The new MacBook Pro lineup is an exceptional upgrade over its predecessors, with new M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets that offer more mobile computing power than ever before. And big companies are scrambling to reap the benefits.
The likes of Reddit, Twitter and others are rolling out 2021 MacBook Pro units to employees so that they can take advantage of the massive performance gains. “Engineering hours are much more expensive than laptops,” one said.
Apple brought back the MagSafe charger for its newest MacBook Pro models — much to the delight of long-time fans who have appreciated the proprietary charging port in the past. And although it might be faster now, Cupertino has spoiled one of the biggest things that made MagSafe charging so great.
2021 MacBook Pro adopters are taking to Reddit and other online forums to complain that MagSafe’s new magnets are too damn strong.
Coincidentally, our last Setups post concerned itself with proper ergonomics, and today’s sticks with the theme. On Friday we wrote about a person making a comfortable and productive workstation out of little more than a laptop. This time, someone has gone “ergo everything” on an M1 MacBook Pro rig with a big external monitor and a nice set of peripherals, furniture and accessories.
Saying the 2021 MacBook Pro’s screen notch is controversial is putting it mildly. But Apple could have made it easier to bear. Building in Face ID would have better justified the display cutout — and also made the newest macOS notebooks easier to use.
Apple execs recently revealed why the MacBook Pro utilizes Touch ID instead of Face ID. And the reason is not convincing. The facial-recognition system is a better fit for MacBook than it is for any other Apple product — including ones it’s already built into.
Some 2021 MacBook Pro owners are reporting that their new machines are susceptible to kernel crashes when playing HDR video on YouTube. The problem appears to be happening inside Safari and third-party web browsers.
It’s not yet clear what the root cause is — or if it will be fixed with the upcoming macOS 12.1 update, which is currently in beta testing ahead of its release.
![If the M1 Max MacBook Pro slays monster PCs, what will the next iMac Pro be capable of? [The CultCast]](https://www.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/CC-517-1536x864.jpg "M1 Max MacBook Pro slays a monster PC, and iMac Pro will be even better! [The CultCast]")
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Just how well does an M1 Max-powered MacBook Pro perform against a monster PC built out of top-tier components? The results might blow your mind. Again. And what does that say about the rumored iMac Pro we’ll see next year?
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.
Apple shipped a rather impressive 6.5 million notebooks last quarter, according to new data — thanks in large part to the success of the M1 MacBook Air. That figure makes Cupertino the fourth-largest laptop vendor in the world.
Although Lenovo, HP and Dell all shipped significantly more laptops than Apple during the three-month period, the MacBook-maker did see decent growth of 10% over the same quarter last year.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The first MacBook Pro benchmarks and reviews reveal just how beefy these astonishing beasts really are. Powered by Apple’s outrageous new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, these laptops blow away their predecessors — and basically blow our minds. Erfon is in awe!
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in Apple’s Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.
Got your fancy new MacBook Pro? Once you’re done admiring its all-new design and insanely fast chips, you’ll probably want to add some accessories that will help you make the most out of your new machine.
Here are seven essentials that will help you connect USB devices, backup your and transfer your data between difference devices, keep your MacBook Pro protected on the go, and more.
If one of your favorite applications doesn’t work well with the screen notch in the 2021 MacBook Pro, there is a solution. Apple created a “Scale to fit below built-in camera” setting that always puts the app into the space below the notch when in full-screen mode.
And it can be set for individual apps. Here’s how.
If you have a MacBook Pro of a certain age, you probably know what it’s like to run out of storage. These days, apps, macOS updates and big media files like videos require more space than ever before. But memory and storage provider OWC has your 2016-2017 13-inch MacBook Pro covered with its new Aura Pro NT NVMe solid state drive (SSD).
When the time comes to replace the battery inside your 2021 MacBook Pro, you can avoid the pricey repair shops. Apple has made this particular process significantly easier than it was on earlier MacBook models.
All six battery cells inside the new machines are easily accessible — with no need to remove the logic board first — and much easier to remove. The changes make for a fairly simply at-home repair for those who are brave enough.
Apple’s M1 Pro and M1 Max processors in the new MacBook Pro offer powerful graphic performance. That’s intended for artists rendering video and other professional tasks, but tests show that it translates to excellent gaming performance.
Of course, that doesn’t remedy the lack of high-end games for Mac.
Some of the criticism leveled at the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro should inspire Apple to make a MacBook Air with the same size display. It would be the largest Air ever, but there seems to be a market for a very big, yet very slim, Mac notebook.
And that’s not something Apple offers in its current product lineup.
The first reviews of the 2021 MacBook Pro just dropped, and they’re generally quite positive. There’s praise for the mini-LED display, the return of useful ports, and the sheer power of Apple’s new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
However, some reviewers harbor mixed feelings about the screen notch. Here’s a summary of comments about the features.
The MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar was a technological marvel in its day. It brought the magic of multi-touch to macOS and, with its stand-alone T1 chipset, it put ARM-based Apple Silicon inside the MacBook when the M1 chip was still just a twinkle in Cupertino’s eye.
There’s no doubt it was a clever piece of engineering, but it proved unpopular with pro users. Many missed the tactile feedback of the traditional Escape key and function keys.
Apple rejigged things last year, shrinking the Touch Bar to make room for a physical escape key, but it was too little too late. Many will be glad to see the Touch Bar go, but I’m gonna miss that little sliver of multi-touch magic at the top of my keyboard.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Erfon can’t stop gushing about the new MacBook Pros! (What a shocker.) Plus, he reveals what it felt like to get Sherlocked during Apple’s “Unleashed” event this week. (Spoiler alert: CultCloth sales shot through the roof!) And none of us can stop raving about the astonishing power of Apple’s new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.
We could be waiting until the middle of 2022 for the next MacBook Air refresh, but according to the latest rumor, it will be well worth the wait.
Apple’s next-generation ultraportable is expected to deliver a new mini-LED display and MagSafe connectivity — like the 2021 MacBook Pro — as well as a much more colorful design inspired by the 24-inch iMac.
Everyone should be familiar with Low Power Mode on their iPhone, but top-tier configurations of the new MacBook Pro will reportedly have “High Power Mode.” This will give the macOS notebook even better performance when taking on “resource-intensive tasks.”
But the feature will only be available in the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Max processor.
In 2016, Apple proudly unveiled a new MacBook Pro that rejected the HDMI port, the MagSafe charger and the SD card reader of the past. Fast forward to 2021, and the company just released new MacBook Pro models with an HDMI port, MagSafe and SD card reader.
Why the reversal? Apple’s head of design Jony Ive left in 2019 after decades with the company. His tendency to push form over function led Cupertino down the wrong path in many ways. And Apple is just now undoing mistakes Ive was responsible for. Like taking out ports that most buyers wanted.
The recently announced MacBook Pro models are the first with a screen notch. This raised questions about how the cursor handles the cutout. Will the cursor get stuck on the notch? Or will it pass through? Or automatically flow around?
Wonder no more: We have an official answer from Apple.
The just-launched MacBook Pro models are the first with a screen notch. And this apparently came as a surprise to many of Apple’s own software developers as some of the company’s professional apps don’t support the screen cutouts. Which means they can’t fill the new Mac displays and must leave blank areas.
This won’t make it easier for Apple to convince third-party developers to fully support the latest macOS notebooks.
MacBook Pro’s mind-blowing M1 Max chip could deliver even greater graphics than Sony’s newest PlayStation 5 console, according to early estimates. It has even more raw GPU power, at least on paper, with up to 32 graphics cores.
Apple already promised that it would offer “similar performance” to a “high-performance discrete GPU” in competing laptops. But whether Mac users actually get similar gaming experiences is another matter.
Apple is offering a rather generous trade-in deal on the exciting new MacBook Pro, with up to $1,000 in credit available for those who send in an M1 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. The credit could reduce the price of your new notebook to as little as $999 — or $1,499 if you opt for the larger 16-inch model.
The value of your existing machine depends on its condition and specifications, however, it seems RAM capacity doesn’t make a difference.
You might find yourself waiting months to get the just-announced MacBook Pro. Order one of the standard configurations and it’ll arrive in this month or November at the latest. But upgrade the configuration and the wait time slips back to mid-December.
Anyone hoping to get a redesigned 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro with the powerful new M1 Pro or M1 Max processor with a minimal wait should get their order in soon. Those who want a top-of-the-line configuration before Christmas really ought to hurry.
