Gabe Weatherhead:

My next Mac will probably be a 5K iMac even though what I really want is a better Macbook Pro. Unfortunately Apple is not making a good laptop right now. I don’t really care about the Touch Bar. I like TouchID but that’s not a good enough reason to risk the sub-standard build quality of the Apple keyboards. It’s a real shame too, because I really love my current 2015 MacBook Pro. […]

I’ll miss the portability of a MacBook Pro, but my recent experiment has taught me that I have other options for working on the road or on the couch. When I’m at my desk I want a capable and well made machine with a gorgeous display. The 5K iMac scratches that itch, but just barely.

I expect my next Mac will be a 5K iMac as well. But unlike Gabe, I won’t be disappointed in its lack of portability, I’m more than happy using iOS for all of my mobile computing needs. A desktop machine is better suited for what I need a Mac for anyway — an always-on home server that can occasionally be used as a fall-back when a task arises that isn’t possible on iOS yet.

What’s slightly irritating about this situation, though, is that the 5K iMac is the best option for me only because the Mac I really want doesn’t exist. The ideal Mac for me would be an updated Mac Mini or an inexpensive Mac Pro — a machine I can keep in my office closet with a ton of storage for my Plex library, but can be connected to an external display on my desk for the rare times when I need to use the machine directly.

The reason I’d prefer a machine with an external monitor is because I’d like to shut off the display completely during the times when I’m not using it — there’s no need to illuminate the screen when I’m just accessing the the computer remotely from my iPad. The additional energy usage from the display occasionally waking is just wasteful. But if I want a modern machine for a reasonable price, it’s a compromise I’d have to make.