[wara23arish]

which begs the question why even get a laptop as a daily driver

people do it all the time for gaming laptops etc when probably 99% of their usage is at the same desk

[mort96]

I have a desktop, but I could imagine a life with only a laptop. Sure, maybe 99% of my usage would be at one desk, but if I need that other 1%, I need a laptop. It's the desktop that's an optional nice-to-have. And not everyone can afford or wants to have two computers which are powerful enough to do what they need.

In reality, far more than 1% of my computer use happens away from the desk where my desktop is located. I'm guessing I'm not alone in that.

[WD-42]

You still only need 1 powerful computer. Networks are so fast these days and we have stuff like Tailscale it’s pretty easy to use the laptop as a dumb terminal and do all your work still on the fast computer.

[WD-42]

Powerful desktop at home + Tailscale + super light old Thinkpad with amazing battery life has been working really well for me whenever I need to be out and about. As long as remote development works for you I think this is the way.

[password4321]

Yes a MacBook Air as remote terminal back to the beefy PC at the mothership is ideal usually even for for GUI remote desktop unless internet is already unbearable and/or pay-per-GB.

It's not going to support WiFi promiscuous mode but maybe pick up a Pi Zero 2W or similar if that's a requirement.

[iknowstuff]

I would go nuts if I was confined to working from one spot. Versatility and mobility are too important to give up. And there’s no tradeoff with apple silicon.

[heavyset_go]

> And there’s no tradeoff with apple silicon.

I would imagine there would be more thermal throttling and throttling to reduce power usage on a Macbook versus a machine that wasn't designed to be mobile.

[prmoustache]

For the same reason people tend to buy much larger cars than they really need.

They could own a much more economical car, and have enough money left in the pocket to rent a van when they go on big trips, get delivered or rent a trailer the few times a year they need to carry large stuff.

Personally I like having a laptop because I use my computers in different rooms depending on the use case and occasionally on travel.

[anonymous908213]

For my case, and probably the case of many such people, that's closer to 90%. The 10%, however, is a big deal. When you need to take it somewhere, you need to take it somewhere, and a device you can use in that 10% of the time is better than a device you can't use in that 10% of the time, regardless of how superior the latter is in the happy path cases.

[Marsymars]

I made this determination myself recently, and switched back to a Mac Mini after about a decade of docked laptop use. I use my 13" iPad w/keyboard and 5G when I want to be mobile.

[almosthere]

I bought a m4 mac mini but even if 95% of my usage would have only been at my desk, that 5% actually makes me regret not going at least paying about $400 more for a macbook air so I can take it to the bedroom or to a coffee shop.

Thankfully my worklaptop is an m4 mb pro, so I have flexibility with that.

And indeed with virtual backgrounds in I do probably 3 meetings a week in my car so I can do quick errands without skipping a meeting here or there.

[heavyset_go]

Not being attached to a single desk is nice, it's also nice to be present and sociable in whatever space I want to be in even if I have to be in front of a screen for work.