Incredible power, itty bitty package
Key Takeaways
Applesnew M1 Mac miniis a pocket powerhouse.
Its the cheapest M1 Mac, and also the most capable, even in its most basic configuration.
But, unlike most claims from early reviews, its not impossible to overload it.
Apple
In fact, its surprisingly easy.
Still, this is the most incredible desktop Mac ever made.
Today were talking about the Apple Silicon M1 Mac mini with 512GB storage and 8GB RAM.
Apple
The M1 Macs are snappy.
Likewise, moving around is slick.
Switching windows, switching apps, and using menus are all instant.
The M1-powered Macs feel completely different, like a new kind of computer.
Its just like an iPad, which never really warms up in regular use.
One of the M1 Macs coolest abilities is lost on the mini, though: iPhone-like instant wake.
Perhaps ApplesPro Display XDR is faster, but Im not paying $5K to find out.
One more note on speed.
Apps have to be updated to run natively on Apples M1 chips.
In principle, its similar to how an Android app cant run on an iPhone.
The first time you use it, macOS downloads Rosetta.
Then, whenever you download an Intel app, it translates it.
The result is a performance hit compared to native apps, but its small.
Ive run Adobe Lightroom just fine, and also Ableton Live.
These are complex apps, and they just work.
But the machines can be brought to their knees.
I fired up Logic Pro, along with Lightroom Classic and iMovie (playing back a project).
Maybe it was because Lightroom was running under Rosetta?
I quit it, and usedPixelmator Proinstead, which is fully compatible with Apple Silicon.
I had the same problem.
Whenever I upsized an image using its Super Resolution tool, I could spike the CPU and break Logic.
So, itispossible to cause trouble.
Then again, its unlikely that youd ever do this test in real life.
Running iOS Apps
The mini can also run iPhone and iPad apps, natively.
Not all iOS apps are available, because developers can opt out, and rightly so.
Some apps fail to launch, others dont translate to the Mac very well, but some work great.
Podcast player app Castro, for example, even responds to the media keys on the Macs keyboard.
Its not a perfect solution, but it can be great when it works.
If you use one of those Thunderbolt/USB4 ports for your monitor, youre down to just one.
That probably means youll want a Thunderbolt dock, and those are all around $250.
Also, with the M1, the RAM is on the chip, so you cant upgrade it later.
Nor can you swap out an old SSD for a new one.
You have to treat this box like an iPhoneyou get what you buy, and thats it.
Should You Buy One?
You should go ahead and buy one.
The hardware is fantastic, but the real pro-level stuff has yet to arrive.
And dont forget, this Mac mini only runs macOS Big Sur, which not all apps yet support.
And as an upgrade from a decade-old iMac?
