New Mac Mini M4- which default OS?

[circatee]

Curious, if I purchased a new Mac Mini M4 this week (week of 5th Oct 2025), would it come with the Tahoe OS?

I'd rather it didn't, hence my question. Thinking of ordering online, and delivery would be within a few days or so...

 

[maflynn]

Most likely Sequoia, it takes a bit of time for Macs with the new OS to make their way through the pipeline.

 

[redheeler]

If ordering a stock model (not BTO) it's probably still Sequoia at this point. Tahoe has been out for barely enough time to make its way into the stock. But you should be able to downgrade if it comes with Tahoe, it'll just take some work.

 

[circatee]

Update: I can confirm that the Mac Mini M4 comes with Sequoia.

Additional note: I cannot log into my 'Internet Account' Outlook Dot Com (works fine via a browser). Instant error, "Authentication Failed, please try again later".

I've been on the phone with Apple support for the last hour or so, and their solution is to upgrade to Tahoe, and then try to add my Outlook Dot Com email address. Priceless...!

 

[zarmanto]

I've been on the phone with Apple support for the last hour or so, and their solution is to upgrade to Tahoe, and then try to add my Outlook Dot Com email address. Priceless...!

Yeah... this is of course not at all unique to Apple -- but sadly, that would be a typical "script reader's" response, in any 1st-tier tech support shop. The first entry on their script is always some variant of "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" but after that, it rarely takes long for them to reach "Ensure the customer is running the latest version...". I've found that some will even refuse to provide further support, based solely upon a customer refusing to choke down a major software update.

It seems to me that your most likely path to successfully logging into an Outlook.com account would be to use the Microsoft Outlook mail client instead of Apple's Mail client. Alternatively, you could try digging through Microsoft's own support forums for more information; I'd expect that to be a 50/50 shot, but still worth exploring if you really just prefer Mail.

 

[circatee]

Yeah... this is of course not at all unique to Apple -- but sadly, that would be a typical "script reader's" response, in any 1st-tier tech support shop. The first entry on their script is always some variant of "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" but after that, it rarely takes long for them to reach "Ensure the customer is running the latest version...". I've found that some will even refuse to provide further support, based solely upon a customer refusing to choke down a major software update.

It seems to me that your most likely path to successfully logging into an Outlook.com account would be to use the Microsoft Outlook mail client instead of Apple's Mail client. Alternatively, you could try digging through Microsoft's own support forums for more information; I'd expect that to be a 50/50 shot, but still worth exploring if you really just prefer Mail.

...thanks for the response. The Outlook Dot Com issue was actually fixed (Reddit posters are unsure who exactly fixed it, Microsoft or Apple) a few days after my post.

To add, I currently use the Outlook app for my work Exchange (M365) email. I like to keep work and personal separate. Hence, why I have my Outlook Dot Com account (with Contacts and Calendar) configured via Internet Accounts on iOS & macOS.

PS: I am now looking into Proton Mail, Calendar, and Contacts, to research how well (or not) it works on iOS and macOS.