My Mac Conundrum – And a Huge First-World Problem

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You’re probably not going to like this blog post.

I’m writing it because I’m banking on a few of you (most likely a tiny minority) taking pity on me and sending me lovely, encouraging, life-affirming notes in the comments section that make me feel better about myself.

Who am I kidding, eh? This is the internet.

Regardless, I want to use these words today first to debunk one of the biggest myths about tech reviewers, and then explain the Mac conundrum I’ve unwittingly walked straight into.

The big myth about tech reviewers

“It must be awesome to get all of that free gear to play with!”. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard that from friends and family.

Two things. A lot of it isn’t free – and if “play” means spending countless hours setting up new devices, digging deep into comparisons with previous versions and competing devices, and filming and writing content in the hope that it’ll bring in enough viewers to ensure the business can remain profitable (before being told by a toothless, knuckle-dragging troll that “you’ve sold out for the clikz and viewz”), then I had a very different childhood to everyone else. For me, “play” was endlessly brumming toy cars across the living room carpet and drawing over my parents’ freshly wallpapered dining room walls.

I wouldn’t swap my job for the world – I’ve found my calling, as they say, and before starting Mark Ellis Media, I spent nearly two decades honing a seemingly disparate set of skills doing things I both loved and hated. I never get that Sunday night feeling, and I always look forward to whatever the day will bring.

However, if you want to get into tech reviewing because you think it’ll be cool to get your hands on loads of new gear, please bear in mind that it is an expensive endeavour and one which can be incredibly time-consuming.

The biggest problem, however, is that you do end up with multiple versions of the same thing. Smartphones, laptops, iPads, smartwatches, and, in my case at least, a pointless abundance of health tracking rings.

Trust me – some days, I wish I could go back to a time when I only had one of everything.

Nowhere is this more apparent than within my current – and impending – Mac setup.

My current Mac setup

If you don’t hate me already, I’m really going to get on your you-know-whats now.

I currently own seven Macs. Technically, they belong to my business, but as the main shareholder, I guess I can’t hide behind that – they’re mine.

Oh, and I’ve got two more Macs on the way.

Let me break it down before you furiously hit the ‘block this website’ button.

My 14-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro is my studio and travel laptop. I do very little video editing these days, but it’s also the machine on which I occasionally use Final Cut Pro. I also have a 15-inch M2 MacBook Air which I’ve designated as my ‘home laptop’, although it travels with me occasionally, too (I’m writing this blog post on it while travelling on the train, in fact).

There’s also a 24-inch M1 iMac in the studio, which resides on my overhead filming desk. The intention was to use it for reference purposes while filming b-roll. That has happened twice.

My studio houses two other Macs – an M2 Pro Mac mini, which was in use until a recent studio rejig where it now lies unplugged, unloved, and about to be superseded. The other is a 2017 27-inch Intel iMac which has played the role of questionable ornament for about the last four years, although it’s currently resting perilously on top of a speaker in the corner of the room because I don’t know where to put it. Read our article, If you want to learn about the new M4 iMac and it’s new colours and faster chip.

Oh, there’s also a 13-inch M2 MacBook Air somewhere which was my daily admin and writing workhorse for a while and which I’ve unsuccessfully tried to sell on a few occasions since it was replaced by the aforementioned 15-inch MacBook Air.

If you are interested, you can read my 13-Inch vs 15-Inch M2 MacBook Air buying guide.

Sorry – there’s one more: an M1 MacBook Air. I’m happy to report that this is in daily use thanks to my girlfriend and the degree she’s currently studying. And yes, she has fallen in love with it just as helplessly as I did when I was using that brilliant little laptop behind the scenes in this business.

It’s about to get more complicated, I’m afraid.

Enter the M4 Mac mini (x2)

As you’re no doubt aware, we now have a new M4 Mac mini. Apple has squeezed every last cubic centimetre of air from the age-old design of its beloved tiny desktop computer and created something which finally takes advantage of the ludicrous power-to-efficiency ratio of Apple silicon.

I’ve ordered two. Because of course I have.

The first order I placed was for a fully specced-up M4 Pro Mac mini. I say “fully”, although I only went as far as 2TB of storage because I quite like my house.

The second order was for a base spec M4 Mac mini – the one which, if my predictions are correct, could become one of Apple’s best-ever computers.

I have plans for both machines. The former will become my main studio Mac. The latter will sit on a desk connected to two monitors and act as a testing and benchmarking Mac.

Where does this leave the rest of my Mac lineup? Well, the 15-inch MacBook Air is safe; I love it to death and I’m not giving up that screen estate anytime soon. The M2 Pro Mac mini will be sold. The iMacs? They’ll remain studio ornaments and occasional b-roll models. I’ve just checked with my girlfriend and it’s pretty clear that I’ll never be able to retrieve my M1 MacBook Air – ever.

That just leaves the 14-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro in the firing line, doesn’t it? It doesn’t take an MI5 operative to work out that I’ll have literally no use for it once the M4 Mac minis arrive.

The problem? I don’t want to let go of it. This is how Apple gets you, isn’t it?

Wrapping up

I don’t really know what I’m asking for today – but I can confirm that it definitely isn’t sympathy. I just wanted to open a window into my world as a tech reviewer and attempt to figure out what I need to do with all these Macs.

What would you do?

Before you go