The brand new Mac mini, powered by the M4 chipset, was introduced final month. Not solely is the brand new M4 Mac mini arguably inexpensive and highly effective, but it surely additionally ushered in a whole redesign for the pc. The brand new Mac mini is now Apple’s smallest laptop ever.
Nonetheless, there’s one fairly controversial design selection with the brand new M4 Mac mini: The energy button.
Beforehand, the Mac mini was designed with the ability button situated on the again of the machine alongside all the laptop’s ports. With the redesigned M4 Mac mini, nevertheless, Apple positioned the ability button on the backside of the machine.
That is proper. The ability button for the brand new M4 Mac mini line of computer systems is situated beneath the machine.
M4 Mac mini vs. M2 Mac mini: What are the variations?
Apple responds
Now, we’ve got some solutions relating to what Apple was considering with the M4 Mac mini energy button.
Mashable Gentle Pace
Credit score: Apple
In an interview with IThome, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Advertising and marketing Greg Joswiak and Senior Vice President of {Hardware} Engineering John Ternus addressed the placement of the Mac mini’s energy button.
After being requested in regards to the design selection for the Mac mini, the Apple executives defined that it was the “optimum spot” for the ability button as a result of redesign. In line with Apple, the brand new location is not inconvenient. Customers can simply tuck their finger beneath the pc and press the ability button.
As well as, the Apple executives introduced up how customers do not actually make the most of the ability button on the Mac mini all that always.
Mashable’s take
As an proprietor of each the M1 Mac mini and the brand new M4 Professional Mac mini, I can attest to what Apple is saying. I’ve not often had to make use of the ability button on my previous Mac mini. Probably the most common use for the ability button was throughout the uncommon events the place there was a difficulty with my laptop and I needed to power restart by holding the ability button down. In any other case, I would not often shut the Mac mini off. I simply let it drift off into Sleep Mode.
As for the placement of the ability button on the brand new redesign M4 Mac minis, that is true, too. The placement of the ability button will not be that large of a deal. It is nonetheless accessible for these uncommon events the place I am going to want to make use of it.
The placement of the ability button has garnered a lot consideration, it is harking back to one other controversial Apple design: the Magic Mouse. Apple positioned the charging port for the Magic Mouse beneath the machine, which means if you’ll want to cost the mouse whereas utilizing it, nicely, you are out of luck. You possibly can’t.
Not like the Magic Mouse, although, the placement of the ability button on the Mac mini doesn’t have an effect on any use case state of affairs in anyway.
