The Old MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro M1

Nabeel Ahmed — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 18:46:22 +0000

It is often unclear whether you should opt for a 13-inch MacBook Air or a 13-inch MacBook Pro. This time we therefore compare different models with each other. What are the differences between the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro?

Heading MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro

Both MacBooks have pros and cons. The choice mainly depends on the purposes for which you are going to use the MacBook. At the bottom of this page you will find all the specifications that together provide a good summary of the MacBooks.

Heading Display

Where the 13-inch MacBook Pro used to have a better and sharper screen that is no longer applicable today. Both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro now have a Retina Display.

Both models therefore have more than 4 million pixels (resolution of 2560 x 1600) with support for millions of colors. Whatever your choice falls on, the razor-sharp display is equally beautiful for both the MacBook Air and Pro. In addition, the screens also use True Tone techniques, so that the brightness and colors are automatically adjusted to the environment. In this way, the colors appear a lot more natural on your eyes and your eyes get more rest.

Heading Touch Bar

If you choose the MacBook Pro, you can opt for the entry-level model with 256GB storage or the variant with an SSD of at least 512GB of storage. Both models contain the touch bar, a nice gadget that is useful when working with graphics programs. The touch bar changes with the programs that are used, so that you can use functions and shortcuts more easily. The MacBook Air does not have a Touchbar, but it does have a fingerprint scanner. With this scanner, locking your MacBook and, for example, your notes has become a lot easier and more secure.

Heading Intel vs M1 Chip

With the arrival of the new MacBooks, both the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro have a new chip: the M1 chip, which was designed by Apple itself. This chip is a processor consisting of eight cores. Half of this is 'high performance', while the other half focuses on 'high efficiency', to support peak performance.
In addition, there is also a GPU on the M1 chip, which, depending on the model, contains 7 cores (MacBook Air) or 8 cores (MacBook Pro). According to Apple, the M1 chip performs up to 2 times better at 1/3 the energy, if you compare it to the competition. A big upgrade compared to the previous MacBooks!

The difference between the MacBook Air (2020) and the MacBook Pro (2020) seems to be getting smaller with the arrival of the new M1 chip. However, this is not entirely correct. Using the new chip, the MacBook Pro is up to 8 times faster than its predecessor, whereas the MacBook Air is 'only' five times better. The MacBook Pro with the M1 chip is currently a lot faster and stronger than the MacBook Air.

Heading Random Access Memory

The working memory is intended for the temporary storage of programs and documents. If you always have many documents open and you work with heavy programs, you will also need more working memory. The specifications show that the MacBook Air now has just as much RAM as the MacBook Pro. Click here to see the specs of different models.

Heading Battery Life and Weight

In principle, these categories speak for themselves. The latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro don't care much about weight (1.29 kg vs. 1.4 kg) and the MacBook Pro has gotten a longer battery life. If you work a lot on the go, then both the MacBook Air (1.29 kg and up to 15 hours of internet) and the MacBook Pro (1.4 kg and up to 17 hours of internet) are ideal for. Are you on the road a lot but do you work with heavy programs? Then choose the MacBook Pro! That little bit of extra weight doesn't outweigh the benefits of the MacBook Pro's speed and power, but it also comes with a more expensive price tag.

Heading Which Mac do you need to develop a game?

Are you a starting developer? Then GameSalad is interesting software for you. It is easy to download on your Mac and it costs 44.5MB to download. That is why the MacBook Pro 13-inch is recommended. With this MacBook you can always and everywhere get started developing your games. On the road, at the office or at home on the couch, you can take the MacBook everywhere. With the current M1 chip, which is in both the 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, you can run this software effortlessly.

If you already have more experience with developing apps and/or games, then you may be familiar with software such as Unity. This takes a little more power from your work, For the advanced developer Unity is the software for you! The iMac 21.5-inch (2020) is recommended for this software. Do you want to work with such a large and clear display? Then we recommend opting for an expansion of the storage capacity (tip: opt for an SSD), this will make the iMac a lot faster!

Which Processor Do I Need?

Nabeel Ahmed — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 16:28:58 +0000

All MacBooks are very similar from the outside. Appearances can be deceiving, because the models differ a lot from each other under its chic aluminum body. But terms like i5, GHz, and Turbo boost, what do they actually mean?

Header Processor type

The rule of thumb applies: the higher the number, the better the processor. Every MacBook has an Intel Core processor. There are four different types: the i3, i5, i7 and i9. We will come back to this later.

Header The M1 Chip

Apple has developed a new M1 chip especially for the Mac. The older Mac models always contain multiple chips: a processor and separate chips for memory and security, among other things. The M1 chip combines all this in one chip. As a result, Macs with these chips are faster and need to be charged less often. However, this development is still quite recent and therefore the support is not yet optimal.

Header Cores (or cores)

The number of 'cores' of your processor, the so-called cores, indicates how many different tasks your MacBook can perform stably at the same time. The more cores the processor has, the more demanding programs it can run simultaneously.
These cores are indicated by the following terms:

Dual Core: 2 Cores
Quad Core: 4 cores
Hexa Core: 6 cores
Octo Core: 8 cores
Deca Core: 10 cores

Header Clock Speed, GHz and Turbo

The speed of the processor is measured in GHz. The more GHz the processor has, the faster it is. With heavy programs, your MacBook can give a little extra 'throttle'. The laptop then activates a 'turbo' function so that your processor temporarily has more GHz.

It seems obvious that an i3 DualCore processor with a 3.2 GHz clock speed is faster compared to an i5 QuadCore with 2.0 GHz. However, this is not the case in practice. To give you a little more clarity, Macback has listed all types of processors here.

Header Which 'i' is right for me?

To be able to make a good choice which processor is suitable for you, you can interpret the processors as follows:

i3
The i3 processors are suitable for all basic tasks. Think of surfing the internet or sending e-mails. For the light user who mainly sends e-mails, checks his Facebook, wants to watch Netflix and creates documents in Word, this is more than sufficient.
i5
All MacBooks with an i5 processor are suitable for all your daily activities. Think of surfing the internet, e-mailing, Netflix or creating documents in Word / Excel. This processor also performs simple jobs in Photoshop and Premiere Pro, but an i7 is better suited for the real work.
i7

A MacBook with an i7 processor is suitable for anyone who wants to perform professional tasks. Think of programs such as Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, AutoCAD, etc. In addition, you can of course also use Netflix and email.
i9
The Intel i9 is the very best processor currently in MacBooks. You can perform all tasks with this. With an i9 processor, you are assured of a laptop that will be up-to-date for years to come.

Conclusion: 'Which processor do I need?'
It is important to find out which processor is most suitable for you. For most people, an i5 processor is more than enough. If you use a lot of graphics programs, an i7 is the best choice. If this is not the case, you can also work fine with an i5.

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