On the Air, the processor’s speed is throttled if it gets too hot - though that’s reportedly not easy to do. The Pro can run harder and faster because the fan keeps it cool. One of the reasons the Pro is more powerful than the Air is that it has a fan, which allows it to handle more compute-intensive tasks than the Air, which has none. (I’d requested an M1 MacBook Air, but it wasn’t available, and hey, I’m not complaining.) It has the maximum 16 gigabytes of memory and 1 terabyte of storage, pricing out at $1,800.Īll the new M1 Macs - the Pro, the Air and the Mac mini - have the same processor, and Apple doesn’t break out the M1 models based on chip speed (though the GeekBench benchmarking program puts my review Pro at 3.19 GHz). I finally got the chance last week to try one when Apple shipped a 13-inch MacBook Pro review unit. Indeed, most of the early reviewers and initial buyers have been blown away. Apple’s new computer with its homegrown M1 processor has shaken up the personal computer world with its remarkable speed, impressive battery life and ability to seamlessly run most macOS apps written for older systems with Intel chips.
