Last week on The Sweet Setup, I completed a setup interview showcasing my office iMac setup. I used to use this iMac for study, writing, and photo editing, but I repurposed it earlier this year after getting the itch to see if I could pull off a dual-OS work setup. So far, the iMac has succeeded with flying colours.

There are a few hiccups with the setup, though. The biggest is RAM — our Intuit ProFile tax software is Windows-only and eats an enormous amount of RAM. I have 12GB of RAM dedicated to the Windows virtual machine in Parallels and have next to no software installed on the VM. That ProFile app eats that 12GB RAM in two tax returns — sometimes I have to open five tax returns at once for a single family.

When this happens, the iMac can bog down to a standstill.

Part of The Sweet Setup setup interview is the final dreamer-worthy question: “How would your ideal setup look and function”. Here’s an excerpt from my answer:

My ideal setup would be a 13-inch MacBook Pro that is capable of running two 27-inch displays. There’s an Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro capable of this right now, but I’m hesitant to double-down on an Intel-based Mac given the inevitable Apple M-chip future. I’d like a laptop so I could work from home in the evenings during tax season rather than beaming in via Screens from my home office M1 MacBook Air.

I’m hoping this MacBook Pro debuts next Monday at Apple’s “Unleashed” event. It’s this theoretical MacBook Pro which much hope hinges on for the upcoming tax season.

Assuming Gurman and all the Apple journalistic community is correct, we’re getting 14-inch and 16-inch high-powered MacBook Pros on Monday. There is no way these MacBook Pros debut without 32GB RAM options. I’d also be utterly stunned if they only supported a single external display.

I wouldn’t be surprised if I came away from next Monday’s keynote with pure excitement. I think the odds are high Apple debuts the computer I have hoped for since I converted my iMac to office use.

Of course, there’s also the M1/M1X/M2 silicon issue — Microsoft Office for ARM hasn’t debuted to the public just yet, and I need Microsoft Excel like I need breakfast in the morning.

If the stars align and Apple debuts a 32GB RAM MacBook Pro which can drive two external displays and can operate Microsoft Office for ARM, I’m looking at a new computer purchase.