Of course, a Mac Mini is desktop hardware. Although I’ve found the latest M1 Mini doesn’t require a dummy HDMI adaptor anymore (and, in fact, connecting one actually slows it down) there’s no getting away from the thermal limitations of a notebook, especially when it’s closed.
Laptops are for travel. (A bit like “Diamonds are Forever”, but different.) You can turn a laptop into a desktop, with effort, but it’s still constrained by size. The setup cost of a laptop may be lower, and that’s useful for travel, but the size is still too large for the performance if you intend on connecting a desktop setup (monitor, speakers, keyboard) to it. And, of course, Minis are very excellent for monitor-free, keyboard-free uses. Laptops contain batteries, but are arguably still too large for certain truly mobile uses (like sitting down with them on a lap, in certain cases) and iPads are often preferable. But the battery, again, reduces setup costs in certain places and for certain times, especially with the M1, and that’s useful for travel, again, especially with unpredictable power availability. If you need a desktop, get a Mini. If you need the monitor included, get an iMac, but think twice about doing that unless there’s a good reason—you can find monitors cheaply nowadays. You already need decent headphones or speakers, whatever you use. Keyboards and trackpads can be wireless. You can use mains power at your desktop location. In my opinion, you should only ever consider a laptop if setup cost is a primary factor, i.e. the balance of financial outlay and convenience means that having one machine that can move with you is more worthwhile. But, honestly, I find that that’s rarely the case. Getting the machines you need and deploying them where you need them will, I think, prove much more effective in the long run, and you don’t need to compromise on typing experience, screen size (or presence), sound quality, or performance. Cheers, Sabahattin -- The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/137A0975-E073-41B3-8E6C-3D80F3BB8D86%40me.com.
