I mean it is running a daw so...

I think there are two valid reason to call some grooveboxes daw-in-boxes:

- if it has a song mode allowing one to do a complete composition without having to record his live performance

- if it allows the installation of audio plugins

For example the akai mpc series are basically computers running linux and the mpc software DAW preconfigured to make use of the physical knobs and pads. Same for the NI Maschine+. To me they are Daws in boxes.

However an elektron machine will be more a groovebox.

I was gonna say, I would never use it as a DAW, but it is darn cool!

As a hobbyist musician I'm bemused by the stickiness of the concept of a DAW. There are so many all-in-one devices that meet the definition of each letter in the acronym. But DAW is a proxy for something else, vaguely more professional or expensive.

Then you have the idea of DAWless. Oh well, every field has its vestigial jargon.

Agreed. It is more akin to a “live performance DAW” like Ableton Live, without the PC middleman.