When
the
M3
MacBook
Airs
came
out
last
month,
I
did
a
good
ol’
double
facepalm
that
Captain
Picard
would
be
proud
of.
The
wedge
shape
was
no
more
(kinda).
My
M2
MacBook
Air
15
was
slightly
too
big,
too
heavy,
and
no
matter
what
certain
people
say,
8GB
of
RAM
was
not
cutting
it.
Analyzing
the
various
MacBook
Air
and
MacBook
Pro
configurations
and
prices
made
my
head
hurt.
Thinking
about
lugging
around
a
heavier
laptop
made
my
back
hurt.
So
I
said,
“Screw
it.
I’m
going
back
to
the
desktop
life.”
I
traded
in
my
M2
Air
and
got
myself
a
Mac
Mini.
It
made
sense.
I
have
a
work-issued
M1
MacBook
Air
—
a
delightfully
lightweight
wedge
that’s
more
than
enough
for
occasional
trips
to
the
office.
At
home,
I
use
my
phone
for
everything
except
writing
and
tasks
better
suited
to
big
screens
(e.g.,
spreadsheets,
research,
etc.).
I
already
had
an
external
keyboard,
mouse,
and
monitor.
Really,
I
was
using
my
laptop
as
a
desktop
anyway.
But
the
last
time
I
had
a
desktop
was
in
2001.
Twenty-three
years
is
a
long
time,
and
in
that
time,
I
forgot
a
lot
about
desktop
life
—
like
how
peripherals
aren’t
a
nice
option
to
have;
they’re
a
must.
And
with
Macs,
setup
can
be
tough
if
you’re
not
using
Apple’s
Magic
Keyboard
and
Magic
Mouse.
I
missed
the
trackpad
as
soon
as
I
realized
my
Keychron
K2
wireless
keyboard
and
Logitech
MX
Vertical
mouse
would
need
to
be
plugged
in
to
get
started.
After
that
initial
hump,
the
Keychron
wasn’t
hard
to
pair.
The
mouse
was
another
story.
Bluetooth
pairing
wouldn’t
work
while
the
mouse
was
plugged
in.
However,
I
couldn’t
click
to
pair
the
mouse
in
the
Bluetooth
menu
unless
it
was
plugged
in.
I
sat
there
lookin’
like
a
surprised
Pikachu
for
a
good
three
minutes
as
I
wracked
my
brain
for
every
possible
avenue
that
didn’t
involve
digging
up
a
second
mouse.
I
then
spent
three
hours
looking
for
my
spouse’s
dead
Magic
Mouse.
It
took
another
hour
for
it
to
get
enough
charge.
This
is
a
well-known
issue,
and
yet,
like
me,
plenty
of
people
get
caught
off
guard
—
so
if
you’re
thinking
of
making
the
switch,
make
sure
you’ve
got
a
wired
mouse
and
keyboard
on
hand.
Ended
up
getting
Satechi’s
Mac
Mini
hub
and
stand.
At
least
this
way,
I
now
have
front
ports.Photo
by
Victoria
Song
/
The
Verge
In
my
23
desktop-less
years,
I
also
forgot
that
desktops
don’t
have
great
built-in
speakers.
My
M2
Air
had
great
speakers.
The
Mac
Mini
speaker
is
tinny
garbage.
I
tried
wearing
headphones
all
day
but
found
it
too
uncomfortable.
After
a
week
of
denial,
I
bought
some
tiny
$19
desk
speakers.
While
I
already
had
a
webcam,
I
wasn’t
prepared
for
how
often
I
need
to
unplug
and
then
replug
it
for
it
to
work.
And
then
I
had
to
transfer
photos
from
an
SD
card.
The
Mac
Mini
does
not
have
an
SD
card
slot.
I
stared
out
the
window,
sighed,
and
bought
Satechi’s
2-in-1
Mac
Mini
hub
and
stand.
But
once
the
puzzle
of
ports
and
peripherals
was
mostly
sorted
out,
I
appreciated
how
intentional
desktop
life
is.
Laptops
are
great,
but
their
portability
made
it
hard
for
me
to
separate
work
from
home.
It’s
easier
for
me
to
get
started
in
the
morning
if
I
know
I
can’t
roll
over,
grab
my
laptop,
and
start
work
from
bed.
(Getting
out
of
bed,
it
turns
out,
does
wonders
for
my
mood.)
I
have
to
get
dressed,
brush
my
teeth,
and
make
my
way
to
my
office.
And
since
I
only
sit
at
my
desk
to
journal
or
work,
it’s
like
flipping
a
switch
in
my
brain
that
says,
“Time
to
write.”
Everywhere
else
in
my
home
is
now
a
place
where
I
can
just...
live.
It’s
a
bit
different
from
childhood.
Back
then,
the
desktop
was
a
family
computer.
There
wasn’t
any
real
privacy.
My
parents
had
priority
—
which
meant
I
had
to
hide
all
my
very
important
middle
school
AIM
conversations
and
illegal
LimeWire
downloads
as
soon
as
they
had
to
send
an
email.
That’s
what
made
a
laptop
so
appealing
back
then.
I
could
take
my
business
elsewhere,
away
from
their
prying
eyes.
But
now
that
I
don’t
have
to
share,
I
find
desktop
life
helps
create
a
daily
structure
that
allows
me
more
freedom
—
not
less.
The
Mac
Mini
is
a
square.
Cats
like
sitting
on
squares.
It’s
a
problem.
A
cute
one,
but
still
a
problem.Photo
by
Victoria
Song
/
The
Verge
At
least
most
of
the
time.
There’s
still
one
problem
I
have
with
the
Mac
Mini
that
I
haven’t
quite
solved.
Alas,
the
Mac
Mini
is
square-shaped.
Cats
are
notoriously
fond
of
sitting
on
squares.
In
the
past
month,
one
cat,
in
particular,
has
taken
to
perching
on
it
while
imperiously
staring
down
at
me
—
blocking
my
view,
stealing
my
lunch,
and
aggressively
demanding
pets.
It’s
very
cute
but
unsustainable,
as
I
would
like
to
keep
my
job.
It
is
unclear
whether
getting
a
second
external
monitor
will
help
or
plunge
me
into
another
port-related
puzzle.
I
will
take
any
and
all
suggestions.
Original author: Victoria Song
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