Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Processor Review with Pros and Cons by 2010 MacBook Pro User - Android

My 2010 Apple MacBook Pro (MBP), which I named "Celestina" (Yes, I give my gadgets personal names), has joined me in many, many adventures and misadventures. I consider my MBP a friend and it sure has been through a lot. Like when my boarding house was flooded while I was in Gigantes Island during my typhoon Haiyan assignment (thank God, it remained dry inside my drawer); Or whenever my dog, Sniffy - all 15 pounds of him - would lie down on my MBP's keyboard to get my attention because I would be working even while at home; Or during that trip we took to Cotabato for my peacekeeping job and the electric outlet blew a fuse; Or even just those many hours playing music while on assignment in Cagayan de Oro City for an out-of-town coverage.

Imagine: 10 years with my Macbook Pro. A decade felt like infinity with my formerly reliable companion.

But thankfully, with the help and kindness of family members, I was finally able to get my long-awaited Apple MacBook Air M1 upgrade just before January 2021 came to a close. I got the one with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD for around PHP 55,000 at an official and authorized Apple reseller in a major mall in QC.

Truly, my 2010 MBP had been a trusted companion over the last decade of my life. But now, I have a new friend to help me accomplish more: My 2020 Apple MacBook Air M1.

I tested my new Mac and its sleekness impressed me. Thin, yet solidly built. Weight wise I like that it’s super thin but not super light because of its solid metal build.

Big Sur brings lots of new features with it that takes the Mac user experience to the next level.

The first main feature I noticed was the Touch ID (though other Intel Macs and OS had this previously it is the first time I am experiencing it). It is indeed very convenient but when you first log in you still have to type your password. I made the mistake of pressing the power button not knowing that to access the Touch ID I just needed to put my finger on top of the power button and not press it. Take note that for other apps and websites (third party) Touch ID hasn’t been optimized yet.

Turning on, you just lift the lid and Mac should power up just fine. This is a good alternative, no need to use the power button anymore and that’s a plus at this time of the pandemic.

I tried to shut down and turn it on right away and it was almost instant. In this fast-paced world, that is truly something that leaves a benchmark.

Another feature is the new MacBook Air M1’s screen. Though I’ve never really explored other laptops before this aside from my trusty MBP I noticed the picture quality has improved greatly especially while video chatting on some apps (Messenger, still have yet to use Zoom). On Photo Booth though, I noticed that the picture quality though brighter still is a bit grainy. Using regular apps and Safari, the screen is much clearer and the appearance of the fonts is much smoother. After all, this is a huge, huge leap from my MBP of 10 years.

It’s great to watch videos on livestream as buffering is seamless (this maybe dependent on internet connection speeds). I consider the speaker and sound very dynamic, “surround-sound-like” effects. For a slim machine, the sound truly packs a punch which makes it a joy to listen to music and watch Youtube videos.

Another Big Sur bug that users reported is the random restart with a pink screen. I experienced it once after my first 36 hours with my new Mac. I kept observing if the issue will resurface and I even brought it to the store where I got it for a diagnosis. Thankfully, my M1 - whom I call Charlaine - is okay now. Apparently, it was just a hiccup. I do notice, though, that pressing the power button to activate the Touch ID after a lull may initiate a restart without you having the intention to do so.

Reports have surfaced that the Big Sur OS 11.2 updates should fix these bugs, particularly connectivity problems and screen issues when connected to an external display. I am eagerly awaiting those fixes in the next updates. I have actually been monitoring buyer feedbacks and reviews even before I updated to my new Mac.

The new MacBook Air M1 really takes the cake in this department. I’ve read reviews that it is

comparable to Dell XPS 13. What is clear though is that aside from the new Mac OS that comes with it, the highlight of this machine is really the Apple silicon chip inside it.

Coming from a MacBook Pro 7.1 with a Core 2 duo processor, this M1 chip with an octa-core is a big leap and productivity wise I am feeling satisfied. It is fast and responsive for the tasks I need to do. Also, this MacBook Air M1’s fanless operation is really a breeze. I no longer have to worry about thermal issues and the like.

For me the Pros are the following:

1. Silent, fanless operation very very minimal heat if at all

2. Very long battery life means not worrying about charging often and continuous productivity for me

3. The new M1 chip is really the future of computers as my dear friend TechPinas founder Mark Milan Macanas said. After a week with my MacBook Air M1 I completely agree!

4. The new keyboard design is really making typing and working so much faster.

5. Light, sleek, solid design

6. Affordable price for the specs especially for an M1 chip which is 8CPU/7GPU.

The Cons for me are the following (some are not really cons just things you have to consider before purchasing and enhancements or peripherals needed):

1. No USB slots so you need a USB dongle (I am already eyeing a hub/dongle that has been recommended by other users and is at an affordable price point).

2. Microsoft Office doesn’t ship with it and the license is an add-on expense you really have to factor in. I got the Microsoft 365 Personal subscription for a year which comes with a cloud storage drive as well as the regular office productivity Apps and for the price I paid for it I’d say it’s pretty worth it.

3. The new un-Magsafe charging port is okay, though not a deal-breaker, but I still miss having the old Magsafe that detaches quickly.

4. Support, availability, and compatibility of Apps meant for Intel Macs are still unfolding in a lot of aspects. I have not yet fully delved into this.

5. The other day Apple just released its OS Big Sur 11.2 update, and I, along with other M1 users are definitely looking forward to it fixing the kinks that I and other users have encountered so far.

At the end of the day, depending upon your needs, the new MacBook Air M1 is truly worth purchasing. For me, the MacBook Air M1 is an impressive machine in many, many aspects, but because it is the first release of the Apple Silicon chip, there are still - admittedly - some bugs. In terms of the new OS running on the first-ever native Apple chip (Mercury retrograde notwithstanding) I feel that there are still kinks to iron out which I hope the upcoming software updates will take care of.