Author: Wasif Mohammad Safwan – 5th Place in PROMPT!

I. Introduction: The Laptop Paradox – From Market Leader to Legacy

Remember when it was totally normal for a laptop fan to be screaming like an overworked engine? I sure do. For ages, if you wanted a sleek and stylish computer, you went for a Mac. But if you needed to tackle some serious tasks-like editing videos or running multiple apps—you’d go with a Windows PC. Why? Because the beloved Mac you had would start wheezing and heating up so much that you could practically fry an egg on it. It was just a compromise we all accepted.

Then, in late 2020, Apple shocked the entire Industry. They introduced a brand-new chip they designed in-house, calling it the M1. This wasn’t just an upgrade; it was a total game-changer. Suddenly, everything changed. With silent operation, amazing efficiency, and battery life that felt nearly unimaginable, Apple didn’t just create a new chip; they redefined what a laptop could be.

II. The Origin Story: A Strategic Schism

The M1’s story didn’t kick off with a flashy keynote reveal. Instead, it started over a decade prior in some tense business meetings that ended in a bit of a he-said-she-said scenario. Before the original iPhone came out, Apple allowed Intel to make the chip for Apple’s new phone. Intel’s then-CEO, Paul Otellini, later admitted he turned it down, thinking there wasn’t a solid business case and profit for a low-volume, low-cost phone chip. Looking back, Otellini regretted not trusting his gut because the iPhone’s sales blew everyone’s expectations. Due to his decision, 12,000 workers of Intel paid the price for this.

On the flip side, Steve Jobs had a different view. He thought Intel was too sluggish, like a steamship, and that they were Apple’s limitation. He was also wary of sharing Apple’s secrets, fearing that if they showed Intel how to create their next-gen chips, Intel might sell those designs and secrets to Apple’s rivals, or try to make another lineup of chips made by Intel using the designs or secrets that Apple’s rivals could use to gain an advantage.

This decision turned out to be pivotal. It pushed Apple to invest heavily in an ARM-based chip strategy for the iPhone and iPad, a route they had already started exploring. Over the next decade, Apple fine-tuned its A-series chips, making them faster and more efficient with each new iPhone and iPad, potentially more powerful than a computer or a laptop. By 2018, the effectiveness of this approach became crystal clear. An iPad Pro with an A12X Bionic chip was not just impressive for a tablet; it rivaled the performance of a 15-inch MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i7. This was the proof they needed. The M1 wasn’t a gamble; it was a well-tested technology that Apple was finally ready to unleash in the laptop arena.

III. The Engine of Change: Deconstructing the System on a Chip (SoC)

The magic of the M1 isn’t about one mind-blowing spec; it’s all in its design. Think of a standard computer as a collection of separate parts—the brain (CPU), the graphics card (GPU), and the memory (RAM)—each in its own space, trying to communicate by shouting across the room. That’s how computers have operated for decades, leading to delays and energy waste.

Apple’s answer was a “System on a Chip” or SoC, which means they cleverly packed all the essential components onto one piece of silicon. When it launched, the M1 boasted an incredible 16 billion transistors—more than Apple had ever crammed into a single chip. This level of integration allows for outstanding performance and efficiency because all the components are communicating closely rather than shouting from separate rooms.

One standout feature is the Unified Memory Architecture (UMA). In the old days, the CPU and GPU had their own memory, which required constant back-and-forth data transfers. With UMA, all the memory is pooled together, allowing all components to access it at lightning speed. Picture the computer’s memory as a giant pantry. In older setups, the main “brain” had its pantry, while the “graphics artist” had theirs. The M1 combines them into one spacious, shared pantry. It’s a straightforward tweak that results in faster data access and a smoother user experience.

The M1 also employs a smart, diverse core architecture, which simply means it has two types of cores: four for heavy lifting and four for lighter tasks. This setup enables the chip to smartly manage workloads, using the efficient cores for simple tasks like web browsing to save power and switching to the powerful cores only when needed, like during a big video export. The outcome is a chip that performs exceptionally well while consuming a fraction of the power of its predecessors, translating into less heat and longer battery life. This interconnected design is why the M1 is such a success and an advancement of tech. 

---

Table 1: Key Architectural Differences: M1 vs. Traditional x86 Laptop

Feature	Traditional x86 Laptop	Apple M1 Laptop
Architecture	Multi-chip design (CPU, GPU, RAM, etc.)	System on a Chip (SoC)
CPU	Separate the component on the motherboard	Integrated on a single die
GPU	Separate component or integrated on the CPU die	Integrated on a single die
Memory	Separate RAM and VRAM	Unified Memory Architecture (UMA)
I/O	Separate I/O controller chips	I/O controllers integrated into the SoC
Thermal Solution	Active cooling (fans) is often required	Passive cooling (fanless) possible 8
Power Consumption	Higher power consumption	Low power consumption 6

---

IV. Performance Reimagined: The M1’s Impact on Benchmarks and Workloads

The M1’s design led to a radical shift in how it feels to use a computer. Remember that frustration of a laptop heating up and getting noisy just from a handful of tabs or some video calls? The M1 made that anxiety disappear. A Reddit user shared that during a Zoom meeting on their M1 MacBook Air, the CPU temperature was a cool 48°C, while their old Intel MacBook Pro was running hot at 60-70°C doing the same task. Thanks to the M1’s low power needs, Apple could develop fanless devices like the MacBook Air, meaning users get a completely silent machine—so different from the “hot” and “gasping” laptops of the past.

Of course, with this awesome fanless design, there are some trade-offs. Under sustained heavy workloads like video editing, the M1 can heat up to about 95°C and might have to throttle down a bit after about a minute to cool off. But for everyday tasks, that quiet, cool experience is a revelation.

Arguably, the biggest and most universally appreciated result of the M1 is its impressive battery life. Apple claims it’s up to 2x longer, and users have backed that up in real life. Many people report getting anywhere from 8 to 15 hours on a single charge during daily use. This wasn’t just a minor boost; it truly felt like freedom from the plug. You could leave your charger at home without worrying about your laptop having no battery left, transforming it from a tethered device to a portable productivity tool. However, it’s worth mentioning that some users experienced frustrating, seemingly random instances of their screens cracking without any impact—definitely a different kind of “broken” laptop that left many unhappy.

---

Table 2: M1 Performance: Geekbench & Real-World Metrics

Metric	M1 MacBook Air	2020 Intel MacBook Pro
CPU Perf. (Geekbench 5 Single-Core)	1,700+ (native) 12	~1,200 12
CPU Perf. (Geekbench 5 Multi-Core)	7,500+ (native) 12	~4,500 12
GPU Performance	Up to 6x faster than the previous generation 6	Lower than M1
Battery Life (Web Browsing)	15-18 hours (Apple claim) 4	~8-10 hours 4
Thermal Perf. (Under light load)	48°C (user report) 8	60-70°C (user report) 3
Thermal Perf. (Under heavy load)	Thermal throttling after ~1 minute 10	Fans audible 3

---

V. The Seamless Transition: The Genius of Rosetta 2

The M1’s success wasn’t just about the powerful hardware; it relied heavily on a smooth software transition. This was a huge challenge: what about all the apps that people already owned that were built for Intel chips? Apple tackled this with Rosetta 2, a brilliant piece of software that acts like a “super-fast translator.” When you run an older Intel-based app on your new M1 Mac for the first time, Rosetta 2 automatically translates the entire program’s code from x86 to ARM.

It might take a moment—for Microsoft Office apps, that first launch can be around a 20-second delay—but every subsequent launch is blazing fast. It’s so efficient that in some cases, these translated apps even run quicker than they did on old Intel machines. The remarkable performance of Rosetta 2 highlights Apple’s complete control over its hardware and software. The M1 chip was designed with a special instruction that allows it to run x86 code efficiently, which is a big reason for that speedy translation. This level of collaboration is something companies like Microsoft struggle with since they have to get their OS to work on a mishmash of hardware from a ton of different vendors.

VI. The Market’s Reckoning: A New Competitive Landscape

The launch of the M1 sent ripples through the tech world, forcing competitors like Intel to take notice. Intel quickly responded with a PR campaign featuring Justin Long, the actor from the old Apple ads who famously said, “I’m a Mac.” The “Go PC” campaign tried to shine a light on the perks of Intel-powered PCs, focusing on things like touch screens, 2-in-1 designs, and gaming.

But by emphasizing those form factors, Intel’s campaign kind of admitted they had dropped the ball on performance-per-watt and efficiency. It was a clever misdirection that showed Intel didn’t have a direct competitor to the M1’s architecture. Their campaign acknowledged that Apple had changed the game, and Intel was left to rely on a different set of features to make its point.

The M1’s triumph also laid bare the challenges faced by Windows on ARM (WoA) devices, which have struggled to duplicate Apple’s smooth transition. The core problem? Fragmentation. Unlike Apple, which controls both hardware and software, Microsoft has to develop an OS that works with a slew of devices from a variety of manufacturers. This lack of fine-tuned control results in a translation layer that simply can’t match the efficiency of Rosetta 2 due to the absence of hardware-level optimization. As tech reviewer MKBHD has pointed out, Apple’s M-series chips have made Apple its own fiercest competitor, pushing the company to constantly raise the bar on efficiency and performance.

VII. The Iterative Path to Dominance: M2, M3, and Beyond

The M1 wasn’t just a one-time success; it was the beginning of a long-term strategy of ongoing innovation. The follow-up generations of Apple Silicon, the M2 and M3, and M4, have shown a relentless pace of improvement. The M2 chip, built on a refined 5-nanometer process, upped performance by 15-17 percent in the CPU and 16 percent in the GPU over the M1.

The M3 marked a significant step forward, shifting to a leading-edge 3-nanometer process technology. This advancement led to a 15 percent faster CPU and introduced new GPU features like Dynamic Caching, Mesh Shading, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The Neural Engine also experienced a noteworthy speed boost, becoming 15 percent faster than the M2 and up to 60 percent quicker than the M1, signaling a strong emphasis on AI and machine learning. Every year, a new chip comes out, faster than the last one, with the M5 chip to come out in October 2025.

As tech reviewers like MKBHD often say, the true story of the M2, M3, and M4 isn’t about massive leaps; it’s about refinement. Apple is essentially in competition with itself, and for most users, the M1 is still an incredible machine that holds up well, also the reason why most people who have M1 MacBooks do not buy the newest M-series MacBook yet. However, for professionals pushing these chips to their limits, the ongoing advancement in specialized hardware and design efficiency is a transformative factor. The future of Apple Silicon isn’t just about faster CPUs; it’s about evolving into an even more specialized and efficient “intelligence engine” that seamlessly integrates complex tasks into the everyday computing experience.

---

Table 3: Apple Silicon Evolution: M1 to M4

Chip	Process Node (nm)	Transistor Count (Billion)	CPU Perf. vs. Predecessor	GPU Perf. vs. Predecessor	Key New Features
M1	5	16	N/A(baseline)	N/A (baseline)	Integrated SoC, UMA
M2	5	20	15-17% faster	16% faster	Refined process, higher frequency
M3	3	25	15% faster	15% faster	Dynamic Caching, Ray Tracing, Mesh Shading
M4	3	28	23% faster	13% faster	Enhanced ML Accelerators,Increase memory Bandwidth

---

VIII. Conclusion: A New Standard, Not Just a New Chip

The M1 chip broke expectations by introducing a new design framework built on vertical integration. By saving themselves from making the M-series chips in 2020, to redesigning the whole operating system of the Mac for this change, Apple achieved making chips more powerful than those of any computer or laptop. This success and achievement was something that other companies simply couldn’t match, and even in 2025, computer companies still struggle to match the power of the M-series chip. This advantage allowed Apple’s computers to optimize at both the micro and macro levels, which resulted in gains of performance per watt, efficiency that increases battery life, and thermal management without making any noise or having a fan.

The M1’s legacy extends beyond itself. It created a shock across the entire tech industry by showing that laptops (Powerful or not, Cheap or Expensive) do not need to be tied to a power outlet, or be hot and noisy, just to carry out tasks. It sets a new benchmark for speed, performance, and efficiency, forcing other companies to change their ways and innovate in new ways. The M1 was more than just a new chip; it was a new (fresh) vision for computers, laptops, and more.

One that has permanently changed how we see tech in our world

                                                              Works cited

1. Early iPhone systems-on-chip – Wikipedia, accessed August 27, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_iPhone_systems-on-chip
2. Why didn’t Apple use Intel microprocessors in its phone? – Quora, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.quora.com/Why-didnt-Apple-use-Intel-microprocessors-in-its-phone
3. Intel chief’s striking confession | Jean-Louis Gassée – The Guardian, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/may/20/intel-smartphone-iphone-paul-otellini
4. M1 Macbook Air | How much battery life you are getting on an …, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/macbook/comments/lewlc4/m1_macbook_air_how_much_battery_life_you_are/
5. What is the point of Intel/AMD CPUs when Apple silicon exists? : r/AyyMD – Reddit, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/AyyMD/comments/1cw80vo/what_is_the_point_of_intelamd_cpus_when_apple/
6. M1 Overview – Apple, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.apple.com/ua/business/mac/pdf/Apple-at-Work-M1-Overview.pdf
7. Apple M1 Chip: Everything You Need to Know – MacRumors, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.macrumors.com/guide/m1/
8. M1 MBA Thermal Performance: I am Impressed! : r/macbookair, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookair/comments/k4qo1n/m1_mba_thermal_performance_i_am_impressed/
9. My MacBook Air M1 CPU gets hot quickly wh… – Apple Support Communities, accessed August 27, 2025, https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253149166
10. If you need to install Rosetta on Mac – Apple Support, accessed August 27, 2025, https://support.apple.com/en-us/102527
11. Deep Dive into why Apple M1 beat Intel/AMD : r/hardware – Reddit, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/k6n423/deep_dive_into_why_apple_m1_beat_intelamd/
12. Blog – Performance of Rosetta 2 on Apple M1 – Michael Tsai, accessed August 27, 2025, https://mjtsai.com/blog/2020/11/16/performance-of-rosetta-2-on-apple-m1/
13. Steve Jobs knocked Intel’s chip design, inflexibility – CNET, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.cnet.com/science/steve-jobs-knocked-intels-chip-design-inflexibility/
14. Apple Silicon – How does Rosetta 2 work? – Ask Different, accessed August 27, 2025, https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/407731/how-does-rosetta-2-work
15. Apple M2 vs M3 chip: What are the differences? – ACASIS, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.acasis.com/blogs/news/apple-m2-vs-m3-chip-what-are-the-differences
16. 5 reasons Windows on ARM can’t follow in Apple Silicon’s footsteps, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.xda-developers.com/reasons-windows-on-arm-cant-follow-in-apple-silicons-footsteps/
17. Intel® Retail Edge Program, accessed August 27, 2025, https://retailedge.intel.com/50/blogs/2021/03/22/Get-RealGo-PC-
18. Draining the Slides – Intel’s “Go PC” campaign and its response to Apple Silicon – YouTube, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEOdsUQb4uU
19. What is unified memory on Mac, and how does it work? – MacPaw, accessed August 27, 2025, https://macpaw.com/how-to/unified-memory-mac
20. Apple M2 vs M3 Chip Comparison – Hoxton Macs, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.hoxtonmacs.co.uk/blogs/news/apple-m2-vs-m3-chip-comparison
21. Apple Insider / Techradar big M5 chip GPU performance upgrade – credible? – Reddit, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/1mxwq41/apple_insider_techradar_big_m5_chip_gpu/
22. Apple Newsroom. (2024, May 7). Apple introduces M4 chip. Retrieved from https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/05/apple-introduces-m4-chip/
23. Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, September 17). Apple M4. In Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_M4
24. DoneMax. (2024, November 13). About Apple Silicon M4 Chips: Everything You Should Know. Retrieved from https://www.donemax.com/news-blog/apple-silicon-m4-chip.html
25. Lafontant, F. (2024, November 25). Difference between M3 and M4 chip: Should you upgrade? Setapp. Retrieved from https://setapp.com/lifestyle/apple-m3-vs-m4-chip-difference
26. Hoxton Macs. (2024, October 29). Apple M3 vs M4 Chip Comparison. Retrieved from https://www.hoxtonmacs.co.uk/blogs/news/apple-m3-vs-m4-chip-comparison
27. iBoysoft. (2025, August 5). A Full Introduction to M2 Ultra. Retrieved from https://iboysoft.com/wiki/m2-ultra.html
28. PCMag. (2022, April 6). Apple Mac Studio (M1 Ultra) Review. Retrieved from https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/apple-mac-studio-m1-ultra
29. Apple. (2025, March 5). Apple reveals M3 Ultra, taking Apple silicon to a new extreme. Apple Newsroom. Retrieved from https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/03/apple-reveals-m3-ultra-taking-apple-silicon-to-a-new-extreme/
30. Digital Camera World. (2022, April 1). Apple Mac Studio M1 Ultra review. Retrieved from https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/reviews/apple-mac-studio-m1-ultra-review
31. Hostbor. (2025, March 12). Mac Studio M3 Ultra Tested: Ultimate Power, But for Who?. Retrieved from https://hostbor.com/mac-studio-m3-ultra-tested/Sources

Note: This blog was made before September 9, one of Apple’s events, and by that time, macOS 26 (Tahoe) was released to the public, and also some leaks of the October Event were released, which may talk about the M5 chip, but this blog, as I said, was made before this. 

Be expected to find some information missing.