Has anyone replaced their Mini / desktop with an Air?

[danpass]

I've been brainstorming this possibility of trading in my Mini M1, especially now that we have access to apps like AlDente where I can reliably keep the battery level at 80%, 50%, whatever.

Naturally using a laptop as a desktop replacement will mean dongles upon dongles and such. But the Mini M1 is already a bit tight on ports lol

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[subjonas]

I've been brainstorming this possibility of trading in my Mini M1, especially now that we have access to apps like AlDente where I can reliably keep the battery level at 80%, 50%, whatever.

Naturally using a laptop as a desktop replacement will mean dongles upon dongles and such. But the Mini M1 is already a bit tight on ports lol

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Sure, there are benefits to using a MacBook Air as a desktop Mac. Basically a built-in UPS, and keyboard/trackpad/camera/display if you choose to use those, and you have the option to take it with you and use it on the go. If you’re ok with expanding connectivity, the higher price, and more limited sustained and possibly peak performance due to thermals/power delivery (I believe), then why not. I also think by keeping the charge between 50-80%, battery degradation shouldn’t be a concern.

 

[Ybersetzer]

Sure. I've been using a setup like this (Macbook Air, at the moment a M1, plus 27 inch screen) for a long time.

In my opinion, there's no need (any more) to mess with Al Dente. (I tried it, and it worked, but it is not without it's own problems.) With M-series chips, the automatic charging-to-80-percent-and-stop-algorithm works
quite well. No, it is not perfect, but most of the time my Air sits at 80 percent. Been using it for three years straight plugged in all the time (via USB-C directly into the monitor, which also provides power – nice, as this leaves one of the ports free at all times...), and battery health is still great.

 

[Macbookey]

Went from years and years of owning iMacs, last one the 5K iMac, to an M2 Air. I needed a portable solution for music creation as I was relying more on more in the advancing world of plug-ins for Logic, and with the flexibility of being able to run an external display if needed, it gave me the best of both worlds as an option. I wasn’t sure if laptop only would work for me, but the performance of  silicon made the Air a much more capable and budget friendly solution. The return of MagSafe gave back a much needed port as well, and really sealed the deal. I foresee a MacBook Pro in the future, but the M2 Air has exceeded my expectations as my sole computer, and I have yet to purchase any external display. I won’t be purchasing a desktop again.

 

[robfoll]

I went from Intel Mini with screen to an 13 Pro M1 and now an Air M2. Easy transition, a little bit of port juggling and sometimes use a 27 inch screen. But Air M2 is very powerful and usable on its' own. As I always want more, will go to a 14 in M4 Pro when they arrive

 

[Bazza1]

Actually, I went the other way. Finally acknowledged that 95% of the time spent at my computer was now at home, most often with it on a table and connected to range of peripherals - not all of which are Wi-Fi enabled. And while one can set up larger monitors (and run the laptop's own or in clamshell), I appreciate the options a Mini affords me on that front.

 

[lsquare]

I've been brainstorming this possibility of trading in my Mini M1, especially now that we have access to apps like AlDente where I can reliably keep the battery level at 80%, 50%, whatever.

Naturally using a laptop as a desktop replacement will mean dongles upon dongles and such. But the Mini M1 is already a bit tight on ports lol

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How do I limit the battery to 80% charging?

 

[Ybersetzer]

How do I limit the battery to 80% charging?

You cannot set a hard limit without external software like "Al Dente", but there is a builtin-setting in the battery setting of MacOS. It will learn from your charging behaviour and mostly keep the battery at a maximum of 80 percent.

 

[lsquare]

You cannot set a hard limit without external software like "Al Dente", but there is a builtin-setting in the battery setting of MacOS. It will learn from your charging behaviour and mostly keep the battery at a maximum of 80 percent.

Where do I get Al Dente? Does it really work to limit charging to 80%?

 

[Ybersetzer]

Where do I get Al Dente? Does it really work to limit charging to 80%?

Home - AppHouseKitchen

It needs AlDente.

apphousekitchen.com

Yeah, you can even define different limit levels. But again: my advice is to skip it and trust the built-in battery management.

 

[lsquare]

Home - AppHouseKitchen

It needs AlDente.

apphousekitchen.com

Yeah, you can even define different limit levels. But again: my advice is to skip it and trust the built-in battery management.

Why?

 

[MBAir2010]

-i do toss darts at  lately, but not with the battery they perfected with these Macbooks.
I had a Macbook air 2010 which battery lasted 12 years and then still held an hour charge.
all i did was plug that in every night and never ran the % below 10, as my iPads.

 

[Populus]

I went the other way around: from a 2010 13” MacBook Pro I went for a Mac mini, my current machine. I’ve replaced my portability needs with an 11” iPad Pro, and I’m more satisfied with this combination. My next Mac will likely be an M4 Mac mini with tons of RAM and 512GB of storage.

The only thing that could change that, would be a 12” M4 MacBook, but that’s probably not happening at this point so…

 

[Ybersetzer]

Why?

Because the built-in battery management will keep your battery at 80 percent most of the time, too – and it is free. And I have been using my machine this way for years, plugged in basically all the time, and the battery is in great condition. So why bother with an app? But you do you – check out the app, there's a chance it will fit your needs better than mine. It seems to be a solid piece of software.

 

[wyrdness]

I replaced my Intel iMac with a M1 Air and couldn't be happier. IMO it's not worth worrying too much about the battery. My work laptop is a M2 Pro , which is mostly used as a desktop replacement. I just have one usb-c dongle which connects to the screen, usb devices and also provides power to the laptop. So I only have to unplug a single usb-c port when I want to take the laptop with me.

IMO it's not worth worrying too much about the battery, especially if you're using the machine mostly as a desktop replacement where it can be on charge most of the time. My MacBook Pro usually just charges itself to 80%. If you're constantly charging and discharging the battery (which I do with my Air), then you might need to replace the battery after 8 years or so. But, by then, you might want to replace the computer anyway.