The new ISA means that all your software written for x86 has to be translated into ARM code, however. And they also come with phenomenal battery life, with Apple listing 17+ hours of battery life for the entire lineup. The biggest benefit was immediately apparent when performance testing the new MacBooks, with their performance far exceeding that of older Intel MacBooks, particularly on a per-watt basis.Įven without the “per-watt” qualifier, however, Mx MacBooks are the fastest MacBooks Apple has created. By moving to an ARM ISA, Apple was able to make a number of optimizations, and even align their operating systems for macOS and iPadOS.įor photographers and videographers, this shift had a number of benefits, as well as some major risks.

The result of this design process was the M1 chip, a notable departure from Intel’s x86/圆4 ISA.

With Intel’s chips stagnating, Apple saw an opportunity to design their own chips, starting from a blank slate, so to speak. So, if you are wondering about which one to pick, this article is here to help. Then there’s the choice between M1 and M2 chips – and further options within those chips.įor a photographer who is just trying to find a solid Apple laptop, all these choices might be overwhelming and confusing. The biggest distinction in Apple’s laptop lineup is the difference between the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, but there are also three separate MacBook Pros of 13″, 14″, and 16″. With the M1 and now M2 chips, which are designed by Apple and offer record-setting performance on a per-watt basis, the MacBook line is a better choice than ever for a portable editing workstation. While I’ve always used a Windows computer for desktop editing, Apple’s lineup is my favorite for portable hardware.

In today’s guide, I’ll give an overview of each of the current MacBook models, and I’ll identify some of the configurations I recommend. However, between the recent shift to ARM architecture chips and the wide range of models and features, there’s a lot to consider when choosing a MacBook. If you want to buy a laptop for portable photography editing, one of the best choices to consider is an Apple MacBook.

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