5 Reasons You Need an M1 Mac

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I recently bought a new car. I didn’t need one. In fact, I do more mileage on my bicycle these days.

This forced me to come up with an elaborate and deeply flawed list of reasons for needing a new car. None of them made sense, and every single one could be countered with a far more rational reason as to why getting rid of a car altogether would be a far more sensible idea.

I’ve often done this with Apple purchases. Take AirPods Max, for instance; I’d have to come up with a really compelling list of reasons to buy them again. They’re just too damn expensive and trumped by the competition to be a sensible purchase.

Sometimes, though, Apple creates stuff that makes for an incredibly smart investment. The M1 chip is the epitome of that. I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything with the Apple logo on it that has delivered so much bang-for-buck.

But you may still be struggling with your own reasons for investing in a new Mac. So, here are a few reasons why it makes far more sense than me buying that car.

1. You could fry an egg on your Intel Mac

In April, I waved goodbye to my 16” MacBook Pro. It was the first Mac I spent an absolute fortune on and my first ‘proper’ MacBook Pro.

Unfortunately – and despite a bucket-load of performance on tap – it sounded more like an aircraft than a computer. Which was intensely annoying.

It still amazes me that so many reviews failed to pick up on the fact that the 16” MacBook Pro was the best (read: ‘worst’) example of how ill-tuned Apple’s hardware is for Intel’s chips.

Undertake any marginally intensive task, and the 16” MacBook Pro’s fans will immediately spin up. What’s more, the area above the Touch Bar gets so hot that you genuinely cannot rest your finger on it for more than a couple of seconds.

If this rings true with your current Mac, the M1 is like a fan-free, ice-cool alternate universe. Trust me – it’s one of the biggest selling points of M1 Macs if you’re coming from the Intel world.

2. You’re fed up with tinkering with your Windows PC

I have a special place in my heart for Windows. But I don’t miss it at all.

This is mainly because I lost hours of time and no doubt several hair follicles to tinkering with Windows machines. When they worked, I revelled in the sense of pride that only comes from building your own computer. But that was approximately only 3% of the time. The rest was spent trying to work out why the damn thing wasn’t working.

I’ve come in for a bit of heat from Windows users recently, but I stand firm on the fact that if you want a hassle-free computing experience and have a relatively decent budget, buying a Mac is the smartest thing you can do.

The M1 chip has simply amplified this particular reason. There has never been a better time to jump ship from Windows to macOS.

3. You just want one

This is absolutely fine.

I just wanted that car. So, I did my sums and bought it.

If you just want an M1 Mac and the numbers stack up – go for it. You won’t be disappointed.

4. You’re smart with your money

I’ve bought all three of my M1 Macs for my business, therefore I view them solely as investments.

They’re without a doubt the best investments I’ve made in the business to date.

So, if you’re running a business and you fancy yourself as someone who’s great with the company chequebook, an M1 Mac will rank among your best purchases.

Take the M1 Mac mini, for instance. It’s the cheapest way to get into the macOS ecosystem and can be combined with a bunch of low-cost third-party peripherals to make for a killer desktop machine.

The 24” iMac is the same. If you want a stunningly designed, highly performant all-in-one desktop computer with one of the best screens on the market, I cannot think of a better business investment.

The same goes for home users. Technology is an investment for our personal lives, too, and the current line of M1 Macs represent a bunch of computers that’ll give families computing headroom like never before, combined with the stellar longevity Macs have always provided.

Providing you pick the right spec for your needs, there really is no such thing as buyer’s remorse when it comes to the M1.

5. You’re fed up with poor battery performance

One of the best features of the M1 chip is the effect it has on battery performance for the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

I’ve mentioned several times that the real star of the show here is the standby time, which has been an absolute game-changer for me. I hardly ever worry about charging my M1 MacBook Air. If I lift the lid and it has, say, 80% left, I know that I can leave it off-charge for a day or two and still take it out with me without a charger thereafter.

The days of compromising our work and personal activities for the sake of battery power aren’t about to end soon, but the M1 represents a huge leap forward in terms of how much you can get done with a single charge on a laptop.

If you’re forever looking for power outlets, always buying power banks or spending more time thinking about your battery rather than getting work done, an M1-powered Mac will revolutionise the way you work.

Wrap up

There you go – a list of completely justifiable reasons for buying an M1 Mac.

What reason – or excuse – will you be using?