well, I find your complaints to be accurate and spot on, but I think Apple will find you to be an ideal key demographic. Nothing would make Apple happier than people who switch from Mac minis to Mac Studios.
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M4 Mac Mini to Become Apple's Smallest Ever Computer With Complete Redesign
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Even another day of thinking didn't help you come up with any gain aside from a few extra centimetres of desk, huh?
How is that even a question? Space savings is a massive benefit on all levels. Not just for a consumer but for everyone.
I really don't understand why you want to keep things big for no reason. There is tons of room inside so it gets smaller.
Remember the mobile phones from 90s? Most things (if not all) benefit from scaling down when/if tech allows it and this is one of those cases.
Smaller mini is win, if you don't see it then I can't help you here
A benefit on ALL levels, yet you cannot specify anything? Why take a passionate stand on something you're unable (or unwilling) to support with any examples? It's embarrassing you compared a desktop computer to a mobile device of any kind- it obviously goes without saying there are benefits to shrinking items you carry. Who is likely to carry a Mac Mini in their pocket?
🤣 Sorry but I cannot stop thinking about the resulting meme-“Is that a Mac mini in your pocket, nope an ultra”
- less space taken on the desk
- easier to move around (taking with you)
- less material needed
- more units transported
-as more unit transported, less CO2 produced
-less packaging
-possibly cheaper if Apple passes the savings onto customers
-more creative ways to fit it into desks, walls etc.
- easier to move around (taking with you)
- less material needed
- more units transported
-as more unit transported, less CO2 produced
-less packaging
-possibly cheaper if Apple passes the savings onto customers
-more creative ways to fit it into desks, walls etc.
There are a sizeable minority of Mini users that require the current form factor for server racks.
And it was already mentioned that racks will get adjusted and those users will be able to fit in more units. Again - big win
If you are getting multiple Mac mini, the addition of an update rack kit is probably not a big deal. But there’s probably a few caveats with that:
1) Horizontal installation fits in a 1U space, if the height grows too much. This could be an issue.
2) size and I/O of an external power Brick could be a concern.
3) Elimination of a physical GB ethernet port could be an issue
Many of those advantages are dependent on if there is external power brick and how big that power brick-It is just an unknown, it could be a nothing it could be a big deal. But for basic desktop installations, a power brick hidden under the desk is a non-issue in my opinion.
Apple pass on cost savings to their Customers?!? I would consider that extremely unlikely, but it would be a pleasant surprise. More likely is if Apple realizes cost savings, there would not be a price increase for the basic unit.
Looking forward to replacing my 8/256GB M1 Mac mini with the upcoming M4 Mac mini. Not because mine is too old or slow, rather I just want one with more RAM so I can more comfortably play DOOM and QUAKE on Windows. That is, clunky Windows needs the additional RAM not macOS As for the rumored smaller size, I say YES PLEASE!!!
Agree with everything you said. I too miss iTunes proper, but Apple Music [I do not subscribe to it - talking about the Mac app] does let you import CDs and encode them as AAC or MP3
Two links:
Change import settings in Music on Mac
In Music on Mac, change import settings for greater control over file size or quality when importing files into your library.
support.apple.com
Import songs from CDs into Music on Mac
In Music on Mac, choose what happens when you insert a CD, import songs from a CD, and solve problems importing songs from CDs.
support.apple.com
Unsure what macOS 15 allows, but with macOS 14, you can still rip CDs, thankfully.
It requires less aluminum and other materials to make it smaller. Apple saves on the cost of building them and maybe even more on the cost of shipping them from China. Being thinner saves money for Apple.
A camera at ground level is like those Windows laptops where the camera popped up from keyboard level - it would be staring up your nose...
Good thinking but hardly smaller than the current mini though
Resulting in an ideal camera position for up-nostril viewpoint? 👃
And the extra cost of a camera even when used in racks!
All of Apple's computers are Single-Board Computers (SBC) since they moved out of Intel.
Sorry that was a mistake, I am on a lot of Morphine for for my disability and I should not have done that. I get fuzzy headed sometimes.
Spot on. Exactly the point I was going to make. There are lots of benefits of miniaturisation ... for Apple. Smaller case = less aluminium = reduced production costs. Smaller case = smaller packaging = reduced production costs. Smaller packaging = more units per shipping container/pallet (either air, sea or at a distribution depot) = reduced transport and inventory storage costs per unit.
I'm a bit surprised Apple didn't do a case shrink earlier given all the benefits it can derive from doing that.
The gains are pretty limited to be fair- barely even worth involving the design teams and disrupting the established supply chains for case and internals. Also, in terms of cost and weight and CO2 emission savings, an plastic case would be a much more significant gain... but then that's a depressingly non-premium material.
I tend to agree. The fans in the MBP with M2/M3 Pro are not that big and not positioned over the SoC, instead using the "heat pipes" to remove hot air. I would think that a "mini Mac-Studio" type design that is somewhere between the Apple TV and the current Mac Mini in size should be easily able to cool an M4 Pro to prevent throttling.
My concerns would be:
(a) That they don't offer an M4 Pro option at all, forcing buyers to the Mac Studio, or
(b) They reduce or remove ports, e.g. removing 1/10Gb Ethernet, SD card reader, or cutting down to 3 x USB-C/Thunderbolt ports.