I understand the importance of SSD, but this could be the main variable for the speed change in the new macs and the fact that the drives are empty because they are new. I bought a Mac Mini and have an old iMac, which was incredibly fast upon purchase. With time the iMac became a dog. But, it also had the slower drive. My 2014 Air is also very fast, but there is little on it. My point is that we are impressed with the technology of the M1, but I am seeing other factors at play. I also miffed by what should be a concern to Apple. If reliability is a major factor for choosing a Mac, but Mac ceases supporting it after 10 years, then does that undermine its reliability? My 2014 Mac cannot use Grammarly because Apple won’t update Safari making the Air useless to me. I was thinking of updating my 2007 iMac with an SSD drive and fast chip to run Catalina, but it would basically cost as much as a Mac Mini, so in that regard, updating with a new Mac Mini makes the most sense. I feel the Hard Drives are the key element as is Internet speed when it comes to my experience.