Some questions are perennials. This week on Upgrade we answered a question from a listener:

Assuming that the display quality of an Apple external display is the same as the upcoming iMac why would Jason pick the iMac over an external display + Mac Mini? It seems like having a more modular set up would be very beneficial in the early days of Apple Silicon #askupgrade

— Kiran Frey (@kamikazekiran) December 31, 2021

With the increasing suspicion that Apple is readying a new, more affordable external display for Mac users comes the revival of a classic conundrum. Which would you rather have—an iMac, or an external display attached to a separate Mac?

I’ve been on both sides of this question. I’ve had an iMac has my primary computer a few times, including for the last seven-plus years. But before that, I spent an awful long time with a MacBook Air as my primary Mac, attaching it to an external display at one or both ends of my commute.

It’s a tricky one. For some people, the answer will be clear. For others, it will be fraught with indecision. One reason some questions are perennials is because there’s no one right answer for everyone.…