Apple recently announced the new M3 MacBook Air, which has support for 2 external displays (when the lid is closed):

I’m a two monitor kind of person, so this new feature had me intrigued. I could swap out my current computer (an M1 Mac mini with 2 monitors), and replace it with an M3 MacBook Air, plus a thunderbolt dock.

Let’s do what all nerds do in this situation, and think about some pros and cons to Justify The Upgrade.

Pros

• This would let me easily take my computer with me anywhere, and make my work desk much more of universal desk for any kind of laptop, with easy hookups to all my peripherals (keyboard/mouse, webcam, mic, headphones, etc).
• It would make it easier to switch from my home computer to my work computer when necessary.
• It would let my wife use my desk with her computer more easily.

Con

• It wouldn’t really impact me performance-wise. I’m still very impressed by the M1 and don’t find myself limited by it. Other updates (faster SSD read/write, bigger memory bus) would be incremental at best.
• Let’s say I could sell my current Mac mini for $900. From there I could buy the equivalent MacBook Air for $2,249 (education discount), and a CalDigit Thunderbolt dock for $400. That would put me $1,749 in the red. This number could potentially go down if I salary sacrifice the laptop via work… but not by that much.
• I still have my 2018 iPad Pro 12.9″ with magic keyboard for doing computer stuff on the go. It’s not a Mac, but that’s fine. If I did this, I’d have to find somewhere else for the iPad to go.
• My wife has a user profile on my Mac mini, so it’s not that big of a win to change. She also already has her own desk with two monitors.

So, you know what? I think I’m good for now.

https://jamescroft.website/2024/03/05/do-i-update-my-computer-or-nah/