Is Apple Silicon Ready for Pro-Usage? My Experience with M1 as a Developer

As a developer, I've had the opportunity to test the M1 MacBook Air and see how it fares in terms of performance compared to my previous i9 MacBook Pro. With reduced demands on my local machine, I thought I could take a chance on the M1 MacBooks until Apple releases new 16-inch M1 Pro/Max laptops.

Initially, I was tempted to purchase an M1Pro MacBook Pro if they were available. However, with the current chip architecture being outdated, I decided it wasn't worth spending over $3,000 for a device that would quickly become obsolete. This led me to consider the M1 MacBook Air, which seemed like a more reasonable option.

After parting ways with my 16-inch i9 processor, 32GB RAM, model year 2019 MacBook Pro, I started using an M1 MacBook (with 16GB RAM) for software development with IntelliJ and Docker containers as well as some 3D modeling with Fusion 360. As a developer and tinkerer in the software development arena, I was eager to see how the M1 would hold up.

Throughout my experience, I've encountered some pros and cons that are worth sharing. While the M1 MacBook Air has been surprisingly efficient for general use, it's not without its limitations when it comes to pro-usage.

In terms of performance, the M1 MacBook Air is capable of handling demanding tasks such as software development with IntelliJ and Docker containers. However, I did notice some slowdowns when working with multiple large projects simultaneously. Additionally, running 15 Docker databases and 25 Dockerized Microservices (mostly JVM Spring Boot) on my local machine was not possible without experiencing significant lag.

On the other hand, 3D modeling with Fusion 360 was a different story. The M1 MacBook Air struggled to keep up with demanding tasks such as complex modeling and rendering. While it's still possible to work with Fusion 360, I noticed some noticeable delays and frame drops when working on complex projects.

In conclusion, while the M1 MacBook Air is an excellent device for general use, it may not be ready for pro-usage in its current form. As a developer, I was impressed with its performance, but there were instances where it struggled to keep up with demanding tasks.

With Apple's announcement of new 16-inch M1 Pro/Max laptops on the horizon, I'm excited to see how they will address these limitations and provide a more suitable option for professionals like myself. For now, I'll continue to use my M1 MacBook Air as a secondary machine and hold out hope that future updates will bring improved performance capabilities.

'm1 mac fusion 360'

M1 mac fusion 360