Why do so many people buy MacBooks, only to run them in clamshell mode all of the time?

[zakarhino]

My thing is: Why not buy a laptop stand and park it next to your external monitor, gain some free extra screen real estate? That definitely beats clamshell mode in my opinion. Extra bonuses: You still have easy access to Touch ID, you can use the webcam if you don’t have an external one, and you have a “2nd screen” if your M1/M2 doesn’t support dual monitors.

This is exactly what I do. I actually place it on a monitor arm so it's floating in my line of sight next to my other monitors. I get the benefit of a bonus mini LED monitor to put random things on like Slack, Music, notes, dashboards -- anything that I want to keep out of my primary workspace (two 4k 32" monitors) but always visible and quickly accessible.

And yeah, I couldn't imagine doing it any other way because I constantly use TouchID on it. There's no way I would run clamshell.

 

[nate320]

Because the seller determines the price, the buyer determines the value.

Also (minus a few ports)...

Why do so many people buy Macs, only to use them to question why so many people buy Macs?

Surely you’d get better value buying a philosophy textbook or some crossword puzzles?

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

The average, mainstream consumer wants the most hassle-free, most multi purpose setup as possible when buying a computer, and MacBooks provide this much more than most of the desktops that Apple has in its current line-up.

There are plenty of things to consider and many that can go wrong for someone trying to pair an external display or any other hardware to a desktop Mac.

Then there are even more use cases that don't "work" with anything but a portable device, like moving between rooms, working outside, traveling, using your MacBook in bed or on the couch.

The all-in-one consumer electronics are always bigger sellers than the BYO external peripheral devices, like mini or Studio, almost no matter how great the value/$ is for the latter.

Convenience is (also) king when it comes to computers. That's really the tl;dr of this discussion.

 

[curnalpanic]

Surely you’d get better value buying a Mini or a Studio?

The desktop-laptop setup.

 

[Larsvonhier]

Who is doing this? I'd imagine it's for that 5% of time when someone is traveling and doesn't want to purchase a separate desktop and laptop. Or the laptop comes from work and the job is work from home.

Running them in clamshell all the time isn't good for the battery.

...when using fan-addict intel MacBooks. Apple Silicon is completely different story now.

 

[Larsvonhier]

Comparing to the prices when I bought my first MacBook (MBA M1)

MBA M1 : 1129€ (curent price is 1200,crazy) + USB A adapter , can be found for quite cheap tbh

Mac mini M1 : 800€. Add magic trackpad for 130€ + keyboard (with or without touch ID ) for roughly 100 (150 with touch ID) That makes us 1030€ . So 100€ from a MacBook air , which is a very small price to pay for a portable device

Big pro of the mini though: it has a Fan .


EDIT: with the new prices in EU youre right though, apple is ****ing us over :

MBA M2 for 1300€ (it was 1500! Before the 15" launch)

Mac mini M2 for 700 , with keyboard and trackpad = 930

So yes, with the new apple prices, there's a 400€ gap , which makes it more "stupid "

(And before the 15" launch, you'd have to spend 600€ to go from a mini to a MBA lmao)

Hm. Where do you get your prices?
M1 Air starts at 899,- at Amazon (Germany) or 1049,- at Conrad Electronics.

 

[Apples Apples Everywhere]

For my office I bought the Studio but it made a loud whistling sound right out of the box. Since there was no assurance another Studio wouldn't whistle immediately or years later, I bought a MacBook Pro for $1000 more. It was a bummer.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Comparing to the prices when I bought my first MacBook (MBA M1)

MBA M1 : 1129€ (curent price is 1200,crazy) + USB A adapter , can be found for quite cheap tbh

Mac mini M1 : 800€. Add magic trackpad for 130€ + keyboard (with or without touch ID ) for roughly 100 (150 with touch ID) That makes us 1030€ . So 100€ from a MacBook air , which is a very small price to pay for a portable device

Big pro of the mini though: it has a Fan .


EDIT: with the new prices in EU youre right though, apple is ****ing us over :

MBA M2 for 1300€ (it was 1500! Before the 15" launch)

Mac mini M2 for 700 , with keyboard and trackpad = 930

So yes, with the new apple prices, there's a 400€ gap , which makes it more "stupid "

(And before the 15" launch, you'd have to spend 600€ to go from a mini to a MBA lmao)

Funny, when I bought my Mac mini I had to buy a monitor. Your cost comparison seems to leave that out?

 

[Jutah]

Surely you’d get better value buying a Mini or a Studio?

When you work at office and home (smartworking) using the laptop is the most convenirne the way to go in my opinion.

I work 90% of the time in clamshell mode and it’s ok.

The battery is alway connected and it’s the best way to preserve it. You should go with the battery power only when you do not have a power source available.

 

[Larsvonhier]

When you work at office and home (smartworking) using the laptop is the most convenirne the way to go in my opinion.

I work 90% of the time in clamshell mode and it’s ok.

The battery is alway connected and it’s the best way to preserve it. You should go with the battery power only when you do not have a power source available.

Quite the opposite. Fully charged and never/seldomly discharged batteries degrade a lot faster. Battery chemistry...
That's also why manufacturers advise to store batteries for prolonged times at a charge level of 60-80%, not at 100%.

 

[Jack Neill]

I have a M1/16/1TB Air that is a a clamshelled desktop Mac, I could have gotten a mini but I found this Air on eBay that was cheaper than a mini and I went with it. I am eying a M2 Studio or a M2 Pro Mini..

 

[chrono1081]

Surely you’d get better value buying a Mini or a Studio?

For me it's about just having one computer. My job pays very ****** for my area so I can't afford dual computers like I did in the past so I have my monitor, my laptop which is usually in clamshell mode since I'm trying to minimize desk space, but sometimes as a second monitor when I really need it.

I also like walking around the house and working from the deck when weather permits so I can just grab my laptop and head outside and work for a bit.

 

[rappr]

For actual work, I prefer one big screen over an external screen + the laptop screen since I hate that the displays aren't the same size or resolution.

For personal machines, I gave up on laptops and have settled on a Mac mini at the desk, and my iPad Pro for portable use.

 

[Jutah]

Quite the opposite. Fully charged and never/seldomly discharged batteries degrade a lot faster. Battery chemistry...
That's also why manufacturers advise to store batteries for prolonged times at a charge level of 60-80%, not at 100%.

We are not talking of an iPhone. The less cycle counts the longer the battery will last with an expected 1000 *cycle count.
----------------
Macbookb is a battery-CAPABLE device. It is not optimized as a battery-operated device. (It is NOT an iPhone.)
The computer performs best when connected to AC power. It can use the full output of the Power Adapter AND when doing especially challenging work will also freely "borrow" power from the battery. In some cases, even with the power adapter connected, the charged state may even decline during stressful work.

When used only on battery, your computer has no extra cushion of power, and may perform more slowly. However, for ordinary non-stressful tasks this may not be objectionable (possibly not even noticeable.)

In general, you should ALWAYS connect AC power when it is possible to do so, and only run on batteries (which could be somewhat slower) when no AC sources are at hand. Your Mac will NEVER over-charge.

Your MacBook Pro uses ‘smart charging’ to charge in the optimum way, and only when necessary. Plugged in is Not necessarily actively charging. There is substantial hardware and software cooperating on battery and charging issues. Simply asserting a charging voltage against one of the interface(s) will NOT successfully charge your MacBook Pro.


A charge cycle is ever-so-slightly destructive to batter longevity. When operating as designed (and not using Battery Health Management) battery charge level is allowed to decline to about 92 percent level before initiating a recharge cycle to top up to about 99 percent.

(Taken from Apple forums)

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Why do so many add obviously click bait titles to their posts with little or no evidence to back up what they state as fact, then never respond further?

 

[aevan]

Running them in clamshell all the time isn't good for the battery.

It's not the clamshell itself that's the problem, it's not using the battery from time to time.

 

[Longplays]

Why do so many add obviously click bait titles to their posts with little or no evidence to back up what they state as fact, then never respond further?

Catchy headlines have been with us since the 1st news paper.

It drives clicks and ad revenue.

 

[leifp]

Surely you’d get better value buying a Mini or a Studio?

You called?

I split my time between three locations and travel for work occasionally as well.

While I detest laptops, I couldn’t (yet) do what I do with a desktop. But I’ll get there… mainly because I might age out of my day job soon… 😅

 

[fenderbass146]

Surely you’d get better value buying a Mini or a Studio?

because evenif you use it 10% of the time mobile, it's still worth it to have a laptop and a single computer.

 

[Ethosik]

I do this. It is because I want the flexibility to take my laptop to clients or maybe a different part of the office if I need to show someone something, or work with someone. But while I am at my desk, it's in clamshell mode. I prefer my dedicated keyboard and mouse (sorry trackpad lovers, my classic old style Windows mouse is better for my uses). And my 3x screen setup. I need EVERY monitor to match as close as possible. Having 3x or 2x 27 or 32 inch screens, then looking at even the 16 inch laptop screen is so irritating.

Do however keep in mind I have 8 other computers in my studio. Including a couple of Mac minis and Mac Studios and an older iMac about to get replaced.

 

[dewalt]

Your money, your choices. I have a Windows laptop which I run in clamshell mode with two large monitors. I actually found the laptop screen useless and less resourceful than working on two big screens.

This is the real answer.

 

[danpass]

Most of us were sent remote when the world ended and I personally bought a Mac Mini to specifically avoid using clamshell mode and log in to work that way. (the laptop was sent to a co-worker)

My desk setup is beautiful, the stuff of legend, sung about in song.

Now work is purposely sending me a new laptop so that I use THEIR equipment for work.
Yep, it’s going to live in clamshell mode.

But now, go ahead, try and reconcile ONE desk setup (monitorkeyboardtrackpadexternaldrivesosundsystem) with two computers lol

It took me two months of brainstorming the ideal desk setup for a laptop (the original work one) to finally admit it just wouldn’t work out, hence buying a Mac Mini M1 with personal money.

Ninety percent of that setup will remain the same.

My monitor does accept USB-C video but it can also be set to prioritize that USB-C when that cable becomes active.

So I’m looking at a Plugable 5-in-1 hub (Thunderbolt Usb-C x 1, USB-A x 2, ethernet, audio jack) to hardwire connect that video pass-through USB-C connection and hardwire my current keyboard and trackpad. I’m hoping the hardwire on the keyboard/trackpad overrides the bluetooth connection to Mini. Then when unplugging from the laptop hopefully the bluetooth takes over again to the Mini.

So a nice, clean, wire free desk has three new wires ….

-

 

[BigMcGuire]

...when using fan-addict intel MacBooks. Apple Silicon is completely different story now.

Yeah, even when I'm doing WoW Classic I don't hear the CPU fan. The M1 Max - I don't hear ANY cpu fan when doing W11 on Parallels whereas with the i7 MBP it was jet takeoff time every time I booted up W10.

That and, AlDente allows us to keep our batteries at a lower state of charge allowing them to last very long. A year and a few months later my 16' MBP is still 100% capacity.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Funny, when I bought my Mac mini I had to buy a monitor. Your cost comparison seems to leave that out?

damn right. I actually don't even have a monitor atm lol, havent had any for 7 months now (european market is absolutely ****ed )

but I considered that with such small a screen, I'd get a 27" monitor either way (and assumed most people would) hence why I didnt' mention it .

If we add the monitor, a mini would cost more than a macbook air

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Hm. Where do you get your prices?
M1 Air starts at 899,- at Amazon (Germany) or 1049,- at Conrad Electronics.

apple.fr (or apple.com) obviously

you're right I could find it for cheaper, but same goes for the mini