M1 Mac Mini with interactive iPad Mini display combined is one heck of a MacBook alternative

We generally fancy our laptops for the ease of portability and convenience. But if you’re someone like the YouTuber Scott Yu-Jan who despises a laptop; you’ll appreciate the Portable Mac Mini that lets you leave the laptop behind, yet travel light with a handy computer at your service when you may need it.

Apple’s in-house silicon – M1 chipset – made a significant upheaval in the market when it debuted in the new MacBooks. Beyond that, Apple chose to smartly update its existing products instead of launching all-new models; Mac Mini was one such device. The M1 Mac Mini then became a computing powerhouse. Without compromising its form or style, it became a reliable machine for anyone overlooking the power and portability of a M1 MacBook.

Designer: Scott Yu-Jan

If that’s not how you saw it, designer Scott Yu-Jan took to YouTube with an idea of a portable M1 Mac Mini, that paired with an iPad Mini, can be a MacBook alternative for the heavy-duty workaholics who would want to enjoy the power of M1 on the go without owning a MacBook. The DIYer, designer, and creator has made the Mac Mini really portable so that it would allow you to take your M1-powered workstation anywhere and use it conveniently as long as you can plug it into a socket.

Yeah, the portability of this mod is limited to the indoors for now, until Scott thinks of adding additional bulk of a battery to his creation. Till then, some 3D printed parts can be screwed together as a case to slide the Mac Mini in, and attach an iPad Mini to it to be used as the interactive display for it. The two gadgets can be connected via USB to a USB-C cable. The contraption comes complete with cable holders, a quick-release clasp (so that the two devices here can be used independently when you’re back home), and an Allen key (inconspicuously tucked away but usable for the quick tightening of screws as and when required).

If you were holding yourself from investing in a MacBook (for whatever reason) the portable Mac Mini mod is a good alternative to consider. You’d want Scott’s help to make this right, eventually, you can have a workstation that’ll want you to pair your iPad Mini and a favorite keyboard. If this is too much of a hassle; wait until Apple rolls out a large foldable – laptop/tablet hybrid – it reportedly has in the works.