The MacBook Pro M1 and MacBook Air M1 may not be as versatile as we were led to believe. At least according to information released by Apple's biggest competitor.

Chip maker Intel has released a slideshow of graphs showing how Apple's chipsets fall short of its Tiger Lake chips in a select group of benchmarks.

Compared to the 11th generation Core i7 silicon, the Apple M1 is slower overall, has fewer supported apps, and shorter battery life. However, as the PC World report points out, and an analysis by our friends at Tom's Hardware mentions, Intel's numbers have some important caveats.

First, let's look at performance tests based on WebXPRT 3 benchmarks recorded on Google Chrome and Windows 365. Intel used one of its newest chips, the Core i7-1165G7, on the "whitebook" test rig in these benchmarks, but since this chip is so new and so far only found in MSI's Prestige 14 Evo notebook, it is not clear whether this is actually representative of the typical It is unclear if it is representative of the general user experience.

Intel also used the same productivity tests that designed the Intel Evo platform to show how this translates to the real world. According to that test, the M1 chip in the MacBook Pro failed 8 of the 25 scenarios Intel used because it was too slow to respond. However, as TH points out, this test was done on a MacBook with 8 GB of basic RAM, not the 16 GB option.

As for games, Intel wins handily, as half of the games Intel used in its tests do not currently run on the M1 chip. For titles available on both chips, the results are mixed, with Intel and Apple coming out on top. [However, most PC gamers are using discrete graphics cards designed by Nvidia and AMD rather than Intel's integrated Xe graphics, and while it is clear that Windows is a better platform for gaming than the Mac, Intel's It is odd that Intel would make such a comparison.

Swapping from a MacBook Pro to a MacBook Air, from a Core i7-1165G7 whitebook to an Acer Swift 5 laptop with a Core i7-1165G7 chip, Intel tested battery life; the MacBook, streaming Netflix and kept a number of browser tabs open, resulting in a difference of only six minutes.

The slideshow also ribbed Apple for not offering a touchscreen or 2-in-1 laptop, lack of accessory support, and the MacBook only supporting a single external display. While this is not an issue for everyone, it does indicate that Intel machines are more versatile.

Overall, these benchmarks provide compelling evidence that laptops with Intel chips can be better for certain users. However, the tasks and device specs used are designed to produce numbers that openly favor Intel, so it is not worth giving these benchmarks much credence.

Even in areas where Apple is lagging behind, rewinding is possible; the M1 chip is still new, and many of these compatibility issues are likely to be fixed as developers adapt to the platform. Furthermore, given the number of creative Apple patents recently filed on the new MacBook design, it would seem that Apple could offer a traditionally shaped laptop if it sees a profit.

As for future M1-powered products, an announcement may be made in March, during Apple's spring event. Currently, rumors suggest that a new iMac may be in the works, but it is expected that Apple's own chip design will be included in the 16-inch MacBook Pro in the near future.