Mac Mini M4 upside down? Other methods to power on?

[jakey rolling]

I completely reject this premise

I am much more likely to plug/unplug cables or thumb drives from any desktop computer I have than I am to power it down

cables and drives easily get plugged/unplugged multiple times a day

needing to power on from a shut down is rare

Are you a typical desktop computer user? I would wager the answer is "no". As someone else already reminded you, you shouldn't conflate your personal computing habits with those of typical users.

Thumb drives are about the only thing that are typically plugged and unplugged from desktop computers with any real frequency, and those are typically plugged into the front of the unit. No real danger in hitting the power button there.

Typically desktop users plug in whatever peripherals they will use with the unit into the back of the unit and then will leave it as-is until they buy or retire a peripheral. Whatever the frequency of hitting the power button is for the majority of users (whether they leave the computer running for months on end or power it down every day), it is almost always going to be higher than the frequency of those users plugging or unplugging something from the back of it.

 

[erich.j.k]

My gosh, the number of people in this thread bleeting some version of "you're holding it wrong" would be hilarious if it weren't so sad. The truly loyal fanatics will do anything to distract themselves from acknowledging that Apple is still capable of making absolutely boneheaded design choices.

The bottom-facing power button is actually probably one of the most egregious design failures from the Apple design team in a very long time. Most of their blunders have been of the "Let's try something new... oh, that didn't work quite as well as we'd hoped" variety (think: Butterfly Keyboard, Touch Bar, G4 Cube, G4 Cube Reprisal Trashcan Mac Pro). This particular blunder is probably one of the first times I can say with confidence that Apple's design team just got lazy. There is really no other good explanation for the power button being on the bottom - certainly there is no technical explanation for this that can't be answered with "run two frickin' wires to a button".

This. Thank you for that.
I mean there is a power button. If you didn‘t need it, it wouldn’t be there at all. The mini 2018 had it in the back, just fine where it was imho.

 

[nathansz]

Are you a typical desktop computer user? I would wager the answer is "no". As someone else already reminded you, you shouldn't conflate your personal computing habits with those of typical users.

Thumb drives are about the only thing that are typically plugged and unplugged from desktop computers with any real frequency, and those are typically plugged into the front of the unit. No real danger in hitting the power button there.

Typically desktop users plug in whatever peripherals they will use with the unit into the back of the unit and then will leave it as-is until they buy or retire a peripheral. Whatever the frequency of hitting the power button is for the majority of users (whether they leave the computer running for months on end or power it down every day), it is almost always going to be higher than the frequency of those users plugging or unplugging something from the back of it.

Sure you can say all of that

But it’s all conjecture

You “wager” that I am not a typical desktop user, and then go on to speculate what typical desktop users do

Either way, the current location of the power button remains a non issue whether you want to use it or not

 

[poofdadz]

Hello,

I recently bought a mac mini m4 (last one I had was a G4) to replace my aging Raspberry 4 HTPC.

It's really not very ergonomical. It makes more sense to run it upside down, so the power button is actually reachable without crouching down and lifting the device. Is this somehow detrimental to the airflow / cooling?

Are there alternative methods to powering it on?
I have a magic keyboard (bluetooth), so it probably cannot be powered on via keyboard?
WOL is an alternative, but I read that ARM macs somehow still lack a proper implementation of this feature.

Cheers,
Bento

Why am I not surprised you use an iPhone mini?

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Are you a typical desktop computer user? I would wager the answer is "no". As someone else already reminded you, you shouldn't conflate your personal computing habits with those of typical users.

Thumb drives are about the only thing that are typically plugged and unplugged from desktop computers with any real frequency, and those are typically plugged into the front of the unit. No real danger in hitting the power button there.

Typically desktop users plug in whatever peripherals they will use with the unit into the back of the unit and then will leave it as-is until they buy or retire a peripheral. Whatever the frequency of hitting the power button is for the majority of users (whether they leave the computer running for months on end or power it down every day), it is almost always going to be higher than the frequency of those users plugging or unplugging something from the back of it.

In reality turning a computer on and off depends on the user's circumstances. For example:

a. When using my photo editing computer (iMac) plus the external drives I move the edited photos to; in this case I unplug the external drives once I am done saving the photos, and then turn the computer off since I not longer need to use it for long periods of time. It could be days, or weeks, and even months before I edit another large batch of photos.

b. In a lot of places around the world, including the US, it is common to experience electric power failures and shutdowns. Some don't have or use UPS systems, while others may work in remote locations, or just don't have access to an electrical outlet for long periods of time.

b. If I were to check my emails, surf the Net, write documents, print, and so on I just use a laptop I have dedicated for this purpose. But even this MBP I turn off now ad then if not using it. I do back up files and folders, but once I am done with this task, I disconnect the drive (s) from my iMac, McBook, ad so on .

The fact is the discussions about the Mini's power button, as well as the location of the Magic mouse's charging port, are because both of these issues are of importance to a lot of Mac users. I am not trying to argue with you, just pointing out that not all users keep their Macs constantly energized. Some do, some don't, etc.

 

[Fishrrman]

Unami:
"I know quite a lot of (old) folks who completely turn off their TV."

Yup. Me.
Actually, I only use the tv for 60 minutes a day, on weekdays.
Weekends, it's left off.

I also unplug the coffee maker when I'm done with it.

And yes... I'm old.

 

[Chinch07]

Just leave it turned on

 

[nathansz]

Unami:
"I know quite a lot of (old) folks who completely turn off their TV."

Yup. Me.
Actually, I only use the tv for 60 minutes a day, on weekdays.
Weekends, it's left off.

I also unplug the coffee maker when I'm done with it.

And yes... I'm old.

do you unplug your router too?

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Okay, sure. Even so, we're talking about a desktop computer. As occasional as it may be for the typical desktop user to press the power button on their desktop, it is even less frequent that the typical desktop user would be plugging and unplugging cables from the back of their computer.

I've got a Mini and I would guess that I've used the power button twice in the past year. I also have multiple photo backup hard drives, a Time Machine drive and a card reader that I use on a regular basis, and I'm always plugging/unplugging them. Am I a "typical desktop user?" I don't know. But I'm not going to claim I know what the "typical desktop user" is, either.

 

[mapleleafer]

Yup. Me.
Actually, I only use the tv for 60 minutes a day, on weekdays.
Weekends, it's left off.

I also unplug the coffee maker when I'm done with it.

And yes... I'm old.

I find it odd that it's oldies like us that seem to care the most about waste on an ailing planet.

 

[ericwn]

This almost religious hate speech on the topic “you don’t need to turn off the poppy” is starting to get annoying. Not everything is perfect in this world. Yes, the Mac barely consumes any energy in sleep mode, but that's the only plus in all of this.
Otherwise, there are only problems:
1) The Mac continues to power all external devices in sleep mode, that is, if it's a desktop, the consumption will no longer be zero.
2) Because of point 1, you get additional heating, for example, external SSDs, sound cards, or the device itself (the same Mac Mini M4 Pro heats up very well in sleep mode, and there are also many reviews about the same behavior of the Mac Studio).
3) Any movement nearby wakes up the Mac. Any movement of the mouse (and often, it is enough for a child to just run nearby for a micro-movement) and the Mac wakes up. Monitors also actively wake up the Mac every 5-10 minutes when connected via Type-C, and this problem has not been solved for almost 10 years. That is, in the case of a monitor, there is no point in using a Type-C connection to use, for example, a built-in USB hub.
4) Memory leaks are still not gone anywhere. For example, Adobe Photoshop does not know how to free up memory normally or use the system archived memory. And if you, as a photographer, need to retouch a lot, you still want to restart the system once a day, and how is this different from "turning it off for the night"?

As a result, we get a situation in which for "normal" sleep you have to turn off all peripherals, monitors, mice, keyboards, etc. This looks much more complicated than just turning off only the Mac and not touching anything else.

P.S. unless you use narrow shelves to place the Mac Mini (which is bad for temperatures anyway), but the location of the power button doesn't create any big problems anyway. I prefer to use it even to put the device to sleep, because the shortcut almost never works.

Please point out the religious and hate speech elements. Other than that, yes, just use the button.

 

[NewOldStock]

In my world I will be un-reachable when I sleep or gone you will not hack me as I will always be turned off.
Reboot like a new spring day with a fresh feeling!
Happy New Year all!

 

[TechnoMonk]

My gosh, the number of people in this thread bleeting some version of "you're holding it wrong" would be hilarious if it weren't so sad. The truly loyal fanatics will do anything to distract themselves from acknowledging that Apple is still capable of making absolutely boneheaded design choices.

The bottom-facing power button is actually probably one of the most egregious design failures from the Apple design team in a very long time. Most of their blunders have been of the "Let's try something new... oh, that didn't work quite as well as we'd hoped" variety (think: Butterfly Keyboard, Touch Bar, G4 Cube, G4 Cube Reprisal Trashcan Mac Pro). This particular blunder is probably one of the first times I can say with confidence that Apple's design team just got lazy. There is really no other good explanation for the power button being on the bottom - certainly there is no technical explanation for this that can't be answered with "run two frickin' wires to a button".

My gosh what an emotional response. It’s simple, if you don’t like the design, it bothers, don’t buy. Last Mac mini I owned was 2009, didn’t like the direction Apple went with Mac mini. After 15 years, I just grabbed a mac mini for 499 to replace couple of raspberry pi’s.
It’s not hard if you don’t get emotional, buy what you need and like. No point crying about it, and ruin your mental health. Power button didn’t bother me, I kept my raspberry pi’s on all the time. If power button bothered me, I wouldn’t buy one.

 

[Polinsky]

Hello,

It's really not very ergonomical. It makes more sense to run it upside down, so the power button is actually reachable without crouching down and lifting the device. Is this somehow detrimental to the airflow / cooling?

Are there alternative methods to powering it on?

I have never seen such a quagmire over a button. And the debate over leaving the mini on or turning it off at night has me ROTFLMAO. Who cares? I do it the way I want to do it and that's the correct way for me.

Should Apple have placed the power button in a different location? Probably yes. But it is only a big deal if you decide to make it so. I put my mini on a small wood and cork coaster. Trivial to get the tip of my left index or third finger under the edge and press the button. The mini looks like it's floating on the desk. Cool!

I also tried the button when the mini was flat on the desk. I'll tell you, it was a mighty struggle to put the tip of my third digit under the edge of the mini, lift the mini, move the tip of the finger over the button and PRESS!. "Crouching down and lifting the device" sounds like something a weight lifter, and not a mini button presser, would do. Yikes.

And I much prefer the power button of the mini than reaching around the back of my Mac Studio to feel for and press the power button which has very little concavity. So much easier to feel the mini power button.

i'm grateful that an insignificant situation doesn't affect me the way it seems to do with so many others.

 

[nathansz]

In my world I will be un-reachable when I sleep or gone you will not hack me as I will always be turned off.
Reboot like a new spring day with a fresh feeling!
Happy New Year all!

Do you turn your router and your phone off every night?

 

[X86refugee]

30+ years in Corp. IT, and in the midst of dumping a lot of x86 stuff, but this argument really takes me back to the good old days.
Back then there were flamewars across the limited net, usenet, etc about technical abilitys, co-op vs concurrent multi-tasking, swap disk vs RAM disk, etc, etc

Modern day 2025, and arguments are about how a power switch on the bottom of a device is actually smarter because you don't actually need to use it.... Or, if you do you're a Boomer or tech-dummy because Apple knows best.

Personally, if its off-off, it may not be saving much power/$ at all, but I know it for sure isn't liable to be zapped or doing or forced to do anything mischivious<sp>.

 

[Polinsky]

Do you turn your router and your phone off every night?

That is NOT an equivalent situation. Do you turn off your TV every night?

 

[nathansz]

That is NOT an equivalent situation. Do you turn off your TV every night?

No it goes in to a standby mode just my computers

Turning it off would entail unplugging it

 

[TechnoMonk]

That is NOT an equivalent situation. Do you turn off your TV every night?

No it goes in to a standby mode just my computers

Turning it off would entail unplugging it

Yep just like display of laptop or mac mini when it goes to sleep. TVs are on standby/sleep. Turning off TVs ended long time ago, no one has patience to wait for TV to boot up.

 

[philjo]

We turn off the TV every night then turn it back on next time we want to use it. There is a large power button on the side.
We generally turn off all unused appliances and leave it unplugged/switched off at the mains. A couple of people near us had various electrical equipment blown by a power surge following a brief outage and another nearby friend lost ther PC and data following a lightning strike on the substation during a thunderstorm. So we never leave anything plugged when it is not being used. The router tends to stay on but the WiFi cuts out at 11pm. The Mac is unplugged from both the mains and also from the router when not being used.

 

[X86refugee]

Yep just like display of laptop or mac mini when it goes to sleep. TVs are on standby/sleep. Turning off TVs ended long time ago, no one has patience to wait for TV to boot up.

Crazy, you just leave it on and go to bed and the auto shutoff takes care of everything?
I actually hit the Off on the remote, which sends it to basically sleep.
I just brought this up at New Years dinner with family younger and older.
Even the younger Gen-Z and now Gen-Beta thought that was plain stupid to not hit the Off button on the remote.
If you're hitting the remote power off/sleep, then you're doing it wrong.... according to you and some others. Where you also one of those people telling everyone they were holding their phone 'wrong' too?

Apple is just as likely to fubar things as MS, and yet Apple fans seem to generally just submit/change their behavior when Apple snaps it fingers.
Odd.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Crazy, you just leave it on and go to bed and the auto shutoff takes care of everything?
I actually hit the Off on the remote, which sends it to basically sleep.
I just brought this up at New Years dinner with family younger and older.
Even the younger Gen-Z and now Gen-Beta thought that was plain stupid to not hit the Off button on the remote.
If you're hitting the remote power off/sleep, then you're doing it wrong.... according to you and some others. Where you also one of those people telling everyone they were holding their phone 'wrong' too?

Apple is just as likely to fubar things as MS, and yet Apple fans seem to generally just submit/change their behavior when Apple snaps it fingers.
Odd.

What’s crazy about it? I hit the power on/off button on remote, It turns off the display and goes on standby. May be learn to read and comprehend, instead of going on meaningless rant. The person I quoted was very clear about TV remote off button doesn’t really turn off the TV, unless you unplug the TV. Some of you folks are too emotional with childish fan boy rants.

 

[Alameda]

Industry design guidelines typically place buttons in front of devices or on top in the living room setting. Just have a look at all the game consoles, VCRs, satelitte receivers, amps etc.

Not television sets. The Samsung TV I bought has buttons hidden somewhere along a back edge, and the power button will only resume from standby; it doesn’t power the TV off at all. The Mac Mini is the same — you can put it into Standby and you can resume by pressing a key on the keyboard. The hardware power button functions as a hard reset switch and is rarely if ever needed.

In fact, on nearly all TV’s, if you want to fully reboot the TV you need to unplug the TV from AC power AND disconnect all of the HDMI cables to the TV, because an HDMI cable can power the standby microcontroller.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Not television sets. The Samsung TV I bought has buttons hidden somewhere along a back edge, and the power button will only resume from standby; it doesn’t power the TV off at all. The Mac Mini is the same — you can put it into Standby and you can resume by pressing a key on the keyboard. The hardware power button functions as a hard reset switch and is rarely if ever needed.

In fact, on nearly all TV’s, if you want to fully reboot the TV you need to unplug the TV from AC power AND disconnect all of the HDMI cables to the TV, because an HDMI cable can power the standby microcontroller.

There are ways to disable the stand-by mode of all TVs other than unplugging it. This is one way:

This one is for LG TVs:

Tired Of Wasting Energy? Master The Art Of Fully Shutting Down Your Lg Tv - Nestingnicely

Are you tired of your LG TV stubbornly refusing to turn off completely, settling instead into a perpetual standby mode? Fear not, for in this comprehensive

nestingnicely.com

 

[blufrog]

I power off my PC every day when I have finished, but sleep all my Macs. 🤷‍♂️

It seems the Mini is cooler running upside down. I put some protective feet on mine and I'm also running it upside down.

It's warm in this room, with two other PCs dumping heat in here, and I have yet to hear any sound from the Mini.