Apple yesterday announced the first Macs to use its own system-on-a-chip, replacing Intel parts with silicon designed ground-up to purpose. Apple claims the ARM-based hardware is more powerful and far more power-efficient than Intel models, and the new laptops will soon be put through their paces. The spec sheets suggest the odd and intriguing possibility that the key difference between a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro/Mac Mini is that the latter have fans. Sean Hollister:
Apple's new $999 and $1,299 laptops seem nearly identical if you look beyond the differently curved frames. They've got the same M1 processor, the same memory and storage options, the same ports, and very similar screens. I'm not joking when I say: the biggest difference is a fan. This fan, which is exclusive to the MacBook Pro.
The fan, though a completely mundane part, would allow the same hardware to work much harder without slowing down.
