Is your MBA/MBP your only Mac?

[Mainsail]

MBA is my primary computer. No additional desktop or laptops.

• MacBook Air: Main device used for productivity, multi-tasking and everyday computing.
• iPad + Pencil: Auxilary device used for reading, markups, and secondary display (i.e. universal control).

Two different devices for two different purposes. If I could only afford one, I would keep the MBA and drop the iPad.

 

[Mainsail]

Ever heard of external monitors?

Kind of a snarky reply.

There are lots of reasons people might opt for a desktop only. My wife does not like the ergonomics of laptops. She has no need for portable full MacOS. She uses an iMac for desktop and iPad for mobile. Does all of her heavy lifting on the iMac and light computing on the iPad. She is happy as a clam. It is a great setup for her.

 

[richard13]

I use my M2 MacBook Air almost exclusively but I do still have my 2013 Mac Pro on my desk. I use the Mac Pro as a VM workstation and NAS mostly. I'm sharing a 4K display with my M2 MBA's dock but it only gets 30 Hz with the Mac Pro so not ideal for regular use. But remoting in to the Pro while the M2 is docked works pretty well and I will probably keep using the Mac Pro until it dies or becomes ridiculously obsolete.

Is the 30Hz a limitation of the display, the dock or the M2 MBA? As part of my planning for new Mac(s) one scenario would be an M2 MBA + external monitor but if the MBA is only capable of 30Hz that would be prohibitive.

 

[trevpimp]

I have a M1 MacBook Air that I use to go on this forum and my online courses since I can't work on a tablet/ phone.

I will get a desktop computer in the future but right now my set up is full and all that's needed is a HDMI to USB C adapter to hook up my Mac to a monitor

 

[Cromulent]

I've got an M1 MBA and an M1 Max Mac Studio to do "proper" work. The MBA is primarily for studying.

 

[vddobrev]

Mac Pro 2013 and M1 Mac mini for desktop usage, iPad Pro 12,9 for mobile usage.

 

[jdb8167]

Is the 30Hz a limitation of the display, the dock or the M2 MBA? As part of my planning for new Mac(s) one scenario would be an M2 MBA + external monitor but if the MBA is only capable of 30Hz that would be prohibitive.

It's a limitation of the 2013 Mac Pro connected to a 4K display via HDMI. The M2 MacBook Air is 60Hz just as the M1 MBA was.

 

[lostPod]

I have like 4 mac minis that I use for specific purposes.

However, I mainly use my trusty 11" MacBook Air, Surface Pro, and iPad Pro. Surprisingly Photoshop on the iPad can do a lot once you get used to the UI.

 

[perryt]

I don't want to count the number of old Macs I have stashed away...
My main setup has a 4-port KVM (connections to 32" 4k monitor, kbd, mouse, 3d input device, camera, etc.) attached to my work computer, an old (second-generation xeon) MacPro on Time Machine duty, a personal windows machine for those few things that won't work on MacOS and MBP (via thunderbolt dock).

The MBP is used for nearly all my personal computing work. It does disconnect from the dock for at least a little while almost daily, but any serious work I like my ergo keyboard and 32" monitor. For video, the built-in display is prettier... so I can have my work on the 32" with TV/movie/other on the MBP display.

My still-useful 2012 Air sits on a stand driving my bike smart trainer. I still take the mini to church to drive the projectors in the worship services.
I still have a few old long-untouched MacBook Air, MacBook (white plastic), a Performa and even my original 1984 Mac in the original box. Many of the old macs have been discarded or recycled... but apparently not enough...

 

[fisherking]

i do logic and final cut on my imac, everything else on the M2 air. but if i wanted to, i could have gotten more ram, storage... and done everything on the air; after all, apple offers both of those apps when u buy an air.

 

[vddobrev]

I use my M2 MacBook Air almost exclusively but I do still have my 2013 Mac Pro on my desk. I use the Mac Pro as a VM workstation and NAS mostly. I'm sharing a 4K display with my M2 MBA's dock but it only gets 30 Hz with the Mac Pro so not ideal for regular use. But remoting in to the Pro while the M2 is docked works pretty well and I will probably keep using the Mac Pro until it dies or becomes ridiculously obsolete.

The 30Hz is a limit of the connection. The 2013 MP can do 4K@60Hz, just connect it to the display with miniDP to DP cable.

 

[ignatius345]

I like to have a desktop Mac (M1 iMac 24", currently) for a lot of the reasons others do. Big, permanently attached storage drives for media and backup. Big monitor, nice keyboard.

It's also the "home base" for iCloud: the desktop Mac has a larger SSD and is set to keep everything locally downloaded so it can be properly backed up. All this lets my MacBook Air be set to "optimize storage" where things from iCloud are downloaded only on demand as I need them.

HOWEVER, I've recently started taxing my M1 Air as I've had to start using it for graphic design work when I travel. I hadn't foreseen this use case, and the 256 GB SSD I skimped and got is not cutting it anymore.

Even the "satellite" machine needs a bit more storage because Adobe Creative Cloud is a steaming pile of crap and requires you to sync every folder that's shared with you in its entirety. Right now that's 50GB and growing by the day as my colleagues add asset after asset to folders shared with me. Leaving the folders isn't really an option so I've got an external drive dangling off my MBA like a horrible growth.

 

[jdb8167]

The 30Hz is a limit of the connection. The 2013 MP can do 4K@60Hz, just connect it to the display with miniDP to DP cable.

Yes but my display only has one Display Port and I'm using that for the M2 MacBook Air. If I planned on using the Mac Pro more extensively I would try a mini-Display Port to HDMI cable to see if that would get me 60Hz but it isn't too important. I could just use my Mac Pro headless without too much trouble.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I tried to like the 24” iMac but the magic trackpads are a laggy mess so I said screw it and got a MBP 16” as my desktop replacement. Have a new MBA waiting to be opened and will use as the travel/around the house machine probably.

 

[Dealmans]

I tried to like the 24” iMac but the magic trackpads are a laggy mess so I said screw it and got a MBP 16” as my desktop replacement. Have a new MBA waiting to be opened and will use as the travel/around the house machine probably.

weird, that's all I use on mine

 

[Dealmans]

@SirAnthonyHopkins I said MacBook only lol

 

[Apple_Robert]

My M2 is my new favorite Mac. I also have a 12" MacBook I sometimes take to work or surf around the house. I also have my M1 MBA that gets a ride to work once a week but, otherwise, it stays on my desk. I also have a Mac mini that is used as my ever growing 24TB Plex server.

 

[Zazoh]

M1 MacBook Air
iPhone
iPad

I do have an external monitor for Zoom Calls, 21" 4k LG UltraFine, that I plug in when at home. In office just move around in open floor plan with my MacBook.

Technology Strategist for large Financial Institution

 

[jwolf6589]

A lot of the advice I've seen recently seems to be centered around the idea that the MBA or MBP is your only computer. I'm just wondering what everyone is really doing in their normal daily routine.

My only Mac because I can only afford one.

 

[Expos of 1969]

M1 MacBook Air (2020)
iPad (8th gen)
Samsung S10e phone

 

[kschendel]

rMBP for all my office-y stuff (web, email, documents). There's an iMac desktop which is mostly my wife's; I rarely need to use it. All of the non-office work stuff (DBMS server work) is on a linux PC backed by a small cluster for testing.

I've toyed with the notion of an external display when I'm home, which is most of the time. The rMBP display is so nice that I've never bothered to actually price something out.

 

[lowendlinux]

I have a Mac Studio as well as a MBA

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

A MacBook Pro is more than enough for me. Heck, with ASi, an M2 Air is probably enough for me. I use an external 5K display for a “desktop”, and of course the laptop. We are at a point where that is enough power for a vast majority of users. Mac studio and Mac Pro are simply not necessary for a consumer level user.

 

[GooseInTheCaboose]

I think you should make this poll specific to the MBA.

The MBP m1pro can be your only computer for 99% of people.

But the MBA? I’m not sure, I’d be curious. Thats the more interesting question IMO

 

[richard13]

I think you should make this poll specific to the MBA.

The MBP m1pro can be your only computer for 99% of people.

But the MBA? I’m not sure, I’d be curious. Thats the more interesting question IMO

Yea, I realized after I made the poll that the choices were less than optimal. But it is what it is.

My research in the past few weeks has made me realize there are all kinds of users out there and that there's really no "right" configuration for everyone.