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Apple Announces Redesigned Mac Mini With M4 and M4 Pro Chips, Two Front USB-C Ports, and More

mode11 said:
Yeah, my PC has a pile of USB-A cables / dongles plugged into it, and frequently memory sticks too. None of my USB-C ports have anything connected, actually.

Removing widely used and useful ports is not courage; I thought we'd moved past this when the AS MBPs brought back HDMI, SD and MagSafe.
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Sure many desktop users use low-bandwidth-demanding USB-A devices, lots of them. So any such user with a small desktop box should also have a powered USB-A hub attached. One Mac Mini TB5 port has bandwidth to serve 10+ USB-A devices on a hub.

The bottom line is that the new Mac mini computers provide more bandwidth.
 
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Allen_Wentz said:
Sure many desktop users use low-bandwidth-demanding USB-A devices, lots of them. So any such user with a small desktop box should also have a powered USB-A hub attached. One Mac Mini TB5 port has bandwidth to serve 10+ USB-A devices on a hub.

The bottom line is that the new Mac mini computers provide more bandwidth.
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OK, but miniaturising a desktop then adding a USB hub to it seems like one step forward and one step back. Especially as the powered hub means an additional power socket too.
 
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Adelphos33 said:
Very good pricing on the base Mac mini. At $599, you get 10/10 cores, 16GB RAM, 256GB storage. The comparable 10/10 iMac is $1,499 - so you are basically paying $900 for the monitor, keyboard and trackpad on the iMac, which seems a tad bit too much.
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That iMac only gets Thunderbolt 3, not 4. I think the premium is paying for the colour.
 
mode11 said:
OK, but miniaturising a desktop then adding a USB hub to it seems like one step forward and one step back. Especially as the powered hub means an additional power socket too.
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It's bizarre isn't it?

"Apple made it smaller and it took some things away"

"Who cares!? I'll just add an external drive, maybe a dock or a hub and a few dongles! -- SO ELEGANT! Yay Apple!"
 
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mode11 said:
You couldn't be bothered to see if the M4 Studio gets announced tomorrow?

Given that even the base model will have an M4 Max, at least 32GB of RAM and 10GbE as standard. Speccing up lower end models is usually much worse value than just going up a tier.
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You are absolutely correct that "Speccing up lower end models is usually much worse value than just going up a tier." But do note that Apple's 14-day return means a Mac Mini preordered can always go back if M4 Studio is announced.

Also note that the odds of an M4 Studio being announced this week are slim, approaching zero IMO. So for many getting (an IMO nicely priced) Mac mini now will be a superior choice over waiting months for a Studio. Personally I think the M4 MBPs are the devices that may be better choices than the upscaled Mac mini.
 
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neomorpheus said:
Funny how the power consumption thing becomes important when it fits a narrative.
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Energy consumption is always important.

And if one buys electricity over a pair of wires, which most people do, you'll find that running these new Mac Minis 24/7 over a whole year will cost you less than buying a NUC-copy that burns 2x to 4x as much energy.

Additionally, Minis have been much, much quieter than the NUC-copy boxes because such boxes typically have noisy fans. (Yes, I know you can buy fanless PC cases but the one's I've seen typically are sized no smaller than needed to take an ATX board as one relies complete on passive cooling and that means surface area.)
 
njmitchel0 said:
For those entering desktop format vs notebook...are you splurging on the Apple Studio Display as well? Going with something else?
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I recently upgraded my desktop monitor from a 43" 4K LCD to a 48" LG C4 OLED for $699. Granted, the ASD is 5K but also quite smaller, half the refresh rate, and twice the price. With the money saved I'm now considering adding the new Mac Mini...just not sure which config.
 
ProbablyDylan said:
Unless we get Studio tomorrow. I could see them not wanting to leave it languishing on M2. At the same time, there's the M2 Mac Pro.

I really dislike how Apple staggers their Mac launches. Who wants to buy an M2 computer at retail price when M4 is already available?
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exactly! Looks like the M4 Mac Studio's won't be out until the spring, but I would love to be wrong :)
 
mode11 said:
You couldn't be bothered to see if the M4 Studio gets announced tomorrow?

Given that even the base model will have an M4 Max, at least 32GB of RAM and 10GbE as standard. Speccing up lower end models is usually much worse value than just going up a tier.
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Doubtful M4 Studio gets released this week. Rumors are for M4 Macbook Air Spring 2025 and then M4 Mac Studio Summer 2025 (at the earliest).
 
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The base RAM in the M4 Pro is now 24 GB, so we can expect the same thing for the MacBook Pros tomorrow. Well, guess this will the update year for me.
 
mode11 said:
OK, but miniaturising a desktop then adding a USB hub to it seems like one step forward and one step back. Especially as the powered hub means an additional power socket too.
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I disagree, and I am living it because I use an M2 MBP in desktop mode driving multiple external displays. Taking up space on high tech devices by adding low-bandwidth legacy ports makes no sense. My USB-A hub has at least 5 devices plugged into it; it would be absurd to try to provide 5 lame USB-A ports in a Mini or in a laptop.
 
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Very impressed with the Pro specs. Can't wait to see what the TBD M4 Mac Pro is going to be like. TB5 is a big deal because now that port can support more streams of 3G, 4k and maybe even 2 8K video outputs. Black Magic will probably be the first to the punch but AJA will have a better product.
 
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I was planning to get a 10gbe adapter for my M3 Max MBP but may put the money towards a base M4 Mini with 10gbe option instead. Tempted to upgrade the Mini's RAM and storage to "match" my M3 Max but probably unnecessary. The base Mini should be powerful enough for the majority of my needs and if not, then that's when the M3 Max can step in. Also, I probably won't lose as much later if I decide to upgrade the base M4 Mini to the new M4 Mac Studio. Hmm...base M4 Mini it is!
 
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mode11 said:
You couldn't be bothered to see if the M4 Studio gets announced tomorrow?

Given that even the base model will have an M4 Max, at least 32GB of RAM and 10GbE as standard. Speccing up lower end models is usually much worse value than just going up a tier.
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The studio is not going to get announced this round. Apple said they will announce three products and the MacBooks are missing. A new Studio will come only next year. And given the specs of the mini, it will last me at least five years.
 
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thebart said:
I've scrupulously moved all my media, my downloads and documents folders, and large apps to the external SSD (at least those that cooperate), and still I've filled up more than half of my 512gb. 256 just doesn't cut it. Keep in mind your SSD likes plenty of free space to do wear leveling, too

So we lost the HDMI port? Edit: correction: HDMI is still there.

Nevertheless I think my m1 mini 16/512's resale value just tanked
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yeah I just checked my resale value via apple trade in for my Mac mini M2PRO 16/512 and they offered like $350! LOL
 
drsox said:
Bought one for delivery on the first day. Selling my Mac Studio.
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How was your Studio lamed? Did you originally build it with inadequate RAM? I can think of no other reason to sell a Studio to buy a Mac mini [even though I consider the new mini to be a sweet upgrade, it remains Apple's lowest-end desktop].
 
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I really appreciate the synergy.

Now when I turn my mouse upside down to charge I can also flip the Mac mini upside down to hit the power button to provide the juice. I've been able to charge the keyboard upside down (or even the wrong way up (keys up, catching crumbs)) for years anyway.

☕️
 
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