Twelve Months with Apple’s M1 Chip: My Evolving Perspective

Reflecting on my experience, I realize my views have transformed over the last year. Initially, my goal was to determine if the base model would suffice for software development. While it was clear that the M1 easily outperformed my older Intel Air, I had my doubts about its ability to replace my 15” 2018 MacBook Pro. Ultimately, aside from the limitations of 8 GB RAM, the M1 chip handled everything I threw at it. Unfortunately, the shared 8 GB of RAM created a bottleneck that I couldn't ignore.

Learning from my previous experiment, I decided it was time to enhance the specifications of my new M2 Air.

New Variables in the Experiment

With the release of the M1 Pro and Max chips, I quickly adopted them in 16” models. However, I now feel that they might be slightly excessive for my needs, especially the Max variant, which seems unnecessary for most software engineers, including myself. This leads to a new question: Can the M2 Air effectively replace my 16” M1 Pro?

It's important to note that I didn't trade in my M1 Pro for the M2 Air. Whether I decide to sell the M1 Pro remains uncertain, much like my indecision about selling my 15” 2018 Intel MacBook Pro.

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A part of me is inclined to keep it, while another part is not…

Ultimately, I suspect that my decision will hinge on the financial figures at the end of the fiscal year, allowing me to assess the returns from my Medium writing pursuits. But that's still a few months away.

Six Months into the Partner Program: Is It Worth It?

Having reached the halfway point of my experiment, I believe it's time for a candid discussion…

The Tweaked Specifications

As you can see from the screenshot, I haven't deviated much from the baseline model. The one non-negotiable upgrade, based on my 2020 findings, was increasing the RAM to 16 GB. I also unexpectedly increased the SSD from 256 GB to 512 GB. I consider myself fortunate to have learned about the speed issues associated with the 256 GB models early on, as I wanted to avoid any negative impact on my experiment. Honestly, I rarely require more than 256 GB of storage, but I've noticed my usage creeping closer to that limit over the last few years. I aim to evaluate the M2 Air as a long-term investment, rather than something to replace in a year or two.

Educated Guesses…

To be completely transparent, my expectations are based solely on Apple's marketing, benchmarks from the 13” Pro M2, and years of experience with modern Macs—particularly the past three years, as that’s when Apple Silicon emerged as a game-changer. It’s evident that Apple Silicon outperforms Intel chips significantly. Anyone considering an upgrade from an Intel Mac should confidently choose M1 or M2 without hesitation. Apple Silicon is not just viable; it has set the industry standard.

With that said, here are my predictions for the M2 Air with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD:

• Web Development: It should handle projects of any size or complexity seamlessly, with minimal speed loss during execution or compilation.
• Mobile App Development: This should also run smoothly, including native iOS and hybrid frameworks like React Native or Flutter. The M2's single-core performance is likely faster than that of the M1 Pro, potentially leading to quicker launches for emulators.
• Virtual Machines and Dockers: I foresee no decline in the development experience here. The M2 Air's 16 GB of RAM is equivalent to that of the M1 Pro, but with the added advantage of DDR5, possibly giving it a slight edge in software development, though I don’t anticipate noticeable differences in real-world use.

Everyday tasks—document editing, browsing, and streaming—should function flawlessly. Any occasional delays are more likely due to unoptimized applications or macOS issues, which have become more frequent in recent updates compared to years past.

In terms of content creation, my experience may be subjective, but I expect performance to be smooth overall. However, there may be slower export times when using tools like Apple Motion or Pixelmator Pro. While the M2 Air is capable of handling professional-grade multimedia tasks, I wouldn't recommend it as a primary tool for such workflows. For my needs, however, I believe it will suffice.

Will It Be Sufficient?

I’m confident that a high percentage of my predictions will hold true. Just as I did previously, I plan to document my experiences in an initial impressions article, followed by a more thorough review after some time, leading to a final verdict in 6-12 months. Stay tuned if you're interested in these insights.

I'm both optimistic and excited that, for the first time, I might genuinely transition to a MacBook Air for all my workflows. While having a 16” M1 Pro or Max is undeniably appealing, I appreciate tools that are efficient, portable, and reasonably priced.

After Six Months of Using the M1 Pro: The Results Are In

This experiment aims to assist software engineers—especially those just starting—by providing them with reliable, future-proof machines without breaking the bank. Apple Silicon enables us to lower that baseline further than ever before.

A Parting Tip: The midnight models of the M2 Air have a longer delivery time of two weeks compared to the space grey variant. I opted for space grey since the midnight model tends to collect fingerprints, and I prefer to maintain a consistent aesthetic across my devices.

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Attila Vago — A Software Engineer dedicated to improving the world one line of code at a time. A lifelong tech enthusiast, writer of code and blogs, an advocate for web accessibility, a Lego enthusiast, and a vinyl record collector who enjoys craft beer!