Ahhh I love my Mac mini

[gregorsamsa]

Unfortunately that one aspect limits the usefulness of its gpu for certain purposes. I think Apple bet on the Haswell igpu as being good enough for most users who buy the mini. They probably determined the HD 4000 was acceptable. They did move to a somewhat more expensive cpu in the mid range model. With good cord management, I could see someone having a setup for the mini at their home and office. If you only have to transport the brain, it wouldn't be that bad. You just plug in a couple things, and you have a more ergonomic setup than a notebook could provide.

I agree. Also, GPU benchmarks prove that going with integrated video in the high-end 2012 Mini was a backward step for graphically-demanding tasks. Frankly, notwithstanding the impressive quad-core update in the more expensive 2012 model, I'm glad I have the 2011 Mini with HD 6630M.

However, there really isn't that much difference in most of those benchmarks. For those who prefer a faster processor, I imagine the loss of the discrete card won't bother them nearly as much as it did someone like me.

That probably no-one else in the industry, bar Apple, would get away with it, is yet another issue & nothing new when talking about Apple's general business plan of trying to get more people into buying more expensive products, in this case iMacs.

FWIW, unlike many consumers, I'll never buy into that agenda (not least as I can't stand any AIO's with reflective screens), but I strongly suspect I'm in the minority in this respect.

 

[leonstafford]

Been a while since I posted, but a recent trip from Cebu -> Manila -> Hong Kong -> China carrying a 17" linux laptop was much more tiresome than the previous trip I did with a Mac Mini and 16" cheap LCD.

I'm set to travel again soon and I'll be ditching the laptop and taking just the Mini and maybe not even the monitor, depending on my itinerary.

The Mini has much better thermal requirements oh and I also carry a 1st gen iPad with a good stand, which is better at airports to just whip out for mail, web, movies, music..

I also carry Apple blutooth keyboard and mouse, which weigh next to nothing and the keyboard is great for extended sessions on the iPad.

Planning a 1 month trip soon and unless I can justify the $ for another MBA, then I think the Mini, LCD + iPad combo will be my weapons of choice to work on the road...

 

[jaycee520]

Been a while since I posted, but a recent trip from Cebu -> Manila -> Hong Kong -> China carrying a 17" linux laptop was much more tiresome than the previous trip I did with a Mac Mini and 16" cheap LCD.

I'm set to travel again soon and I'll be ditching the laptop and taking just the Mini and maybe not even the monitor, depending on my itinerary.

The Mini has much better thermal requirements oh and I also carry a 1st gen iPad with a good stand, which is better at airports to just whip out for mail, web, movies, music..

I also carry Apple blutooth keyboard and mouse, which weigh next to nothing and the keyboard is great for extended sessions on the iPad.

Planning a 1 month trip soon and unless I can justify the $ for another MBA, then I think the Mini, LCD + iPad combo will be my weapons of choice to work on the road...

Thats a lot of hardware to be hauling around..personally i would still prefer my 13” rMBP but thats me...

 

[BJonson]

Thats a lot of hardware to be hauling around..personally i would still prefer my 13” rMBP but thats me...

Personally this thread is a year and a half old.