Have no need of the mini. Maybe in years and years when my studio die, I might look at the mini as my computer needs have changed. I love my MBA also. It is an integrated part of my computing life.
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Why don't more people who buy MacBooks buy a Mac Mini as well?
- Thread starter DeepSix
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But if you already own a MBA as you have said - the question is why?
I mean, its quite amusing to see people at starbucks with their iMacs. One of my guiding principles is to get the right tool for the job. Have mobility needs? Then a laptop is the best tool.
Just because you can take a Mini, keyboard, mouse, and monitor to starbucks doesn't mean you should
Why would I want to carry:
Mac mini
A screen
A keyboard
A mouse
When I can carry a single device. Even if I have to carry a mouse it’s still better than the above.
Also,
I’m gonna spend around 5k on my MBP and keep them until they are no longer supported… I’m not buying a less powerful desktop so I can use my more powerful MBP like an iPad.
Mac mini
A screen
A keyboard
A mouse
When I can carry a single device. Even if I have to carry a mouse it’s still better than the above.
Also,
I’m gonna spend around 5k on my MBP and keep them until they are no longer supported… I’m not buying a less powerful desktop so I can use my more powerful MBP like an iPad.
Having a desktop and a laptop is a perfectly sensible thing to do, if you need both, of if having a computer is so central to your work/life that you need redundancy. Maybe you take the laptop places that you don't want to take your only computer, maybe you want to keep personal and work use separate. However, if the MacBook is getting the job done there's no particular reason to get a Mini as well.
Before Apple Silicon, the desktop Macs like the iMac and the (2018) Mini had faster, higher-wattage Intel processors - "i5"/"i7" etc. were just marketing labels - (plus, iMacs had far superior discrete GPUs) so you might have wanted a MacBook for portability and an iMac/Mini/Pro back on the desk for "heavy lifting". With Apple Silicon, an M4 is an M4, an M4 Max is a M4 Max whether it's in a desktop of laptop, so that has been reduced to a relatively small thermal advantage (and that's mainly c.f. the fanless MacBook Air). For most people, if they need any portability, a MacBook of some sort is the best option.
Before Apple Silicon, the desktop Macs like the iMac and the (2018) Mini had faster, higher-wattage Intel processors - "i5"/"i7" etc. were just marketing labels - (plus, iMacs had far superior discrete GPUs) so you might have wanted a MacBook for portability and an iMac/Mini/Pro back on the desk for "heavy lifting". With Apple Silicon, an M4 is an M4, an M4 Max is a M4 Max whether it's in a desktop of laptop, so that has been reduced to a relatively small thermal advantage (and that's mainly c.f. the fanless MacBook Air). For most people, if they need any portability, a MacBook of some sort is the best option.
There are downsides to using a Macbook in clamshell mode docked (even if its not for 100% of the time). When switching from docked and undocked, you have to plug and unplug cables each time (even if its just one). And it's been reported many times online that people who have used their Macbooks docked have fried batteries over time. Even from just 1 year use of docking your Macbook your battery will be significantly degraded. Heat is the #1 factor when killing electronics lifespan and the thermals on a Macbook arent as good as on something like Mac Studio. When running it in clamshell it makes the thermals on a Macbook even worse (and why I would never run any laptop in clamshell mode). Laptops are designed to run at max thermals with the lid open, not closed.
If you take a mini, keyboard, mouse and monitor, are you not plugging and unplugging stuff to dissemble and hook them up?
Also, you can use the MBP with the lid open and not in clamshell mode. I did that for years and years without any issues or problems. For me, it was only until 2021 did I start moving away from using laptops and more to a desktop setup.
You're bending over backwards to justify the need of having a mini and a laptop. For most people a laptop or desktop will be perfectly fine and getting a second computer will largely be a waste of money. There will be people who have more specific needs, and they do in fact can justify more then one computer and that's fine. I'
I have a small desk that wouldn’t cut it for a Studio Display, and I tend to bring my Mac around the house and to go to work and school with it so I keep a portable MacBook Pro setup for my needs.
However it is very feasible especially with sidecar on iPad for iPad users alike. But would you lug around a big UPS or power bank and hold it with the Mac mini?
With almost any cloud solution its actually trivial to have the same files on multiple devices.
For me, it's not about being a niche device. It's about the lowest entry cost for a Mac. I can get an M4 Mini for $499 thru the Apple Education Store. I find I cry a lot less when Apple quits supporting my device.
@DeepSix After this, we should explore why people who buy mobile phones don't also purchase a landline.
For Quicken, they say not to save your files to any cloud based service as it can corrupt the files.
shrugs... I haven't had a problem with any files.. and from googling "Yes, Quicken works with Dropbox, and most Quicken subscriptions include a free Dropbox storage offer. However, it is strongly recommended that you use Dropbox only for storing backup copies of your Quicken data files, not for your active, working data file." that last statement is lawyer talk.
you do know dropbox is cloud based yes?
edit: but I always back up my files with Time Machine soo... I can roll back to an uncorrupted file if the worst happens. And I keep a third back up, offsite storage with CCC.
Whatever works for you.shrugs... I haven't had a problem with any files.. and from googling "Yes, Quicken works with Dropbox, and most Quicken subscriptions include a free Dropbox storage offer. However, it is strongly recommended that you use Dropbox only for storing backup copies of your Quicken data files, not for your active, working data file." that last statement is lawyer talk.
you do know dropbox is cloud based yes?
edit: but I always back up my files with Time Machine soo... I can roll back to an uncorrupted file if the worst happens. And I keep a third back up, offsite storage with CCC.
I get a weekly update of the most popular discussions on the Quicken forums, and a couple of weeks ago this exact topic came up. The user's file became corrupted because he was saving it to drop box.
Everyone's risk tolerance & needs are different, so it might work for some people, but I'm not going to risk it on a file as critical to my needs as Quicken is.
After re-reading this, it might come off as harhser than it was meant to be. I truly mean, whatever works for you. I'm just sharing this because it's an issue that came up. But if people have proper backups in place & are comfortable with the low, but non-zero, risk of a corrupted Quicken file, then that may be a good solution for them.
Questions for the OP:
You are getting lots of responses with ideas. But I'm curious to know what data you used to come up with your original premise.
How do you know the percentages of people who have both mini and MacBook Air? I don't recall Apple having ever published this.
If perhaps you have addressed this earlier in this long thread, I apologize.
But you seem to be disappointed in your perceived overlap between the MBAir and the mini. How about the overlaps between:
MB Air and Studio
MB Air and iMac
MB Pro and mini
MB Pro and Studio
And of course iMacs.
I'm just curious why you assign so much importance to the question you posed.
You are getting lots of responses with ideas. But I'm curious to know what data you used to come up with your original premise.
How do you know the percentages of people who have both mini and MacBook Air? I don't recall Apple having ever published this.
If perhaps you have addressed this earlier in this long thread, I apologize.
But you seem to be disappointed in your perceived overlap between the MBAir and the mini. How about the overlaps between:
MB Air and Studio
MB Air and iMac
MB Pro and mini
MB Pro and Studio
And of course iMacs.
I'm just curious why you assign so much importance to the question you posed.
You underestimate how many people use their laptops not at a desk. People use them at cafes, at parks, at laundromats, even on the couch like barbarians.
I'm pretty sure people would look at me like a maniac if I hauled a mac mini, monitor, keyboard and mouse (and probably a power strip at this point) to a laundromat or a Starbucks.
As @maflynn mentioned, the plug/unplug cables feels like a minor thing, especially post Thunderbolt-3 with its daisy-chain-ability and amount of available docks.
I'm one of those people who for 10+ years now, have had a Mac laptop (2016 13" MBP, 2021 14" M1 Pro MBP, 15" M4 MBA), and had docked into a large external monitor / keyboard / mouse / trackpad when in the home-office, while still being able to take my entire laptop with me when on-the-go (less so in coffee shops, etc. but more so in bed or on the couch).
The "heartiness" of laptop batteries being plugged in all the time is a debatable point, but I agree there have been some cases with certain models where leaving a laptop plugged in 100% of the time was bad for the battery. For me, it was a small thing to unplug it every time I stopped using it, and then re-plug when I returned.
In the meantime, I'd get some time exercising the battery when I'd use it "like a laptop" around the house.
I think for the vast majority of people, the potential concerns of some low-probability heat-related or battery life degradation is very small (and can be largely alleviated with some easy carefulness), compared to the benefit of 1) not having to buy 2 computers, and 2) having all of your files exactly as you are used to it at the ready vs syncing.
And there you have it
The first computers were desktop units. Over time, with hardware progress, machines could be designed smaller and "portable". The first mobile machines were in fact called Portables:
These were for folks needing, wait for it, portability. Again, with more progress, the portable machines became smaller and lighter and are now called laptops or notebooks. And also, over time, with new users, the desire for desktops waned.
I'm an old guy; my first computer was a Mac Plus. I require a desktop for my home use and a laptop for, again, wait for it, portability. I would not be happy with the laptop's cramped keyboard and touchpad, or the lack of expandability or computing power. When I use my MBA on the road, I'm usually at a desk and use a Logitech MX Master 2X mouse. Oh, I also use my MBA in the garage when there is a video describing the installation of something new on my car. So the MBA is important to me, but does not see the service my Mac Pro does.
Lou
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For me, it comes down to 2 reasons:
1) In my room, I need all the space I can get on my desk. I cannot put away a Mac mini setup the same way I could a laptop when I am done with computer work and want to move on to "physical work" like grading assignments. Already, I have 2 laptops to juggle (my MBA and my work laptop).
2) There is still no clear upgrade path from the 5k iMac in my study room, which has now all but commandeered by my dad. If and when it finally bites the dust, I will likely get a Mac mini pro + external display, and I am just putting it off for as long as I can because well, it's still a very pretty 27" 5k display for which there is no equivalent on the market right now. 😕
1) In my room, I need all the space I can get on my desk. I cannot put away a Mac mini setup the same way I could a laptop when I am done with computer work and want to move on to "physical work" like grading assignments. Already, I have 2 laptops to juggle (my MBA and my work laptop).
2) There is still no clear upgrade path from the 5k iMac in my study room, which has now all but commandeered by my dad. If and when it finally bites the dust, I will likely get a Mac mini pro + external display, and I am just putting it off for as long as I can because well, it's still a very pretty 27" 5k display for which there is no equivalent on the market right now. 😕
...except "laptops" and "notebooks" appeared at much the same time, and certainly before that Mac Portable appeared:
Epson HX-20 - Wikipedia
Grid Compass - Wikipedia
...and the beer-cooler-sized "portables" were usually unofficially referred to as "luggables". The luggables were usually comparable to desktop PCs (ISTR they were mostly mains power) and limited by screen size (they started out with small CRT displays). The original (desktop) Macintosh was about as portable as the typical luggable. The "laptops" were seriously limited by computing power, battery life and the limitations of early LCD displays. The "Mac Portable" (kinda halfway house between a luggable and portable) was late to the game, but had a then-revolutionary active matrix LCD display and a honking great lead-acid battery to make it almost usable without mains power... but it was followed fairly rapidly by the PowerBook 100 series which became the template for pretty much all modern laptops (full-depth clamshell, large display, keyboard set back behind central pointing device).
However, what has happened more recently (maybe mid-00s) is that the computing power of laptops started to get "good enough" to replace at least an entry-level desktop (The Intel Pentium-M processor was possibly the watershed - people started using it to build desktops - LCDs replacing CRTs across the board and rapidly improving battery tech helped). Lots of people I worked with who previously had separate laptops and desktops, mainly doing WP and DTP, went laptop-only at that point.
Keyboard & touchpad are a non-issue for me: For years I used a MacBook Pro as my daily driver - but with an external keyboard, mouse & display on my home and work desktops. Stick the laptop on an elevator stand next to the display, use it as a second screen. Computing power largely ceased to be an issue with Apple Silicon - unless you're in the market for a $4k Mx Ultra you get the same CPU/GPU/RAM options in the MacBooks as you do in the Mini/Studio - unless you're running long computing/rendering jobs that need better thermals (in which case you won't be getting a MacBook Air, which has the worst thermals, anyway).
I switched back to desktops mainly because I have zero need for portability on my home machine (oh, and because it was 2016 at the time and the 2016 MacBook Pro was pants). Otherwise, I'd probably use an Apple Silicon MacBook Pro for everything.