The Mac mini is closer to a dev board than a MacBook and it's as close to a dev board Apple will get other than the Apple 1. Arguably, a Mac mini is comparable

The Mac mini is closer to a dev board than a MacBook and it's as close to a dev board Apple will get other than the Apple 1. Arguably, a Mac mini is comparable with a NUC and also comparable with a Pi if all you do with the Pi is put it in a case and use it like a PC. As soon as you desire GPIO, tough luck.