Apple's long-overdue overhaul of the Mac mini shrinks an already great package even more, yet it still punches far above its weight class.

I've owned a Mac mini since the very first G4 model. In an era of bulky towers and a G4 Cube just years before that impressed but didn't deliver, the little box brought Apple power to a small desktop package, and I was enthused.

And since then, I've had one in service 24/7 constantly. Even now with a Mac Studio on my desk, there's one upstairs in use with a family member, one in the other room silently humming away acting as my network attached storage and test platform, and a few more on my shelf that I've hoarded over the years, just waiting for an application.


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Apple executives have defended the relocation of the power button to the bottom of its new M4 Mac mini, citing the computer's significantly reduced size as the driving factor behind the design change. In a Bilibili video interview, Apple's Greg Joswiak and John Ternus explained that the Mac mini's form factor, now half the size of its predecessor, necessitated finding a new position for the power button. The executives said that the bottom placement allows for convenient access despite initial user criticism.

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MacWise users will find the Mac Mini a compelling reason to put that old Wyse or DEC terminal into storage and replace it with a Mac Mini running MacWise. The Mini has everything you need to connect to your host.

Back in the day, when personal computers were first making their way into homes, buying a desktop was often a massive investment. The price tags on those early machines were no joke, especially in the ’80s and ’90s. Dropping a couple of thousand dollars on a beige box humming with potential was considered normal. Fast forward to today, and times have certainly changed -- computers, including the powerful M-series Mac minis, have become more affordable, while flagship smartphones have skyrocketed in price. I recently bought Apple’s new base-model M4 Mac mini, which set me back $500 with the education discount… [Continue Reading]

Apple’s new Mac mini models pack more power than ever into a case that has a smaller footprint but a taller profile than previous versions. The M4 Pro Mac mini also introduces the first Thunderbolt 5 ports in the Mac world.

According to a partial teardown video of Apple's new Mac mini, the new machine features modular storage that can be removed. "As we saw with the Mac Studio, however, replacing the modular storage is complicated," notes MacRumors. The teardown also reveals two 128GB storage chips in the 256GB model, enabling faster SSD speeds comparable to higher-capacity versions. From the report: The criticism surrounding Apple's decision to use a single 256GB chip in some base-model Macs a few years ago primarily came from a vocal contingent of tech enthusiasts, and the average customer is unlikely to even notice the slower speeds in common day-to-day tasks. Nevertheless, it appears that customers who do want the fastest SSD speeds do not need to worry about which storage capacity they choose when ordering the new Mac mini.

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El nuevo chip multiplica núcleos de proceso general y gráfico y el nuevo Mac Mini incluye puertos USB-C delanteros y es mucho más compacto. Es también el primer Mac sin huella de carbono Leer

El nuevo diseño compacto, el procesador M4 (o M4 Pro) y los 16 GB de memoria base hacen de este nuevo Mac uno de los más apetecibles de los últimos años Leer

The smaller mini loses some ports but gets tons of other functional updates.

На китайском канале Film and TV Hurricane на Bilibili (аналог YouTube) вышел обзор Mac mini с M4, в съемках которого приняли участие старший вице-президент по международному маркетингу Apple Грег Джосвиак и старший вице-президент Apple по разработке аппаратного обеспечения Джон Тернус. Они рассказали, почему кнопка включения в новом Mac mini находится снизу. Очевидно, это не самое...

На AliExpress есть почти всё, что только можно пожелать — и особенно приятно, что к распродаже 11.11 многие товары доступны с внушительными скидками.

Мастера iFixit добрались до новейшего Mac mini с процессором M4. Они сразу же отметили, что компьютер очень легко разобрать, несмотря на существенно уменьшившийся корпус. Нижняя панель удерживается зажимами, которые можно отсоединить без каких-либо повреждений. Первое, что пользователи увидят после снятия этой панели, — CMOS-батарею, которую можно быстро заменить, просто выкрутив два винта. Затем, открутив ещё...

Popular repair site iFixit today disassembled one of Apple's new M4 Mac mini machines for a teardown video that gives us a more complete look at the inside of the device.

Compared to the prior version of the Mac mini, the M4 model is densely packed with little space between components, which is how Apple slimmed down the size so much. The ‌M4 Mac mini‌ measures in at 5x5 inches, down from 7.5x7.5 inches, a size reduction that makes a major difference.

The power supply module is a board that extends across the top of the case, a design that Apple has previously used for the HomePod. The power supply normally takes up a lot of space, so that's how Apple shrunk it down without compromising performance.

In the middle of the ‌Mac mini‌, there's a fan that works with the redesigned thermal management system of the machine to pull in air from the environment, circulate it through each level of the ‌Mac mini‌, and then vent it out through the bottom. Because the M4 Pro versions of the ‌Mac mini‌ need more cooling power, Apple equipped them with a larger copper heatsink than the heatsink in the standard ‌M4 Mac mini‌ models.

iFixit is a little late to the ‌Mac mini‌ teardown, which means we have seen prior videos that provided some insight into the machine's internal components. We've already learned that the ‌Mac mini‌ has modular storage that can technically be upgraded after purchase, and iFixit confirmed that. iFixit swapped a 512GB SSD from one ‌M4 Mac mini‌ to another ‌M4 Mac mini‌ that had a 256GB SSD, and the swap was successful.

The M4 and M4 Pro ‌Mac mini‌ models use different NAND modules that aren't physically interchangeable, and iFixit was not able to use an M4 SSD in an M4 Pro ‌Mac mini‌, so users who plan to swap out their own storage will need to make sure to get the correct SSD for their device.

RAM for the ‌Mac mini‌ is tightly integrated into the M4 chip inside and is not upgradeable after purchase, and the ports are also soldered, which can make replacement difficult.

iFixit found other components in the ‌Mac mini‌ are simple to swap out, and the site gave the ‌Mac mini‌ a repairability score of 7 out of 10 thanks to the easy to remove components, swappable SSD, and the detailed repair manuals that Apple made available. iFixit says users could get at least a decade of use out of the ‌M4 Mac mini‌.
This article, "iFixit Shares M4 Mac Mini Teardown" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has spent the last few days trickling releases of new Mac hardware, debuting a revamped iMac with an M4 chip and new colors, a redesigned Mac Mini that is smaller in size and now has an M4 chip, and the MacBook Pro lineup has been revamped with M4 processors as well. Each of the ... Read More

Apple's overhaul of the Mac mini with M4 has been warmly received by reviewers, with many highlighting how it's one of the best values you can get right now — provided you avoid those pricey upgrades.

Apple's introduction of the New Mac mini on October 29 wasn't its usual spec-bump update. After months of rumors, it finally refreshed the model to make it even more mini.

At 5 inches square, its footprint trims off 2.7 inches each in width and length, but it did grow in height to 2 inches. It's now the smallest Mac Apple has ever sold to consumers.


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Apple isn't soldering the SSD to the logic board in the M4 Mac mini, but given the company's history with Apple Silicon, don't expect upgrades.

Older Intel-based Mac minis provided intrepid users with the ability to disassemble the computer and to upgrade a few components. The 2018 model had upgradeable RAM, but easily replaceable internal storage on the Mac mini has been a thing of the past for a decade.

A question posed to the iFixit forums innocently asks if the SSD in the 2024 Mac mini is soldered in place. Soldered storage is practice that Apple has performed throughout the Apple Silicon age, for the most part, making it extremely difficult for anyone to replace.


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Apple's 1TB M4 MacBook Pro 14-inch is eligible for a material early Black Friday discount at Amazon, along with savings on the 2024 Mac mini M4 and a record low price on the 13-inch MacBook Air 16GB.

In what is the steepest price drop we've seen on the 14-inch M4 / 16GB RAM / 1TB SSD spec, Amazon has shaved $145 off MSRP when you order the laptop in the Silver colorway.


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Apple's 2024 Mac mini stashes the power button underneath, a bold move that executives say aligns with user habits, even if it's left some fans scratching their heads.

The company's latest Mac mini is significantly downsized — about half the size of its predecessor. The overhaul makes it more compact and gave Apple's designers challenges in laying out external features.

Apple's Vice Presidents, Greg Joswiak, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, and John Ternus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, explained to IThome. They emphasized that the compact form factor still makes it easy to access the button by tucking a finger underneath to press it.


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Apple's decision to place the power button of the M4 Mac mini underneath has been questioned by users. In some cases, they've come up with their own "solutions" to the problem.

The introduction of the M4 Mac mini was welcomed by critics, with the already small Mac made to be even smaller. Getting to that size meant there had to be a compromise, and that took the form of an awkward power button placement.

Rather than at the rear, the button is instead underneath the corner of the Mac mini's enclosure. It's in a position that you have to lift or tilt the Mac mini to access it, which can be awkward for people with larger digits.


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Is it a controversial design choice or a completely acceptable location for the new Mac mini power button?

First Mac mini redesign in almost 15 years highlights how good the insides are.

The Mac mini will be getting an upgrade this week, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The mini is Apple’s desktop computer (really just a small gray box) positioned between the consumer iMac and the company’s professional-grade desktops. The new mini is reportedly getting smaller — nearly the size of an Apple TV set-top box. It […]

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