5 Reasons to Get Excited About the New Mac Mini

[urungus]

I prefer that USB-A be eliminated from the Mac mini. The USB-C ports are smaller thus there is room for more ports on the case.

If the rumors are to be believed, the new Mac mini will have FEWER USB ports, the current M2 Pro mini has 6 USB ports while the new mini will only have 5. (The current non-pro mini only has 4 usb ports and the article states its replacement may also have a reduced number of ports)

 

[CarAnalogy]

We don't need small, we need usable.

If the new mini slides off the desk every time you try to plug in something then it is not usable. We need power. If the new mini throttles for every workload because it is so small and has terrible thermal characteristics, then it is not usable. Please Apple give us a real computer, not a redesigned iPad without a screen.

This is what worries me more than anything about Apple’s OS direction right now. This is a desktop computer. The Mac Pro is a desktop computer. It seems like they want to take away what that actually means. People buying a desktop computer, even the base model, don’t want an iPad.

If they were taking these efficiency gains and turning them in to real power in the traditional form factor that would be great. But simply saying “redesign” is not a reason to get excited. In fact the last ten years of updates to just about everything in tech has taught us to be reluctant. With every update something gets taken away, and too often without a real practical replacement and for no good reason anyone can point to.

 

[turbineseaplane]

If the rumors are to be believed, the new Mac mini will have FEWER USB ports, the current M2 Pro mini has 6 USB ports while the new mini will only have 5. (The current non-pro mini only has 2 usb ports and the article states its replacement may also have a reduced number of ports)

Exactly

What they are really doing here is a classic Tim Cook Apple move of "removing something" and then making you pay more to get it back

 

[sunapple]

Current case was designed to house a SuperDrive… I’m curious what new form factor might be introduced. Mac Studio automatically gets a more clearly defined place in the lineup.

 

[Gloor]

Removing USB-A is a good move. EU mandates all to be USB-C so why keeping such an old port around? Everything will be USB-C soon enough and if you need USB-A then just get an adapter.

Don't keep legacy ports (or systems) around just because someone might need it. That mentality has to die.

Otherwise we would still have DVDs and thick notebooks because some people still need DVDs (even now).

Please, get on with times

A redesign is not in itself positive or a reason to be excited. The current design has worked for what a decade?

Removing USB-A ports is a bad move, people still need them for things like iLok.

Shrinking the mac mini to look like an Apple TV has one motive behind it: make it cheaper to build.

And they’ll charge the same or probably more than the current ones.

 

[turbineseaplane]

EU mandates all to be USB-C so why keeping such an old port around?

I don't think that's accurate
Nothing the EU is mandating requires "all USB-C" on a computer, at least not to my understanding

Don't keep legacy ports (or systems) around just because someone might need it.

Don't keep ports around that someone might need?
What? Huh?

 

[blacktape242]

Price point, needs to remain the same.

 

[everlast3434]

Now with Apple Intelligence!*

*Probably, at some point in the future.

 

[clv101]

Wonder how a M4 Pro with 32GB Mini with compare price and performance wise with the base Studio, M2 Max with 32?

I expect, with much better single core performance, the Mini will edge it, making the M2 Max Studio high and dry.

 

[upthetoffees]

Which is why you'll want the "Belkin Weighted Dock" available 11/2 at Apple Stores and starting at $249

exactly!! Had same thought. Wow that would suuuck!

 

[Unidentified]

With the 5 usb-c ports does that mean I could run up to 3 monitors? Trying to replace my 2017 iMac with something. since they no longer sell large screen iMacs.

Any chance I’d be able to use my old iMac in target mode?

The current M2 Pro chip can already do that, so the next M4 Pro should do that as well.

Target mode is dead, you could use Airplay / Screen Mirroring instead.

 

[Paddle1]

Removing USB-A is a good move. EU mandates all to be USB-C so why keeping such an old port around? Everything will be USB-C soon enough and if you need USB-A then just get an adapter.

Don't keep legacy ports (or systems) around just because someone might need it. That mentality has to die.

Otherwise we would still have DVDs and thick notebooks because some people still need DVDs (even now).

Please, get on with times

USB A isn't going anywhere anytime soon. None of my keyboards or mice even have USB-C.

 

[Gloor]

thats right, not all but do you really think manufacturers will keep other USB ports around if EU is mandating USB-C and a lot of things? No, they will do what is right and that is all products will go for USB-C so you only need one cable for everything.

And yes, remove ports that some need just like remove DVD player even if some need it.

There is a solution (adapters, external drives etc.) for those that need it but thats it. Don't keep legacy crap just because someone might need it. That is a illogical way of thinking as if we all did that there would be no progress.

Things evolve, so should the thinking.

USB-A is dead, get on with it

I don't think that's accurate
Nothing the EU is mandating requires "all USB-C" on a computer, at least not to my understanding



Don't keep ports around that someone might need?
What? Huh?

 

[wonderings]

What would really make a new Mac mini incredible is if it had user replaceable/upgradable RAM and SSD. The idea of extending the life of a Mac computer probably does not fit in with Apples green agenda though. Imagine the chaos if people had more choice and options and could use these computers longer, what a mess that would be.

 

[raythompsontn]

the new Mac mini will have FEWER USB ports

With the *rumored* smaller case if there were USB-A ports there would be even fewer ports. USB-C wins the real estate battle every single time.

 

[Rychiar]

So im curious, whats wrong with the current style that you "need" an even smaller one?

it's not mini in 2024. it was designed for power hungry intel chips

 

[Gloor]

That will soon not be the case, USB-A is dead. Do I have/use USB-A? Sure, still do but I also understand that progress is progress and USB-A is a legacy port that was replaced by USB-C.

This conversation reminds me the removal of audio jack on the iPhone 7. Everyone whined and look at it now. We all use wireless except few that use adapters etc.

In few years, I doubt there will be any new product with USB-A. There simply is no reason for it

USB A isn't going anywhere anytime soon. None of my keyboards or mice even have USB-C.

 

[citysnaps]

ugh, my thoughts exactly, imagine it's 'so gorgeously small and light' and moves around every time you plug something in or out. That would be absolutely terrible, would boil my piss that.

Give this a try:

1. Put one hand on top of your Mini and apply downward pressure.

2. Grasp the USB-C connector shell of the cable with your other hand.

3. Plug the cable into an unoccupied USB-C socket on the computer.

4. Remove your hand that was applying downward pressure on the computer.

The above also works for unplugging a USB-C cable. Both plugging and unplugging a cable should take less than 5 seconds.

 

[raythompsontn]

None of my keyboards or mice even have USB-C.

None of my keyboards or mice even have USB.

 

[raythompsontn]

The above also works for unplugging a USB-C cable.

Or you can just yank quickly on the cable relying on inertia to do the job.

 

[turbineseaplane]

There is a solution (adapters, external drives etc.) for those that need it but thats it. Don't keep legacy crap just because someone might need it. That is a illogical way of thinking as if we all did that there would be no progress.

We could have "both"
It's ok to have a mix of new and existing connectors to create a product that best serves the customers buying it

That is the point of the product -- to be compelling and useful to buyers

I don't know why you think pushing everyone to buy adapters is somehow moving things forward

Nobody is arguing against having USB-C ports

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

In the future I can imagine the next mac mini will be the iphone with the continued miniaturization, lol. Just dock it and switch to desktop mode.

 

[turbineseaplane]

In the future I can imagine the next mac mini will be the iphone with the continued miniaturization, lol. Just dock it and switch to desktop mode.

We could already have that, but Apple wants to keep selling everyone discrete devices for each use case because of "money"

 

[asdfjkl;]

No, because the gap between the mini and the Studio is too large.

The Mac mini M2 Pro was a decent step towards something in-between entry-level and mid/high-end.

Apple is infamous for making the low-end and mid-tier products too low value and performance that those who just need a little more than budget/mid-tier are forced to go "Pro" even if their needs are not "Pro" but just more than budget/mid-tier.

Yes, that's Apple's business model, forcing the consumer up the value/$ ladder and offering peanuts for anyone who can't/won't pay up.

But the need for something between the Studio and mini is there, regardless of whether one doesn't want to or cannot pay for a Mac Studio or Mac Pro.

This is true but is not limited to just Apple. Computer makers since the '90s have been giving consumers the choice between 'Good', 'Better', and 'Best' configurations. It's just the way the market works. Frankly it drove me to building my own PCs for a while until I just got fed up with lousy hardware support and crappy / non-functional Windows drivers. I also found that the whole "upgradeable PC" thing was just a myth. It was just a way to spend a lot of money on computers. It was far cheaper to plan ahead and buy enough RAM and storage (higher end CPUs at the time were usually not worth the extra money). By the time those became constraints it was just a far better deal to get a new machine than try to cobble together something from the remnants of the old PC.

Apple's RAM and storage upgrade prices essentially force people to move from one tier to another. For instance, a Mac Mini Pro with 32GB/1TB (non-binned cpu) is the same price as a Mac Max Studio 32GB/1TB. If you opt for the binned cpu with fewer cores you save $300 but you have to ask yourself if that is anybody's idea of a good value. The Max Studio comes with more ports, cpu and gpu cores.

 

[LionTeeth]

Removing USB-A is a good move. EU mandates all to be USB-C so why keeping such an old port around? Everything will be USB-C soon enough and if you need USB-A then just get an adapter.

Don't keep legacy ports (or systems) around just because someone might need it. That mentality has to die.

Otherwise we would still have DVDs and thick notebooks because some people still need DVDs (even now).

Please, get on with times

lol