Vote: future setup

[roland.g]

In the past I've always been a desktop guy, G4 PowerMac "Sawtooth", 24" iMac, 27" iMac, Mac Mini.

And I use my iPhone a ton and always use the largest screen available. So much so that I have moved away from even liking the iPad much, though I did return to the platform with a 2020 Air 4 w/ Logitech keyboard case. Love the TouchID wake button but I admit I don't use it all that much.

Prior to that though I decided that I wanted more power and portability, so I bought a 2018 Touch Bar 15" MBP in late 2018 and like my iPad Air that goes largely unused. I go into my home office and get on my Mini w/ 34" 5K2K LG Ultrawide, or I use my iPhone for everything else. I just don't seem to go for the MBP even though I do have a CalDigit TS3+ dock and external keyboard and trackpad for the MBP to make it as much like a desktop as I can. The MBP is 3+ years old and has only 125 cycles on the battery.

So that brings me to my crossroads. Considering getting rid of the 15" MBP, relegating the 2014 Mini to an iTunes server and:

either getting a new M1 Mini or possibly a Studio M1 Max and upping the usage of my iPad Air instead of my iPhone as a pseudo-laptop for when I'm not at my desk stuff.

OR

replacing the 15" MBP with either a 14" or 16" MBP and ditching the Air altogether, BUT with the Mini as a headless server, truly leaving the MBP connected to the LG display via the CalDigit TS3+ for my desktop experience that I can detach and go when I go out of town, etc. Because now I just tend to go to the Mini rather than pull out the laptop and connect it.

 

[OSB]

I've been living the mini+iPad Pro life for the past few years, and it works very well for me. I have a Studio Max on order and when it arrives, the mini will replace the aging Intel mini as the home server.

Laptops have never had any appeal for me as a primary computer: when I'm at my desk, I need power and screen real estate, for complex financial analysis (work) and video/photog (fun). A modern MBP would provide enough horsepower, but the screen is far too small for my use, so I'd be "overpaying" by about $1400CAD for something that doesn't add value to me.

OTOH when I'm out of the home office, either personally or professionally, the most important thing is maximum portability. Out-of-office mostly involves meeting with clients and colleagues, taking a lot of notes and taking a lot of meetings, so horsepower doesn't matter, but light weight and flexibility do.

And when I'm just consuming media on the couch, a detached tablet is the way to go.

So for my specific use case, it's:
- beefy desktop with a monster screen; and
- iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard.

It works great for me and for my needs.
And that's the real point. Think through how *you* will use the devices and what *you* need out of them. I'm not saving any money by using a Studio+iPad over a similarly beefy MBP, but for more or less the same money, I get two devices that individually do a better job of meeting my specific goals.

 

[roland.g]

I've been living the mini+iPad Pro life for the past few years, and it works very well for me. I have a Studio Max on order and when it arrives, the mini will replace the aging Intel mini as the home server.

Laptops have never had any appeal for me as a primary computer: when I'm at my desk, I need power and screen real estate, for complex financial analysis (work) and video/photog (fun). A modern MBP would provide enough horsepower, but the screen is far too small for my use, so I'd be "overpaying" by about $1400CAD for something that doesn't add value to me.

OTOH when I'm out of the home office, either personally or professionally, the most important thing is maximum portability. Out-of-office mostly involves meeting with clients and colleagues, taking a lot of notes and taking a lot of meetings, so horsepower doesn't matter, but light weight and flexibility do.

And when I'm just consuming media on the couch, a detached tablet is the way to go.

So for my specific use case, it's:
- beefy desktop with a monster screen; and
- iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard.

It works great for me and for my needs.
And that's the real point. Think through how *you* will use the devices and what *you* need out of them. I'm not saving any money by using a Studio+iPad over a similarly beefy MBP, but for more or less the same money, I get two devices that individually do a better job of meeting my specific goals.

Thanks. I think for me that's a lot of the same. I don't enjoy the MBP on my lap, and so it really doesn't get used much, but my phone is always at hand so I have to train myself to use the Air more. I tend to just go into the home office to use the desktop.

How is the iPad Pro for couch, etc. What size. I went for the Air because it wasn't too big. I felt that the larger iPad Pro was just a bit unwieldy. But I didn't get the Apple keyboard for it, as the Logitech was $150 and included the touchpad too, but it doesn't detach. I have to pull it out of the case. Usually I just flip it back out of the way.

 

[now i see it]

Apple’s dream customer buys one of everything

 

[OSB]

How is the iPad Pro for couch, etc. What size. I went for the Air because it wasn't too big. I felt that the larger iPad Pro was just a bit unwieldy. But I didn't get the Apple keyboard for it, as the Logitech was $150 and included the touchpad too, but it doesn't detach. I have to pull it out of the case. Usually I just flip it back out of the way.

It's great. I have the 12" and I don't find it unwieldy, but I have extremely poor vision and the larger screen is a sufficient benefit that it likely influences my tolerance for weight and size.

The Magic Keyboard is transformative. There's no doubt that it's pricey, and it's true that Apple's margins (particularly on accessories) are often difficult to swallow, but I believe the Magic Keyboard to be a real case of "you get what you pay for". I've used both the Brydge and the Logitech case, as well as separate KB+trackpad, and the Magic Keyboard is by far the most elegant solution.