# Apple M1 Pro laptop

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-m1-pro/

7 people recommended Apple M1 Pro laptop in Hacker News comments, 2 had mixed feelings and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 12 months, in 4 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

4 of the 7 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra”.

**Verdict:** Recommended for smooth performance and enough power for most work, including iOS development and Lightroom. Common caveat: some report slowdowns and beachballs over time, and software quality is criticized.

Summary written by Claude from 7 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Smooth performance for years (3 comments in the sample): "still snappy for me. that includes some iOS dev from time to time, lightroom classic, much better than my pc" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49442564)) "never really felt like it needed to be upgraded" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50263034)) "which still runs buttery smooth" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49444185))
- Enough power for most people (1 comment in the sample): "The M1 Pro with 16gb+ is still more than nearly everyone needs." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48683554))

## What people warn about

- Slowdowns and beachballs over time (2 comments in the sample): "mine is clearly deteriorating lately. Lots of beachballs." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49442718)) "my M1 Pro seems to struggle and take forever" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46906271))
- Software quality lags behind hardware (1 comment in the sample): "their M-series hardware is held back by lack of quality software" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47301792))

## Other laptops people recommend

- [Apple MacBook Pro](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macbook-pro/): 593 recommend, 243 mixed, 586 criticize
- [Apple MacBook Neo](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macbook-neo/): 488 recommend, 173 mixed, 295 criticize
- [MacBook Air](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macbook-air/): 475 recommend, 122 mixed, 163 criticize
- [Apple MacBook](https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-macbook/): 358 recommend, 110 mixed, 324 criticize

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/)

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Apple M1 Pro laptop", https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-m1-pro/ (7 recommend, 2 mixed, 1 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 3 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.