When the Apple M1 chip (aka Apple Silicon) was first introduced at the November 10 event, it was clear that the new chip would be energy efficient. Apple spoke at length about improvements in both battery life and performance, two things that are usually incompatible.

Apple has published data on how the Mac mini with the M1 has fared compared to previous computers, and there is no conflict in terms of both power consumption and heat output.

As can be seen from the data section republished below, Apple's data goes back to the first PowerPC G4 packing model in 2005, and the M1-powered 2020 version outperforms its predecessor in all measured efficiency metrics.

To emphasize exactly how much progress we have made, the amount of energy consumed by the original Mac mini with its 1.25 GHz processor and 256 MB (yes, MB) of RAM at idle was nearly identical to the amount of energy used by current models at load Interesting. We have really come a long way.

Of course, most of the data is historical (in home computing terms), but the new Mac mini's statistics relative to the 2018 6-core Intel Core i7 model really show the improvement. The new Mac mini consumes 13W less power at idle and 83W less power under load. In other words, while the 2018 Mac wastes 68 BTU/h at idle and 417 BTU/h under load, the new model consumes only 23 BTU/h and 133 BTU/h in the same conditions. [2018 Mac mini uses a desktop-class processor, because the new Mac mini is powered by the same chip found in both the new MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Pro M1. But that seems moot, given that the Apple M1-equipped Mac mini outperforms the 2018 model by more than 50% in benchmark tests.

As we wrote in our review of the M1-powered Mac mini, it is "cheaper, faster, and maintains everything we loved about the Mac mini while changing both its internals and the position Apple occupies in the larger industry." So the rumor that Apple will next give the 2021 iMac the M1 treatment is probably a positive one.

Those who need more extensive software support will be relieved to hear that Apple is also apparently planning an Intel version of the 2021 iMac for those not yet ready to make the transition. From what we've seen, it looks like those shoppers will have to prepare for higher electricity bills.