


These items are each $699 USD from the online Apple Store. My review unit included the base model M1-equipped Mac mini coupled with the LG UltraFine 4K 24” Display. The M1 is already based on a chip architecture with an established track record. While this may appear a first-generation product, it in fact builds upon Apple’s years of hardware design, development, and implementation in iPhones and iPads. Initial versions of the M1 are offered with 8GB or 16GB of unified RAM. The Neural Engine is a separate 16-core unit within the chip that’s optimized for machine learning tasks. It also includes an 8-core integrated GPU. The M1 uses an 8-core CPU divided into four high-performance and four high-efficiency cores designed to balance performance, power demand, and heat load. The MacBook Air, the 13” MacBook Pro, and the Mac mini are the first Macs to feature the new chip.Īpple’s M1 processor is an integrated SoC (system on chip) design, which combines CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, cache, and RAM into a single integrated component. Rounding out 2020, Apple made the first move in its transition from Intel to Arm-based Apple silicon processors.
