2021 MacBook Pro with others.

imwjl

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It worked out that my 14 inch Pro arrived and got set up same time as a new Air and Surface Laptop 4. With that I've been able to compare with other recent models. Here are some observations and reservations. Speed and battery life are fantastic as I guessed they would be. Software is a frustration.

One frustration is not entirely Apple's fault but important for business. That's Windows virtualization. Parallels marketing gives the impression you have Windows compatibility but that's taking you to Windows Insider and ARM so it limits what a lot of professionals in IT, engineering and business have done - able to run Intel type Windows software. After that has been instances when Safari on M1 was flaky with Microsoft 365 but not my Intel MacBook. This far into M chips, I expected some other software to be native by now.

Weight & bulk: The new Surface 4 laptop next to it is lighter and less bulky in 13.5 screen size and the 15" Surface laptops our accounting staff uses weigh a bit less. I'm spoiled by a 12" MacBook and just the way I move between sites and within buildings makes returning the Pro for an Air compelling.

Display & Sound: These are reasons for it to be a keeper. Setting the Air, new Pro, Intel MacBook and 2 Surface models to defaults, the Pro screen is extremely pleasant or easy on the eyes. The good sound is elevated to awesome if you listen to something with Dolby Atmos.

Use: Goodbye and good riddance to the Touch Bar. I'm an infrastructure manager - F keys forever. The audio playback is lovely but my work spaces and places mean Teams calls more than Rolling Stones in Dolby Atmos. It's a lot of money but the display is great when your job is too many hours looking at screens.

Reservations: The state of virtualization, M1 native, price, weight and bulk put it in the diminishing returns as you spend category. For about 4 years I very much enjoyed a higher spec iMac and lighter weight laptop. The thought was this Pro would be in between or could do both. After a few days of use the $850 over an Air makes waiting for next gen iMac and getting an Air compelling. I probably need 2 TB vs 1 or different main desk storage strategy to make this a do it all system.

Conclusions: There's no doubt this is the right laptop for a creative pro, but sitting on a conference room table with 6 great portables and software compatibility shows it's a lot of money limited by software compatibility. Availability is also a factor here. Part of getting it was the availability and not wanting a compromise. It won't be hard to get an Air with more storage. Time to see what another day of working with it and competitive options will do to my mind.
 

EdwinG

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That's a very nice perspective on the M1 computers.
It really depends on how you use and work on computers. Not every computer is right for every individual, or even individual usage scenario.

I love using my (old) MacBook Pro for personal use, but there is no way that I can use one for work as a Sr Systems Administrator. Most of my work tools require Windows 10 or 11 with the entire system performance available to me.

So I totally agree with what was said.
 

imwjl

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That's a very nice perspective on the M1 computers.
It really depends on how you use and work on computers. Not every computer is right for every individual, or even individual usage scenario.

I love using my (old) MacBook Pro for personal use, but there is no way that I can use one for work as a Sr Systems Administrator. Most of my work tools require Windows 10 or 11 with the entire system performance available to me.

So I totally agree with what was said.

I left the Surface Pro and MacBook with Windows 10 VM behind for a day+. Terminal services and web-based systems make the new Pro viable. For a few days I was carrying the new Pro 14 and my Surface. Just the Pro in my bag is livable.

It kills my inner cheapskate and trying to be conservative with money but the display alone makes it compelling. Especially bright and low light on battery. Wed - Friday was a conference table with 5 or more new or late model first tier laptops. The new Pro display has an easy on your eyes thing going for it beyond the color shift that's been in Mac and Windows OS for a while.
 

imwjl

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Apr 26, 2011
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That's a very nice perspective on the M1 computers.
It really depends on how you use and work on computers. Not every computer is right for every individual, or even individual usage scenario.

I love using my (old) MacBook Pro for personal use, but there is no way that I can use one for work as a Sr Systems Administrator. Most of my work tools require Windows 10 or 11 with the entire system performance available to me.

So I totally agree with what was said.

FWIW, I returned the Pro for a 16 GB, 1 TB Air not so much as a fault with the Pro but for the Air being more travel friendly and how don't want a $3000 laptop on a ladder or moving all around for projects, plus not liking dealing with peripherals with a high end laptop as my center of everything. The new Pros are fantastic. This is just a choosing best tool scenario.

Two things come to mind with sys admin. A modern enterprise should not need a Windows client in the sense that Cisco stuff, Nutanix and VMware are web-based admin but the state of virtualization on M1 is a frustration.

I'll still have my company issued Surface Pro, remote desktop, a terminal server, and other remote control. The Air laptop will get me battery life beyond about anything except an iPad and it will have all the handoff and continuity features.

It's unfortunate to see no M1 native for LastPass, Teams, OneDrive and Dropbox. Technically there's ARM Edge for a M type Mac.

I expect to see a next gen M iMac show up so returning the Pro for the Air is $1000+ ready to replace my Intel iMac if not for other things in the meanwhile.
 

EdwinG

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Two things come to mind with sys admin. A modern enterprise should not need a Windows client in the sense that Cisco stuff, Nutanix and VMware are web-based admin but the state of virtualization on M1 is a frustration.

I'll still have my company issued Surface Pro, remote desktop, a terminal server, and other remote control. The Air laptop will get me battery life beyond about anything except an iPad and it will have all the handoff and continuity features.
It really depends on what you do. I administer MECM, AD DS, AD CS, DFS and other nice acronyms. Unless I install a Remote Desktop Services server, I need to use tools and PowerShell on the server(s) or locally. I prefer locally, but that's just me :)
 
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Here are the temperature results for the new cool MacBooks compared to the old overheating intel ones. 91 degrees for the old one near the processor, and 74 degrees on the new ones. Both had been running for hours transferring files nonstop. Amazing. I have been editing video, transferring large files and not once have the fans kicked on. Makes me want to cry.
 

imwjl

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It really depends on what you do. I administer MECM, AD DS, AD CS, DFS and other nice acronyms. Unless I install a Remote Desktop Services server, I need to use tools and PowerShell on the server(s) or locally. I prefer locally, but that's just me :)

I confess to the tedium of PowerShell on a Mac vs my company issued Surface. More and more I remote to something else or have the convenience of a browser or terminal window. The handoff and continuity features mean a lot of Mac use.

ARM/M1 Edge is also changing the frequency of Windows and fat/desktop software.
 

imwjl

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Here are the temperature results for the new cool MacBooks compared to the old overheating intel ones. 91 degrees for the old one near the processor, and 74 degrees on the new ones. Both had been running for hours transferring files nonstop. Amazing. I have been editing video, transferring large files and not once have the fans kicked on. Makes me want to cry.


Thermal performance is definitely a big deal for some use. Having had an M5 12" MacBook, it still seems like a fan-less M1 Air is worlds better for not getting hot or slow. Nothing I did in the near 2 weeks with the Pro made it feel slow.

At this point demanding video and photography is a hobby and something I support for a department more than my professional work flow so that contributed to my returning the Pro for a custom more RAM and storage Air. I'm quite sure I'll be happy sticking with the more portable laptop and higher end desktop vs the high end laptop being center of so much.
 

imwjl

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It's nothing against the fantastic Pro I returned but with equal time I'm totally pleased with the 8/8 core 16/1TB Air and waiting for next gen iMac. For my work flow the weight and battery life are really important. Whether the Pro I returned or the Air it's interesting to see the battery life and feel the heat difference with my Surface Pro.
 

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