacBook Pro-like laptop I’ve ever come across from Microsoft complete with smooth brushed metal finish, massive trackpad, MBPro-styled keyboard with wide edges! It looks exactly like a MBPro except for 3 things. Compared to the new 2021 MBPro there are no HDMI ports, no TB port nor SD card slot but just 2 USB-C ports (which is rather unusual for MS).

That doesn't look too different from my laptop.... I have HDMI, SD card (you can see it on the right edge), and I'm running a better OS.

 

[ori69]

I prefer a smaller, lighter laptop such as the 14" MBP but the cooling performance of the 16" is quite impressive too. You'll also get thicker heatpipes with the 16". No thermal throttling and barely any fan noise when stressing the 16" laptop with heavy workloads.

If you will be pushing your M1 Pro/Max laptop for longer periods of time the extra 200 dollars spent on the 16" makes sense. It all depends whether you will primarily keep your new MBP on your desk at home or the office or take it with you on the go. The 16" will be much cooler and quieter under heavy workloads. The 14" will perform nearly as well but you get much hotter CPU temps and more fan noise. This is what the MaxTech YT channel found in their M1 Pro MBP testing recently. Here's a comparison of the fan sizes between the two.

View attachment 532734

The 14" has a 1.2 lb. weight advantage and is slightly thinner.

View attachment 532735

14 inch I had in my hand and seemed to me hard. I used only MB AIR for the last years. People doing tests suggest to choose one 16 ". 14 inch Person Cinebench reach 105 degrees Celsius.

 

[CaseySJ]

I prefer a smaller, lighter laptop such as the 14" MBP but the cooling performance of the 16" is quite impressive too. You'll also get thicker heatpipes with the 16". No thermal throttling and barely any fan noise when stressing the 16" laptop with heavy workloads.

If you will be pushing your M1 Pro/Max laptop for longer periods of time the extra 200 dollars spent on the 16" makes sense.

These are more skeletons in the closet that Apple doesn’t disclose.

Battery life also diminishes as a function of (a) GPU core count and (b) total memory. This makes sense because billions more transistors have to be powered on if they exist.

These skeletons have a real, perceptible impact on ownership experience, and it’s up to us to adjust our expectations or choose something else.

I am simply going to adjust my expectations. For example, I would be okay with 6 comfortable hours of battery life (i.e. battery shouldn’t be near 0 after 6 hours, but still have a comfortable margin remaining).

 

[CaseySJ]

The 14" MacBook Pro with M1 Max was delivered moments ago. A couple of quick comparisons with the 2020 13" MacBook Pro. Feels lighter than expected, thanks to one of several readjusted expectations! Impressions and observations to follow.