When you rely on any device to be productive and profitable, this kind of performance is absolute gold dust. The M1 Mac mini is the first computer I’ve owned which doesn’t feel like it could ever bottom out and demand a restart (or undertake one itself without warning). I think I’ve seen the dreaded beachball once and there’s no waiting for most apps to load (if you’ve got an M1 Mac, marvel at how quickly the settings window appears after clicking the gear icon – seriously, try it). This makes it an equally easy computer to fall in love with. The M1 Mac mini is just such an easy computer to use. The day-to-day performance speaks for itself I genuinely didn’t expect that to happen. I just don’t need it anymore for the most intensive work I undertake. This alone is reason enough to ditch the MacBook Pro. By comparison, the M1 Mac mini is silent and as cool as a cucumber. In fact, the only difference between the two machines while editing 4K video in Final Cut Pro is the MacBook’s astronomically loud fan noise and heat generation (I’ll get to that later).

My 16” MacBook Pro is the i9 8-core version with 32GB of RAM and the best graphics card that was on offer back in 2019.

My Mac mini is the 16GB version with a 512GB SSD. I’ve mentioned this a few times, but it bears repeating: using the M1 Mac mini to edit videos feels identical to the 16” MacBook Pro. I can’t tell the difference during video editing Here’s why I and so many others are waving goodbye to that beast of a laptop. How is this possible? My M1 Mac mini was around £2,400 cheaper than my 16” MacBook Pro, but the latter is exiting my studio stage left. In fact, if you watch any of the big tech YouTubers (I’m not counting myself amongst them, in case you’re wondering), you’ll invariably spot an M1 device of some description acting as their daily driver, in place of their previous 16” MacBook Pro. I’ve noticed a number of people doing the exact same thing. And I’ve only given that poor 16” MacBook Pro fleeting glances ever since.

It was, after all, the most expensive Mac I’ve ever bought, and it was purchased at a time when my business was growing and becoming more demanding on the type of creative work required.

Apples march 2017 mac mini