Why don't more people who buy MacBooks buy a Mac Mini as well?

[Jackbequickly]

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.

 

[StoneJack]

I have both mini m1 and Air m4. TBH, for office work, m1 is sufficiently fast.

 

[maflynn]

That is true but I have seen people transport their Mac minis and it's quite portable. Here's an example.

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

 

[A1423]

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.

 

[theluggage]

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.

 

[DeepSix]

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
View attachment 2558454

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.

 

[maflynn]

When switching from docked and undocked, you have to plug and unplug cables each time (even if its just one)

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'