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M4 Mac Mini to Become Apple's Smallest Ever Computer With Complete Redesign
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I don't think that would be a good idea to add that even as an option, since it's not something most would be interested in, yet its size would necessitate a case redesign that would affect all users.
Plus, even for those that could benefit from a battery backup, you'd be adding, to a device that should last a long time without maintenance, a part that requires replacement every few years. Instead, if power failures are an issue for you, it would be better to buy a 250W UPS on AZ for $60. And at that capacity they are fairly small.
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I'm sure others have said this, but I like the Mac mini at the size it is. It sounds like port reduction, and with two monitors, digital audio out, a backup drive, a headset, a webcam, ethernet, and more things I'm forgetting about, I'm using nearly every I/O port plus a bunch on a Caldigit dock! I do value size to an extent... at its current size it was easy to use one of those OWC enclosures to bolt under my desk. If I trusted Apple to add super tiny as an option I'd be all for it, but this will probably take something I like and shave it down to something I don't love...
I agree. That's the mistake they made with the Trashcan Mac Pro. They decided the smaller footprint would look much cleaner than the big aluminum case they had before. Unfortunately, they forgot all the stuff that could be put inside the big aluminum case now had to be attached to the Mac Pro, resulting in a rats' nest of cables and peripherals.
In the case of the Mini, it's either (the current Mini) vs. (a small Mini + dock), or (the current Mini + dock) vs. (a small Mini + a bigger dock or multiple docks). In most cases, the current Mini gives the cleaner end result.
And, as I mentioned above, a bigger Mini would be quieter, and throttle less, than a tiny Mini, especially when equipped with the M4 Pro.
That would be quite retro to me, having started my computer life with at least the VIC-20, C-64, P2000, TI99/4a, Acorn Atom and Electron, MSX, COM-X and the ZX Spectrum - yes, used them all back then. Their common design feature? All logic is in the keyboard. Hook up a power adapter and a screen and you’re fine.
No!
One key becomes a bit dodgy and you have to send the whole thing to be fixed?
Unless they make it like a keyboard support and you just lie a standard keyboard on top. Even then, not if it raises the keyboard. I am all set up to use my current keyboard comfortably and don't want it raised a centimetre - let alone an inch.
If you can fit an Apple TV, keyboard, mouse and display in your pocket, you can fit an iPad in your pocket
1) The OS should use as much memory as possible until it's needed by other applications
2) iCloud Photo Library and iCloud Drive solves the problem of not having to store everything locally, but easily available in the Photos app or the file system. You're not supposed to store everything you have collected digitally on your machine.
Hear hear! Also with Apple: smaller = more expensive
There are already VESA mount brackets available for the Mini. If it's out of sight behind the display then size doesn't matter. If (as the rumour suggests) they're making it taller to reduce the footprint, that's worse for VESA mounting.
I think Tim Cook would tell you that $700 is affordable... ditto for the $1600 Studio Display...
...and would that be 24", 27", 32", 3:2, 16:10, 4.5k, 5k, 6k...? The third party market is full of affordable monitors. Part of tyhe appeal of the Mini and Studio are that you can choose your own displays. A Mac Mini plugged into a 4k TV would make a pretty good setup.
Now, if Apple made a 3:2 ratio display along the lines of the Huawei Mateview 28" I'd be tempted (I currently have Mateviews but suspect that they're not built for the ages... we'll see) - but others will have different preferences.
There's nothing cleaner than a tower PC with all the gubbins fitted internally and the whole thing tucked away out of sight under your desk. But then you're not looking at the product and marketing wouldn't like that. Even the current Mac Pro designers clearly don't like that - or they wouldn't have put the power button and 'accessible' USB ports on the top of the case. [facepalm]
Can't you just get a USB-C dongle or replace cables?
Smaller is good, but… I still can’t convince my dad to buy one because the last computer he bought was a Ryzen HP box for 400 euros from Amazon a few years back.
I am looking for a desktop computer to permanently hook up my external hdd with itunes movies and tv shows. As it’s rather difficult to keep plugging it into a laptop in a small room.
I was going to get a 24” iMac but I saw it not as gusty compared to MacBook Pro. I never knew the Mac mini offers more power upgrades to the iMac.
Also I could hook up this tiny beastie to living room tv, without it being noticeable until I get out the keyboard and mouse. Count me in for this one.
I was going to get a 24” iMac but I saw it not as gusty compared to MacBook Pro. I never knew the Mac mini offers more power upgrades to the iMac.
Also I could hook up this tiny beastie to living room tv, without it being noticeable until I get out the keyboard and mouse. Count me in for this one.
If it's small enough to sit under my TV this could be a really great gaming station. I am thinking Dolphin Emulator, should be possible to rock every GameCube game in 4K.
Why is smaller better at this point? You are still going to have a square footprint of some sort, still have cables side by side, at minimum for a monitor and power. And with smaller they get rid of even more potential of user replaceable parts or upgrades which the masses seemed to have gobbled up with all the glitz and glam of thin small computers. Landfills will be full of Apple computers at some point when people who made mistakes of not buying enough ram or hard drive space need more.
Happy with my Mac mini M2 Pro, wont be updating to the M4 yet as I'm still not sure they fixed that CPU bug, also my mini is one year old, I don't update iPhones yearly any more and I am never updating computers yearly, the M2 pro does all I need and I'm sure it will in years to come, plus I like the current Mac mini Pro layout, and I still have a couple of USB A devices. Apple have done this for themselves, cheaper to build (less metal) I bet it looses the MagLev fan, and it will end up sliding all over the desk, (I use the Spigen filter stand) as the current mini slides about but at leats it has some weight, also it looks fine as is its a desk top. They don't need to be smaller and have awful thermals and probably be even harder to get inside to be fixed and loose some IO ports that people still use.
I mean my 13" M4 iPad pro does not seem any better than my old 2018 iPad Pro, and the screen only stands out when you watch HDR, on a blind test I doubt I could tell the difference between both models just by browsing. I see people updating 3 year old Master series TV's and then saying the new one is more buggy and in the shop I could not tell a A90J from a A95L side by side screen wise and in bright rooms Quantum Dot Oleds are not so black and suffer burn in more than Woled versions, yet people update then get disapointed when its not the huge leap they are told by whatever companies marketing guru has said this is the best version ever. I bet these PR guys sit back smiling, with a job well done selling people the same stuff they have already pretty much. To me its a mugs game, but thats just my point of view of course.
I mean my 13" M4 iPad pro does not seem any better than my old 2018 iPad Pro, and the screen only stands out when you watch HDR, on a blind test I doubt I could tell the difference between both models just by browsing. I see people updating 3 year old Master series TV's and then saying the new one is more buggy and in the shop I could not tell a A90J from a A95L side by side screen wise and in bright rooms Quantum Dot Oleds are not so black and suffer burn in more than Woled versions, yet people update then get disapointed when its not the huge leap they are told by whatever companies marketing guru has said this is the best version ever. I bet these PR guys sit back smiling, with a job well done selling people the same stuff they have already pretty much. To me its a mugs game, but thats just my point of view of course.
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Don't care either way about the size, unless the shrinking process involves taking away active cooling/gives us a whiny useless little fan, or they take away all the ports.
Theoretical Evil Apple: "here you go, scum who can't afford a Studio- suffer with your meagre solitary USB-C port. No more headphone jacks for cretins we resent" 😅
Theoretical Evil Apple: "here you go, scum who can't afford a Studio- suffer with your meagre solitary USB-C port. No more headphone jacks for cretins we resent" 😅
Please don’t! If they put the mini into any peripheral, we won’t be able to choose a better or cheaper keyboard. I don’t know about you but I personally already have several very good keyboards and screens.
Reading this thread is like doom and gloom: the M4 Mac Mini will have no ports, will overheat and throttle immediately, will have a refrigerator-sized power brick, will max out at 2GB of RAM, will slide all around your desk and will start at $3,000.
Raspberry Pi did this (again).
Buy a Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Computer Kit – Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi 400 is your complete personal computer, built into a compact keyboard. Featuring a quad-core 64-bit processor, 4GB of RAM, wireless networking, dual-display output, and 4K video playback, as well as a 40-pin GPIO header, it's the most powerful and easy-to-use Raspberry Pi computer yet.
www.raspberrypi.com
Sure. It’s only like 50% more expensive or so. No problem at all. Just take my money 💸💸💸