rwoodvira wrote:
It was interesting, but I was left a bit disappointed. I've been looking to upgrade my Mac which is 9 years old - the new Mac mini was thought to be updated as well, but wasn't. My tech guru buddy thinks it might be because of the chip shortage. He still think the 16gb M1 Mac mini with a 1 or 2tb drive would be sufficient for me as I'm not a pro photographer, I was going o match it with the Benq 2700.
Thoughts if that would be sufficient?
I bought essentially that same exact configuration, but in the M1 MacBook Air. I paired it with a 27" LG monitor that doubles as a two-port USB-A hub and a power supply.
The Mini is a little more capable at rendering, due to its internal fan, and it has a few more ports. Otherwise, they're very similar in function. If I didn't want to travel a lot with my computer (I'm in Daytona Beach right now), then the Mini would be great. I still have a 2010 Mini at home that I use as a media server.
I have zero reservations about recommending any of the M1 systems. This MacBook Air has NO fan, and DOES NOT EVEN get warm on my lap. The battery life is insane, and I can go nearly all day on a charge. It weighs under three pounds. The monitor calibrates and profiles well, and is almost an exact color match to my LG P3 display. The keyboard and trackpad are legendary. The speakers are great for watching movies or listening to music at my hotel desk. It is plenty fast for what I need to do. Anything more would seldom get any exercise!
My only complaints about the MB Air are the 720P webcam (should have been a 1080P, but they reserved that for their redesigned models), and the lack of ports. There are just two Thunderbolt3/USB4 ports and a headphone jack, so I had to buy a small hub for the road, in addition to the hub and power supply in my external monitor. I bought a 2TB Samsung T7 SSD for the road, as well.
The transition from Intel CISC to M1 RISC applications has been seamless for me. The few apps I use that ran under Rosetta 2 emulation at first are now Universal or Native to M1.
There is enough power in the M1 to do anything I need to do. If I were a full time working pro (I'm 66 and do project work now), I'd order a new MacBook Pro with midrange specs, but I really can't justify it.
I would not be surprised if Apple releases a Mac Mini Pro later this year or early 2022. They still have a larger iMac and the Mac Pro to replace, too. Those will probably come later.
What they have done with their own systems on chips is remarkable. It should light BIG bonfires under Intel's and AMD's butts!
A lot of folks misunderstood the nature of M1 as being a "first of its kind" chip. But Apple's been making similar SOCs for a decade or so. They're in all their iPhones, iPads, AppleTVs, and Apple Watches. The M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max are simply greatly extended versions of those earlier efforts.
I can't wait to see some video reviews comparing them to similarly priced systems from other manufacturers.