Apple Silicon (ARM based) Macs buyers and owners thread (3 Viewers)

[DaveF]

I’m not really worried about it, but it’s been pointed out that if one of our iMacs dies and we have to do a short notice buy, I’d get a mini and LG 5K monitor. It’s about the same price as a current iMac, and would be much better performance. Surely not as good value as the presumed M1 iMac will be, but if push came to shove.

 

[DaveF]

Bunch of rumors last week. Sounds like there could be a new 6k 30” iMac this year, but maybe not until late year, with faceid. And maybe a matching standalone 30” 6k monitor, but maybe that’s in 2022?

 

[DavidJ]

Interesting information coming out of the rumor mill

Kuo: New MacBook Pro Models to Feature Flat-Edged Design, MagSafe, No Touch Bar and More Ports

Apple is working on two new MacBook Pro models that will feature significant design changes, well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in...

www.macrumors.com

Apple abandoning the Touch Bar. I happen to be in the minority of people that really love it. However, I can certainly live without it.

The rumor also calls for a Q3 release which would put it into September. So, we have a bit of a wait ahead of us.

I really like the Touch Bar too and don’t want to see it go.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I really like the Touch Bar too and don’t want to see it go.

I am completely with you, David. However, I dare not say it on any Apple forum. It's amazing to see how many people don't like the touch bar and happy to see it finally going.

Bit disappointed to also hear that Face ID and 5G connectivity will not be in this year's models.

 

[Dave Upton]

I am completely with you, David. However, I dare not say it on any Apple forum. It's amazing to see how many people don't like the touch bar and happy to see it finally going.

Bit disappointed to also hear that Face ID and 5G connectivity will not be in this year's models.

I actually love the idea of touch bar - what I hate is how it was implemented. They basically built a small network on the OS to feed touchbar, and it is somewhat bug prone.

 

[Carlo_M]

My issue with the TB has always been that it removed a series of hard buttons that I constantly use, and added additional steps to get to those same functions. And the "new" functions they added to the TB...well they're largely replicative of keyboard shortcuts.

The reason I think "mac forum" people don't like the TB is because most of them have been hardcore Mac power users for many years, and have developed very fast and efficient workflows based on keyboard shortcuts, which the TB didn't really make any faster or more efficient, and in some cases, made it less efficient.

I have no problems with the concept of "touch" tech, I own iPads and iPhones and love them. But IMHO and IME the TB on my 2019 Mac is not only my least-used feature, but it's also responsible for making some of my more used features more cumbersome to get to (like volume, brightness and keyboard illumination).

 

[Ronald Epstein]

My issue with the TB has always been that it removed a series of hard buttons that I constantly use, and added additional steps to get to those same functions. And the "new" functions they added to the TB...well they're largely replicative of keyboard shortcuts.

The reason I think "mac forum" people don't like the TB is because most of them have been hardcore Mac power users for many years, and have developed very fast and efficient workflows based on keyboard shortcuts, which the TB didn't really make any faster or more efficient, and in some cases, made it less efficient.

I have no problems with the concept of "touch" tech, I own iPads and iPhones and love them. But IMHO and IME the TB on my 2019 Mac is not only my least-used feature, but it's also responsible for making some of my more used features more cumbersome to get to (like volume, brightness and keyboard illumination).

I can understand this, Carlo.

The TB is not "do or die" for me. I will miss it, but it's absence is not going to completely change the way I use my Macbook Pro moving forward.

 

[JohnRice]

@Ronald Epstein , forgive me for not being up to date. What did you finally decide regarding an M1 Mini? Are you waiting for yours?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

@Ronald Epstein , forgive me for not being up to date. What did you finally decide regarding an M1 Mini? Are you waiting for yours?

Hi John!

It's actually going to be here today (Wednesday). Wanted to pick it up this morning from UPS but Apple put restrictions on the delivery for some reason so it won't be delivered until tonight and not set up until Thursday.

 

[JohnRice]

Hi John!

It's actually going to be here today (Wednesday). Wanted to pick it up this morning from UPS but Apple put restrictions on the delivery for some reason so it won't be delivered until tonight and not set up until Thursday.

I'm sure you'll let us know what you think.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I'm sure you'll let us know what you think.

Oh, absolutely! It will be a few days. I was going to migrate from the 16" MBP to immediately see how the 16GB M1 handled my outrageous memory usage. However, after much thought, a clean install would be better.

 

[JohnRice]

Oh, absolutely! It will be a few days. I was going to migrate from the 16" MBP to immediately see how the 16GB M1 handled my outrageous memory usage. However, after much thought, a clean install would be better.

Yeah, when you can do it, clean installs are usually a good idea.

 

[Carlo_M]

Apple has gotten better about upgrade installs to the point where my last two Macs (and all my major OS upgrades) have not been clean installs and everything has run just fine.

That said, moving to Apple silicon would probably be enough to make me do a clean install. If/when I get my first M-class Mac, I'll most likely be doing a clean install just out of an abundance of caution (and not because I've heard of any negative experiences).

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Apple has gotten better about upgrade installs to the point where my last two Macs (and all my major OS upgrades) have not been clean installs and everything has run just fine.

That said, moving to Apple silicon would probably be enough to make me do a clean install. If/when I get my first M-class Mac, I'll most likely be doing a clean install just out of an abundance of caution (and not because I've heard of any negative experiences).

That's the way I feel, Carlo.

The other thing I am worried about is I am transferring what would need close to 64GB of memory to run.

I don't want to slow down my new M1 machine. I want to see how much faster it is right off the bat rather than be disappointed it's not running as it should because I shoved all those memory-intensive startup programs into it.

I am going to start from scratch and add stuff little by little, watching the effect it has on memory. I have already decided my new M1 desktop will be a "light" version of my 16" MBP.

In all, I am still bummed I am getting a computer that is so limited by memory. However, I have heard nothing but accolades from M1 Mini forums that these machines in conjunction with Big Sur handle memory more efficiently. I have many still telling me that 16GB may perform as well as 32GB+ of memory. We shall see...

(UPS truck is in the neighborhood)

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I have a question...

My worst fears about M1 compatibility with my 46" UW Monitor have subsided.

I downloaded the beta of Big Sur 11.2, under recommendation from a YouTube video, and installed SwitchResX

I was able to select 5120x1440. I have it running at 100 Hz. It can go to 120 Hz or 60 Hz. Any recommendations for the three?

 

[JohnRice]

I have a question...

My worst fears about M1 compatibility with my 46" UW Monitor have subsided.

I downloaded the beta of Big Sur 11.2, under recommendation from a YouTube video, and installed SwitchResX

I was able to select 5120x1440. I have it running at 100 Hz. It can go to 120 Hz or 60 Hz. Any recommendations for the three?

Can you use it without SwitchResX? If it can run natively on the OS, I'd suggest that first.

Aside from that, I'd think either 60 or 120 would be better than 100. You want increments of 30 for US video. 100 is probably intended for European countries that are based on 25Hz video. That's my guess, anyway.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Can you use it without SwitchResX? If it can run natively on the OS, I'd suggest that first.

Aside from that, I'd think either 60 or 120 would be better than 100. You want increments of 30 for US video. 100 is probably intended for European countries that are based on 25Hz video. That's my guess, anyway.

I took your advice and removed SwitchResX. The 46" UW retained the settings. I was even able to drop it down to 60Hz using Mac's own display settings.

I am now 12 hours into usage with the 16GB Mini.

My initial impressions...

First, just beside myself that Apple addressed monitor issues with Big Sur Beta 11.2 (to be released mainstream shortly). My monitor works beautifully with this Mini. That was the absolute worst fear I had about this purchase...

...well actually not the worst...

16GB was the biggest concern.

Although I did not go as absolutely crazy with startup programs as I have on my 64GB MBP, I did load quite a bit.

I am going to cautiously say that all of you guys were right...

This 16GB M1 seems to give me the memory performance of a 32GB Intel.

I have a wealth of startup programs running and I still have memory left with no swap usage. In fact, as I type this I am still adding startup programs and the available memory and zero swap usage aren't changing at all.

Apps definitely launch much faster. Instantaneously in fact.

This desktop Mini M1 is pretty remarkable. I greatly feared I would be buying a substandard computer since I have always been using a top-of-the-line Mac device. This doesn't feel substandard. I honestly feel as if I am using a premium desktop. To think that 16GB is sufficient to allow me to run what I need to in the background with memory to spare is completely amazing.

 

[JohnRice]

@Ronald Epstein , I'm definitely tempted, but considering all my work and home Minis are the latest Intel model, I have no real need to update. So, I guess I'll just wait and see what comes in an upgrade processor model.

 

[Carlo_M]

Glad to hear/read that so far it seems to be meeting your expectations!

No device will be perfect, and for sure the Mini will have limits. At its current price point, how can it not? (and if it doesn't, boy are all the other PC manufacturers in trouble).

What we had all heard through the various reviews (of which I'm sure more than a few were sponsored/etc.) was that the new M-class architecture Macs punched well above their weight over their Intel counterparts, and your early returns seem to confirm this. Which is great, given how you're an actual user vs. a paid reviewer. And you have some pretty unique, intense workflows.

Like I said in some other threads (and maybe this one). I have some professional development funds I need to expend before the end of this FY (by May to be safe, since it takes time for purchasing do its work). I really hope Apple releases it's 14/16" M-class Macbook Pros, or an iMac. Otherwise I will have to choose among the current M-class offerings.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hope you guys don't mind me coming back here and occasionally asking...

Been running this M1 for over a day now with a lot of Safari editing activity. I am looking at the swap file and just want to be certain this is not an overload...