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This is the BEST MAC I’ve ever had.
It is the cheapest Mac I’ve ever had.
It is the fastest, most reliable laptop and I’m selling it.
Let me give you some context.
Prior to the M1 transition, I've always used the largest of MacBooks because of the obvious
reasons - thermals, ports, and better specs.
My first true Mac upgrade came around 2018 when I managed to trade in an iMac I had and
a lower-tier MacBook Pro for an almost maxed out at the time i9 2TB MPB model.
Where I live, the spec cost around $6700 - INSANE.
Keep in mind, that my trade-in was for a used machine with those specs.
Nevertheless, I felt the luckiest person on earth, because once I got it I could finally
unleash my creativity and kill it when it comes to video editing and graphic work.
Here comes November 2020 and Apple launches the M1 processor shelled in this very classic
yet outdated 13" body.
That was the moment when my $6700 machine dropped in price to around $1700.
The path was clear.
Once I purchased the first 8GB model and now this 16GB M1 MacBook Pro, I saw my productivity
skyrocketing while preserving my lap from 3rd-degree burns, and here's why.
It didn't take me long to realize that the specs of the past, where we talk about a bunch
of GB of ram and GHZ does not apply to the M1, because for the first time my Mac was
able to catch up with my workflow.
After years, of admiring the colors of the beach ball, I was shocked at how quickly I
can open graphic apps, move around layers of projects, color grade, create endless compound
clips, produce magical intros and even occasionally play some games...many of which BTW while
unplugged and all of which thanks to a machine that can be easily explained.
- Hey dude, what computer do you use?
- I use the Late 2019, Intel i7, AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 16" MacBook Pro.
Why, what do you use?
- Uh..the M1 MacBook Pro
Portability to be honest was not something that I was after when purchasing the M1, but
for lack of a better choice, I was stuck with this smaller form factor...or so I thought...that
I was stuck.
Quite the opposite.
To this day, I am still amazed that all the aforementioned power comes in such a small,
cute and cold-to-the-touch and lap package that I can easily fit into any of my favorite
slings or backpacks and sometimes even forget that I have a computer with me.
This M1 is easier to carry and lighter feeling than my iPad Pro with the keyboard folio,
which is even more ironic when you consider that this is in fact my pro laptop/workstation
that I might forget somewhere by accident because it's that small.
Of course, power and size are obvious here, but what is more inconspicuous and I think
it is the secret ingredient of Apple's Masterchef's recipe is the stability and the overall polished
performance.
I am not talking about the fact that you can open and close the lid of the MacBook without
the external monitor flinching at all, or the fact that waking up the laptop is instant,
but I am referring to the seamless integration of hardware and software and how stable everything
is.
I never had to worry which apps are Intel-based, because Rosetta translates them behind the
curtains and I never had to think if something will run fine or perform as expected, because
why wouldn't it.
The world was shocked at the overall performance of these compact machines and I have to be
honest since winter is coming, I am concerned as to how I am going to keep my legs warm
without Intel inside.
Oh, I almost forgot to talk about the battery...because, honestly, since I moved to this laptop I totally
dismiss from my mind the status icon of the battery.
Seriously, in the rare occasions when I would glance at the battery, it wouldn't be from
a position of concern, something that in recent years is turning into a worldwide anxiety
problem, but rather from a position of curiosity and joy when I see that I am still at 90%
a few hours later.
Since purchasing this laptop, I genuinely don’t know where my original charger is,
because I juice it up from the monitor, and the rest of the time, I don’t plug it in…and
that might last days if I am not doing some intensive edits or gaming.
So when it comes to charging habits, system stability, user experience, portability, and
sheer power, I could say that my life is now different, better, longer and I am saying
this NOT in an exaggerated way just to sound dramatic, but because it's true.
If something saves me an hour or 2 a day, time that I can spend with my kids, I'd buy
it right away and talking about price, 1500 to 1700 dollars for a laptop that can pretty
much do anything and last a long time is a no brainer if you ask me.
1700 dollars is what my deprecated i9 Intel laptop was sold for before I purchased this
M1 - an Intel laptop that was supposed to be a more powerful pro machine, yet one, that
plugged in, could barely catch up to this breezy M1.
In reality, there are compromises that I had to live through with this little guy.
For example, I didn't go for a larger storage option, because I knew that these laptops
are transitional models, and Apple will soon come out with more Pro-grade M1 machines...like
they did.
For that reason, I went for 512GB of storage, which meant that I had to learn and live with
an external drive, only when it comes to video editing.
Not a big deal if you ask me and a great solution for people who prefer to save money on storage,
because storage is always very expensive.
The next compromise, if I can call it that, was the single monitor support, because these
M1 Machines are not capable of running two displays, and talking about displays, the
2 thunderbolt ports were probably the most annoying thing to me.
Of course, portability came with the natural downside of a smaller screen too, which is
not ideal when doing video or graphic work on the go, but again I found solutions for
everything, like the thunderbolt dock on my desk and using my iPad as a second monitor
for both on the go sessions and on my desk.
So with all those downsides in mind, I am moving back to a larger MacBook Pro which
I placed an order for.
Since I plan to stick for a while with this soon-to arrive 16" machine I did invest more
when it comes to specs and that is the reason that I will part ways with my beloved 13”
M1.
The reason that I’m switching is not earth-shattering or unexpected, but as I mentioned, the potential
of squeezing more free time from daily processes, like rendering waiting time, export halts,
and others, is compelling enough to make the jump…that and the fact that this 13” M1
was a transitional step from the get-go.
I do need to plan on how I will move over my content to the new laptop and as before
I plan on making a new and updated How I set up a new Mac video which last time was warmly
welcomed by 10’s of thousands of you.
If you are interested, subscribe to the channel and turn on the bell notifications.
In the meantime, an essential item from my transition checklist that I began working
on in preparation for the new machine are all my passwords.
As someone who constantly preaches to relatives to stop using for example Facebook for logins,
because Facebook accounts often get hacked exposing and giving a roadmap to hackers,
I prefer to use NordPass as a great tool to organize and share the most valuable credentials
and payment information.
Aside from being an easy-to-use multi-platform password manager, NordPass encrypts all of
the vault data locally with the XChaCha20 encryption algorithm to ensure complete security,
avoiding leaking personal information, credit card details, delivery address, or identity
theft.
I am currently on the path of consolidating and replacing all my old breached accounts
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To be completely honest, I didn’t feel like making a computer upgrade at this time of
the year and I was secretly hoping that Apple wouldn’t release something radical, until
maybe later…yet they did.
The new XDR displays, the return of the ports for the most part, and the sheer power bandwidth
of the beefed-up M1 processors are everything a creative person can ask for, hence the reason
for my upgrade.
I assume I will shave off more time as I establish new workflows and procedures and maybe even
improve those YouTube videos as I try to step up the quality, story-telling, aesthetics,
and animations with each one and this current M1 as great as it is, it does hiccup on occasions.
But if there were no new MacBooks on the horizon, I wouldn’t feel stuck and I'd keep crushing
it with this portable gem.
Amazing laptop is all I could say and I’m sure the next owner will be just as happy
as I am.
If you enjoy this video, you’ll most likely find my MacBook playlist useful where I have
some great guides and how-to content.
Also, if you have any questions, feel free to list them below or ping me on Twitter.
As always, it’s been an absolute pleasure,
This is E
Over and out