Apple M1 5nm chip launched for macbook air and pro 13 inch

Before someone questions stats -



0.8% of the entire year in only 6 weeks of sales, that too when it was out of stock everywhere - extrapolating from these numbers, M1 MacBooks are going to be the record holders for most laptop units sold - (at min ~10% of 2021 sales - 21 million / year and growing ) . There is not a single other laptop model that will match these numbers from any vendor .
 
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Before someone questions stats -



0.8% of the entire year in only 6 weeks of sales, that too when it was out of stock everywhere - extrapolating from these numbers, M1 MacBooks are going to be the record holders for most laptop units sold - (at min ~10% of 2021 sales - 21 million / year and growing ) . There is not a single other laptop model that will match these numbers from any vendor .
I recently tried the M1 Air for a few days and I don't even need to look at these stats. The power and endurance are so far ahead that people will really start adopting this much quicker. Software supports grows day by day and with Nvidia rallying behing ARM, no question where the industry is headed.
 
Please don't believe in the hype created by youtubers, running Ableton Live 11 on m1 Macs smoothly.
IT IS NOT A NATIVE app and Live 11 is working way faster for me on a 8th Gen i5 laptop compared to a m1 Air. Most of the Wave plugins don't even start up.
YouTube is really full of fake videos.
Anobody in audio production, please don't jump ship now, your softwares ( combined cost way more than a stupid laptop!!) are way more important than a laptop. Let Apple fix LPX first.
Of you're using PT/ Cubase/ Ableton don't even think about the jump, more than half of the plugins won't work ( Apple probably doesn't even care anymore...someone who works 99 percent time in a browser is the new Pro Apple customer, we the idiots, who bought Apple's previous Pro softwares to earn money making/ editing music are not their primary focus anymore)
However, if this is called music production ( no real instruments, just freaking pre produced samples with ****ed up vocals)...sure Apple is doing a great job..This is what Apple has become...from the old Mac pros in old studios with proper musicians to these clowns ( who need two UAD interfaces for producing digital farts!!)
 
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someone who works 99 percent time in a browser is the new Pro Apple customer
THIS ! For better or worse this is where the entire market is slowly going - Microsoft Included

It will probably take a few months/years but eventually all your audio workflows should start working on the M1 machines acceptably. In the mean time probably best for someone with your requirements to stay away from them.

Curious if you prefer Intel Macs to Intel Windows though (for audio production)
 
Intel Macs anyday over Windows. However Apple is trying to make things very difficult for us for years. Many software requires hardware keys ( thumb drives basically, to prevent piracy) to run, so with Apple laptops some of us need to carry at least one dongle all the time just to run a software.
But as OS Mac is definitely better than Windows for studios. Native audio drivers are much better ( no latency issues) under Mac.
Even today ( where half the studios have started moving away from Apple portable computers..due to port issues) some very good interfaces still have very poor Windows drivers.
Major studios still have 99 percent Mac desktops ( mostly the very old Mac Pros) with older versions of OS as they still run PT flawlessly. No one uses these computers for browsing etc.
But the newer Macs ( specially the portable ones) are usually avoided.
To me it seems strange that Apple is happily abandoning these customers, who have already paid a lot more than typical iPhone, Air, iPad ecosystem slaves both in hardware ( Mac Pros) and software ( Logic used to cost a lot)
Nowadays Apple simply caters to people with minimal hardware requirements (video editing being the only exception and 99.9 percent present Apple users don't even do real heavy video edits involving real resource intensive 3rd party plugins)
Just try to sync dialogues recorded in Digital Performer with a video ( often done in movies and documentaries) the M1 chip will struggle severely. This is a very common user scenario in "Pro" world as Logic simply can't do certain things with video ( only DP can at this point)
Video production for YouTube is not the primary objective of most professionals who earn their livelihoods in this field, things often get way more complicated in real world and Apple used to be great in those scenarios, but not anymore.
For example, an YouTuber, who has worked in music industry for a long time...this is what he ( and almost everyone really working in the industry, not those clowns with Ableton tutorials and sample pack makers) thinks about the new Apple.
Apple has become a lifestyle brand nowadays, nothing is wrong in it, but their sponsored videos in YouTube can completely mislead in a newcomer in the industry, which is very wrong.
 
To me it seems strange that Apple is happily abandoning these customers, who have already paid a lot more than typical iPhone, Air, iPad ecosystem slaves both in hardware ( Mac Pros) and software ( Logic used to cost a lot)
This also worries me a bit, major chuck of their revenue comes from iPhones. Mac users in future can face second class treatment, for me ecosystem starts with MacOS. Everything else is secondary since bulk of my time is spent there. But yeah these prosumers have been ignored by Apple for long. I think they are getting back to their senses slowly after iPhone sales started decreasing in last few years.
 
Apple was indeed a brand for audio/video professionals 10-15 years ago and FCPX, LPX are still top notch softwares.
But the way Apple has treated their most loyal customers ( one Mac Pro buyer usually used to buy FCP/ LP too and the total cost was more than 10 iphones) and the way Ableton and DaVinci Resolve has progressed, in next 2-3 years all major studios will throw away their Apple desktops ( not talking about iMacs, those can't handle major tasks anymore, strictly talking about that absurdly priced Mac Pros) and happily use Windows.
Apple has completely become a lifestyle/ consumer grade company which still have some true "Pro" softwares that most newer Mac converts will never need.
How many of you with m1 Macs have bought Logic or Final Cut or had those licences from before? What exactly are you doing with these powerful chips beside browsing, office apps, some basic LR edits and watching videos, listening to music?
Name one demanding productivity software that didn't run in last 2-3 Gen of Macs or Windows machines with adequate ( minimum 32GB) memory..or ran so slowly that you're loosing money?
I still can run something super heavy like iZotope Ozone 5 in at least 5 tracks easily in a project with at least 20 tracks in a 2019 ultrabook prone to overheating...and it's not only a hobby anymore,people actually pay up for the work ( at times pretty good money)
What's the point of this insane performance when 30-50 browser tab is the new benchmark?
What kind of "Pro" in exactly what profession need that kind of use for a livelihood?
And what about the chance of loosing your precious data that you may loose forever if you forgot / were too lazy to back up your work one evening.
These newer glued up machines can loose all the data anytime and there's no way to restore them. We talk about online privacy all the time..what about ensuring our offline data ( how many of you restored from 5 year old time machine backups to the new shiny m1 machines? How did that go?)
Everyone in YouTube is jumping about the M1 performance, how many talked about the high possibility of dumping the entire laptop if the screen breaks or the SSD malfunctions/ 2 drops of water get into the keyboard ( after using Macs for over a decade I'm more than aware of these possibilities are much higher in MBPs and MBAs compared to a ThinkPad)
MacBooks are notorious for faulty designs for generation after generation but those machines were easy to open...as the years progressed it got worse and now the repairability is practically zero..most Apple service centre guys in Europe are even worse than me in troubleshooting hardware ( and I fumble with a philips screwdriver, simple SSD swap etc.)...it's either a new machine for free or take a massive loss for something absolutely stupid design decision from Apple.
No, I'm not going back anytime soon. iPhones..may be...but Apple laptops....NEVER!!
Mac users in future can face second class treatment, for me ecosystem starts with MacOS. Everything else is secondary since bulk of my time is spent there. But yeah these prosumers have been ignored by Apple for long. I think they are getting back to their senses slowly after iPhone sales started decreasing in last few years.
They are already second class citizens for Apple. Walk in to an Apple service centre with your Android phone and faulty MacBook, you will surely get some looks.
But it changes quickly when they realise that you are not a part of their ecosystem and know a thing or two about their computers and using them for years ( most of their geniuses were in diapers back then)...they quickly bring in some senior who does his/ her best to get you a replacement before you start humiliating them in front of everyone ( most of them don't even know the basic keyboard shortcuts anymore)
This is the reality in Europe...But here Apple is known to be the money grabber and you will get all administrative support if they want to screw you around ( like most US companies)
Well, Eli is a little more tech savy than most tech youtubers...
 
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Money is a big motivation especially for Apple. They realised these prosumers are not even 1% of their revenue hence the second class treatment. I hope their iPhone sales keeps on decreasing because Mac users deserve attention, sense needs to prevail before they make all their MacBooks like another iPad with physical keyboard.
 
Did anybody know Apple is using a T2 chip for 16 inch pro for any USB audio in!!??
Many many professional microphones are simply not compatible ( as the chip can not handle such high quality input!!)
Imagine buying a 1700 USD Neumann to realise your new shiny laptop can't handle it ( but your 5 year old Mac can)
This is Apple post Steve Jobs...a company which innovated that awesome trackpad in a laptop, which offered zero lag audio input even via usb without any audio interface. The same company who bought emagic and camel audio to give us Logic plus Alchemy at 299USD!!
Now it makes some stupid phones, glued down laptops with fatal design flaws running for generations. The company who always had creative people as their main target removed sd Card slot ( betraying photographers/ videographers) USB A ( betraying musicians).
What's next in their removal agenda.. keyboards maybe (pros don't need keyboards, an ipad like keyboard should be enough with our Pro touchbar!!)
Why don't they just sell off LPX and FCPX to cut all ties with real people with real computer related work and make more money with millions of iDiots for whom Instagram is the ultimate photo portfolio, SoundCloud is music streaming platform and YouTube is the next award winning movie platform. That's what Apple should do to increase their revenue..
Oh!! Opening few thousands of tabs of a browser in a 13inch screen is the ultimate test of insanely powerful and efficient chip which lasts 69 days on a full charge.
Multi monitors!!?? Who uses those? Didn't we provide you with an industry leading screen already? And what will you use in the 2-3 monitors, we have streamlined all productivity app so much that you can see your video timeline on the touchbar... that's enough for your next tiktok classic!!
 
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Did anybody know Apple is using a T2 chip for 16 inch pro for any USB audio in!!??
Many many professional microphones are simply not compatible ( as the chip can not handle such high quality input!!)
Imagine buying a 1700 USD Neumann to realise your new shiny laptop can't handle it ( but your 5 year old Mac can)
This is Apple post Steve Jobs...a company which innovated that awesome trackpad in a laptop, which offered zero lag audio input even via usb without any audio interface. The same company who bought emagic and camel audio to give us Logic plus Alchemy at 299USD!!
Now it makes some stupid phones, glued down laptops with fatal design flaws running for generations. The company who always had creative people as their main target removed sd Card slot ( betraying photographers/ videographers) USB A ( betraying musicians).
What's next in their removal agenda.. keyboards maybe (pros don't need keyboards, an ipad like keyboard should be enough with our Pro touchbar!!)
Why don't they just sell off LPX and FCPX to cut all ties with real people with real computer related work and make more money with millions of iDiots for whom Instagram is the ultimate photo portfolio, SoundCloud is music streaming platform and YouTube is the next award winning movie platform. That's what Apple should do to increase their revenue..
Oh!! Opening few thousands of tabs of a browser in a 13inch screen is the ultimate test of insanely powerful and efficient chip which lasts 69 days on a full charge.
Multi monitors!!?? Who uses those? Didn't we provide you with an industry leading screen already? And what will you use in the 2-3 monitors, we have streamlined all productivity app so much that you can see your video timeline on the touchbar... that's enough for your next tiktok classic!!
Well said!!! But didn’t realise M1 Mac has these many issues.
 
Did anybody know Apple is using a T2 chip for 16 inch pro for any USB audio in!!??
I dont know where did that Eli guy pulled off this Apple offloads audio processing of USB devices to T2 chip theory...
https://support.apple.com/guide/security/hardware-microphone-disconnect-secbbd20b00b/web which is up to date as of Feb 18,2021 and clearly states that it handles camera and *onboard mic* disconnect. The thunderbolt port is actually designed by intel and it is kind of direct line to the pci bus... more about thunderbolt https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...underbolt/thunderbolt-technology-general.html

I had to sit through his ramble but if his mic didnt work and then the usb3 mic did work later then is how is apple deciding to "process audio" only from usb2 and not usb3?

Now, coming to egpus not working.... simple answer is different technology. see the processor architecture itself is different, it is like expecting the RTX3090 to work on your samsung phone by connecting it on usb-c port.

Btw, All this rhetoric sounds analogous to I cant listen to my favorite music in my new tesla because it doesnt support audio casettes/cd roms/dvd disks or I cant use my dot matrix printers which I spent 10000USD because newer computers dont have LPT2 ports.
 
After looking into this -

A lot of the software (at least for music production) has not been updated for the M1's and unfortunately a lot of it may never be. Additionally, If you're expecting drivers for 20 year old keyboards or other hardware, You are shit out of luck. Apple is not going to make these drivers , It's the OEMS such as Yamaha etc that are responsible, but they would much rather sell you a new keyboard / device. The fact that you're able to run all these x86 apps on the M1 Mac is a miracle in itself.

Logic Pro without all these 3rd party add ins is shredding as per all the reviews I have come across. This indicates to me that the problem isn't with the hardware but current software compatibility (This is just me guessing with the limited information I have) . Once developers catch up and start pushing out native apps, I am sure it should satisfy most professionals. Also, this is going to bring in some innovation to say the least, An opportunity for new devs to get in on the ground floor and perhaps reinvent a lot of these pro workflows -

If you get an M1 Macbook, you're a beta tester. Plain & Simple. If you use software that doesn't work yet. Wait. I have chosen to wait as well. However for most use cases today, it's hard to beat the value the M1 Macs offer. I have a feeling a lot of this hate is going to dissipate when apple truly launches a pro product and the new architecture has had some time to mature. The 13" Air/Pro are by no means anything more than Prosumer.


Also looked into Izotope Ozone and the latest release is 9 - Which in fact does perform well enough on the M1's. You cant expect 4 version old software to run acceptably on a new architecture =P . Also the Beato guy is crying about iTunes. iTunes has not existed on Macs since quite a while.

I am really keen to know more about this now - @red dragon It would be great if you could elaborate on the steps used for typical audio production to master a track and software's used for each step? This will give us a good idea of what works, what doesn't, if its a hardware/software /driver issue and if alternatives exist.
 
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What Eli said about the mic is completely true, You just can't compare a microphone with dot matrix printers. Go to a studio ask about the age of the mics..
Please try the Ableton 11 youself with a normal light 20-25 track project and add 3-4 audio effects ( all in the box effects) in the master chain ( not on tracks) try to export a 5 minute song...yes, I was talking about those kind of videos..they are just trying to push sample rate in settings while working with midis mostly...who does that in reality unless your output is cutting. This particular video didn't even show the real time midi input in the omnisphere track(s) ( that's when you need to increase the buffer rate, not during playback!!)
You don't need Omnisphere, just create a track with Ableton's in box Synth, add a normal reverb, delay ( not send, but on the track...that's what's done during composition) Some comp and EQ and try recording!!
 
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What Eli said about the mic is completely true
no, T2 secure enclave doing audio processing is out right bullshit.
Please try the Ableton 11 youself with a normal light 20-25 track project and add 3-4 audio effects ( all in the box effects) in the master chain ( not on tracks) try to export a 5 minute song...yes, I was talking about those kind of videos..they are just trying to push sample rate in settings while working with midis mostly...who does that in reality unless your output is cutting. This particular video didn't even show the real time midi input in the omnisphere track(s) ( that's when you need to increase the buffer rate, not during playback!!)
You don't need Omnisphere, just create a track with Ableton's in box Synth, add a normal reverb, delay ( not send, but on the track...that's what's done during composition) Some comp and EQ and try recording!!
Again, how is it apples problem and not Ableton's problem?
Yes, Live 11 is compatible with Apple silicon computers through Rosetta 2.
Ableton clearly states it didnt build it for arm architecture.
 
Yes, Ozone is presently in version 9, but compare it with version 5/6 how much has it changed? And how much does it cost for an upgrade licence? Even huge studios can't / won't keep up with such update cycle. Ozone 7 is possibly the latest I've seen in big studios.
The Billie Eilish album used Ozone 4!! VSTs do not always need to latest or greatest everytime as they often changes UI making the real usage more difficult. I know of few famous engineers who just won't use newer versions of their plugins ( that's why Slate's bundle model is so popular)
And I won't blame iZotope for this, though many of its customers are renting their products directly or through some other bundled deals, most are still using v5 ( that's the fastest to work with version without any fluff) and they simply don't want an upgrade ( they can get the update for free..suscription policy)
Someone directly buying Ozone 9 is an accident for iZotope...this is how this industry works.
If you see somebody showing Ozone 9 tutorial outside izotope's own ad probably is working with some demo version or pirated one ( notorious in Bangladesh, India and Russia) Show me a single production video in youtube where the producer has a decent portfolio even in SoundCloud and using Ozone 9.
no, T2 secure enclave doing audio processing is out right bullshit.

Again, how is it apples problem and not Ableton's problem?

Ableton clearly states it didnt build it for arm architecture.
1. Try TLM 107 youself ( it's closely priced to the 16 inch MBP) Imagine using that mic for 5 years only to realise it won't work with your new computer, that particular model is available in all reputable studios across Europe and Neumann is not Rode that releases a new model every month, these are supposed to last for years.
2. Yes, it's Ableton's job, but not necessarily a problem as someone who bought live suite 11 for full retail price is likely to return his/ her M1 Mac rather than going back to Live 10.
Please understand I'm not trying to bash/ defend Apple, just trying to give a perspective of a consumer whose livelihood is partially dependent on certain softwares beyond surfing, email, office applications.
3. My main problem is these misleading YouTube videos...these idiots are comparing Live 11 performance between M1 and Intel Macs by increasing buffer sizes (and not showing the midi input latency) and export times ( with a blank master output chain!!)
Previous Apple hypes didn't compromise anybody's livelihood, but this one is.
I'm still looking for one job that M1 machines can do better than an ipad!!
BTW, that "Besto guy" is possibly one of the most experienced person among the entire YouTube audio production community.
Among the thousands of beat makers in youtube only Rick Beato and Warren Huart have indeed worked in a proper studio environment with legends.
 
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Ozone 5 is from 2013. You can't even buy a license for it if you tried in 2021. So anyone that gets into audio mastering in 2021 and buys a license for v9 - It is an accident? If nothing has changed between v5 and v9, isn't that on izotope and not apple? Huge studios are going to cry over $500 software - unlikely if its integral to their job - These are the same guys that spend tens of thousands of dollars for speakers/amps/equipment. I don't think they will even bother trying to switch to windows and go through all these hoops over a few licenses that gets them 90% of the same workflows on new machines as I doubt any of these software vendors you refer to will give out Apple Silicon versions of their software without some upgrade cost

My apologies but it really does sound as though you want your 2013 workflow to work on a 2021 machine without any changes or updates. Sorry to say but that's probably never going to happen. You can switch to Windows and rebuild a new workflow there or modify your existing Mac workflow. You are likely never going to get what you once had - at least on Apple Silicon Mac's going forward - This does really suck - especially for those that have gotten used to certain software's/workflows over several years. But is that not the nature of tech?

Reminds me of a colleague who refused to upgrade from Office 2003 simply because that was what he was used to. Eventually he had too as the rest of the world updated and compatibility started becoming a big problem.
 
1. Try TLM 107 youself ( it's closely priced to the 16 inch MBP) Imagine using that mic for 5 years only to realise it won't work with your new computer, that particular model is available in all reputable studios across Europe and Neumann is not Rode that releases a new model every month, these are supposed to last for years.
That doesnt mean that Apple is doing audio signal processing on T2 chip. Many things wont work on new mac books...
2. Yes, it's Ableton's job, but not necessarily a problem as someone who bought live suite 11 for full retail price is likely to return his/ her M1 Mac rather than going back to Live 10.
Please understand I'm not trying to bash/ defend Apple, just trying to give a perspective of a consumer whose livelihood is partially dependent on certain softwares beyond surfing, email, office applications.
you can return macbook you know. I dont understand how someone would just replace their professional hardware (read computer) without doing some basic testing.
Reminds me of a colleague who refused to upgrade from Office 2003 simply because that was what he was used to. Eventually he had too as the rest of the world updated and compatibility started becoming a big problem.
There are some linux/unix production servers which never update anything and are happy running very old versions. there is a reason for that.
3. My main problem is these misleading YouTube videos...these idiots are comparing Live 11 performance between M1 and Intel Macs by increasing buffer sizes (and not showing the midi input latency) and export times ( with a blank master output chain!!)
Previous Apple hypes didn't compromise anybody's livelihood, but this one is.
I'm still looking for one job that M1 machines can do better than an ipad!!
youtubers are idiots, including that eli guy.
and btw, M1s can do a better job than ipad at xcode (you cant xcode on ipad). music production is not the entire computer user base.
 
Ozone 5 is from 2013. You can't even buy a license for it if you tried in 2021. So anyone that gets into audio mastering in 2021 and buys a license for v9 - It is an accident? If nothing has changed between v5 and v9, isn't that on izotope and not apple? Huge studios are going to cry over $500 software - unlikely if its integral to their job - These are the same guys that spend tens of thousands of dollars for speakers/amps/equipment. I don't think they will even bother trying to switch to windows and go through all these hoops over a few licenses that gets them 90% of the same workflows on new machines as I doubt any of these software vendors you refer to will give out Apple Silicon versions of their software without some upgrade cost

My apologies but it really does sound as though you want your 2013 workflow to work on a 2021 machine without any changes or updates. Sorry to say but that's probably never going to happen. You can switch to Windows and rebuild a new workflow there or modify your existing Mac workflow. You are likely never going to get what you once had - at least on Apple Silicon Mac's going forward - This does really suck - especially for those that have gotten used to certain software's/workflows over several years. But is that not the nature of tech?

Reminds me of a colleague who refused to upgrade from Office 2003 simply because that was what he was used to. Eventually he had too as the rest of the world updated and compatibility started becoming a big problem.
1. Someone just starting out with mastering won't even touch Ozone ( unless pirating)
2. Yes, many things have been changed ( auto detection being the most important) but I've not seen a single professional using those presets or auto adjustments ( any decent engineer would be able to detect it within seconds and you will never get another job as the preset guy goes jobless in this industry)
3. It's not the price, but the change in the UI that bothers engineers. Famous ones will simply refuse to work with something that has different UI with minimal sonic improvement. Moreover minimal change in quality of DSP signal will infuriate most engineers.
4. I am stuck in 2008. My gurus are stuck with analog effects ( not in production units for more than a decade) of 80s.
Please understand these people are not bedroom producers ( no offence to them) they were taught in analog consoles and prefer to work in those.
Studios do upgrade things frequently ( Kontakt libraries, convolution reverbs etc.) But they don't try to mess up with critical components like a SW compressor, EQ as these things change sound significantly.
There are settings you just memorize for certain things like kick, snare etc. and with certain updates those settings go for a toss. Some senior busy engineers truly don't have time to mess around with a new UI ( that's the reason why good DAWs never change the UI significantly)
You talk about upgrades, all the major studios still use ProTools, where most other DAWs have much more intuitive and faster workflow.
Audio production basic techniques are old buddy, they change very very slowly ( I'm not talking about electronic music which has no fixed sets of rule, when you deal with real instruments and audio files you learn something and apply the same for years, once you get enough experience ( and a lot of clients) you try small new things.
Audio world in reality is completely different from YouTube Ableton certified trainer videos.
Nobody really cares about the version of the SW, it's the result that matters. A good engineer can produce better results with Ozone 2 ( and will refuse to work with newer version) than someone inexperienced with the latest version of the same software.
I can guarantee you one thing, if someone with less than couple of years of experience using Ozone 9 is using a pirated copy.
Most studios have completely moved to subscription based system for most major vendors years ago and they can always get Ozone 5 from iZotope if someone refuses to work in newer version.
Personally I have the full Slate Digital bundle and like the older version of VMR and tape machine emulator. Slate digital sent me links to download those older versions without any issues whatsover ( those are not available in their website)
Just remembered I'm still using SSD4 ( SSD5 came out long ago) despite paying for SSD5, but I'm perfectly fine with it and the clients are happy with the results.
My only aim is to get quality results not having the latest version of some software. Of course I bought the upgrade licence for Ableton Live 11 within 24 hours of release because of the new beautiful comping feature. I wouldn't even consider buying it if Ableton gave us 10 new wavetable synths, some new effects.
I will buy a M1 Mac the day all the issues with Logic is fixed ( no, all Logic native plugins don't work properly in M1, only the GarageBand plugins and Alchemy work reliably. The arp midi plugin doesn't work properly, the FET compressor makes intermittent strange noise, the inspector window doesn't always open with the default I key command, the summing and folder stack often get glitchy, swipe comping doesn't always work with more than 4-5 takes etc.etc.) For a Youtuber who is using Logic for 3/4 years and uses the mouse for most functionalities will never notice these things, but when you're using the same software for decade and rarely use the mouse ( as key shortcuts have been integrated to your muscle memory) these are complete deal breakers.
 
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