Why I Chose M4 iPad Pro + M4 Mac Mini (Instead of a MacBook) — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00After exploring different options over the past few months, I finally settled on a
2. 0:05home computing setup that I'm truly satisfied with.
3. 0:09My setup includes a 11-inch M4 iPad Pro with Magic
4. 0:13Keyboard and a base model M4 Mac Mini without a dedicated monitor.
5. 0:20In today's video, I want to talk about why I chose those two devices instead of a
6. 0:25more straightforward option like a MacBook
7. 0:28and how I use them to meet my home computing needs.
8. 0:33First, why not a MacBook?
9. 0:35For some background, I do video editing for work, and
10. 0:39in our office, we do have powerful machines for that.
11. 0:43So at home, I don't really need a powerful machine because I usually just browse
12. 0:48the web, watch videos, or do some light work.
13. 0:52Before switching to this setup, I was using a 14-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro.
14. 0:58It is a fantastic machine, but I kind of realized it was overkill for my needs.
15. 1:04I also feel like it's a bit thick and heavy,
16. 1:07and I didn't really enjoy carrying it all around.
17. 1:10That's when I started thinking about switching to something else.
18. 1:14At the beginning, I thought about getting a
19. 1:16MacBook Air, and actually, I had one before.
20. 1:20I had the M2 version.
21. 1:22But after using MacBook Pro's Mini LED Display with ProMotion, I feel like it was
22. 1:28kind of hard to go back to a standard 60Hz display.
23. 1:33Then I considered the M4 iPad Pro.
24. 1:36It has a tandem OLED display with ProMotion,
25. 1:40which is even better than the MacBook Pro's screen.
26. 1:43Plus, it's small, lightweight, and portable.
27. 1:47When you add the Magic Keyboard, it still weighs less than the 13-inch MacBook Air.
28. 1:53This form factor actually reminded me of the 12-inch MacBook.
29. 1:58I had that machine for a couple years, and actually, I really enjoy using it just
30. 2:03because of how thin and lightweight it was.
31. 2:06And actually, I feel like the 11-inch iPad Pro is
32. 2:10Apple's answer to the discontinued 12-inch MacBook.
33. 2:15So the iPad Pro looks like a fantastic option, but of course, there's a catch.
34. 2:21The iPad runs iPadOS instead of macOS.
35. 2:26To be honest, I haven't used an iPad in years.
36. 2:28The last one I owned was an iPad 2 that was back in around 2012.
37. 2:35So I wasn't sure if it could actually handle everything I need.
38. 2:39But after using the M4 iPad Pro for a few months, I was
39. 2:44really surprised by how capable iPad and iPadOS has become.
40. 2:49It can handle most of my tasks.
41. 2:51At the beginning, I was worried about multitasking, but I
42. 2:55realized Stage Manager really makes it feel like using a Mac.
43. 3:00With the Magic Keyboard, the trackpad, and all the
44. 3:03macOS-like shortcuts, it really feels like a MacBook.
45. 3:08Also, many professional apps like Photoshop, Final Cut,
46. 3:13DaVinci Resolve are also available on iPad.
47. 3:16They definitely don't have every feature compared with the desktop versions, but
48. 3:21they can still cover a lot of what I need.
49. 3:24For example, I usually use DaVinci Resolve to edit my own videos on the Mac.
50. 3:29To my surprise, the iPad version of Resolve is super close to the desktop version.
51. 3:36They share the same project file.
52. 3:38They can read the same media files on my external SSD.
53. 3:42I would say it has more than 80% of the functions from the desktop version.
54. 3:48And the base version is also free.
55. 3:50Actually, a couple of videos I posted on this channel recently
56. 3:55were edited on my iPad Pro using Resolve.
57. 3:58If you are interested in my video editing
58. 4:01experience on my iPad, let me know in the comments.
59. 4:04I would love to make a separate video and dive deeper on that.
60. 4:08Okay, so why I still need a Mac Mini?
61. 4:11Well, I have to be honest.
62. 4:14There are always some things iPad just cannot do.
63. 4:18For example, I cannot access my full macOS photos library on an iPad.
64. 4:24I can only sync the photos to it, but I cannot
65. 4:28organize the library itself, which is very frustrating.
66. 4:31And some desktop-only professional software like Premiere Pro,
67. 4:36After Effects, or the desktop version of Final Cut Pro.
68. 4:40You just cannot use them on an iPad.
69. 4:43And also, sometimes you might need a specific
70. 4:46Chrome extension. That doesn't work on iPad as well.
71. 4:50So with all that, for me, it's still necessary to keep a Mac around.
72. 4:55But here's the thing.
73. 4:57I only need these features occasionally.
74. 5:00So I don't want to keep an entire laptop just for those rare tasks.
75. 5:06That's why I went with the base model M4 Mac Mini.
76. 5:10It's very budget-friendly and perfect as a secondary machine for my macOS needs.
77. 5:16I don't even have a dedicated monitor for it.
78. 5:18Instead, I use my iPad Pro as a display whenever I need to access the Mac Mini.
79. 5:25There are two common ways to do this, and the first one is Sidecar.
80. 5:30This is Apple's built-in feature that allows you to
81. 5:33connect your iPad wired or wirelessly as a secondary monitor.
82. 5:39It has low latency and great color accuracy.
83. 5:42However, Apple doesn't officially allow Sidecar on a headless Mac setup.
84. 5:49That means you have to have a real physical monitor for your Mac Mini.
85. 5:55But if you search on the internet, you will
86. 5:58see that there are some hacks to bypass this.
87. 6:01For example, setting up a virtual display, creating shortcuts, something like that.
88. 6:07I've tried to set it up in this way, and it actually worked.
89. 6:11Whenever I wake up my Mac Mini from sleep,
90. 6:14it usually reconnects my iPad automatically.
91. 6:18I'm also using the second method as a backup.
92. 6:21That is using a HDMI capture card.
93. 6:25This method is more straightforward and reliable.
94. 6:29It requires an HDMI capture card.
95. 6:31You can get it under $20.
96. 6:34You also need an app on the iPad to display the HDMI video feed.
97. 6:39It's definitely easier to set up compared with the headless sidecar.
98. 6:43But the drawbacks are the resolution and the color accuracy are not as good.
99. 6:49And the latency is noticeably higher.
100. 6:52I would say it's not really enjoyable to look at
101. 6:55the video feed in this way for a long period of time.
102. 6:58And also the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil are not working.
103. 7:02I know sometimes it could be a hassle, and this setup is definitely not perfect.
104. 7:08For example, when using sidecar, the Magic
105. 7:11Keyboard works, but the trackpad is not working.
106. 7:14I will need to use a separate mouse.
107. 7:17And there are actually some third-party apps that allow you to do touch control,
108. 7:22so you can use your trackpad or just
109. 7:24directly using your finger to touch the screen.
110. 7:27Such as Yam Display.
111. 7:29I've tried this app out, and actually it's really nice.
112. 7:32I ended up keep using sidecar because I feel like I like the color accuracy better.
113. 7:39And it also supports a stable 60Hz refresh rate when I'm using it wirelessly,
114. 7:45which I wasn't able to get on any third-party apps yet.
115. 7:49So I have to give up the trackpad.
116. 7:52Also, audio doesn't transfer to the iPad under sidecar.
117. 7:57I need to use my headphones or just rely on Mac Mini's internal speaker.
118. 8:02I also noticed some macOS keyboard shortcuts don't work in sidecar mode.
119. 8:08But for some quick and light tasks, I feel like it's still manageable.
120. 8:13Alright, so that's basically how I use my two machines.
121. 8:17Overall, I'm really happy with this setup.
122. 8:20Because first, it just feels more fun to use.
123. 8:24Unlike macOS, which always makes me feel like work,
124. 8:28using an iPad feels more relaxed and enjoyable.
125. 8:31Like all those smooth animations, all those gestures.
126. 8:36Yeah, to me, it's just a nice change of pace
127. 8:39after spending all day working on a regular computer.
128. 8:43And second, because the center of the setup is an iPad,
129. 8:47it's super portable.
130. 8:48The iPad Pro with the magic keyboard,
131. 8:52the whole package is very compact and light.
132. 8:55I can easily take it anywhere I want.
133. 8:58In the end, I want to say,
134. 9:00this setup is definitely not for everyone.
135. 9:03It's not most cost-effective,
136. 9:05and it also requires some workarounds.
137. 9:08If you want a simple, all-in-one machine,
138. 9:11I feel like a MacBook Air is probably a better choice.
139. 9:15But for me, I feel like this is a fun experiment
140. 9:19that let me try something new.
141. 9:21And on top of that, I get to experience both macOS and iPadOS,
142. 9:27and also enjoy Apple's best hardware,
143. 9:30like the iPad Pro's amazing tandem OLED display.
144. 9:34Okay, that's all for today's video.
145. 9:37If you have any questions about my setup,
146. 9:40feel free to leave them in the comments.
147. 9:42I also want to know how your home computing setup looks like.
148. 9:46Let me know in the comments as well.
149. 9:48If you enjoyed this video, please give me a thumbs up.
150. 9:51If you want to see more tech-related content,
151. 9:54be sure to subscribe.
152. 9:56Now check out how I make my Mac Mini
153. 9:58into a portable computer.
154. 10:01Have a nice day!