How many people, like me, watched the Apple live broadcast of the new product launch at 2 AM on Double Eleven? I had never watched an Apple live stream before; this was my first time. So theoretically, I am not an Apple fan; it doesn’t matter whether I am or not. The product has to be good, and if I like it, that’s what counts.
After almost an hour of the live broadcast, I felt a bit disappointed because I didn’t see the new iMac I was looking forward to; only three products with the same M1 SOC were presented: MacBook Air pass, MacBook Pro 13 pass (since I already have a 15 version). The only slightly attractive one was the Mac Mini.
There is no doubt that Apple’s new SOC is of epoch-making significance. It breaks down the barriers between iPhone and Mac, freeing itself from dependence on Intel. Whether it can run Windows is another matter. Just like the iPhone, the soul of the Mac is its OS. In terms of hardware, it can never compete with Android and Windows. I keep deceiving myself like this, so I couldn’t wait for the new iMac and decided to get a Mac Mini first.
Reasons for Purchase
Why did I choose to get a Mini instead of a MacBook Pro? There are several reasons that might be similar to others. One is that I already have a MacBook Pro, and getting another one wouldn’t bring much change besides performance improvement; I would still have to sell my old computer for a low price.
Another reason is the concern that the software compatible with the M1 chip may not meet current needs, as the software on my old computer is already quite mature, and I worry that the new computer won’t be immediately usable after I get it. The final decision to buy was because I saw reviews from experts stating that the M1 chip is incredibly powerful, even surpassing the iMac Pro in video decoding, with performance reaching the level of an i7.
The 256GB Mac Mini is only 5299, and with an active cooling fan, I believe its performance is definitely higher than the Air and possibly even stronger than the Pro. Therefore, the Mac Mini is the most cost-effective M1 machine.
Improvements and Drawbacks
Let’s take a look at the appearance of the Mac Mini. In fact, the overall appearance is largely consistent with the previous generation, with almost no changes (the size is the same, but the new Mini is 100 grams lighter), so I won’t dwell on that. Let’s talk about the differences. First, the new generation Mac Mini has some drawbacks! The biggest drawback is the number of Thunderbolt 3 ports, which has decreased from 4 to 2.
Aside from that, all other ports are the same. Another drawback is that the wired network port only has Gigabit on the M1 version, with no 10Gb option. As for visible improvements, one is the upgrade of Wi-Fi from ac to ax, which is Wi-Fi 6, and this is commendable.
In terms of external displays, theoretically, the new Mini can only connect to 2 (in practice, as shown, one is connected via Thunderbolt, and one via HDMI; the Thunderbolt screen wakes up faster, while the HDMI may black out for a moment), while the old Mini can support up to 3, so in terms of quantity, the new Mini is still a downgrade. HDMI is still 2.0 and hasn’t been upgraded. Fortunately, the new Mini can support 6K displays, but this is almost an unusable advantage as a 6K display is quite expensive!
However, the old Mini with i5, 8GB, and 512GB version costs 8299, which is 1500 more than the same configuration of the M1 version. But the M1 is said to be so powerful, close to the i7 level, yet the price is cheaper, which is very unreasonable. Is Apple digging its own grave? Or will the new Mini increase in price later? Intel chip Macs suddenly seem less appealing. From a certain perspective, Apple has also reformed itself, but it can go further.
M1 Performance: The Mini is the Strongest
Not long after getting the new Mini, the excitement faded. Looking back at the experience with Big Sur, it is extremely smooth and fast. (Compared with the 2015 MBP 13 and 2019 MBO 13) The performance improvement is indeed too obvious!
Various videos almost open instantly, with no lag at all. The speed of opening web pages has also greatly increased. The experience is really superb, and I am very satisfied. I think only long-time macOS users can feel this kind of experience.
About the New System Big Sur
As for the upgrade to Big Sur, here are my personal views. First, is it worth upgrading? Personally, I think if you can upgrade, you should. Any supported model has been tested by the official, and there should be no issues after upgrading, although the performance changes are another matter.
Secondly, what changes come with the upgrade? There are many articles online introducing this, so I won’t repeat it. The most intuitive change is that the interface is more like the iPhone, especially the status bar and notification bar, which are very similar to the phone now.
For example, WeChat message reminders appear directly in the notification bar and can be replied to directly without entering the WeChat interface. Interestingly, Siri now supports Cantonese! And it comes with Wubi! After migrating over, with Rosetta, almost all software is applicable! Including FCPX. Of course, the speed after translation may not match future native applications.
Therefore, Big Sur feels like a big phone, greatly improving convenience. So, Big Sur is actually developed for ARM architecture chips, designed to break down the barriers between Apple computers and phones.
Future Trends
So, is the new Mini appealing? Of course, it’s quite appealing, especially for macOS users. As for whether Windows users with iPhones need to switch, it depends on their computer needs. Windows gamers or habitual Windows users should consider carefully. But in the long run, Macs are no longer the closed Macs of the past. After connecting with the iPhone, the appeal of Macs will become stronger.
From the perspective of products and pricing, Apple products have two development trends. One is the platform unification mentioned earlier; in the future, phones, computers, and tablets will all be interconnected, which can be said to enhance productivity and entertainment. The other trend is that Apple products, especially computers, will be cheaper than before.
From the pricing of these three Mac products, it can be seen that with the use of self-developed chips, there is no longer a need to pay a protection fee, costs are lower, and prices can naturally come down. But don’t expect them to be too cheap; Apple’s pursuit of product quality and experience determines that prices will not be low, but worth it.
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