2020 MacBook Pro: initial thoughts

My new MacBook Pro arrived yesterday and while I only got to use it for a couple of hours before bed, I thought I’d share some initial thoughts and observations.

To be clear: this is one of the new models – a 13″ MacBook Pro featuring Apple’s new M1 chip. For added context, I’m upgrading from a five year old 12″ MacBook.

And so with that in mind, the contrast is like night and day – on pretty much all the ways you can compare them.

The Pro is heavier, feels more solid and is obviously larger than my last laptop. The screen seems brighter and the keyboard is a joy to use. Whether I’ll still be so nonchalant about the weight once I’m traveling for business again is another matter. But for now, I’m focusing on the build quality and it’s top notch.

Built-in Touch ID (fingerprint recognition) is a revelation! It’s so handy to sign in to secure sites using my finger and, given the number of times per day that I have to sign in to various online services, this is going to save me heaps of time.

Having had it on my lap for a couple of hours last night, I can say with certainty that it doesn’t get anywhere near as warm as the MacBook does.

The Pro is lightning fast and macOS Big Sur flies along. Which makes absolute sense as they were designed hand in hand. I’m not a ‘power user’ in that I don’t usually process video or do any demanding audio work, but it’s still nice to know that I can do what I need to without the system or the hardware getting in the way.

I’ve installed all my usual apps and it’s ready for some intensive use – which it will get over the next few days, given the list of tasks waiting for me in ToDoist! I’ll report back in due course, possibly less breathless with excitement, and provide a more thorough review.

Suffice to say: I’ve moved from “I don’t really think I need to upgrade my laptop” to “I can’t believe I didn’t do this ages ago!”

(Photo by Ales Nesetril on Unsplash)