Podcast Summary
New MacBook Pros and Sponsors: Sanity and Sentry: Wes and Scott share their hands-on review of the new 16-inch MacBook Pros, highlighting the notch, M1 Max processor, and new features like Sentry's grok-powered webhooks for automating tasks.
In this episode of Syntex, Wes and Scott, also known as Barracuda, Boss, and El Toro Loco, are excited to share their experiences with their new 16-inch MacBook Pros. They'll be giving a hands-on review of the laptop's features, including the notch, M1 Max processor, and more. They're also thrilled to be sponsored by two awesome companies, Sanity and Sentry. Sanity is a structured content CMS that's essential for back-end development. Sentry, on the other hand, is an error and exception handling tool that's crucial for developers releasing products to the world. Sentry logs errors and exceptions, providing valuable information about affected users, browsers, and error frequency. It also integrates with GitHub issues and offers performance metrics and a user misery score. The hosts are particularly excited about Sentry's new grok-powered webhooks, which allow users to query anything they want and populate data using projections. This feature can be used to automate tasks like posting sales to Twitter. In the previous episode, Wes and Scott upgraded from their original MacBook Pros with the touch bar to the second generation. While they appreciated the improvements, they acknowledged that there were still areas for improvement. Now, with their new MacBook Pros, they're eager to explore the latest features and share their thoughts.
Apple M1 Max enhances work experience for creators and developers: Apple's M1 Max with its powerful chip and impressive features significantly improves work efficiency for video creators and web developers by handling graphic design software, large numbers of Chrome tabs, and providing stable internet connections, faster font dropdowns, large storage capacity, high RAM, and minimal swap usage.
The new Apple M1 Max, with its powerful M1 chip and impressive features, has significantly improved the work experience for video creators and web developers like Scott and Wes. The device's speed and performance, particularly in handling graphic design software and large numbers of Chrome tabs, have been standout improvements for them. Wes, for instance, was able to work more efficiently with Figma due to the stable internet connection and faster font dropdowns. The device's large storage capacity and high RAM are essential for their work in web development. Both were so impressed with the M1 Max that they panicked to get their orders in, despite the long wait times and the added cost. The device's ability to swap out inactive memory to the hard drive has resulted in minimal swap usage for Wes, allowing him to work efficiently without worrying about memory constraints. Overall, the M1 Max has proven to be a game-changer for their professional workflows.
Sufficient RAM for Web Development: 16GB RAM is usually enough for most web developers, but having more allows for better performance and keeping frequently used items in memory. Higher-end Macs with more RAM may be worth considering for media creators or heavy users.
While the amount of RAM needed for web development can depend on individual usage and the number of projects or processes running simultaneously, 16GB is likely sufficient for most developers. However, having more RAM allows the computer to utilize it effectively, improving performance and keeping frequently used items in memory. The M1 Max or Pro might be worth considering for media creators or developers who require heavy memory usage for tasks like video exporting. Ultimately, the decision on which configuration to choose may depend more on personal preferences, such as screen size and mobility needs, rather than the amount of RAM alone. Additionally, the high cost of these devices can be justified for professionals who rely on them for their work and consider the long-term investment.
Investing in technology for development teams: Investing in better tech for dev teams saves time, boosts productivity, and results in substantial cost savings. For instance, a team saved $100k in one year by buying $32k laptops, breaking even in 3 months. Minimizing dev barriers and using apps like Versus Code also boosts productivity.
Investing in better technology for development teams can significantly improve productivity and save time, ultimately leading to substantial cost savings. For instance, a team of 9 developers saved $100,000 in productivity over one year by purchasing $32,000 worth of laptops, with the break-even point happening in just 3 months. This investment led to faster build times, shorter feedback cycles, and overall increased efficiency. Moreover, the discussion highlighted the importance of minimizing barriers to entry for developers, such as long wait times for saving and restarting files. This can have a significant impact on productivity and focus, especially for individuals with attention deficits. Regarding applications, the team mentioned their extensive use of Versus Code. An interesting discovery was made during the transition to Apple Silicon, as some applications, such as Versus Go, were still running in Rosetta, while others had already been updated. This led to the need for manual intervention to switch over to the new system, which, although time-consuming, ultimately resulted in a fresh start for the developers. Overall, the conversation emphasized the importance of investing in technology to enhance productivity, minimize barriers to entry, and ultimately, save costs for development teams.
Challenges of Transitioning to Apple M1 Chips: Software Compatibility: Despite some software compatibility issues, the performance improvements of Apple M1 chips make the transition worthwhile.
Transitioning to Apple M1 chips comes with its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to software compatibility. During the recording of their podcast, Syntax, Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski encountered various apps that didn't have native M1 versions, requiring them to download special versions or use virtual machines. Notion, Height, and Spotify were among the apps they mentioned, which still run on Intel processors. Although these apps run faster in virtual machines, there are noticeable performance improvements when using the native Apple Silicon versions. For instance, Versus Code's Apple version is much faster than its Intel counterpart. Bos expressed frustration with the lengthy process of checking for native M1 versions and installing them manually, which he hoped would become easier over time. Additionally, video editing was a significant push for him to upgrade due to the long export times, which he was willing to pay extra to resolve. Overall, the transition to Apple M1 chips comes with some hurdles, but the performance improvements are worth the effort.
Upgrading storage and using efficient tools for video production: Upgrading storage and using tools like Recut for removing silences and powerful processors like M1 Max for video encoding can significantly improve video production workflow and save time.
Upgrading storage and using efficient video editing tools can significantly improve video production workflow and save time. The speaker mentioned using a Synology NAS with limited space and upgrading it to accommodate more data. He also highlighted the use of Recut, an app that removes silences in videos, making the editing process faster. The speaker also shared his experience with exporting videos using ScreenFlow on an older computer and the M1 Max, with the latter being about twice as fast. However, there seems to be an issue with the hardware accelerated export on the M1 Max using ScreenFlow and HandBrake. Lastly, the M1 Max's processor has individual modules for handling specific video encoding formats, making it an ideal choice for video production.
M1 Macs enhance video editing and coding workflow: New processor significantly improves h.264 encoding, waveform display in ScreenFlow, and coding experience in Versus Code with faster build times and issue checking.
The new processor in the M1 Macs significantly improves video editing workflow for professionals, particularly with regards to h.264 encoding and waveform display in ScreenFlow. The immediate waveform redraw and sync issue between audio and video at 2x speed, which were major pain points for the user, have been resolved with the added processing power. Additionally, the user's coding experience in Versus Code has seen significant improvements, with faster build times and the ability to check issues across the entire project. Overall, the M1 Macs offer a noticeable boost in performance for video editing and coding tasks, making them an attractive option for content creators and developers.
Improved development experience with new MacBook Pro: New MacBook Pro's tools, hardware, and design enhance software development with faster build times, quicker feedback cycles, and a more enjoyable workflow
The latest development tools and hardware are significantly improving the speed and efficiency of the software development process. The speaker mentioned experiencing up to 40% faster build times and noticeably quicker feedback cycles, making the development experience more enjoyable and productive. The new MacBook Pro's hardware, such as the M1 chip and the MagSafe power adapter, are contributing to these improvements. The only area where development hasn't seen significant speed gains is with network-dependent tasks, like installing packages via npm. From a developer's perspective, the faster development process leads to a more seamless workflow and less frustration with waiting for tools to catch up. The new MacBook Pro's design, such as the notch, has been generally well-received, with the exception of minor issues like inconsistent menu bar heights. Overall, the combination of new tools, hardware, and design elements is making the software development process on the latest MacBook Pro a significantly better experience.
Design and functionality changes in new MacBook Pros: New MacBook Pros have fewer dock spaces for menu bar apps, inconsistent icon padding, faster charging, less frequent fan usage, removed touch bar, and support for 4K displays.
The new MacBook Pro models come with some noticeable changes in design and functionality, which can be frustrating for some users. One such issue is the lack of dock space for menu bar apps, making it difficult to access them without using third-party solutions like Bartender. Another issue is the inconsistent icon padding on the menu bar, which makes some icons take up more space than others. Regarding hardware, the new MacBook Pros can charge faster and support higher wattages than their predecessors, but this doesn't necessarily mean they drain the battery faster when using external docks. However, USB-C Thunderbolt 4 only supports a maximum charging power of 100 watts, so the increased wattage is only for quick charging. Additionally, the fans on the new MacBook Pros run less frequently and the laptops don't get as hot as before, which is a welcome change for many users. The touch bar has also been removed, and users are happy to have the new models come with a full-sized keyboard again. Lastly, the new MacBook Pros support 4K displays, which turn on almost instantly when connected. Overall, while there are some adjustments to get used to, the new MacBook Pro models offer improved performance and design.
Improved user experience with MacBook Pro: The new MacBook Pro delivers instant recognition, resolution changes, and a 120Hz display, making it a solid and hefty device with extended battery life, despite being slightly heavier and thicker.
The new MacBook Pro brings noticeable improvements in user experience, from instant recognition upon plugging in, to instant resolution changes, and a significantly better 120 hertz display. The device feels solid and hefty, and while it may be slightly heavier and thicker, it's a worthwhile trade-off for the extended battery life. The only issue reported was a color calibration problem with certain external monitors, which was partially resolved with a software update. Overall, the user is thrilled with the new MacBook Pro and is passing on the old one to a family member.
Upgrading to a new laptop: A developer's perspective: Developers value powerful and efficient devices, but may face challenges with old cords and devices, and may have mixed feelings about the microphone and camera on new laptops, while appreciating the keyboard.
The new laptop is a powerful and efficient device, especially for developers who don't require heavy video editing. The speaker shared his experience of upgrading his old laptops and found that people were upset when he threw away some of them. He kept one for backup and sold the best one to his sister. He noted that the lack of USB-A ports was a downside for him, as he has many old cords and devices that use that type. The microphone and camera were also discussed, with the speaker expressing that the microphone was better but not professional-grade, and the camera had a smoothing filter that made his skin look unnatural. However, he was very pleased with the keyboard, which felt great to type on. He ended the discussion by expressing his overall satisfaction with the laptop and encouraging listeners to check out Syntax.fm for more tech content.