Introduction
Since 2006, Apple has remained dependent on Intel for supplying chips for its MacBook and iMac lineups. All Air and Pro models of MacBook and the bigger iMac have been running with Intel chips for over fourteen years.
There has been talk about Apple working on its own Chip for the last few years. This was because Apple has been working with its own chips on the iPhones and tablets for some time.
In November 2020, Apple debuted the new Silicon M1 Chips with the latest MacBook Air, Pro, and Mini range. The Cupertino based company immediately sent shockwaves throughout the entire tech community.
Designing and executing a homegrown chip is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, even for a company with the resources of Apple. But we are happy to state that Apple has outperformed itself with the new M1 Chips.
The New Apple Silicon M1 Chip: Why it is so good?
Apple has always been hesitant when it has come divulging actual scores or figures of its hardware and software capabilities. However, with the new M1 Chips setting benchmark parameters, Apple has been quick to use these for its marketing and sales.
Let us look at some baseline figures as has been claimed by Apple and proven with the help of industry-leading reviewers-
- 16 Billion Transistors on one single M1 Chip for unreal CPU performances
- 8-Core CPU (4 for performance and 4 for efficiency)
- 8 Core GPU (the lowest MacBook Air model, which retails for $999 has one less core)
- The GPU runs an astonishing 25000 threads with 2.6 Teraflops
- 16-Core Neural Engine capable of 11 Trillion operations per second
- 2X Battery Life in all models (MacBook Pro leads the chart with 20-hour battery use)
In terms of performance, the new M1 Chip outperforms even the strongest and most capable chips in the industry. It has set multiple benchmarks in graphics capabilities.
What about Reading and Writing NTFS Files on the new M1 Chips?
With so much good going on, pointing out some not-so-good features might be a bummer. However, that’s the truth- the new M1 Chips still do not support NTFS read-write functions!
At a time when most hardware and software is actively moving towards cross-platform use and functionality, Apple has once again denied the requests of thousands who pleaded with them to ensure that NTFS files could be read and written on with the new M1 powered MacBook range.
Sadly, you are still left with read-only capabilities. If you want to write on NTFS files you would need to change the Mac Terminal Settings. Something, which more than 90% of people would rather avoid doing.
The other option of using an ex-FAT format comes with its own disadvantages. Slow speeds, the tendency of files getting corrupt, and threats to security abound.
Do Third-Party NTFS for Mac Software run on M1 Powered MacBook?
During the course of our research for the article, or review team got down to testing many NTFS for Mac software available in the market. This software has made it easy to read and write NTFS files on a Mac.
iBoysoft, a company creating Apple macOS compatible software solutions for a very long time, aced the NTFS for Mac on M1 chip Macs. We have used the software before but felt that on an M1 MacBook Air, the performances are even better than we remembered on Intel chips.
We dug a bit deeper and found that there are absolutely no compatibility issues with either the M1 chip or the new macOS, Big Sur. This is great news for the community, which had been worried about using external hard drives on their new MacBook with the M1 chips.
The Final Word
There is no doubt that Apple’s attempt at its own M1 Chips is a resounding success. It has in many ways eliminated all the issues, which everyone kept complaining about. Thanks to the new macOS Big Sur, the experience of using a MacBook Air or a Pro has changed completely.
No hardware or software is perfect and the only criticism most people will have with the new M1 chips is that they are unable to write NTFS files on their Mac. However, companies like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac software have ensured that users are not without credible options in the market.
