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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-01-06, 15:00

As much as I love the iMac AIO (or the idea of going back to a notebook), I've considered that sort of thing a few times over the years as well. In some ways, it makes sense. A bit of an upfront outlay for the Mac mini, a decent display, keyboard and mouse and to get it all up and going. But then, after that, you just update/replace the Mac mini for about $899 (for me, anyway...256GB SSD/16GB RAM) every 2-3 years. Much cheaper than a new $1,299-1,499 MacBook or iMac.

As with all their offerings/prices, there are pros and cons. But that new M1-based mini is appealing...it has the new Apple guts, but still has two regular USB ports, plus HDMI, Ethernet, etc. It wouldn't require a dongle-buying spree just to connect to all the things I currently have (thumb drives, etc.).

And while I don't mind the presence of a third-party display the way I might have at one point, I wish Apple sold a nice standalone display as they used to, in the 20-24" range. But that's not a dealbreaker...I'm sure there are third-party displays that are either as nice as anything Apple would offer, and for far less money, or, for the same money as an Apple display, superior specs/performance.

I can't seem to bring myself to pull the trigger on anything because something about it eats at me, and isn't "perfect" for the money I'm looking to spend ($1,499, tops). I feel like I won't truly be able to make an honest "okay, this is it" decision until I see these new M1 iMacs. At which point I'd have that, the Mac mini and the 13" MacBooks (Air and Pro) to all fully weigh/consider. I could get whatever I wanted, right now, today...but it would bug me because that piece of the puzzle is missing (the M1 iMac).

I'm a little worried that if I buy that lower-end MacBook Pro now for $1,299 ($1,499 with the 16GB upgrade), the M1 iMac will hit in about two months and represent a way better experience for roughly the same money...larger display, etc.) and then I'll be angry at myself for not waiting.

I hate buying anything over about $75, because this is what I do... I overthink it, I talk myself out of it, I dwell on the "what ifs", I start thinking about the money being spent and feel like a fool, I think about what other models represent a bigger-bang-for-thebuck, etc. This is why I go 5-8 (or more) years between Macs (and the reason my iPhone will be turning five in three months). I'll finally pull the trigger on something, work through the guilt, weird feelings and all, but then I hang onto/use the crap out of it for years, just to assure/convince myself that it was money well spent and that I'm getting the full use/value of it.

I need help. I seem to have a flaming, terminal case of purchase anxiety.

But I know if I don't give the M1 iMac an honest look, I'll regret it. So I'm kinda waiting on that one model as well, I guess...

Last edited by psmith2.0 : 2021-01-06 at 15:14.
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