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My 2024 M2 Mac Mini Experience: Useful for Development, Frustrating in Other Ways
The workload expectations behind my early Apple-silicon opinion video.
Article published November 4, 2026.
I bought an M2 Mac Mini to get an app-development job done, and it did that job. The frustration in this December 2024 video comes from what I expected to do with it afterward.
The development need came first
My older laptop was getting in the way of the publishing setup I needed, so I picked up the M2. In the video, I explain that the newer machine served that purpose.
The broader claims I make about Apple's hardware and developer-tool requirements reflect that experience at the time. They are not current requirements for every developer or proof that everyone needs the newest Mac.
Then I tried to use it for everything else
I went in with high expectations for games and came away disappointed relative to what I wanted from this particular box. Video editing was a brighter spot, even with its 8GB configuration.
I also talk about wishing I could change the graphics hardware or experiment with other operating systems as freely as on a familiar PC. This is a personal workload discussion, without a controlled cross-machine benchmark.
The useful parts still matter
I describe being impressed by the small power draw and interested in projects for running older games. I had not tried the M4 I mention wanting to test, so the video does not justify extending my one-M2 reaction to every later model.
I later recorded a Parallels and IdleOn setup session, which follows one of those Mac-gaming interests in a separate video.
This is an early opinion checkpoint: one machine, my expectations and the tasks I tried. The original Patreon and separate clothing-store offer are below.
Links from the video
Affiliate disclosure: These links may earn me a commission at no extra cost to you.
Coupon code: MTT25 — 25% off. Separate Geeksoutfit clothing-store offer in the original description, not a discount on the featured hardware. No expiry supplied; check current terms.
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