Apple is doing its best to release the next versions of its M1 chips. The company, which announced the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips earlier this week, will reportedly place a dedicated “High Power Mode”button on the M1 Max version of the Macbook Pro. The button will obviously be used to get the new Macbook Pro up and running, ready for the most demanding tasks. This is probably Apple’s way of making sure the laptop’s battery efficiency stays within acceptable limits, and the M1 Max’s full power is only used when it’s absolutely necessary.
This feature was reported by MacRumours, whose contributor Steve Moser discovered High Power Mode in the macOS Monterey beta code. The publication said that it has confirmed this feature and that it will appear in “higher configurations”of new Macbook Pro devices. This setting is in stark contrast to Apple’s Low Power Mode software, which reduces resource usage to optimize a device’s battery life when its battery is nearing exhaustion.
Also, the Macrumours article says that the feature will only be available on the 16-inch Macbook Pro, not the 14-inch version. This suggests that the 14-inch variant of the Macbook Pro won’t be able to use the full power of the M1 Max chip, even if you choose this option.
Perhaps Apple expects the M1 Max chip to be used only by creators, filmmakers, graphic designers, and others who also need consistent high-power performance. If this is the case, the company could put such a button on the device to lower the thermal limits on the laptop and allow the chip to run at high performance for extended periods of time.
Apple announced the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips at the Unleashed event earlier this week. The chips will be installed in the new Macbook Pro laptops, both of which should go on sale next week. Both new Macbook Pros start at $2,550, while the M1 Max versions will cost over $2,700.