Apple released the M1 MacBook Air last year, at its ‘Special Event’ in November dedicated to Mac hardware. At the same event, the company also announced other M1 powered machines – the 13” base model MacBook Pro, and the Mac mini. Of all the M1 devices, the MacBook Air is the best value for money machine – a solid all rounder.
Earlier this year, Apple also released a new 24” iMac powered by the M1 chip. The 12.9” iPad Pro is also now powered by the M1 chip – bringing it closer to the Mac or basically bridging the gap between the different product lines. Over the years, Apple has slowly updated the Mac and iPad software to be closer but now the devices are closer in terms of hardware as well.
M1: The true king in the chip world
The MacBook Air happens to be the best laptop under $1,000 (USD) for all types of work. It is no more a slow and loud fan machine but instead a solid performer at a decent price. The M1 chip on the inside has shown the true power of Apple Silicon but there is a lot more yet to come.
Many noted Apple analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo and even noted Apple reporter Mark Gurman of Bloomberg have said that a powerful M1X chip is set to release later this year with the 16” MacBook Pro and also likely a new 14” MacBook Pro. While the M1 chip is actually powerful, it is not the best for heavy work like 8K video editing, running multiple servers, and other intensive tasks.
At the moment, the M1 MacBook Air continues to be one of the best laptops in the market. It is, especially, very suitable for students who can avail a discount of $100 (USD) of the MacBook Air bringing the price down to $899.