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The fact they dressed it up nicely doesn't negate the larger point. It's an external necessary component on an supposed all-in-one desktop computer.

The power supply has been internal since the very first model, over two decades and 8 generations ago. Heck even the original Macintosh had an internal power supply in 1984! Was Apple and the countless designers over that entire period of time wrong then, or are they wrong today? Nothing about the decision about internal/external power supplies has changed since then. And if anything, Apple has been making more things built-in and internal over the years, so this move is a clear outlier. Even the AppleTV has an internal power supply! This is a regression, and nobody has credibly argued otherwise so far.

It's also not like an ethernet or display adapter that can be dongle-ized. It's a necessary component without which the product cannot be used. This makes it no longer an all-in-one. When does an all-in-one stop being an all-in-one? How many components are allowed to be external before it stops being an all-in-one?

What does it say about Apple's own confidence in the power supply? Power supplies are external when they need to be for portability (e.g., laptops, tablets, smartphones) and when they are cheap and likely to fail (and thus designed to be easily replaced). The iMac is certainly not a portable device. So is Apple expecting these things to fail and need frequent replacement?

Besides just giving Apple the benefit of the doubt, nobody has actually put forth any reason the power supply had to be external on the iMac, nor why it should not be internal on the Mac Mini. The M1 Mac Mini uses just 39W of power at peak. There are 65W power supplies that are approximately 1 inch cubed, and some designs are under 1cm thick. It can easily be made internal to a redesigned Mac Mini, even if the goal is to make it thinner and sleeker.

There is objectively no technical reason it cannot be integrated, and no benefit to having it external (unless Apple is not confident in their quality and reliability).
The 2006-2010 Mac minis had an external power supply. it was a white brick.
 
The appletv draws somewhere around 5w when playing video. The iMac has a ~140w PSU, the Mac mini is likely north of 100w too.

could they make it fit inside the iMac? Sure. Would that have other trade offs? Almost certainly.

Every product in history has compromises in its design. The only difference here is you don’t agree with the compromises that the designers made.
The M1 Mac Mini draws 39W at peak. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201897
 
I'm sure that Apple is aware of the popularity of racks of minis. Keeping the original width and ports will be welcome there. I could imagine Apple providing an alternate power delivery for rack use or at least a spec so that vendors could incorporate their own DC power supplies.
Exactly - 3rd-party vendors will develop multi-mini power supplies for data centers. I would guess some will even offer multiple transformers for redundancy. This solution would be far more reliable than minis with internal power supplies.
 
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It’s been 23 years. Can we let go of USB-A already?

I wish this already happened...

It's not very much the fault of computers, rather the hardware manufacturers that still make usb A or in some cases C-to-A accessories.

I'm in the process of switching to a full USB-C setup, but some accessories are still USB-A, like my wireless mouse, my keyboard, and others.

I think it'll take at least an other 2 years to have a full transition.
With regards to the new mac mini, I'd 100% take 6 USB-C ports (4 of which thunderbolt) and adapt where necessary, especially since I could power all my USB-A accessories with a single USB-C Hub.
 
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Thinner?😑😑😑 Boo...hiss... I just lost all interest in the high end Mini.

I want it 3x thicker and incased in clear acrylic. Bring back the Cube. Resistance is futile.
552762_400x400_Contain_Zoom.jpg
YAAAS Bring back the cube!!
(nice Borg reference)
 
Besides just giving Apple the benefit of the doubt, nobody has actually put forth any reason the power supply had to be external on the iMac, nor why it should not be internal on the Mac Mini. The M1 Mac Mini uses just 39W of power at peak. There are 65W power supplies that are approximately 1 inch cubed, and some designs are under 1cm thick. It can easily be made internal to a redesigned Mac Mini, even if the goal is to make it thinner and sleeker.

You're only considering the power consumed by an M1, yet the M1-X with more cores will likely use more power in the next Mac mini.

Also...you might not beware that USB-C is spec'd to deliver between 60 and 100 watts per port, depending on configuration and cable used. Imagine the whine-fest if it didn't hit at least 60 watts on each port, and do so when the CPU is under maximum load.

A ton of thought went into the decision to go external with the Mac mini power supply. Feel free to assert that it was due to lack of confidence in power supply reliability, rather than from a careful analysis of goals and requirements. I don't think that will get much traction.
 
The fact they dressed it up nicely doesn't negate the larger point. It's an external necessary component on an supposed all-in-one desktop computer.

The power supply has been internal since the very first model, over two decades and 8 generations ago. Heck even the original Macintosh had an internal power supply in 1984! Was Apple and the countless designers over that entire period of time wrong then, or are they wrong today? Nothing about the decision about internal/external power supplies has changed since then. And if anything, Apple has been making more things built-in and internal over the years, so this move is a clear outlier. Even the AppleTV has an internal power supply! This is a regression, and nobody has credibly argued otherwise so far.

It's also not like an ethernet or display adapter that can be dongle-ized. It's a necessary component without which the product cannot be used. This makes it no longer an all-in-one. When does an all-in-one stop being an all-in-one? How many components are allowed to be external before it stops being an all-in-one?

What does it say about Apple's own confidence in the power supply? Power supplies are external when they need to be for portability (e.g., laptops, tablets, smartphones) and when they are cheap and likely to fail (and thus designed to be easily replaced). The iMac is certainly not a portable device. So is Apple expecting these things to fail and need frequent replacement?

Besides just giving Apple the benefit of the doubt, nobody has actually put forth any reason the power supply had to be external on the iMac, nor why it should not be internal on the Mac Mini. The M1 Mac Mini uses just 39W of power at peak. There are 65W power supplies that are approximately 1 inch cubed, and some designs are under 1cm thick. It can easily be made internal to a redesigned Mac Mini, even if the goal is to make it thinner and sleeker.

There is objectively no technical reason it cannot be integrated, and no benefit to having it external (unless Apple is not confident in their quality and reliability).
Looking at the depth of the iMac is all it takes to see why the brick needs to be external. They wanted it very thin, and decided an external power brick was an acceptable trade-off.
 
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Looking at the depth of the iMac is all it takes to see why the brick needs to be external. They wanted it very thin, and decided an external power brick was an acceptable trade-off.

I don't understand why that whooshes over so many heads. I haven't measured, but I suspect even an RJ-45 Ethernet jack would not fit, as well.
 
I don't understand why that whooshes over so many heads. I haven't measured, but I suspect even an RJ-45 Ethernet jack would not fit, as well.
It’s also the reason the headphone jack is on the side. If one cannot fathom how a computer too thin for even a headphone Jack wouldn’t have an internal power supply, well…. 🤷‍♂️
 
I don't understand why that whooshes over so many heads. I haven't measured, but I suspect even an RJ-45 Ethernet jack would not fit, as well.
When it’s a trade off they don’t agree with, it’s compromising the product.

When it’s a trade off they do agree with, its “just logical”.

Welcome to Internet Logic 101, this will be on the exam.
 
There is also a "possibility" that Apple could bring out new lower end thunderbolt 4.5k displays to match their new Mini which will not require external power.
 
The new iMacs do not have a MagSafe connector. Apple never said they did. The power cord connects to the Mac magnetically but this is not the same as the functionality of MagSafe.

Going back to the main topic though, the Mac Mini would be a good alternative to the iMac for me, if Apple also offered an Apple Cinema Display with integrated web camera and speakers. I just don‘t like the monitors that are available on the market. Most of them are low res, and the ones that are high res are way too expensive and also do not scale well under macOS. I would love to have a 5K 27“ display or a 4,5K 24“ display. The LG 27“ 5K display is not available here in Germany.
I’m sure you can find a way to get an LG 5K on the used market if they don’t sell them new
 
I just don’t see the utility of a magnetic plug on this device.
If what they say about the connection strength is true, then I agree. The Mini is already so smol that it would come crashing off the desk if 😼someone😽 trips on the power cable. The old school magsafe was just right. It held th he plug in place, but broke away if some four legged fiend decides come barreling across your desk.

Anyhow, Ima hold off until Apple makes a machine that is upgradable. I don't want to have to replace the whole thing because a port or 2 craps out. Bad Apple.
 
The point of MagSafe power cords isn't to prevent loss of power supply, but rather to prevent the connected device being pulled off its resting place and potentially becoming damaged if someone trips or yanks on the cord. Thus the "Safe" in MagSafe.

Also, I'm sure it's not going to disconnect with a super light pull, but would require more force so you shouldn't accidentally disconnect it.
I think its rare someone would trip or tug the cord on a desktop. They are static in one part of a room and usually backed up to a wall on a desk with the cable running down the back of a desk.

Laptops on the other hand are constantly moved around and the possibility of tripping on the cable its attached to is higher.
 
I wish they'd stop going thinner. It's a desktop and it's plugged in. I'm not concerned with power savings or a thin enclosure. Make it bigger and pack more in.
But the point is with Apple silicon there is nothing more to “pack in.” The Mac mini doesn't need to be big because it doesn't concern itself with battery life and it doesn't need to accommodate any kind of user swappable components.

Its size need only be defined by the size of its logic board and the thermal constraints of the SoC: there is no reason for its enclosure to be any larger than that. And, given the efficiency and size reduction that the system-on-package design of Apple silicon entails, this necessitates a shrinkage of the enclosure.

Just look at the iFixit teardown of the current M1 Mac mini, where they took the Intel-era chassis and shoved an M1 logic board inside: it's mostly empty air inside that volume. That's a waste of space and materials.
 
So just... buy an external keyboard and display for the laptop? You’re making this a lot harder than you need to.

I need uncompromised performance. Laptops compromise performance, are loud under load, and cost much more. I want a light quiet cheap (low power) MacBook that connects with one cable (or wirelessly!) to a fast portable Mini. No compromises. Best of both worlds.
 
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