When the M3 MacBook Airs<\/a> came out last month, I did a good ol\u2019 double facepalm that Captain Picard would be proud of. The wedge shape was no more<\/a> (kinda<\/a>). My M2 MacBook Air 15<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n So I said, \u201cScrew it. I\u2019m going back to the desktop life.\u201d I traded in my M2 Air and got myself a Mac Mini<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It made sense. I have a work-issued M1 MacBook Air<\/a> \u2014 a delightfully lightweight wedge that\u2019s 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<\/em>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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 \u2014 like how peripherals aren\u2019t a nice option to have; they\u2019re a must. And with Macs, setup can be tough if you\u2019re not using Apple\u2019s Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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\u2019t hard to pair. The mouse was another story. Bluetooth pairing wouldn\u2019t work while the mouse was plugged in. However, I couldn\u2019t click to pair the mouse in the Bluetooth menu unless<\/em> it was plugged in. I sat there lookin\u2019 like a surprised Pikachu for a good three minutes as I wracked my brain for every possible avenue that didn\u2019t involve digging up a second mouse. I then spent three hours looking for my spouse\u2019s dead Magic Mouse. It took another hour for it to get enough charge. This is a well-known issue<\/a>, and yet, like me, plenty of people get caught<\/a> off guard<\/a> \u2014 so if you\u2019re thinking of making the switch, make sure you\u2019ve got a wired mouse and keyboard on hand. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n In my 23 desktop-less years, I also forgot that desktops don\u2019t 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<\/a>. While I already had a webcam, I wasn\u2019t 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\u2019s 2-in-1 Mac Mini hub and stand<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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\u2019s easier for me to get started in the morning if I know I can\u2019t 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\u2019s like flipping a switch in my brain that says, \u201cTime to write.\u201d Everywhere else in my home is now a place where I can just… live.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s a bit different from childhood. Back then, the desktop was a family computer. There wasn\u2019t any real privacy. My parents had priority \u2014 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\u2019s what made a laptop so appealing back then. I could take my business elsewhere, away from their prying eyes. But now that I don\u2019t<\/em> have to share, I find desktop life helps create a daily structure that allows me more freedom \u2014 not less. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n At least most of the time. There\u2019s still one problem I have with the Mac Mini that I haven\u2019t quite solved. Alas, the Mac Mini is square-shaped. Cats are notoriously fond of sitting on squares<\/a>. In the past month, one cat, in particular, has taken to perching on it while imperiously staring down at me \u2014 blocking my view, stealing my lunch, and aggressively demanding pets. It\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n