Having placed an order here are the reasons why and how I came to the decision.

My Current Mac

I have been replacing my Mac on an approximately 5-year cycle. My last / current Mac is a 2017 15-inch MacBook Pro the one with the keyboard issues, usb c / thunderbolt ports only and the Magic Touch Bar. Thankfully my keyboard is ok, and I like the Touch bar, mostly for the fingerprint reader. I purchased dongles, adapters and new cables so have got used to a USB C world. I also purchased an Apple / LG 27-inch 5K Ultrafine Monitor which means dongles like usb c to ethernet adapter can be attached to the back of the monitor and forgotten. My issues with it: It is hot, very hot, so hot the heat has made my admittedly cheap but ubiquitous Ikea Lagkapten desktop bulge. It also made the base of the laptop bulge so much that once I had put it on a non-bulging table, I discovered it did not sit flat and the lid did not close correctly. Luckily this was just before the 3-year Apple Care ran out, so a large portion of the mac (trackpad, keyboard, lower clamshell assembly and battery) was replaced due to what I think was a bulging battery. The Mac is still very hot, and I expect the same may happen again and I have no intention of paying for a repair that big.

How I Work

I mostly work at the aforementioned Ikea desk connected to the LG monitor which also powers the Mac. I have many windows and apps open when developing websites and find the bigger screen considerably easier than using the laptop screen alone. I prefer using an external keyboard and sometimes I do but having the Magic touch bar lost if using Mac in clamshell mode and not having fingerprint sensor is a pain and a waste. Having both the built in 15-inch screen and the LG 27-inch screen can also be annoying as the dock likes to move itself to the laptop screen and despite the various tricks and settings to get this back it either refuses or does move and then reverts shortly later. Since COVID I have not travelled with my laptop and apart from the odd time working in the conservatory for the sun (Living in the north of England the sun is not out often and when it does come out it is too hot — the last thing my Mac needs is more heat) my Mac does not move.

Apple Silicon

When Apple first announced Apple Silicon, M1 chips and the abandonment of Intel I had two thoughts. One — here we go again I had already transitioned to Intel from my First Mac an iBook G4 (PowerPC) using Rosetta to my second Mac a 2007 white intel MacBook. Both still operate and live in the cupboard under my desk (part of the reason my wife sometimes calls me Mr Trebus). Two - My next Mac was going to be due to be replaced during the two years Apple proposed to make this latest CPU transition and I could use Rosetta 2. To be fair the transition this time seems to be a smoother affair and I suspect support of Intel silicon will remain for a while yet.

When the first models with M1 processors were released and the reviews and benchmarks appeared the benefits of Apple silicon seemed pretty conclusive. Massive speed increases, low power consumption / longer battery life, less heat (the prospect of a fan-less MacBook Air was truly amazing compared to the desk warmer I am typing this on) Easy transition with older apps still working well via Rosetta 2. My dilemma had started what would my next Mac be, what would Apple release?

What I Wanted

Over the years of computer ownership, I have had a changing set of minimum requirements that I look for in a computer for my use. Not sure how technical this really is, I often think with my heart or gut instinct with this sort of thing. In a world of very cheap and very expensive computers you must have some guide. The very cheapest is unlikely to do what I require without frustration, and I have not won the lottery yet and even If I did, I am not sure I would ever justify a set of wheels for a Mac Pro costing £699. I also work on the basis that what I buy should not be less powerful than the last. With this in mind I want a faster CPU and GPU. My current Mac and Windows machines both have intel i7 processors, so I want the same level but newer generation. Of course, based on benchmarks an Apple silicon M series processor should be equally as good. I want 16GB or more of RAM as anything less would be a downgrade. I am ignoring the tests that showed Apple M1 machines with 8GB performing almost as well as equivalent 16GB models. 512GB of SSD as I am finding 256GB on current Mac nearly full. I store most documents in the cloud, so this is really for the excessive number of applications and other junk that accumulates. I like the fingerprint reader (Touch ID) on my Mac but also happy with Windows Hello on my PC especially now it works with 1Password. I like typing on an external keyboard. I like more screen space than I will get on a laptop alone, so I need to be able to use an external screen. I like being able to use a wired ethernet connection, I try to use wired where possible to save the Wi-Fi bandwidth for the devices that are wireless only. I want a quality construction; I am a bit of a design snob so cheap chunky plastic designs are not for me.

All Things Considered

There was a time when I would not have considered anything other than Apple but in recent years, I have started using a PC again in the form of a Razer Blade Stealth 13" Laptop hooked up to a Razer Raptor monitor and desktop accessories. I am a light addict and Razer Chroma does it for me. I have been very interested in the Microsoft Surface hardware and the Studio Laptop looks like it could be an amazing machine with its three-position touchscreen and until the new MacBook Pro 14- & 16-inch 2021 models launched it seemed like a very powerful candidate. Would I find the touchscreen and pen a short-lived gimmick? Would the hinge last me for 5 years? The new Razer laptops look great and powerful with a similar price point as the new MacBook Pros. I would love to build a machine in the Razer Tomahawk ATX case and fill it with the recently released Razer fans, lights and cooling. Windows 11 seems like a real step in the correct direction, and I can use it for most of the things I want to do with many apps that I use being available on both Mac and PC.

I want to like the Windows ecosystem more and not be tied to a single company for my hardware. Having upgraded the Razer laptops SSD to 1TB for £125 I object to paying £200 for an Apple SSD upgrade from 256GB to 512GB at the time of purchase and not being able to upgrade ever again. If only Windows just did things without the crash’s inconsistency and general annoyance that I seem to run into. I don’t mind this as I like to tinker but when I have something that needs doing quickly and Windows decides it needs a restart or something just does not work, I find myself switching for the familiar and reliable Mac.

Of my two external screens, the LG 5K Ultrafine is superior to the Razor Raptor at only QHD resolution. The problem is it appears to be virtually impossible to drive the LG at 5K from a single USB C / Thunderbolt port on a Windows machine. It was of course built-in collaboration with Apple for their computers and integrates to allow that seamless Apple experience with volume and brightness controlled via MacOS and the keyboard function keys or Touch bar rather than having buttons on the monitor.

With all these thoughts and a few others in mind I decided that despite liking the idea of something different, I really needed to stick with a Mac as my primary machine or I could find myself not being able to do the work that I need to do. I also knew that it made sense to make use of the LG monitor and that I probably did not need a laptop as it would be money wasted on another screen and just adds expense and more things likely to go wrong into a single box.

The Apple Peek Event

With the Apple event arriving on the 8th of March, I had read the rumours and predictions and was expecting and hoping for a high-end Mac Mini to replace the Space Grey intel model. I had not been convinced by the original M1 Mac Mini and certainly did not want a model that is over a year old. Ridiculous I know but I did not want a mac that looks like an old model either. A redesigned Mini or even an interesting colour would appeal to me. Also, I was not sure about going from 4 to 2 thunderbolt ports. By the time you have specified it up with memory and storage the £699 price has long gone, and it is starting to look poor value compared to a 14" MacBook Pro or 24-inch iMac.

With the M1 chip now including the Pro and Max variants the original base M1 was also sounding dated (I want this next computer to also last me 5 years). My ideal would therefore have been a new Mac Mini design, M1 Pro or M2 chip (whatever that may be) 16GB Ram, 512GB SSD, 4 Thunderbolt ports, Ethernet port, 2 USB type A ports, HDMI (good for Razer monitor as can switch inputs between Mac and Windows). I would pair this with a full-size wireless keyboard with fingerprint sensor and probably a new mouse. As the event neared and then happened it became clear the high-end Mac Mini was not to be and the new Mac Studio was announced, along with an insanely fast M1 Ultra processor. The perfect part of the event was the new black wireless accessories, I think they look much better especially the cables.

Pros & Cons

This was a great machine had all the ports I really wanted plus a few extra, and front facing ports what a good idea, even though an old idea. The SD card slot on the back of a 27inch iMac was a fiddle on my desk. This new design is interesting and in terms of footprint and desk space much the same as Mac Mini but looks new and that is a different in a good way. The memory and processor are probably overkill for my needs and therefore the price is more than I had anticipated for the New non-existent high end Mac Mini. Even the bottom specification model with M1 Max and 32GB Ram is likely to be lightning fast and will hopefully remain so for the next 5 years.

Conspiracy Alert - I am not convinced that electronics manufacturers do not do things to make products slow over the years. My MacBook Pro seemed so much faster 5 years ago and when I think about the new features added to the operating system and software over that time, has that really caused it to slow this much?

Apple care for this Mac Studio model is also very reasonable at £149 for 3 Years and much cheaper than Apple care on a laptop.

I would guess that the gap between the low end M1 Mac Mini and the Mac Studio is not big enough to be filled anytime soon. The Peek event hinted at the Mac Pro being the next to receive Apple silicon. Even if this gap does get filled it is likely to be some time off.

The Order

If I really don’t want another screen the only option is either to settle for and old M1 Mac Mini which I could have done at the end of 2020 or bite the bullet and cost and order a Mac Studio, so I did. Paired with my existing LG 5K Ultrafine monitor which seems like a prototype for the new Apple Studio Monitor it should be a great setup. New black Magic Keyboard with touch ID and new black Magic Mouse will complete the setup. Apple care for 3 years so at least I know I should not need to replace earlier than that. Now the waiting begins and anticipation of how it will perform. Well, that is my justification, the alternative is that I am a sucker for shiny new toys.