I can name people like this. Heck, in some cases, the laptop hardly ever even leaves the desk/computer table!
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Why don't more people who buy MacBooks buy a Mac Mini as well?
- Thread starter DeepSix
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Okay but Mac Mini still has distinct advantages over MacBook. And it being a fraction of the cost (base model) is icing on top.
I think the better question is why aren't more iPad Pro users adding a mac mini to their setup. The huge benefit there is of course remoting into the mini when you need a desktop browser, desktop software, etc..
Because iPad pros turn heads in Starbucks (especially with the Magic Keyboard) and Mac Minis don't.
However... once you add an apple keyboard with Touch ID, mouse/trackpad, and 3rd party display it's around the same price as a base MacBook Air. Without those things it's just a paperweight.
The keyboard, mouse/trackpad and displays can last for more than a decade, so updates could be significantly cheaper than the MacBook Air. The Mini has more ports than the MacBook, which can mean not needing an external hub. The better cooling of the Mini means less likelihood of thermal throttling under heavy use.
For a lot of people, the MBA would make more sense than the Mini, but for a good number of people the opposite is true.
Deep6 was proposing that people buy a second computer which means they wouldn't have any of those things.
There’s a lot of truth here.
Traveling for business and working in Starbucks, airports etc, it’s always interesting to see how many use the iPad Pro/ Magic keyboard combos. Seemingly to be seen.
Especially when a 13” MacBook Air is faster and lighter in many cases. If one has lots of emails and other tasks where a full size keyboard and trackpad is beneficial a MacBook is hard to beat.
I’ve enjoyed years of using Apples exemplary laptops.
How are you using a Mac Mini in Starbucks?
A fair number of people do have monitors, keyboards and mice laying around. When I got my first Mac Mini 4 1/2 years ago, I already had a monitor I was using with a 2012 MBP and just needed a keyboard and mouse to get up and running. Ended up getting a trackpad not too long afterwards.
And a fair number don't. Deep6 is stating things like buying a second computer will always be a fraction of the cost of a bas MacBook Air.
What Deep6 said was that the cost of buying a Mini would be less than an equivalent MacBook and I'm pretty sure that will continue to be true for the near future. That also means that updating a Mini can be cheaper than updating a MacBook.
Neither Deep6 or I were advocating that everyone should be buying a Mini to go along with a MacBook as different people have different resources and needs.
You might not have been, but thats literally what Deep6 was saying.
"My question is when people buy MacBooks why aren't they buying a Mac mini as well at the same time. I say this because there are several benefits to owning both."
Most people I know use their laptops tethered 90+% of the time. I haven't had a laptop since the iBook G3 (2001) which was my first Mac. I've mostly only bought desktops since. I've had the iMac G4 (2002), iMac G5 (2004), Mac Pro (2006), Mac Pro (2013), Mac Studio (2022). iPhone replaced anything I need for on the go in 2007.
My wife fits loosely into this category. She hates using laptops, so it’s desktop when in her home office and iPad Air when mobile.
I think there are people that just want to use touch on this iPad, without an expensive keyboard, when mobile. They just save the larger content creation and writing tasks for the comfort of an office with large monitor and comfy keyboard plus ergo mouse. Their iPad is for reading docs and making markups…maybe an occasional quick reply. This isn’t me, but I can see how some folks would manage their workflow in this manner. They could probably get by with the cheapest base iPad. Again, I am an MBA guy….so not for me. But, I get it.
I wish I had a reason to own a mac mini. It's a really good deal for a mac computer. But having a desktop computer just doesn't fit with how I use my devices. And having more than one "main" computer sounds like a nightmare. I know some people live entirely in the cloud. A lot of my stuff is in the cloud but not everything. And I have a lot of custom set up that I do with my macs which would be a pain to keep in sync across 2 different machines. I much prefer having a single laptop that can be mobile or docked at a desk with monitors and a keyboard when I need a desktop setup.
If there was some way to easily swap the hard drive/OS from the mac mini to the macbook and back again, then maybe I would consider having both.
If there was some way to easily swap the hard drive/OS from the mac mini to the macbook and back again, then maybe I would consider having both.
Lots of people are doing it. They put their components inside a hard case with wheels. And then they power it off a portable battery.
Why buy a mini when you have a MacBook? The MacBook comes with a keyboard, a trackpad and a screen. Easy to carry around. Do you travel with your mini? How?
Imagine bringing all that stuff plus a display to a coffeeshop, when you could just bring a MacBook.
I have four years on my M1-Pro MBP and there is no sign of it wearing and tearing. Battery is at 84% which more than gets me through any day where I don't have access to an outlet; replacing MacBook Pro batteries is easy so while I could do that there is no real reason to before I upgrade to an M6 or later MBP.
Ok - but what is the advantage of doing this versus carrying an equivalent laptop? You can spec a MacBook Air or Pro to be as powerful as (or more) than a Mac mini.
With the M4 pro, max memory for the Mini is 64GB, while the MBP topped out at 48GB. The 16" MBP can be spec'ed with the M4Max, which is Studio territory. In the latter case, the Studio will have better cooling and more memory.
The best choice depends on what the user does - a user that needs computing horsepower on the go would usually be better off with a laptop, whereas a user doing the heavy work from a desktop would usually be better off with a desktop machine such as a Mini.