Apple says its new Macs will start instantly from sleep

At Apple’s ‘One more thing’ event today, the company launched both a brand new chip, the M1, and a range of new Macs.

During the presentation there was a moment that caught my attention: Apple claimed the new Macs with M1 chips will start instantly from sleep.

That’s right: if you have a brand new Mac, Apple expects you’ll be able to open the screen and it’ll flick immediately into life.

Apple M1 mac start instantly from sleep — This, friends, is a fancy image of the new M1 chip. Apple gave a whole load of information about it, but the key factor is that the company has combined a range of disparate chips into the M1. Long story short, it should be blazingly fast. Will it live up to the hype? Well, and to use a massive cliche, only time will tell. Nice picture though, right?

This ‘start instantly from sleep’ feature was announced while company was discussing the crossover between the new chip, macOS Big Sur, and the new notebooks.

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The way the company explained it was similar to the experience of using an iPhone or iPad: it wakes up immediately.

This is one of those updates that — if it turns out to be accurate in real world situations — is a game-changer.

It might not sound like much, but I’ve found that whenever you have a feature like this that shaves seconds off your task time, it becomes essential.

Think of contactless payments or fingerprint unlocking. Typing in your PIN didn’t seem like that much of a hassle, until you went back to doing it. These days? Well, I’ll be damned if I’m going to press 4 keys to unlock my phone.

All we can do is wait to see how this happens. But, if it’s true, and the new Macs will start instantly from sleep, well, I’m going to be first in the queue.

Story by Callum Booth

Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting (show all) Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting was cited widely, including in VICE, the FT, and the BBC. Callum’s writing has appeared in The Verge, The Daily Telegraph, Time Out, and many more. He covers the full spectrum of technology, with a particular focus on how it shapes our daily lives. And a lot of regulation stuff too. Outside of work, Callum’s an avid bookworm, a Fisherman’s Friends addict, and resolutely unshaven. Follow him on Twitter @CallumBooth or visit www.callumbooth.net.