Mac mini and studio comprise 1% of Mac sales

[richinaus]

I started with the M1 Macbook Air and loved it. Had it since 2020. Then last year I wanted more power to do photo and video editing. Costco had a fantastic deal on the M1 Max Mac Studio for $1499 so I grabbed one. The Mac Studio was great -- powerful, quiet, good port selection.

I found myself using the MacBook Air less and less due to the power disparity. Granted, the M1 MBA with 16GB could actually do all my photo and video editing, just 3x slower than the Mac Studio. I decided to trade in the MBA for some Apple credit while the value was still good.

Shortly after I missed having a laptop to work in other parts of the house so I returned the Mac Studio and set my eyes on an M1 Max 16" MBP with 64GB and 4TB for $2999. It was a pretty phenomenonal machine and deal. I kind of wish I still had it. Anyways, at the time I found it heavy and bulky so I sold it on Swappa without losing too much and bought the base M3 Max MBP 14 instead.

I like the idea of a desktop but realistically I'm better off with a laptop and dock. And with Apple, their Macbooks can be just as powerful as their desktops.

yep I am similar, and ended up with a 14 MBP Max and studio display. I think it is the ultimate set up of power and portability [have had 16", studio ultra etc].

 

[drrich2]

I've heard people say - "I rely on (device) and I can't be without it even for a day or two" - that just tells me they haven't planned for contingencies.

I'm just a recreational scuba diver (hobby), but the technical scuba divers have a saying regarding the need for gear redundancy to cover contingencies - "Two is one and one is none." Everything fails eventually.

 

[richinaus]

Certainly mine are. I have two Mac minis and a MacBook Pro, and an iPad and iPhone. Seems like a lot for one person, but not really.

One Mac mini in my home office - one in my workshop - and the MacBook Pro for occasional travel (not often enough; I could get by with a MacBook Air in retrospect but the 16" display is handy). iPad and iPhone are all-around use.

Someone gave me the acronym PACE - Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency. I think it's military origin. But it's a more modern/specific version of "don't put all your eggs in one basket."

I've heard people say - "I rely on (device) and I can't be without it even for a day or two" - that just tells me they haven't planned for contingencies. You could take a sledgehammer to ANY one of my devices, and I'd be able to work around it for at least a few days.

I agree with contingencies, and always had multiple computers. However I can get to the Apple store in 20minutes, buy a replacement and be up and running in an hour.
I prefer that approach these days to the multi computer solution [much cheaper, more minimal and easier to manage], and have had to do this twice before on tight deadline projects. It wasn't an issue.

 

[splifingate]

I started with the M1 Macbook Air and loved it. Had it since 2020. Then last year I wanted more power to do photo and video editing. Costco had a fantastic deal on the M1 Max Mac Studio for $1499 so I grabbed one. The Mac Studio was great -- powerful, quiet, good port selection.

I found myself using the MacBook Air less and less due to the power disparity. Granted, the M1 MBA with 16GB could actually do all my photo and video editing, just 3x slower than the Mac Studio. I decided to trade in the MBA for some Apple credit while the value was still good.

Shortly after I missed having a laptop to work in other parts of the house so I returned the Mac Studio and set my eyes on an M1 Max 16" MBP with 64GB and 4TB for $2999. It was a pretty phenomenonal machine and deal. I kind of wish I still had it. Anyways, at the time I found it heavy and bulky so I sold it on Swappa without losing too much and bought the base M3 Max MBP 14 instead.

I like the idea of a desktop but realistically I'm better off with a laptop and dock. And with Apple, their Macbooks can be just as powerful as their desktops.

Thanks for sharing. I appreciate the perspective.

Amazing what a recent AAPL lappy can provide!