If you are in the apple ecosystem and are intending to stay in the Apple eco system then yes, its amazing. If you are open to shopping around though, then you need to start qualifying that statement. Its still good and it still has AMAZING efficiency but in terms of just raw performance it starts getting beat by some of the competition, unless you are only comparing m1 ultra and only concerned with MT, then yes it is in theory potentially unmatched for the moment.
If you're shopping around for PC vs Mac, I think that is another conversation entirely.
However, I'd love to hear of a $699 PC that goes toe to toe with the M1 Mini. For example:
Because really the argument stems on what amount of power you're getting
per dollar.
And/or perhaps what amount of performance you're getting when compared to prior, even more
expensive models.
People are complaining that Apple killed the 27" iMac/iMac Pro, but the thing is that the 2020(!) Mini kicks the pants off of those machines.
Now with the Studio Display, Apple has effectively "repackaged" and improved on the big iMacs in every way, even if the screen's the same. Smaller bezels, better camera, better sound, better ergonomics, and better connectivity (because it is offloaded to the computer).
That's why Apple put the M1 in the 24" iMacs (which themselves improve on the previous "smaller iMac"). They split the difference in size for the one and only Apple AIO.
The concept of splitting the 27" display off of the old iMac is fantastic: it gives Apple (and us) greater flexibility in attaching the wanted/needed power to said monitor. And you can even skip the monitor entirely for something cheaper, better, or already existing in your possession.
Thus, when it comes to power, Apple's "low end" is almost a misnomer. There isn't one.
ALL (M1-based) Apple's computers START at greater-than-iMac Pro levels of power.
