They are both fine. I got an M2 mini with base disk and memory. The ancient 27 inch iMac had a 7200 rpm terabyte disk and more memory, IIRC, and this $600 compu

They are both fine. I got an M2 mini with base disk and memory. The ancient 27 inch iMac had a 7200 rpm terabyte disk and more memory, IIRC, and this $600 computer laps it in every way. ( The display quit and I may yet have it fixed ) A great reason for modular computers. I've had a lot of mini's over time. I store all I can on external SSD's. (Sneakernet is the fastest network of all, but I don't currently use it) Most people do prefer all in one's of course. I stopped using the 2010 or so MBA. Still works. The iPad Pro is my laptop, with keyboard, trackpad and third party mouse. I use it for musical scores and showing off photos from the Nikons pretty exclusively. Size and portability matter. For these two uses, a laptop configuration is less suitable for me. Desktops and laptops are still hundreds of times more efficient and useful to me than any mobile OS. Even with the gamut of goodies. If your mom upgrades so infrequently, it's like cars. The newer model will obsolete later. My phone and some other systems fell off support, and can't get software upgrades. (Other than Linux, of course) I suspect that's the rationale, even if the M series all seem interchangeable. Or maybe it will run out of horsepower later, as software gets even more demanding. I doubt that she'll need to count cores and GPU's.