

With that in mind, if AppleCare+ at £99/$99 is a little too much to bear, I wouldn’t sweat it.
#Istat menus m1 pro
The last time I needed to take one in for servicing was my 2016 MacBook Pro because of a faulty keyboard – but that was a widespread issue and a huge design flaw. Let’s get one thing straight: Apple devices last the distance.
#Istat menus m1 mac
While the M1 Mac mini can be specced up to a massive 2TB of storage, that’s an £800/$800 option which can easily be beaten if you go third-party. So, I’d recommend shopping around for a decent-sized external drive (or two) and making space on your desk for it.
#Istat menus m1 upgrade
This is because external storage is pretty affordable these days and, in some cases, a lot cheaper than Apple’s upgrade prices. But when you’re more interested in a desktop machine, I think it makes far more sense to go for the base storage option. When it comes to laptops, the all-in-one approach without the need for an external hard drive is attractive to minimalist creatives. It depends entirely on whether or not you prefer to store large files on your device directly.Īrguably, there’s more of an argument to upgrade the storage on a MacBook if you nodded “yes” to the above.

Don’t lose sleep over that missing 8GB, because you probably won’t miss it. If 8GB is the sweet spot, budget-wise, just go for it. But my advice changes a little if you’re budget-constrained: the M1 chip means you don’t need to sweat it quite as much. My advice remains with RAM: buy as much as you can afford. Certainly, during everyday ‘normal’ computing tasks such as writing, video calling, spreadsheet work and the like, 8GB is clearly ample. But in real-world use, according to iStat Menus, my M1 Mac mini rarely if ever uses any more than 50% of the available RAM. I opted for the 16GB version because I wanted some headroom for 4K video editing and music production. Everything important is on that chip, including the RAM, and that has a huge impact on how much RAM you end up using during a normal day’s work. You see, the M1 chip is rather different to Apple’s Intel-based architecture. Only, it’s a satisfyingly different conversation these days.

The good news is that the rest of the choices you need to make are pretty plain sailing. That’s pretty much all you need to keep in mind, though.

Therefore, if you need more connectivity, you’ll have no choice but to budget for a USB hub, too. Apple provides an Ethernet port alongside one HDMI, two USB-A and two USB 4 inputs. Lastly, it’s important to highlight that the M1 Mac mini has a relatively limited set of ports. Alas, some people don’t experience issues, so it’s certainly not a one-size-fits-all problem. This may not concern you if you’re willing to bet on it being a bug within macOS, but there are suggestions that it relates more to the Mac mini’s design. I’ve experienced them myself, and although there is allegedly a macOS fix incoming, the comments on the article below do suggest it could be a little more than a software-based problem.
#Istat menus m1 Bluetooth
There’s some less palatable stuff to keep in mind, though.Īt the time of writing, there are widely-reported M1 Mac mini Bluetooth issues. For me, that meant I could finally invest in a decent 34” ultra-widescreen monitor, and it was one of the best purchases I made for my studio.ĭespite these required additions, though, you’ll be happily surprised to discover just how affordable the M1 Mac mini is compared to an alternative iMac (which, at the time of writing this guide, is yet to receive the M treatment), or MacBook Pro. That means you’ll need to buy your own mouse and keyboard, or add Apple’s options to your basket before check-out. There are a few things to keep in mind before you opt for the M1 Mac mini.įor instance, it often catches people out that the Mac mini doesn’t come with any peripherals.
