Apple M1 - Apple Finally Ditched Intel

Look, I know architecture talk is boring, but the M1 isn't just Intel with fancy marketing. Apple actually redesigned how the whole computer works, which is why it doesn't suck like previous ARM desktop attempts.

Apple Put Everything on One Chip

Apple got tired of Intel's bullshit and decided to build their own processor in November 2020. The M1 is Apple's first custom chip for Macs, and they basically crammed everything onto one piece of silicon. Built on TSMC's 5nm process with 16 billion transistors, it's a system-on-a-chip that puts CPU, GPU, RAM controller, and everything else in one package.

Unified Memory Actually Works

Instead of the CPU and GPU fighting over separate pools of RAM like in regular PCs, the M1's unified memory architecture lets everything share one big pool. No more copying data back and forth - everything just accesses the same memory directly.

Here's the thing: regular PCs are constantly copying data between CPU memory and GPU memory like idiots. The M1 just lets everything use the same memory pool, which is obviously better but nobody else bothered to do it right.

You get either 8GB or 16GB of unified memory soldered to the board (no upgrades later, so choose wisely). The 8GB feels like 16GB on Intel machines because there's no overhead from copying data around. Still, if you're a developer who keeps Chrome open with 47 tabs while running Docker, get 16GB.

Fast Cores + Slow Cores = Smart Design

The M1 has 8 CPU cores total but they're not all the same - this took me forever to understand when I was trying to optimize a Python script that kept bouncing between cores:

• 4 Performance Cores: Handle the heavy shit - video editing, compiling code, anything that needs speed
• 4 Efficiency Cores: Take care of background tasks and light stuff at 1/10th the power

This setup means you get really good single-core performance when you need it, but your battery doesn't die when you're just checking email. The performance cores wake up for demanding apps like Final Cut or Xcode, while the efficiency cores handle macOS being macOS in the background.

Integrated Graphics That Don't Suck

The M1 comes with either 7 or 8 GPU cores (base models get the 7-core version) that push 2.6 teraflops. Unlike Intel's sad integrated graphics, this thing actually handles 4K video without choking and can edit multiple streams in Final Cut without dropping frames.

The GPU shares that unified memory pool, so instead of being stuck with 128MB of dedicated VRAM like most integrated graphics, it can use all your system RAM. This means smooth 4K playback and decent performance in games that actually run on macOS (spoiler: not many).

Neural Engine for AI Stuff

Apple stuck a 16-core Neural Engine in here that supposedly does 11 trillion operations per second for AI tasks. Honestly, I mostly notice it in photo processing - the Photos app is much faster at recognizing faces and Siri doesn't completely suck anymore.

Reality check: 11 trillion ops/second is meaningless marketing speak. What you actually notice is Photos app doesn't take forever to recognize faces and Siri stops being completely useless.

It handles stuff like:

• Live language translation (actually works in Safari)
• Photo analysis and face recognition
• Siri not being terrible
• Video effects in FaceTime
• Whatever machine learning your apps are doing behind the scenes

Apple claims it's 15x faster for ML tasks than Intel Macs, which sounds like marketing bullshit but the results are genuinely noticeable in apps that use it. The CoreML benchmarks back this up - tasks that took minutes on Intel now finish in seconds.

Battery Life That Doesn't Lie

The efficiency is legitimately impressive - my MacBook Air never gets warm and the battery actually lasts forever. Here's what that means in practice:

• Fanless MacBook Air: Completely silent, never gets hot on your lap
• 18+ hour battery life: Actually achievable, not just Apple marketing numbers
• No thermal throttling: Stays fast even when you're pushing it hard
• Instant wake: Like an iPhone - lift the lid and it's ready immediately

I regularly get 12-14 hours of actual development work on my MacBook Air, which would have been impossible with Intel. The same M1 chip handles both the fanless Air and the Mac mini with a fan - it just adapts to whatever thermal situation it's in.

Enough about chip design - does this thing actually help you get shit done or is it just marketing? After three years of daily use, here's what the M1 is actually like.

The Numbers (That Actually Matter)

I've been running M1 Macs for three years now, and the benchmarks mostly match real-world performance. Geekbench 5 scores are:

• Single-core: 1,687-1,744 points (crushes Intel in single-threaded tasks)
• Multi-core: 7,433-7,580 points (competitive but not amazing vs Intel 8-core)
• GPU: 19,000-21,000 points (way better than Intel integrated graphics)

Single-core performance is where this thing shines - it destroys Intel and most AMD laptop chips in tasks that only use one core, which is surprisingly common in day-to-day use.

The AnandTech deep dive shows why these numbers matter: most software still relies heavily on single-threaded performance. Even in multi-core workloads, having insanely fast individual cores means better responsiveness than systems that just throw more slower cores at the problem.

Apps That Work vs Apps That Don't

Here's what actually matters when you're trying to get work done:

Native ARM Apps (The Good Stuff)

Apps built specifically for M1 are noticeably faster than their Intel versions. Adobe Photoshop is about 1.5x faster on M1, which you actually feel when working with large files. Final Cut Pro is stupidly fast - I can edit 4K footage that would have choked my old Intel MacBook Pro.

Rosetta 2 Apps (Usually Fine)

Intel apps running through Rosetta 2 translation usually work fine, just a bit slower. Most stuff runs at 70-80% of native performance, but since the M1's single-core is so good, translated apps often feel faster than they did on Intel anyway.

The problematic apps are usually development tools that do weird low-level stuff. I remember Node.js 14.15.0 throwing dyld: Symbol not found: ___chkstk_darwin errors until they fixed ARM support in 14.15.1. Fun times.

iOS Apps (Weird but Cool)

You can run iPhone and iPad apps directly on M1 Macs, which is genuinely useful sometimes. Procreate works well with a trackpad, and some iOS games are actually decent with a keyboard. Most developers don't put their iOS apps on the Mac App Store though, so the selection is limited.

Battery Life That Actually Matters

The efficiency isn't just marketing - you genuinely get all-day battery life:

• MacBook Air: I regularly get 12-14 hours of actual development work (not just video playback)
• MacBook Pro: 15+ hours of real use, not Apple's inflated video playback numbers

This is genuinely 2x better than Intel MacBooks. I used to carry a charger everywhere - now I forget to charge my laptop for days and it's still fine.

Intel MacBooks died by lunch if you actually used them. M1 MacBooks last until dinner. I've literally forgotten to charge my MacBook Air for three days and it was still alive.

Never Gets Hot, Never Makes Noise

The thermal situation is genuinely impressive:

• MacBook Air is silent: No fan means no noise, ever. Even when compiling code or transcoding video
• Doesn't throttle: Performance stays consistent even when you're pushing it hard for hours
• Cool to touch: Never gets uncomfortably warm on your lap, unlike Intel MacBooks that could fry an egg

The fanless MacBook Air staying silent while handling heavy workloads still feels like magic after years of Intel laptops sounding like jet engines.

Memory Weirdness (In a Good Way)

The unified memory setup has some practical benefits you actually notice:

• 8GB feels like more: No overhead from copying data between CPU and GPU means better multitasking
• Graphics don't choke: GPU can use all your system RAM instead of being stuck with tiny dedicated VRAM
• Less memory pressure: Apps share memory more efficiently, fewer "out of memory" situations

Still, if you're doing serious development work with Docker, VMs, or keeping 50 Chrome tabs open, get 16GB. The efficiency helps but physics still exists.

What Changed After M1 Dropped

This chip actually made Intel and AMD panic, which was hilarious to watch:

Everyone's Scrambling to Catch Up

Adobe, Microsoft, Google, and basically every major software company released ARM versions of their apps within a year. Intel suddenly started caring about efficiency again with their 12th gen chips that copy Apple's big.LITTLE design.

Developer Adoption Reality

Most major development tools now have ARM versions, but there are still gotchas. Docker works but it's slower for x86 containers. Some niche development tools still haven't been ported. Check compatibility before buying if you use specialized dev tools.

The good news? The compatibility situation improved massively between 2021-2025. What used to be "maybe it works" became "almost everything works."

By 2025, Docker stopped being a complete shitshow and actually works decent. VS Code, Node, Python, Git - everything developers actually use runs native now. The stuff that doesn't work is usually abandoned garbage anyway.

Market Impact

Professional reviews praised the hell out of the M1, and for good reason - it proved ARM could handle serious workloads that x86 dominated for decades. Now Windows machines are trying to copy the homework with ARM laptops that mostly suck.