MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020)

NEW LEAF Discover why designers and video editors should be glad that Apple’s latest MacBook has given Intel’s chip tech the cold shoulder

The new MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) is one of the most exciting laptops Apple has ever made for designers. For the first time ever, the company is using its own chips for a MacBook – the M1 chip.

By having control over the hardware and software of the MacBook Pro 13- inch (it runs the new macOS Big Sur, which has been built to take full advantage of the M1 chip), Apple is promising big things, including increased performance, faster boot times and longer battery life.

It also promises that the new MacBook Pro can run all of your favourite creative applications, either with new versions made for the M1 architecture (Apple’s Final Cut Pro, GarageBand and other creative programs all have M1 versions, while Photoshop has been updated with an M1 version), or via Apple’s Rosetta 2 tool, which effectively enables almost any existing Mac application to run on the M1 MacBook Pro.

Perhaps most exciting of all, though, macOS Big Sur can also run iOS apps. This gives you access to thousands of apps and games, including many of the best iPhone apps for creatives.

BANG FOR NO MORE BUCKS

One thing we’ve liked seeing Apple do recently is launch new versions of products for the same price the previous model launched for, and it’s done it again. This MacBook’s starting price of £1,299 is the same the earlier MacBook Pro 13-inch launched for. So for the same money, you’re getting new and improved hardware. The base model of the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) has the M1 chip, which comprises an eight-core CPU and eight-core GPU, along with a 256GB SSD and 8GB of unified memory.