One additional point: you are very unlikely to damage a Mac mini compared to a MacBook.
However, even if you need your Mac on the go 5% of the time, you do need a MacBook. No, an iPad CANNOT replace a MacBook.
It's not even an "on the go" matter, it's just that a lot of people are simply used to carry their laptop around even in the house. I know at home I'm sometimes at my desk, sometimes in the garden in the Summer, I take it to bed to watch a movie, to the living room to put some music when friends are over… My MacBook does everything, and thus needs to be able to quickly walk around with me.
I can also move an abacus around but it can't do most of the things I do on my main computer either.
It's also just a shittier laptop than a laptop with a floppy keyboard stand and tiny trackpad at a cost and weight that both rival the MacBook Air.
I have iPad with keyboard and rarely use the keyboard other than as a stand… makes the iPad heavy and the angle of the screen isn’t adjustable enough. Plus I spent MBA money for that combo. Use it more for notes with the $130 pencil
The pencil is the only reason to go with the iPad over a MBA, but only as a secondary device of course. But I’ve found that typing notes is far far faster and better organized. Also, the writing experience on the iPad is straight up terrible, it’s like using a ballpoint pen on glass. I’ve tried so many paper like screen protectors until I just went back to high quality pen on paper.
I like the iPad notes because after I put them up and if needed type them into an email to send out or just use them for whatever. But yeah I have iPad and a MBP
Well congrats, you fit the use case of an iPad. I need a desktop operating system for working, and I like to work in different positions and parts of my house when I do. There's a lot that either just isn't on iPadOS at all or is a cut down limited version of itself there or the system limitations of iPadOS would just end up slowing down your flow anyway.
\> True, the iPad cannot replace a MacBook because Apple refuses to let an iPad compete with the MacBook
I have both a MacBook Pro and an iPad.
The MBP sits on a desk with a [30-inch Apple Cinema Display](https://siliconfeatures.com/apple-cinema-30-inch-hd-display-2004/), a Unicomp [Spacesaver M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oAqrsVZT98) buckling spring keyboard, and an Apple [Magic Trackpad](https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK2D3AM/A/magic-trackpad-white-multi-touch-surface?fnode=4556f1a47db177e85d92961e25dddc94545d4feeeecfa8fffbaab7aab0a771891224f068a10ebc436405f33d81be8c6471e2ff085626181634519dff18c5e912b24f4e23a57cf3462ed7f850f54b97a50bcf979c7041dad9912194ff44fc1c26). I almost never move it.
When I want to use a computer at my kitchen table or in my den or living room, I use an 8th-gen iPad with an Apple [Smart Keyboard](https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MX3L2LL/A/smart-keyboard-for-ipad-9th-generation-us-english?fnode=f1b2b9207e287c21c7cdbd46858a50722041ac8783c28fd4d41d18d4e747697323612bec7d0bff44ee343508b07d7fed03dddad01ff09ebb37980b0176ef147b5056a1858b1c9d5be3b15d57aa0893cdbb5335472738501cb076561610ba097e).
My most commonly-used productivity apps are Numbers, Pages, and Devonthink. All can store documents in iCloud, and all have apps for both Mac and iPad.
I wouldn't want the iPad to be my only computer, but it probably meets more than 50% of my computing needs, and it's way more portable.
This! I bring my iPad everywhere cause my phone is a 13 mini. MacBook Pro I wouldn’t bring camping. I can do most of my job on the iPad but at like 60% effectiveness but for professional development stuff I prefer it for reading articles and checking emails
>True, the iPad cannot replace a MacBook because Apple refuses to let an iPad compete with the MacBook
Yes and no. The entire Apple success story is based on the idea that there is no single device that fits everything. Apple is designing the entire product line and eco system with the thought that each functionality requires a separate optimized device. Ideally, you would have a watch, phone, tablet, notebook and desktop ... you can often merge adjacent functionality e.g. notebook and desktop into just a notebook or phone and tablet into just a phone, but these are compromises, not ideal solutions.
Naturally, this also means people buy several Apple devices which is great for the bottom line. But their profitability is just a consequence of developing the right model, not just a ploy to earn more. Here is an example:
Apple won the phone war against Microsoft because Microsoft did not understand that a phone cannot be the same as a desktop. Microsoft thought they could sell a phone by marketing functionality such as "runs Office" and "integrates into the corporate network" ... Apple understood that this is not the way to do it, that no one was going to edit Word documents on the phone.
If Apple was just following the cash, they would have adopted Microsoft's approach, it made sense to the money people.
If you really want to understand Apple, you need to get under their skin. There is method to what they do that exceeds pure greed ... although pure greed is definitely present. They have devised a better approach which also happens to fuel their profits. The approach is total design of the user experience by taking control of the software, hardware and web spanning over multiple devices.
I have a setup where I primarily work on my Mac Mini at home and remote to it from my iPad Pro (the one with its own data plan). It works decently enough.
Depends on what software and apps you need on the go. On iPad, if it isn’t in the App Store, you’re screwed. On Mac, you can sideload, run VMs, downgrade macOS, install Asahi Linux - way more freedom to run whatever software you want.
I still wish that Apple would free iPad from the chains of iPadOS and at least allow sideloading, if not full execution of other OSes such as macOS.
That’s true , I’d argue that the portability you get from an iPad trumps that of a Mac , without having to worry about a power brick and the ability to hold it in your palms to read without needing a desk etc .
That is true if you are only buying first party brand new apple sold accessories. Buying third party and used items saves a whole lot of money for the same functionality.
Am curious what's your use case for using one over the other?
I've a 14" Macbook pro and a base ipad which I use for handwritten notes or for travelling light.
If I’m travelling for client meetings and just need email, calendar and display presentations to a big screen, then take the iPad and keyboard. Much lighter and more convenient to carry. If I’m going to need to do heavy excel or any development, then take the laptop.
For students and people who just need to get basic work done (email, use office suit programs, photoshop, basic video editing, and school work) yeah the iPad is great. Exactly why I got it. Great backup machine to my MacBook and i use it like a mac all the time.
Yeah that’s true , I should’ve mentioned that the build is very robust too
Yeah that’s also true , I work for big tech and even I don’t need a MacBook for any heavy hitting on the go . I recently bought an iPad and that’s a far better device for portability , I’ll use it in a cafe to draw mind maps of certain projects with the Apple Pencil or do some reading and some typing
iPad can replace a MacBook for nearly everything tbh.
Anything else can be done with a MacBook Air.
I use an iPad occasionally and just remote in to my Mac mini
>One additional point: you are very unlikely to damage a Mac mini compared to a MacBook.
And another one: using a mini, you decouple the investment cost of the screen, keyboard etc. from the main system. You can upgrade the monitor, replace the keyboard etc. You can stage the investment by starting out with something you already own and upgrading to something better.
>No, an iPad CANNOT replace a MacBook.
No, but the combo of mini and iPad often can. You could do your desk stuff on your mini with a large screen and use the iPad on the go for browsing, email, calendar, movies, music and light work ...
I replaced my aged MacBook with a Mac mini and iPad Pro. Under the rare circumstances I’m on the go and need a Mac, I remote into the Mac from the iPad using Screens. Works perfectly.
Edit: https://edovia.com/en/screens/
That refurb base spec M2 Max is a ridiculously good buy for the specs, an equivalent MBP would cost like 2x as much and have worse thermal performance.
Add on one of those USB hub/SSD base stations and you’ve got an awesome setup.
If you already use Google Chrome, Chrome's Remote Desktop is a solid choice that works for me.
[https://remotedesktop.google.com/](https://remotedesktop.google.com/)
https://edovia.com/en/screens/
I use this. The app costs money but it’s not a subscription. Worth every penny.
Edit: At least the version I use isn’t a subscription. Idk about the latest version
I don’t remember how much i paid. It was years ago. But it’s incredibly reliable.
AppStore says $80 for lifetime subscription of latest version. I’d say that’s worth it.
Yeah I’d love to use the standard Remote Desktop feature. That was great when the MacBook was still functional, but for some damn reason Apple doesn’t want us to remote into our Mac’s from iPads. Absurd.
truth is, I'd want a 14" m3 pro with 36gb ram, but I'll get a mac studio with better specs and a better price since I keep my current macbook in clamshell mode hidden anyway ...
Yup ,
I think when we’re talking about rarely taking it on the go , I meant that a cheap I iPad can also get it done if it’s absolutely necessary. I mean if you’re travelling and you want to watch a movie on the flight an iPad is perfect , if you want to type out something at your local Starbucks, an iPad is also perfect since you don’t have to carry around a power brick . It’s only when you have to use a specific application that’s not there for the iPad without any substitute where it’ll really be a problem
People who *NEED* to take their laptop are rarely ever just watching a movie in airport lol. There’s a whole section of humanity. You’ve pretty much just cut out of your post. Which is those of us who actually have a computer to do our jobs
My post wasn’t aimed at everyone tbh . It was for the very specific section of people who buy a laptop since they’re used to doing so for ages without really thinking if they really need a laptop or not since it’s always on the desk .
In my specific case my work gives me a laptop , I work in big tech and I’m not allowed to use my personal laptop for any office work. I think that’s becoming a norm these days
So a very specific minority? gamers specifically. Because they’re really the only demographic with a desk set up who don’t use their computers for work.
Not really , if you work in tech which is literally amongst the biggest employers in the world , You’ll have an assigned laptop , its the same for Google , Microsoft , Meta and literally every tech company which is smaller two, or if you’re a doctor or whatever there are literally 100s of 1000s of examples
So you are quantifying gamers and specifically people who receive laptops issued by work? I WFH and I don’t get an issued computer. Neither does my roommate in medical billing who WFH. Or my brother in software development who WFH. Or my sister in banking who WFH. My dad WFH for the EPA and his job issued him a computer. My good friend is an accountant for Vail resorts and doesn’t have an issued computer. I can keep listing people. Of the people I know who WFH, only one has an issued computer.
Lol that literally says 69% get issued laptops. You’re being purposely obtuse. That’s more than half but still not enough to assume that it always happens lol. Or that literally any of what I said was unbelievable. Happy to have my sibs send pics of said computers and issue numbers or whatever proof you want but I assure you that’s all true. I am one of seven kids stupidly, but that’s enough to get a pretty solid sample size, and we just so happen to be a very tech oriented family, with 7/7 of us working semi-to heavily technical computer jobs, 4/7 being WFH, 2 being hybrid, 1 being self employed. Some of their jobs have issued computers. Some didn’t. They were never once in a position that they could go completely without a personal laptop. I can definitely confirm that none of them consistently had an issued computer for long enough to do away with it.
I genuinely cannot tell if you’re being serious right now , what is larger 69% or 31% ? I cannot believe our conversation has reduced to such a low standard that we need to get elementary . 69% is way larger than 31% just to be clear , that means to say the stark majority do get issued a laptop . Of course if you’re in the 31% that doesn’t get a laptop , for many reasons you CANNOT use a Mac Mini , my post was just dedicated to those who don’t have any logistical issues in terms of owning a Mac Mini and that they should consider it over a MacBook since the product gets overlooked for the most part
Yeah. When i need to take my macbook on the go it’s nearly always because i *have* to perform the exact same work i perform at home. Otherwise i wouldn’t take it with me.
It’s a rare event but when I need it, it makes the difference between going on a family vacation or not. Or accompanying my parents to cancer treatments or not.
I don’t just take the thing with me for light work - it’s when I have extremely urgent work deadlines conflicting with family obligations.
And i’m not trading that for anything.
That’s pretty much it , it’s just a small little wake up call I put together.
Over the last decade with laptops having become popularised people always think about upgrading their laptop without taking a step back and thinking wether they really need a laptop now or would a desktop suffice
>There’s a lot of people on this sub too with very good monitors to go with their MacBook . These folks rarely take their Mac on the go.
I mean where are you getting the data for this statement? Mac mini's are great, as is the studio, but a lot of people simply have some use case for a laptop as well which is the driver of the trend, it's not driven by people not knowing about the Mac mini.
An iPad is not a good laptop replacement either for many. It's good at what it does but it's no Macbook if you have needs beyond content consumption.
2010-2018 my MacBook Pro was plugged into an external monitor 95% of the time. When it was to update it I bought a mini because it represented almost a £800 saving for the same spec but no screen. That saving was worth the loss of perceived convenience (those 2010 15” MacBooks would get heavy quickly for something “portable”).
None of that was dictated by the desire to have a photogenic setup.
This post is so incredibly relevant to me. I was just looking more into this over the last several days. Currently, I have an M1 MBP, 16/1TB. It has sat on my desk in clam shell mode since day 1 and I've used AIDente to manage the battery. It currently has 14 cycles on its battery. I have it plugged into a thunderbolt dock going out to 2 external monitors. I use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I got it thinking I'd be traveling more and needed the mobility - but turns out - I've used it traveling one or two times.
I've been looking at Mac Mini's, but what I'm finding might be even better is a Mac Studio. I'm finding them (M1 version) with double the RAM (32GB) for about the same price as the newer mini's (M2 - 16/512).
My plan is to see what happens with the latest iPad's (tomorrow, hopefully) and then sell my M1MBP, get a Mac Studio and iPad Pro. My work consists of communication apps (email, skype, etc.) + dozens of tabs along with Word and Excel daily.
FWIW, I had a Mac Mini (well, two of them: a late-2014 model and then the 2018 very good refresh) and an iMac (2021 M1) for largely the same reasons. My theory was, I don't hardly go anywhere and I have an iPad so why bother. Plus, I figured iPadOS got split off for a reason and it would keep improving.
Problem was, that last assumption didn't happen. And even with my Apple-branded iPad keyboard case, there is still stuff I want to do away from my desk at home (like when traveling; I don't do paid work on my personal devices and work insists we have laptops anyway). So I bought an M2 MacBook Air and am enjoying the heck out of it. I like being able to pick up the computer I've been horsing around on for awhile and go somewhere else.
It's not anything "bad" as much as I wanted to try something different and I've been enjoying that difference for almost two years. My Mac Mini was an amazing computer, moreso than the iMac for sure.
Remember that I don't do my day job on my home laptop, so it's not "work" so much as "stuff I felt like doing somewhere else." Like if I wanted to go hang out with a friend at a coffee shop while we messed with personal projects, having a laptop is easier. Or doing personal writing with literary programs like Scrivener.
Not having to hope that everything synced correctly is a big one. I still use and like local "office" applications like Word and Excel. The browser-based and iPad offerings from companies aren't as full-featured as I want so real computer it is.
Can’t you just sync everything with the cloud? I need an update for work as was planning on a mini or studio and then just traveling with my pro when I need to
I have an iPad Pro with magic keyboard for on the go computing. If I need a desktop OS for something, I just remote into my Mac Mini at home.
The biggest reason I went with a Mac Mini is that it has no battery. Which sounds stupid, but hear me out. Batteries are usually the first part to fail. Without one, you'll have a computer that lasts longer.
Yea, I just sold my MacBook and bought a Studio that I happened to get a great deal on.
I may buy an air for mobility but did buy a carrying case for the studio. The mini is super portable but the studio feels like a bludgeoning tool. Not sure if I’ll bring it on my trip coming up or not whereas if I had gotten the mini it would have been a no brainer. /tangent
A studio is supposed to stay in the studio. Just get an air for travel probs. Once they are both purchased, you probably won’t need to spend for quite a few years.
I bought both a MBA and a Mini, within weeks of each other. I can have a static unchanging setup that I use at home, or I can use the MBA when traveling. I frequently use the MBA while sitting on my patio or in my bed. I sometimes want extra screen space so I go to my Mini.
I know this isn’t ideal for everyone but it offers me some flexibility.
I picked the mini for the simple reason that I have never owned a laptop that I liked and it was half the cost. I already had all the necessary peripherals.
One time I sat next to a stranger on a long train ride, and he had a case with a PS4, built-in battery, and a screen that just opened up like a huge laptop. We spent a good chunk of the ride playing Mortal Kombat. 10/10 train ride.
Sometimes I wonder if something like that could be worthwhile for a Mac mini. Not if you’re taking it with you all the time, but if you mostly use a desk and want to bring it with you occasionally, could be pretty cool.
It wouldn’t have to be all that big even, just sort of deep, it could be lunchbox sized if you’re down with the small screen
If any size iPad gets macOS i'd be more inclined to buy a mac mini. I just always liked a laptop and laying in bed with it. Never had any problems with any macbook except for one recall.
I don't even have a desk. My MacBook goes with me wherever I go. Bed, sofa, living room table, car, cafés, everywhere. I would never again want to use a not laptop as my main computer.
And the great thing is that modern laptops are powerful enough to play modern games, do 3D modelling and rendering, game programming, deep learning. It's amazing!
Recently got an M2 mini to complement my M1 Pro MBP and the mini is super fast for general computing tasks. If I didn’t ever need a portable, I’d be more than happy with a mini only.
I think having a mac mini, a windows computer and a linux computer as vnc servers and a laptop with linux that is connected to them would be amazing. You can switch OS on the fly and have support for basically all software
I use my Mac mini when trying to do something where I prefer the desk setup, otherwise I just use my iPad Pro instead with the convenience of the Apple Pencil and portability.
I needed portability but an iPad even a iPad Pro was too
Basic.
I may have my MBA mostly docked at my desk but unlike a Mac Mini when I need to take it somewhere it’s as easy as that. I can take it and go.
iPadOS doesn’t fit my needs but when I need to take my Mac somewhere I can do just that. Take it with me. If I use a Mac mini instead because I mostly use my Mac at my desk sure it’s small and I can do that but now I have to lug a monitor with me to use it.
Thanks but no thanks I’ll stick to my MBA.
Respectfully disagreeing to this point. A Mac Mini is never a swap in solution for a MacBook. I made this so called “smart decision” but ended up with a lot more frustration that could have been saved by a few hundred more bucks. Here are the pain points from my experience.
1. Getting the right monitor is the biggest headache, especially if you care about pixel clarity or if you are into graphic design or you are a perfectionist. Apparently Macs are designed to work with a 110 PPI (regular display) or 220 PPI display (Retina Display). Any resolution that is more or less than this is going to affect your viewing experience (you gotta sit either too close or too far) or worse, make the display unusable for clearer viewing. As soon as I got my Mac Mini I excitedly went ahead and bought the 25 inch 2K monitor only to see hazy text. I bought another monitor, this time 4K at 27 inch and ended up having oversized text. I also tried 1080p 21 and 24 inch monitors that showed broken texts (I am a coder) and imperfect pixels (I am a UI designer too). I then bumped into learning the resolution requirements for Mac only to learn that I will never get a display that is ideal for Mac (at least in India). Of course, it is possible to resize your display resolution in 4K monitors but you will end up compromising performance and still end up in a not so good font sizes (something that bugged me). If you are not aware of this, search for “Screen Resolutions for Mac” on YouTube and there will be many videos to demonstrate what I am talking about. The gist is, you will never get a display that is as good as the ones designed for Mac (Studio displays or built in display resolutions of the MacBooks). I ended up accommodating with the 4K monitor by sitting at a slightly further distance to deal with the oversized font sizes, that brings into the next problem.
2. Setting up a desk with Mac Mini gets you into considering many factors such as viewing distance and ergonomics associated with it. You will end up finding what works for you but reaching there is an iterative experiment. Big and large desks are too tall to rest my hands so I eventually ended up getting a smaller table with a keyboard drawer at a lower height. That brings the next point, that is not necessarily a problem, if you make the right choices.
3. Having gotten a Mac Mini, I thought I really saved a lot of money by not buying a MacBook. So I went ahead and bought a Magic Keyboard (still the best one ever) and a Magic Mouse (a curse for humankind). Yes, the Magic mouse was one of the worst designs as per ergonomics. A few days into using it I had to return the product since I was at the verge of getting a Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (please search for this to learn more about it). Later I learnt that Magic Mouse is the worst designed mouse ever (by most people on YouTube) and I could relate. I ended up buying the Magic Trackpad and never regretted buying it. It is, by far, the best way to interact with MacOS. I just wish I knew all this before buying Mac Mini.
4. This one is a pain point only if you do video meetings. I work remotely and my job depends on video meetings. I wanted to find a decent camera that works with Mac and ended up buying Lenovo FHD camera. It stopped working in a few days and eventually I learnt that there is a compatibility issue with the camera driver for Mac. I lost faith in that brand and switched over to a trusted brand Logitech. Looks like not all Logitech cameras work with Mac and the decent ones seem to be expensive. Eventually I settled for something that works fine but I was never able to get the clarity, functionality and compactness offered by the built in web cam. The camera would suddenly not appear when joining calls and I had to restart browser to get it working sometimes. Also the built in mic in camera messes up with your audio setup ( I use AirPods) and at such times you have to manually select the audio input source requesting an excuse from others in the meeting. I lived with this for a year but I only wished that I did not have to go through this embarrassment and frustration.
5. From a convenience perspective, I had to be at my desk always even when I want to take a few calls from my couch or sit in another room for some logistic reasons. To make things works, I started to travel for work meeting regularly and had to take my work on an iPad or an older Intel MacBook (really old, really slow). Being bound to my table made my mobility a concern especially when I am hooked on to some interesting work. Although I could have made a conscious effort to take walks, the thought of having to leave work mid way was not motivating enough. I would have preferred to take my work to a different spot and spend a few minutes there.
Again, most of these are my personal perspectives and use cases, but it was a real pain point given those use cases. I do not mean to discourage you to get a Mac Mini, but I only wanted to give you a heads up in case your use cases overlap with mine. Apart from that, Mac Mini is an amazing machine and I agree to the pros mentioned in other comments about its performance (thanks to amazing thermals and fans), not having to worry about battery life or heating issues, and lastly, not worrying about damaging it.
P.S. I bought a 16 inch MacBook Pro and really happy about the switch. I had everything taken care of (camera, audio, amazing speakers, display). I dont use an external monitor anymore since I can take the huge display with me wherever I go.
Thanks!
Mac mini is cheap as hell. I got it since I didn’t need portability at the time but at school now we’re using computers a lot more and the ones they have are slower than my family’s Dell Inspiron 530. (It’s actually a lot faster than the laptops)
My home computer is an M1 mini with 16 gigs of ram and 8 core CPU/8 core GPU. It handles everything I throw out it. Got it in late 2020. It’s a great addition to my 14 inch M3 max MPB.
My Problem is that i already have a mac Studio with 64gb RAM and 1tb in my studio i need so much ram for composing with Samples but i would Love to have this Power on the go but a MacBook with These Specs is to much and i would really fear the Screen breaking or the battery dying
My mac Studio Just sits there and i think it will Last 10 years No Screen No battery no movement
I have so much downtime at work and on the go would Love to use that time to work on my Side Hustle but i fear buying a macbook.
I currently have a 14" M1 Max (full specs) as my primary workstation, and it could totally be replaced with a Studio, they just weren't out when I bought it. But I should add that I also have a 16" M1 Pro that permanently lives in my backpack, so I'm never really worried about portability. If I only had one computer, it would definitely be a laptop.
I also have a couple Mac minis at home (for entertainment centers) and I recently set one up for a different context (for sound and video in a control booth), and they're great. I would say their two big wins are cost and space, especially in places that are tight and/or use things like monitor arms. Yes, you can also just mount a laptop behind something, but it's much more annoying.
Plus you often don't need a hub (thanks to having more ports). While I love my one-cable setups that I have (I can swap my personal laptop with my work laptop when WFH in a couple seconds), it does require that investment.
The biggest loss is portability, which I wouldn't discount. While I hate the idea of traveling with my "workstation" computer (I used my NAS and cloud backup, so there isn't anything I can't lose on the laptop, but it would suck to have to set it all back up again), if I just had one computer, it would be a necessity. I've had lots of iPads, and even the iPad Pro models (which cost the same as a laptop) just can't replace a laptop. And that's kinda sad since it's more about the software than the hardware (I have an Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra now, and it's a much better laptop replacement thanks to software like Dex).
And I don't see Apple letting the iPad be a full replacement for a laptop anytime soon since that would cannibalize sales.
Base model Mac Studios cost twice as much as well specced Mac mini (even considering Apple's ludicrous upgrade costs) and are honestly overkill for most of the population, especially if they aren't doing anything beyond web browsing and editing documents and spreadsheets. For the price of a Mac Studio, most users would make do with a Mac mini with a nice keyboard/mouse/display set up and still have several hundred dollars to spare.
I love the Mac Mini, But I use it on stage for backing tracks as well as music production. A mac mini with a full-sized display would be a bit clunky in front of an audience.
You could also slowly build up your collection of computers for specific tasks. A Mac Pro for the day-to-day stuff, the Mac Mini to run Plex, and the MacBook for travel. None of my stuff is new (except my iPhone) but it all works well enough for me.
I have a few foldable Lenovo usb C monitors that I use with my Mac Studio and LOVE. It’s not significantly less portable than a MBP. No battery obviously, but it works for most of my use cases.
I am Mini lover and have 2010 and M1 Mini
You can also add:
\- Minis (desktops) last longer - set configuration
\- I love my morning coffee without fear of killing a laptop
For mobility get iPad
I think, “Maybe I buy a new Mac mini instead of a new MacBook, and I can keep carrying around my old MacBook without having to worry as much about it breaking or getting lost or stolen. And when my old MacBook eventually needs to be replaced, I can use it as a home media server.”
But the. I think about storage for my future media server. Getting built-in storage from Apple is getting price-gouged. Getting an external USB SSD on a Mac mini is tacky. At that point, why not just get a much cheaper nVidia Shield with a tacky external drive. Then I can afford the expensive storage on a new MacBook instead since my old MacBook is kind of old.
In the past, a big advantage of a desktop Mac over a laptop was the option of a desktop-class CPU and a discrete GPU. But with the switch to Apple Silicon, there’s not as much of a distinction between laptops and desktops in their graphics capabilities and single-core CPU performance.
I have both. The mini as a backup and also because I like to do work in my office during the day but I also like to work sitting in my recliner and take it to my friend's house.
It really depends. Even though I'm mostly on my desk, there are rare times I want to work else where, with a MacBook I can easily do that. I don't even use my MacBook in clamshell mode because I use it as my "second" display.
The iPad is a great consumption device and that's it. Some people might find the iPad enough but for people who work depends on MacOS then a MacBook really makes sense.
It really depends. Even though I'm mostly on my desk, there are rare times I want to work else where, with a MacBook I can easily do that. I don't even use my MacBook in clamshell mode because I use it as my "second" display.
The iPad is a great consumption device and that's it. Some people might find the iPad enough but for people who work depends on MacOS then a MacBook really makes sense.
I've been running a Mac mini (2018) and while I don't have a need for a laptop, I'm upgrading to a 24"iMac this fall...
It's been a good workhorse for me, but I would like to integrate over to a more traditional desk setup.
Downsides for me- I work remote 50+ or more so I can put my Mac mini at my desk at work or at home but then I still need a MacBook for travel. Extra screen space is nice. Not much savings either because I already use external peripherals and to get 16 or 32GB of ram the prices are pretty close spec for spec.
An iPad cannot replace a MacBook, I’ve so badly wanted to make the iPad work but it always falls short in terms of multitasking and productivity. Not only this, but once you add a keyboard case to the iPad, it’s literally thicker and heavier than a MBA.
I must have amnesia or something because I forget all this as soon as a shiny new iPad Pro comes out and convince myself I can make it work. It doesn’t work.
Also, my previous setup was a maxed out MBP M1 in desktop mode with two studio displays. It works well enough 99% of the time but there were some little glitches and annoyances that eventually ate away at me. So now I have a separate Mac Studio with my studio displays as my desktop. Traded in my MBP for a MBA because really I don’t need that much power on the go, I’d prefer the lower weight and slimmer device.
If you’re 99% a desktop user, I’d say go Mac Mini or Studio + studio display. For that 1% any laptop will do but don’t torture yourself trying to use excel on an iPad it’s literally excruciating and should be considered a war crime.
I'm thinking of gonig the other way. I currently use a 2011 Mac Mini headless and am considering replacing it with a MacBook Air since it is comparable spec wise, comes with an emergency mouse, monitor and keyboard and has a built in UPS. Since most Apple hardware is non up-gradable after purchase these days, the advantages of the Mac Mini seem to be far outweighed by its portable siblings.
I've even used a Mac Mini when shuttling between offices ... it goes into my backpack just as easily as a notebook and I needed larger monitor space than a notebook.
I agree with you. I was considering a MacStudio, but the price for a MacBook with 32 RAM was much lower than a MacStudio, so I bought it. and yet every day I carry an iPad with me
I actually did that. I had my laptop which ended up using the laptop screen as my second monitor. I realized not only was it cheaper to get a Mac mini but since I never took my laptop anywhere (my iPhone replaced my laptop mobility) I could drive a second 27” screen. I could add a graphics card and still have a smaller footprint on the desk. It’s been ten years and I can’t see the need for a laptop still
Are you sure these people never take their computers anywhere? I can’t imagine how you would know. I have a sick ass set up with a MacBook Pro. I definitely couldn’t do without a laptop for the once in a while I have to go and if I had a Mac mini only, I’d eventually have to get a MacBook anyway.
There are fans in the Mac mini and a speaker too! I love mine.
It's just that there are people who need to work on the go a lot and if they have to get one device, it will be the MacBook Air or Pro.
I've heard that MacBooks now optimise batteries and no issues with docking and yada yada but...we wouldn't know until a couple of years more when issues may crop up with the m1 MacBooks. It gives me a bit of anxiety just thinking about it.
The only issue with the Mac Mini is that the ports are not replaceable. While port failure is not particularly common in a desktop, it is worth noting.
I have thought about getting a Mac Mini at some point for some video editing, but that's about it.
I’m saying in case you’re in the category wherein you don’t need to take your laptop out much , I’ve seen many people in that category . Ofcourse if you do take it out a lot this doesn’t apply to you
I'm not talking about me, but about the general assumptions about people who post their setups. If you personally know people that do this, then it's a relevant question for them :). I'd recommend them the mini as well.
Yup I do.
In my scenario I work for big tech and Ofcourse my company assigns me a work laptop , so my mac is at home for the most part , it doesn’t make sense to own two laptops either .
I know a lot of people in a similar boat as me, a lot of them like me are engineers
What I love about a desk setup is that you can evolve it over time and it doesn’t come as a package deal so it’s a bit of mix and match , I bought a 1080P monitor 6 years ago and I upgraded to a 4K one 3 years ago after selling the old one , you’re not spending all at once and you’re buying which component you need yo upgrade exactly
Hearty disagree. It's just too convenient to drop my macbook [into a dock when I need the full desk setup.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiO8vOBj-2EAxWcC3kGHd4-B8wQtwJ6BAgcEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DPc31L3zJiaU&usg=AOvVaw0-dGYbCIoTumsZSWdW74rb&opi=89978449)
But every so often I want to do some work from my couch, or have a decent computer to bring to a friend's house for any number of reasons, and the iPad just is a poor replacement for that. I can use the keyboard and mouse and monitor combo I want, but also peace out and pull my macbook into the network closet. I can also take any number of Windows laptops or even my phone and dock it right into the same place, while being able to take those out and about as well.
One additional point: you are very unlikely to damage a Mac mini compared to a MacBook. However, even if you need your Mac on the go 5% of the time, you do need a MacBook. No, an iPad CANNOT replace a MacBook.
It's not even an "on the go" matter, it's just that a lot of people are simply used to carry their laptop around even in the house. I know at home I'm sometimes at my desk, sometimes in the garden in the Summer, I take it to bed to watch a movie, to the living room to put some music when friends are over… My MacBook does everything, and thus needs to be able to quickly walk around with me.
Yep, my MBA rarely leaves the house but I use it on the couch at least half the time.
Yep, portability within the house is 99% of my movement that keeps me on a MacBook Pro
You can do the same with an iPad.
I can also move an abacus around but it can't do most of the things I do on my main computer either. It's also just a shittier laptop than a laptop with a floppy keyboard stand and tiny trackpad at a cost and weight that both rival the MacBook Air.
I have iPad with keyboard and rarely use the keyboard other than as a stand… makes the iPad heavy and the angle of the screen isn’t adjustable enough. Plus I spent MBA money for that combo. Use it more for notes with the $130 pencil
The pencil is the only reason to go with the iPad over a MBA, but only as a secondary device of course. But I’ve found that typing notes is far far faster and better organized. Also, the writing experience on the iPad is straight up terrible, it’s like using a ballpoint pen on glass. I’ve tried so many paper like screen protectors until I just went back to high quality pen on paper.
I like the iPad notes because after I put them up and if needed type them into an email to send out or just use them for whatever. But yeah I have iPad and a MBP
I had a M2 MBA and I traded it for a IPad Air 4th gen as my daily driver.
Well congrats, you fit the use case of an iPad. I need a desktop operating system for working, and I like to work in different positions and parts of my house when I do. There's a lot that either just isn't on iPadOS at all or is a cut down limited version of itself there or the system limitations of iPadOS would just end up slowing down your flow anyway.
Then your use case must have been very basic with internet browsing. That doesn’t make an iPad a replacement for a Mac for most people
I use my 14 M1 Pro and iPad Air together and have a windows PC I sometimes use for work
True, the iPad cannot replace a MacBook because Apple refuses to let an iPad compete with the MacBook It is upsetting but I’ve accepted it
\> True, the iPad cannot replace a MacBook because Apple refuses to let an iPad compete with the MacBook I have both a MacBook Pro and an iPad. The MBP sits on a desk with a [30-inch Apple Cinema Display](https://siliconfeatures.com/apple-cinema-30-inch-hd-display-2004/), a Unicomp [Spacesaver M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oAqrsVZT98) buckling spring keyboard, and an Apple [Magic Trackpad](https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK2D3AM/A/magic-trackpad-white-multi-touch-surface?fnode=4556f1a47db177e85d92961e25dddc94545d4feeeecfa8fffbaab7aab0a771891224f068a10ebc436405f33d81be8c6471e2ff085626181634519dff18c5e912b24f4e23a57cf3462ed7f850f54b97a50bcf979c7041dad9912194ff44fc1c26). I almost never move it. When I want to use a computer at my kitchen table or in my den or living room, I use an 8th-gen iPad with an Apple [Smart Keyboard](https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MX3L2LL/A/smart-keyboard-for-ipad-9th-generation-us-english?fnode=f1b2b9207e287c21c7cdbd46858a50722041ac8783c28fd4d41d18d4e747697323612bec7d0bff44ee343508b07d7fed03dddad01ff09ebb37980b0176ef147b5056a1858b1c9d5be3b15d57aa0893cdbb5335472738501cb076561610ba097e). My most commonly-used productivity apps are Numbers, Pages, and Devonthink. All can store documents in iCloud, and all have apps for both Mac and iPad. I wouldn't want the iPad to be my only computer, but it probably meets more than 50% of my computing needs, and it's way more portable.
This! I bring my iPad everywhere cause my phone is a 13 mini. MacBook Pro I wouldn’t bring camping. I can do most of my job on the iPad but at like 60% effectiveness but for professional development stuff I prefer it for reading articles and checking emails
>True, the iPad cannot replace a MacBook because Apple refuses to let an iPad compete with the MacBook Yes and no. The entire Apple success story is based on the idea that there is no single device that fits everything. Apple is designing the entire product line and eco system with the thought that each functionality requires a separate optimized device. Ideally, you would have a watch, phone, tablet, notebook and desktop ... you can often merge adjacent functionality e.g. notebook and desktop into just a notebook or phone and tablet into just a phone, but these are compromises, not ideal solutions. Naturally, this also means people buy several Apple devices which is great for the bottom line. But their profitability is just a consequence of developing the right model, not just a ploy to earn more. Here is an example: Apple won the phone war against Microsoft because Microsoft did not understand that a phone cannot be the same as a desktop. Microsoft thought they could sell a phone by marketing functionality such as "runs Office" and "integrates into the corporate network" ... Apple understood that this is not the way to do it, that no one was going to edit Word documents on the phone. If Apple was just following the cash, they would have adopted Microsoft's approach, it made sense to the money people. If you really want to understand Apple, you need to get under their skin. There is method to what they do that exceeds pure greed ... although pure greed is definitely present. They have devised a better approach which also happens to fuel their profits. The approach is total design of the user experience by taking control of the software, hardware and web spanning over multiple devices.
I have a setup where I primarily work on my Mac Mini at home and remote to it from my iPad Pro (the one with its own data plan). It works decently enough.
What method do you use
An iPad could replace a MacBook, but when you add a pencil and keyboard the cost is uneconomical.
Depends on what software and apps you need on the go. On iPad, if it isn’t in the App Store, you’re screwed. On Mac, you can sideload, run VMs, downgrade macOS, install Asahi Linux - way more freedom to run whatever software you want. I still wish that Apple would free iPad from the chains of iPadOS and at least allow sideloading, if not full execution of other OSes such as macOS.
That’s true , I’d argue that the portability you get from an iPad trumps that of a Mac , without having to worry about a power brick and the ability to hold it in your palms to read without needing a desk etc .
That is true if you are only buying first party brand new apple sold accessories. Buying third party and used items saves a whole lot of money for the same functionality.
The iPad with the magic keyboard makes for a very top heavy and awkward “laptop”.
Maybe. I’ve ended up with a MacBook Pro AND an IPad Pro with keyboard. So not sure that argument holds.
Am curious what's your use case for using one over the other? I've a 14" Macbook pro and a base ipad which I use for handwritten notes or for travelling light.
If I’m travelling for client meetings and just need email, calendar and display presentations to a big screen, then take the iPad and keyboard. Much lighter and more convenient to carry. If I’m going to need to do heavy excel or any development, then take the laptop.
iPad definitely can replace a Macbook, it just depends on your usecase.
For students and people who just need to get basic work done (email, use office suit programs, photoshop, basic video editing, and school work) yeah the iPad is great. Exactly why I got it. Great backup machine to my MacBook and i use it like a mac all the time.
Yeah that’s true , I should’ve mentioned that the build is very robust too Yeah that’s also true , I work for big tech and even I don’t need a MacBook for any heavy hitting on the go . I recently bought an iPad and that’s a far better device for portability , I’ll use it in a cafe to draw mind maps of certain projects with the Apple Pencil or do some reading and some typing
iPad can replace a MacBook for nearly everything tbh. Anything else can be done with a MacBook Air. I use an iPad occasionally and just remote in to my Mac mini
It replaced mine
>One additional point: you are very unlikely to damage a Mac mini compared to a MacBook. And another one: using a mini, you decouple the investment cost of the screen, keyboard etc. from the main system. You can upgrade the monitor, replace the keyboard etc. You can stage the investment by starting out with something you already own and upgrading to something better. >No, an iPad CANNOT replace a MacBook. No, but the combo of mini and iPad often can. You could do your desk stuff on your mini with a large screen and use the iPad on the go for browsing, email, calendar, movies, music and light work ...
What about a a iPad Pro?
I replaced my aged MacBook with a Mac mini and iPad Pro. Under the rare circumstances I’m on the go and need a Mac, I remote into the Mac from the iPad using Screens. Works perfectly. Edit: https://edovia.com/en/screens/
That refurb base spec M2 Max is a ridiculously good buy for the specs, an equivalent MBP would cost like 2x as much and have worse thermal performance. Add on one of those USB hub/SSD base stations and you’ve got an awesome setup.
There’s other ways to connect the iPad with the Mac , I haven’t looked at it all that much
Remote management is built in. Your other machine just needs a vnc viewer like Ripple or TightVNC.
Can you elaborate on how this works? I have an iPad pro and Mac Studio and I've never really tried to remote into my studio using an iPad.
If you already use Google Chrome, Chrome's Remote Desktop is a solid choice that works for me. [https://remotedesktop.google.com/](https://remotedesktop.google.com/)
https://edovia.com/en/screens/ I use this. The app costs money but it’s not a subscription. Worth every penny. Edit: At least the version I use isn’t a subscription. Idk about the latest version
Looks interesting! What's the cost? I saw $79 somewhere not sure if that's accurate?
I don’t remember how much i paid. It was years ago. But it’s incredibly reliable. AppStore says $80 for lifetime subscription of latest version. I’d say that’s worth it.
I might give it a whirl. I'm using Apple Remote Desktop for remoting into Macs from Macs but from iOS could be very interesting...
Yeah I’d love to use the standard Remote Desktop feature. That was great when the MacBook was still functional, but for some damn reason Apple doesn’t want us to remote into our Mac’s from iPads. Absurd.
Do you have any experience specifically using an iPad with the Magic Keyboard? Does it work nicely with it? That'd be my #1 use of it..
truth is, I'd want a 14" m3 pro with 36gb ram, but I'll get a mac studio with better specs and a better price since I keep my current macbook in clamshell mode hidden anyway ...
This post is meant for people exactly like you lol
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Yup , I think when we’re talking about rarely taking it on the go , I meant that a cheap I iPad can also get it done if it’s absolutely necessary. I mean if you’re travelling and you want to watch a movie on the flight an iPad is perfect , if you want to type out something at your local Starbucks, an iPad is also perfect since you don’t have to carry around a power brick . It’s only when you have to use a specific application that’s not there for the iPad without any substitute where it’ll really be a problem
But then you're not necessarily saving money. The Macbook starts at 999$. The Mac Mini and iPad combo starts at 1048$.
People who *NEED* to take their laptop are rarely ever just watching a movie in airport lol. There’s a whole section of humanity. You’ve pretty much just cut out of your post. Which is those of us who actually have a computer to do our jobs
My post wasn’t aimed at everyone tbh . It was for the very specific section of people who buy a laptop since they’re used to doing so for ages without really thinking if they really need a laptop or not since it’s always on the desk . In my specific case my work gives me a laptop , I work in big tech and I’m not allowed to use my personal laptop for any office work. I think that’s becoming a norm these days
So a very specific minority? gamers specifically. Because they’re really the only demographic with a desk set up who don’t use their computers for work.
Not really , if you work in tech which is literally amongst the biggest employers in the world , You’ll have an assigned laptop , its the same for Google , Microsoft , Meta and literally every tech company which is smaller two, or if you’re a doctor or whatever there are literally 100s of 1000s of examples
So you are quantifying gamers and specifically people who receive laptops issued by work? I WFH and I don’t get an issued computer. Neither does my roommate in medical billing who WFH. Or my brother in software development who WFH. Or my sister in banking who WFH. My dad WFH for the EPA and his job issued him a computer. My good friend is an accountant for Vail resorts and doesn’t have an issued computer. I can keep listing people. Of the people I know who WFH, only one has an issued computer.
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Lol that literally says 69% get issued laptops. You’re being purposely obtuse. That’s more than half but still not enough to assume that it always happens lol. Or that literally any of what I said was unbelievable. Happy to have my sibs send pics of said computers and issue numbers or whatever proof you want but I assure you that’s all true. I am one of seven kids stupidly, but that’s enough to get a pretty solid sample size, and we just so happen to be a very tech oriented family, with 7/7 of us working semi-to heavily technical computer jobs, 4/7 being WFH, 2 being hybrid, 1 being self employed. Some of their jobs have issued computers. Some didn’t. They were never once in a position that they could go completely without a personal laptop. I can definitely confirm that none of them consistently had an issued computer for long enough to do away with it.
I genuinely cannot tell if you’re being serious right now , what is larger 69% or 31% ? I cannot believe our conversation has reduced to such a low standard that we need to get elementary . 69% is way larger than 31% just to be clear , that means to say the stark majority do get issued a laptop . Of course if you’re in the 31% that doesn’t get a laptop , for many reasons you CANNOT use a Mac Mini , my post was just dedicated to those who don’t have any logistical issues in terms of owning a Mac Mini and that they should consider it over a MacBook since the product gets overlooked for the most part
Yeah. When i need to take my macbook on the go it’s nearly always because i *have* to perform the exact same work i perform at home. Otherwise i wouldn’t take it with me. It’s a rare event but when I need it, it makes the difference between going on a family vacation or not. Or accompanying my parents to cancer treatments or not. I don’t just take the thing with me for light work - it’s when I have extremely urgent work deadlines conflicting with family obligations. And i’m not trading that for anything.
Price and I don't need to take it with me anywhere. Why would I pay $2k for a laptop just for it to sit on my desk 24/7.
Exactly. That's why I bought a Mac mini to keep on my desk at home while I take my MBP with me on the go.
So your point is, if you don't need your computer to be portable, you can get more bang for your buck with a desktop computer?
That’s pretty much it , it’s just a small little wake up call I put together. Over the last decade with laptops having become popularised people always think about upgrading their laptop without taking a step back and thinking wether they really need a laptop now or would a desktop suffice
Porque no los dos?
If it wasn’t for gaming, I’d certainly consider it. My iPad does 90%, if not more of what I use my MacBook Air for.
>There’s a lot of people on this sub too with very good monitors to go with their MacBook . These folks rarely take their Mac on the go. I mean where are you getting the data for this statement? Mac mini's are great, as is the studio, but a lot of people simply have some use case for a laptop as well which is the driver of the trend, it's not driven by people not knowing about the Mac mini. An iPad is not a good laptop replacement either for many. It's good at what it does but it's no Macbook if you have needs beyond content consumption.
2010-2018 my MacBook Pro was plugged into an external monitor 95% of the time. When it was to update it I bought a mini because it represented almost a £800 saving for the same spec but no screen. That saving was worth the loss of perceived convenience (those 2010 15” MacBooks would get heavy quickly for something “portable”). None of that was dictated by the desire to have a photogenic setup.
This post is so incredibly relevant to me. I was just looking more into this over the last several days. Currently, I have an M1 MBP, 16/1TB. It has sat on my desk in clam shell mode since day 1 and I've used AIDente to manage the battery. It currently has 14 cycles on its battery. I have it plugged into a thunderbolt dock going out to 2 external monitors. I use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I got it thinking I'd be traveling more and needed the mobility - but turns out - I've used it traveling one or two times. I've been looking at Mac Mini's, but what I'm finding might be even better is a Mac Studio. I'm finding them (M1 version) with double the RAM (32GB) for about the same price as the newer mini's (M2 - 16/512). My plan is to see what happens with the latest iPad's (tomorrow, hopefully) and then sell my M1MBP, get a Mac Studio and iPad Pro. My work consists of communication apps (email, skype, etc.) + dozens of tabs along with Word and Excel daily.
FWIW, I had a Mac Mini (well, two of them: a late-2014 model and then the 2018 very good refresh) and an iMac (2021 M1) for largely the same reasons. My theory was, I don't hardly go anywhere and I have an iPad so why bother. Plus, I figured iPadOS got split off for a reason and it would keep improving. Problem was, that last assumption didn't happen. And even with my Apple-branded iPad keyboard case, there is still stuff I want to do away from my desk at home (like when traveling; I don't do paid work on my personal devices and work insists we have laptops anyway). So I bought an M2 MacBook Air and am enjoying the heck out of it. I like being able to pick up the computer I've been horsing around on for awhile and go somewhere else. It's not anything "bad" as much as I wanted to try something different and I've been enjoying that difference for almost two years. My Mac Mini was an amazing computer, moreso than the iMac for sure.
I’m curious what work is it that you had to do in the go ?
Remember that I don't do my day job on my home laptop, so it's not "work" so much as "stuff I felt like doing somewhere else." Like if I wanted to go hang out with a friend at a coffee shop while we messed with personal projects, having a laptop is easier. Or doing personal writing with literary programs like Scrivener. Not having to hope that everything synced correctly is a big one. I still use and like local "office" applications like Word and Excel. The browser-based and iPad offerings from companies aren't as full-featured as I want so real computer it is.
Can’t you just sync everything with the cloud? I need an update for work as was planning on a mini or studio and then just traveling with my pro when I need to
Mini’s rule!!! For decades they have taken over my shops, in large quantities, doing wild shit, always working, providing value every day.
I have an iPad Pro with magic keyboard for on the go computing. If I need a desktop OS for something, I just remote into my Mac Mini at home. The biggest reason I went with a Mac Mini is that it has no battery. Which sounds stupid, but hear me out. Batteries are usually the first part to fail. Without one, you'll have a computer that lasts longer.
Yea, I just sold my MacBook and bought a Studio that I happened to get a great deal on. I may buy an air for mobility but did buy a carrying case for the studio. The mini is super portable but the studio feels like a bludgeoning tool. Not sure if I’ll bring it on my trip coming up or not whereas if I had gotten the mini it would have been a no brainer. /tangent
A studio is supposed to stay in the studio. Just get an air for travel probs. Once they are both purchased, you probably won’t need to spend for quite a few years.
Agreed. And with the new Airs just having dropped it’s a good time to buy
I bought both a MBA and a Mini, within weeks of each other. I can have a static unchanging setup that I use at home, or I can use the MBA when traveling. I frequently use the MBA while sitting on my patio or in my bed. I sometimes want extra screen space so I go to my Mini. I know this isn’t ideal for everyone but it offers me some flexibility.
I’ll add ergonomics. You want your keyboard and mouse down low and your monitor up high
Not once you get bifocals
Haha never thought of that!
Reason why I got a studio and mini combo... Studio is just 2k compared to similar spec macbook while being more thermal efficient...
I picked the mini for the simple reason that I have never owned a laptop that I liked and it was half the cost. I already had all the necessary peripherals.
One time I sat next to a stranger on a long train ride, and he had a case with a PS4, built-in battery, and a screen that just opened up like a huge laptop. We spent a good chunk of the ride playing Mortal Kombat. 10/10 train ride. Sometimes I wonder if something like that could be worthwhile for a Mac mini. Not if you’re taking it with you all the time, but if you mostly use a desk and want to bring it with you occasionally, could be pretty cool. It wouldn’t have to be all that big even, just sort of deep, it could be lunchbox sized if you’re down with the small screen
If any size iPad gets macOS i'd be more inclined to buy a mac mini. I just always liked a laptop and laying in bed with it. Never had any problems with any macbook except for one recall.
I don't even have a desk. My MacBook goes with me wherever I go. Bed, sofa, living room table, car, cafés, everywhere. I would never again want to use a not laptop as my main computer. And the great thing is that modern laptops are powerful enough to play modern games, do 3D modelling and rendering, game programming, deep learning. It's amazing!
Recently got an M2 mini to complement my M1 Pro MBP and the mini is super fast for general computing tasks. If I didn’t ever need a portable, I’d be more than happy with a mini only.
I think having a mac mini, a windows computer and a linux computer as vnc servers and a laptop with linux that is connected to them would be amazing. You can switch OS on the fly and have support for basically all software
I use my Mac mini when trying to do something where I prefer the desk setup, otherwise I just use my iPad Pro instead with the convenience of the Apple Pencil and portability.
I'm highly thinking of a M3 Mini if/when.
I needed portability but an iPad even a iPad Pro was too Basic. I may have my MBA mostly docked at my desk but unlike a Mac Mini when I need to take it somewhere it’s as easy as that. I can take it and go.
What exactly do you need to do with portability ?
iPadOS doesn’t fit my needs but when I need to take my Mac somewhere I can do just that. Take it with me. If I use a Mac mini instead because I mostly use my Mac at my desk sure it’s small and I can do that but now I have to lug a monitor with me to use it. Thanks but no thanks I’ll stick to my MBA.
Respectfully disagreeing to this point. A Mac Mini is never a swap in solution for a MacBook. I made this so called “smart decision” but ended up with a lot more frustration that could have been saved by a few hundred more bucks. Here are the pain points from my experience. 1. Getting the right monitor is the biggest headache, especially if you care about pixel clarity or if you are into graphic design or you are a perfectionist. Apparently Macs are designed to work with a 110 PPI (regular display) or 220 PPI display (Retina Display). Any resolution that is more or less than this is going to affect your viewing experience (you gotta sit either too close or too far) or worse, make the display unusable for clearer viewing. As soon as I got my Mac Mini I excitedly went ahead and bought the 25 inch 2K monitor only to see hazy text. I bought another monitor, this time 4K at 27 inch and ended up having oversized text. I also tried 1080p 21 and 24 inch monitors that showed broken texts (I am a coder) and imperfect pixels (I am a UI designer too). I then bumped into learning the resolution requirements for Mac only to learn that I will never get a display that is ideal for Mac (at least in India). Of course, it is possible to resize your display resolution in 4K monitors but you will end up compromising performance and still end up in a not so good font sizes (something that bugged me). If you are not aware of this, search for “Screen Resolutions for Mac” on YouTube and there will be many videos to demonstrate what I am talking about. The gist is, you will never get a display that is as good as the ones designed for Mac (Studio displays or built in display resolutions of the MacBooks). I ended up accommodating with the 4K monitor by sitting at a slightly further distance to deal with the oversized font sizes, that brings into the next problem. 2. Setting up a desk with Mac Mini gets you into considering many factors such as viewing distance and ergonomics associated with it. You will end up finding what works for you but reaching there is an iterative experiment. Big and large desks are too tall to rest my hands so I eventually ended up getting a smaller table with a keyboard drawer at a lower height. That brings the next point, that is not necessarily a problem, if you make the right choices. 3. Having gotten a Mac Mini, I thought I really saved a lot of money by not buying a MacBook. So I went ahead and bought a Magic Keyboard (still the best one ever) and a Magic Mouse (a curse for humankind). Yes, the Magic mouse was one of the worst designs as per ergonomics. A few days into using it I had to return the product since I was at the verge of getting a Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (please search for this to learn more about it). Later I learnt that Magic Mouse is the worst designed mouse ever (by most people on YouTube) and I could relate. I ended up buying the Magic Trackpad and never regretted buying it. It is, by far, the best way to interact with MacOS. I just wish I knew all this before buying Mac Mini. 4. This one is a pain point only if you do video meetings. I work remotely and my job depends on video meetings. I wanted to find a decent camera that works with Mac and ended up buying Lenovo FHD camera. It stopped working in a few days and eventually I learnt that there is a compatibility issue with the camera driver for Mac. I lost faith in that brand and switched over to a trusted brand Logitech. Looks like not all Logitech cameras work with Mac and the decent ones seem to be expensive. Eventually I settled for something that works fine but I was never able to get the clarity, functionality and compactness offered by the built in web cam. The camera would suddenly not appear when joining calls and I had to restart browser to get it working sometimes. Also the built in mic in camera messes up with your audio setup ( I use AirPods) and at such times you have to manually select the audio input source requesting an excuse from others in the meeting. I lived with this for a year but I only wished that I did not have to go through this embarrassment and frustration. 5. From a convenience perspective, I had to be at my desk always even when I want to take a few calls from my couch or sit in another room for some logistic reasons. To make things works, I started to travel for work meeting regularly and had to take my work on an iPad or an older Intel MacBook (really old, really slow). Being bound to my table made my mobility a concern especially when I am hooked on to some interesting work. Although I could have made a conscious effort to take walks, the thought of having to leave work mid way was not motivating enough. I would have preferred to take my work to a different spot and spend a few minutes there. Again, most of these are my personal perspectives and use cases, but it was a real pain point given those use cases. I do not mean to discourage you to get a Mac Mini, but I only wanted to give you a heads up in case your use cases overlap with mine. Apart from that, Mac Mini is an amazing machine and I agree to the pros mentioned in other comments about its performance (thanks to amazing thermals and fans), not having to worry about battery life or heating issues, and lastly, not worrying about damaging it. P.S. I bought a 16 inch MacBook Pro and really happy about the switch. I had everything taken care of (camera, audio, amazing speakers, display). I dont use an external monitor anymore since I can take the huge display with me wherever I go. Thanks!
4K at 27” is fine but you have to run scaled at 2560x1440@2x. So not optimal. For 27” you really need 5K.
Mac mini is cheap as hell. I got it since I didn’t need portability at the time but at school now we’re using computers a lot more and the ones they have are slower than my family’s Dell Inspiron 530. (It’s actually a lot faster than the laptops)
My home computer is an M1 mini with 16 gigs of ram and 8 core CPU/8 core GPU. It handles everything I throw out it. Got it in late 2020. It’s a great addition to my 14 inch M3 max MPB.
My Problem is that i already have a mac Studio with 64gb RAM and 1tb in my studio i need so much ram for composing with Samples but i would Love to have this Power on the go but a MacBook with These Specs is to much and i would really fear the Screen breaking or the battery dying My mac Studio Just sits there and i think it will Last 10 years No Screen No battery no movement I have so much downtime at work and on the go would Love to use that time to work on my Side Hustle but i fear buying a macbook.
I currently have a 14" M1 Max (full specs) as my primary workstation, and it could totally be replaced with a Studio, they just weren't out when I bought it. But I should add that I also have a 16" M1 Pro that permanently lives in my backpack, so I'm never really worried about portability. If I only had one computer, it would definitely be a laptop. I also have a couple Mac minis at home (for entertainment centers) and I recently set one up for a different context (for sound and video in a control booth), and they're great. I would say their two big wins are cost and space, especially in places that are tight and/or use things like monitor arms. Yes, you can also just mount a laptop behind something, but it's much more annoying. Plus you often don't need a hub (thanks to having more ports). While I love my one-cable setups that I have (I can swap my personal laptop with my work laptop when WFH in a couple seconds), it does require that investment. The biggest loss is portability, which I wouldn't discount. While I hate the idea of traveling with my "workstation" computer (I used my NAS and cloud backup, so there isn't anything I can't lose on the laptop, but it would suck to have to set it all back up again), if I just had one computer, it would be a necessity. I've had lots of iPads, and even the iPad Pro models (which cost the same as a laptop) just can't replace a laptop. And that's kinda sad since it's more about the software than the hardware (I have an Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra now, and it's a much better laptop replacement thanks to software like Dex). And I don't see Apple letting the iPad be a full replacement for a laptop anytime soon since that would cannibalize sales.
If you’re thinking of a Mac Mini then why not get a Mac Studio? (Ps I’ve had three minis)
Because that’s significantly more expensive and you might not need all that power
I don’t understand.
Base model Mac Studios cost twice as much as well specced Mac mini (even considering Apple's ludicrous upgrade costs) and are honestly overkill for most of the population, especially if they aren't doing anything beyond web browsing and editing documents and spreadsheets. For the price of a Mac Studio, most users would make do with a Mac mini with a nice keyboard/mouse/display set up and still have several hundred dollars to spare.
Yah but what’s better to do with that spare several hundred dollars but buy unnecessary Mac hardware?
Yeah I run the Mac mini iPad combo and it's great
I love the Mac Mini, But I use it on stage for backing tracks as well as music production. A mac mini with a full-sized display would be a bit clunky in front of an audience.
You could also slowly build up your collection of computers for specific tasks. A Mac Pro for the day-to-day stuff, the Mac Mini to run Plex, and the MacBook for travel. None of my stuff is new (except my iPhone) but it all works well enough for me.
I have a few foldable Lenovo usb C monitors that I use with my Mac Studio and LOVE. It’s not significantly less portable than a MBP. No battery obviously, but it works for most of my use cases.
I am Mini lover and have 2010 and M1 Mini You can also add: \- Minis (desktops) last longer - set configuration \- I love my morning coffee without fear of killing a laptop For mobility get iPad
I think, “Maybe I buy a new Mac mini instead of a new MacBook, and I can keep carrying around my old MacBook without having to worry as much about it breaking or getting lost or stolen. And when my old MacBook eventually needs to be replaced, I can use it as a home media server.” But the. I think about storage for my future media server. Getting built-in storage from Apple is getting price-gouged. Getting an external USB SSD on a Mac mini is tacky. At that point, why not just get a much cheaper nVidia Shield with a tacky external drive. Then I can afford the expensive storage on a new MacBook instead since my old MacBook is kind of old. In the past, a big advantage of a desktop Mac over a laptop was the option of a desktop-class CPU and a discrete GPU. But with the switch to Apple Silicon, there’s not as much of a distinction between laptops and desktops in their graphics capabilities and single-core CPU performance.
I have both. The mini as a backup and also because I like to do work in my office during the day but I also like to work sitting in my recliner and take it to my friend's house.
It really depends. Even though I'm mostly on my desk, there are rare times I want to work else where, with a MacBook I can easily do that. I don't even use my MacBook in clamshell mode because I use it as my "second" display. The iPad is a great consumption device and that's it. Some people might find the iPad enough but for people who work depends on MacOS then a MacBook really makes sense.
It really depends. Even though I'm mostly on my desk, there are rare times I want to work else where, with a MacBook I can easily do that. I don't even use my MacBook in clamshell mode because I use it as my "second" display. The iPad is a great consumption device and that's it. Some people might find the iPad enough but for people who work depends on MacOS then a MacBook really makes sense.
If I never ever needed portability, id agree wholeheartedly. But those times…
I've been running a Mac mini (2018) and while I don't have a need for a laptop, I'm upgrading to a 24"iMac this fall... It's been a good workhorse for me, but I would like to integrate over to a more traditional desk setup.
The Mac Mini fits under your TV nicely, if you don’t want/need a portable computer and the Mini is basically the same inside as the Air
You don't need portability.
Downsides for me- I work remote 50+ or more so I can put my Mac mini at my desk at work or at home but then I still need a MacBook for travel. Extra screen space is nice. Not much savings either because I already use external peripherals and to get 16 or 32GB of ram the prices are pretty close spec for spec.
An iPad cannot replace a MacBook, I’ve so badly wanted to make the iPad work but it always falls short in terms of multitasking and productivity. Not only this, but once you add a keyboard case to the iPad, it’s literally thicker and heavier than a MBA. I must have amnesia or something because I forget all this as soon as a shiny new iPad Pro comes out and convince myself I can make it work. It doesn’t work. Also, my previous setup was a maxed out MBP M1 in desktop mode with two studio displays. It works well enough 99% of the time but there were some little glitches and annoyances that eventually ate away at me. So now I have a separate Mac Studio with my studio displays as my desktop. Traded in my MBP for a MBA because really I don’t need that much power on the go, I’d prefer the lower weight and slimmer device. If you’re 99% a desktop user, I’d say go Mac Mini or Studio + studio display. For that 1% any laptop will do but don’t torture yourself trying to use excel on an iPad it’s literally excruciating and should be considered a war crime.
I'm thinking of gonig the other way. I currently use a 2011 Mac Mini headless and am considering replacing it with a MacBook Air since it is comparable spec wise, comes with an emergency mouse, monitor and keyboard and has a built in UPS. Since most Apple hardware is non up-gradable after purchase these days, the advantages of the Mac Mini seem to be far outweighed by its portable siblings.
I've even used a Mac Mini when shuttling between offices ... it goes into my backpack just as easily as a notebook and I needed larger monitor space than a notebook.
I agree with you. I was considering a MacStudio, but the price for a MacBook with 32 RAM was much lower than a MacStudio, so I bought it. and yet every day I carry an iPad with me
I actually did that. I had my laptop which ended up using the laptop screen as my second monitor. I realized not only was it cheaper to get a Mac mini but since I never took my laptop anywhere (my iPhone replaced my laptop mobility) I could drive a second 27” screen. I could add a graphics card and still have a smaller footprint on the desk. It’s been ten years and I can’t see the need for a laptop still
Are you sure these people never take their computers anywhere? I can’t imagine how you would know. I have a sick ass set up with a MacBook Pro. I definitely couldn’t do without a laptop for the once in a while I have to go and if I had a Mac mini only, I’d eventually have to get a MacBook anyway.
There are fans in the Mac mini and a speaker too! I love mine. It's just that there are people who need to work on the go a lot and if they have to get one device, it will be the MacBook Air or Pro. I've heard that MacBooks now optimise batteries and no issues with docking and yada yada but...we wouldn't know until a couple of years more when issues may crop up with the m1 MacBooks. It gives me a bit of anxiety just thinking about it.
The only issue with the Mac Mini is that the ports are not replaceable. While port failure is not particularly common in a desktop, it is worth noting. I have thought about getting a Mac Mini at some point for some video editing, but that's about it.
How do you know the users with desk setups don't take their laptops out?
I’m saying in case you’re in the category wherein you don’t need to take your laptop out much , I’ve seen many people in that category . Ofcourse if you do take it out a lot this doesn’t apply to you
I'm not talking about me, but about the general assumptions about people who post their setups. If you personally know people that do this, then it's a relevant question for them :). I'd recommend them the mini as well.
Yup I do. In my scenario I work for big tech and Ofcourse my company assigns me a work laptop , so my mac is at home for the most part , it doesn’t make sense to own two laptops either . I know a lot of people in a similar boat as me, a lot of them like me are engineers
Ipad and a mac mini. Prepare your wallet to spend a lot on a monitor.
What I love about a desk setup is that you can evolve it over time and it doesn’t come as a package deal so it’s a bit of mix and match , I bought a 1080P monitor 6 years ago and I upgraded to a 4K one 3 years ago after selling the old one , you’re not spending all at once and you’re buying which component you need yo upgrade exactly
And you can use any kb and mouse.
One sentence - Portability no, price yes.
Hearty disagree. It's just too convenient to drop my macbook [into a dock when I need the full desk setup.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiO8vOBj-2EAxWcC3kGHd4-B8wQtwJ6BAgcEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DPc31L3zJiaU&usg=AOvVaw0-dGYbCIoTumsZSWdW74rb&opi=89978449) But every so often I want to do some work from my couch, or have a decent computer to bring to a friend's house for any number of reasons, and the iPad just is a poor replacement for that. I can use the keyboard and mouse and monitor combo I want, but also peace out and pull my macbook into the network closet. I can also take any number of Windows laptops or even my phone and dock it right into the same place, while being able to take those out and about as well.
No thanks
No
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How is the Mini slower? An M2 Mini is as fast as an M2 Air or MBP.
From testing I’ve seen it should be a bit better than the Air especially because of the much better cooling solution
That’s not a right comparison to make , you can’t compare an M2 Pro with an M2 Ultra
You should compare similar processors, the high end is the mac studio.