Apple Says 'Mac Has Never Been Better' on Fifth Anniversary of M1 Chip Launching

Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak today celebrated the fifth anniversary of Apple silicon. The first Macs with Apple's M1 chip were announced on November 10, 2020, and they launched on November 17, 2020, which is five years ago as of today.

m1 chip macbook air pro
"Hard to believe it's been five years since Apple silicon transformed the Mac," said Joswiak, in a social media post. "The performance, battery life, new designs, amazing features, and user creativity it unlocked have been remarkable. The impact has been profound, and the Mac has never been better!"

After years of rumors, Apple unveiled its plan to transition the entire Mac lineup from Intel processors to its own custom-designed chips at WWDC in June 2020. Later that year saw the release of the first three Mac models powered by Apple silicon, including a 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.

Apple had plenty of experience after a decade of making custom iPhone and iPad chips.

The company promised, and delivered, industry-leading performance per watt for Macs. This feat allowed it to remove the fan inside the MacBook Air, given the improved power efficiency resulted in less heat being generated in the thin laptop.

Apple said macOS Tahoe is the final macOS release that will support Intel-based Macs.

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...

Top Rated Comments

lupinglade Avatar
11 weeks ago
If we don’t count how broken macOS is, then yes.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProbablyDylan Avatar
11 weeks ago
The hardware is generally exceptional. GPU leaves a little to be desired at the highest end but that's neither here nor there.

Shame we can't say the same for the software side.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nozuka Avatar
11 weeks ago

Still love my MacBook Air M1, ordered as soon as it was possible 5 YO.
Don't buy a first-gen product - they said.

I never regretted it, it still runs great.

And i actually prefer the old design over the new air..
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mitthrawnuruodo Avatar
11 weeks ago
Still love my MacBook Air M1, ordered as soon as it was possible 5 YO.

The camera stopped working recently, but other than that is my favourite Mac ever (on the verge of edging out the 2010 MacBook Air 11" I had for 9+ years).
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
masterleep Avatar
11 weeks ago
Hardware-wise, yes. As far as the UI goes, it's been going downhill for a while. I had to use High Sierra to help a relative and it was mind boggling how much better the menus, windows, and toolbars looked.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abatabia Avatar
11 weeks ago
My M1 air and M1 mini are officially my longest servicing macs and are as sold as the day I got them.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)