For the past 15 years, Apple has been using Intel CPUs in their MacBook lineups. However, the Cupertino giant has transitioned to Apple Silicon Chips for the Macs and introduced the first Mac lineup with the M1 chip in November 2020.
The M1 chip surpassed all user expectations with its superfast performance and power efficiency. The M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro have proven to be far superior to Intel versions, but what sets them apart is that there are things you can do on the M1 Mac that the Intel versions can’t do.
Let’s take a look at some of them.
1. Install iPhone and iPad Apps
Since the M1 chip has the same design infrastructure as the one in iPhones and iPads, you can download and use your iPhone and iPad apps on your M1 MacBook and use them as regular MacBook apps.
Just head over to the Mac App Store and search for iOS-specific apps like Lumafusion and switch to iPhone &iPad Apps tab.
You can then simply download the iPhone and iPad versions of the app (if you’ve already purchased them on your iOS device) and launch them just like you’d launch a Mac app.
However, developers still need to make iPhone and iPad versions apps available on the Mac App Store, and this is one reason you might not find popular apps such as Instagram or Gmail, etc.
2. Wake Your MacBook Instantly
The M1 chip has an astounding performance compared to Intel Macs. Just close and reopen the lid, and your MacBook wakes up instantly, just like your iPhone and iPad.
This is one of the best things about the new M1 MacBooks because the moment you open the lid, the laptop is ready to go where you want it to. You no longer have to wait for the laptop to boot up or keep you on hold while it gets things ready for you.
Like the Hulk, the M1 MacBook is “Always Ready!” 😉
3. Last a Whole Day on a Single Charge
When Apple released the M1 MacBook at the “One More Thing” event, they claimed 18-hour battery life for MacBook Air and an even better 20-hour battery life for the MacBook Pro.
The new MacBooks do indeed last an incredibly long time. Since I don’t put my MacBook through really tough workloads, my experience has been even better.
This thread on Reddit shows how much this insane battery life means to people. And it’s not just the great battery life; as many have pointed in the thread, the M1 MacBook Pro doesn’t even let the fans run wild.
The M1 MacBook is one cool cucumber laptop.
4. Use Safari at the Speed of Light
While Safari has always been a great browser for Apple fans, the M1 MacBook takes things up a notch for the browser. Since it’s a native app, the M1 chip puts Safari on steroids and makes everything so snappy it doesn’t make sense sometimes.
In my experience, I’ve never seen websites load so quickly, and it just makes everything look so much better. I even did a real-time test of launching apps and just demonstrating how fast the M1 MacBook is, and you can see in the video how quickly the websites open in Safari.
What do you think?
5. Watch YouTube in 4K
Yes! You can now watch YouTube videos on 4K.
There’s not much to say here except that the M1 Chip is so fast that it can handle multiple streams of 2160p videos. What more do you want from your Mac?
Update your M1 MacBook Air or Pro
The M1 MacBook Air and Pro are beastly devices; however, they are relatively new and are more likely to run into glitches and bugs. To avoid any problems, make sure that your M1 MacBooks are up to date with any software updates that Apple releases to get the best out of your new Macs.
Apple has done a great job of transitioning from Intel to Apple Silicon, and you should be in for a quiet ride with blazing fast speeds, long battery timing, and superior thermals with your M1 MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Pro.
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