Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

High-End Mac Mini Said to Feature Thinner Design With 'Plexiglass' Top, Magnetic Power Port

jeffmetanna said:
I don't think MagSafe will work well with Mac mini. Considering many of these will be used in server farms, there would be no benefit but catastrophes if someone were to tug the cable a little too hard...
Click to expand...
It could actually be a benefit if they (or an authorised third party) offered a DC to DC wiring harness. Having the UPS do one AC/DC conversion, and then running everything on DC beyond that point helps a lot for efficiency.

However I have zero expectation that was actually their goal here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: peanuts_of_pathos
zorinlynx said:
Why the crap does the Mac Mini need to change to using an external power brick? One of the nice things about the Mac Mini is its lack of such a brick.

The first iteration of the Mac Mini had one, then moved away from that. It feels like we're sliding backwards?
Click to expand...
Yup, the mini with built in power supply are great on server racks. Now one has to consider those power bricks laying around.
 
  • Like
Reactions: reallynotnick
oneMadRssn said:
It's also oddly inconsistent with Apple's other design decisions. SSD - integrated. RAM - integrated. WiFi, bluetooth, GPU, all the controllers - integrate it all. Power supply? Nah, let's make that modular and external. It makes no sense.
Click to expand...
Maybe they are not going to include one in the box, since most people will have an old one laying around from old M1 iMacs. For the children environment.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: praetorian909, peanuts_of_pathos, filchermcurr and 1 other person
theluggage said:
The iFixit teardown of the iMac showed an ethernet controller chip on the main logic board. Suggesting that the new magnetic connector is just a glorified Ethernet patch cable, and the Ethernet socket in the power brick may be nothing more than a socket. $30 extra for a RJ45 socket sounds about right for Apple.
Click to expand...

That is actually a good thing for enterprise, they can swap power bricks as needed without worrying about changing MAC addresses in their DNS system. The power brick is just a breakout cable for the integrated Ethernet controller.
 
  • Like
Reactions: windowsblowsass and KeithBN
I use my 2018 Mini in my server cabinet, for this application an external power supply would be really bad and the magnetic connector would not be needed.

But even on my desk I would prefer a Mini that is slightly bigger and has an internal power supply.

What is next, an AppleTV with external power supply bigger than the AppleTV itself, like I. the old days with the mini.

I really can not understand why someone thinks, that this is a good idea....
 
citysnaps said:
It can make a lot of sense for some applications where heat and fan reliability are concerns.
Click to expand...
These are solvable engineering and design issues. Are you saying Apple doesn't have the engineering or design chips to design a good integrated power supply? With GaN tech power supplies are getting smaller, less hot, and more reliable than ever. Is Apple not up the task of designing such a power supply? I doubt it. This seems like penny-pinching to me.
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: KeithBN and IceStormNG
justperry said:
Plexiglass (Like)...Nope...scratches too much, must be glass then, but....why, just use aluminium.
There is no reason to make the top of Plexiglass like material.
Click to expand...
Pssstt... I have a picture of a real world plexiglass Mac mini. o_O

Mac-mini-1st-gen.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: zapmymac, Tagbert, davidg4781 and 7 others
Ion-X said:
You realize even the iPhone has an external power brick, right?
Click to expand...

Mobile devices with rare exception have always had power bricks. Lenovo's and Dell's newer low-footprint PCs use power bricks as well. It's becoming more common, but it seems like these power bricks die more than internal power supplies but that may just be my limited experience with them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Donar
Lemon Olive said:
It's not inconsistent. Rather, it is absolutely consistent with the entire Mac product line. The same power cable is likely going to work for all Macs...laptop and desktop.

These power adapters are easy to hide and bury under a desk or on an under-desk shelf. If it makes for a better Mac in the same or smaller footprint by offloading such a piece, that is better.
Click to expand...

First - we already have a standardized power cord that has been used with all desktop Macs until recently. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_60320#Appliance_couplers

Second, I don't want to bury and hide anything. That's not tidy, it's not good design. "hide and bury" are words we use to describe workarounds to bad design.
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
Reactions: hxlover904, EntropyQ3, KeithBN and 2 others
I'd like to have a small desktop on my desk and then to tuck the brick away under the desk. Out of site, out of mind.
Click to expand...

It take space in the server cabinet. On my desk it adds wiring (probably the cable is fixed and way to long). Beside that I have a cable tray with outlets mounted at my desk. The power supply would have to fit into the tray and has the risk of overheating because of the bad ventilation. I hate any cables or power supplies on the floor.
 
I'm really bothered by a magnetic power port for a non-portable device. Especially, when there's a power brick - which limits 'tidying' of cords out of the way of legs and feet that get tangled and could 'pop' out the power.
 
Ooooh, I like the look and the port offerings! Especially the built-in Ethernet and HDMI, and offering four Thunderbolt/USB-C ports (even if they are spaced kind of close together.) I was hoping it'd come in a Space Grey option, but if it comes in different colors that's a possibility. I'm still looking to buy one of those new higher-end Mac Minis next year as my first Apple Silicon Mac desktop.
As for the external power brick, I don't mind too much, as I can always just have it tucked away amongst my other desktop wires and such. Plus, the 2005-2010 Mac Minis also used such an external power brick, like the ones I tested/worked on at my workplace...
47EB7201-E15A-4F14-9FF8-7DDC5FACBB33_1_105_c.jpeg

In fact, the idea of a plexiglass top also kind of reminds me of those Mac Minis of the 2000s.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert and peanuts_of_pathos
ian87w said:
Yup, the mini with built in power supply are great on server racks. Now one has to consider those power bricks laying around.
Click to expand...

This could potentially make it even easier for server racks since, now you only need 12-24V going to the MacMini.
It will not be hard bypassing the brick and patching just 12Volts to that connector.

These could eventually even be powered by PoE
 
  • Like
Reactions: Issy88, Tagbert, peanuts_of_pathos and 4 others
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back