- 🤔 Apple has shared why the power button on the Mac Mini M4 is hidden
- 🤏 It’s mainly because of the Mac Mini’s compact size
- 🤷♂️ But also because users apparently never use the power button on a Mac
- 👉 Apple also says the button can be accessed easily, even though it’s underneath
So Apple is basically like:
We are lazy
We know what you want better than you
You are wrongIsn’t that just the Apple philosophy?
They are like, “this computer uses basically no power while asleep and everyone just puts their computers to sleep anyway and this machine weighs 1.5lbs. It’s not a big deal.”
This is “you’re holding it wrong” all over again
I don’t think it’s lazy, Button placement seems neutral in that regard. No this is most likely form over function. They do this all the time. Remember the charge cable for the mouse? They don’t want the port seen, and they didn’t want their equipment to be seen plugged in. But people are willing to buy form over function for clout. What are you going to do?
I think the charge port on the mouse is still really silly but the button kinda makes sense to me. Its right there on the mainboard so its simple to manufacture and compact. Its a lot less likely to be accidentally pressed. These options are in trade off for it being a little bit harder to get to in the everyday. I also think apple expects a lot of these to be used as a HTPC and just never turn it off
I use 3 computers daily. Work. Desktop. And Mac mini. That Mac never needs rebooting. The laptop for work is shut off at night daily. The desktop pc if also often in overnight 🙈 Before you judge me, I offset by buying renewal power (water/solar). Point is. I really do rarely need to use the power button.
Or the most obvious answer of all: Macs have a power button on the keyboard
Such a stupid thing to write about. Must be a really slow news day if they are writing about the location of the power button.
Mac Mini doesn’t come with a keyboard. So unless you’ve owned an iMac or bought a keyboard separately, you won’t have that convenience.
That being said, I haven’t touched the power button on my Mac Mini since I got mine on the 8th.
Or some people like me prefer ergonomic keyboards and don’t use these miniature overpriced Apple keyboards.
As someone in IT, I loathe non-standard the fuck is the power button designs.
The power button is one of the biggest non stories this year.
Who doesn’t just put their computers to sleep 99% of the time?
Not for you, but it’s an issue if you’re using Mac Minis as unattended service devices that are hard mounted and will occasionally need to be reset by hand (think kiosks and AV systems in conference room).
Then, you open it up and lead two wires to the rack front panel where your new accessible power button is mounted
Wouldn’t you just pull the power cord at that point? If the device has become completely unmanageable such that it needs a power reset i’d be surprised if there’s much more harm that way than holding down the power button until it turns off.
Total lazy design a power button is just a small button and some wires it could be anywhere
Completely playing devils advocate here but by having it on the bottom isint it right there on the same plane of the main board therefore making it easier to manufacture by simply having smt components vs having manual wires routed elsewhere/long plastic stick power button running the entire height of the machine internally. Its may be lazy but could it also not be efficient?
Imo the way to resolve probably like 80% of the complaints for this would be just have the edge of the machine sit just high enough above whatever surface it is on by way of feet or a thicker base. Just enough be able to put a finger under there and press it. Not very unlike monitors and TVs have done for ages at this point
“Honestly, most people almost never use the power button a Mac,” one executive remarked.
Ford: Most people never open their hood so we put the lever under the back seat.
In the same train of thought, BMW and Tesla execs need to find courage and remove turn signals.
Seems like a non issue to me- the usb c placement on the mouse is way more annoying.
Charging port under the mouse is a non issue too, the battery lasts for weeks and even if you need to charge it in a pinch, you can plug it in for less than a minute and you’ll be good for a few hours.
It is however extremely good at making people talk about it, and that’s why they’ve been keeping it this way for 10 years
Look, I get it, and I have one and I rarely need to charge it. But those few times I do? It’s stupid and infuriating. If the port was on the front of the mouse I still wouldn’t see it.
Yeah no. When that mouse dies in the middle of a project call, and you have to scramble to open your laptop lid to get to the track pad, and that flips your display layout while you’re sharing screen: no thanks, I’ll stick with any other mouse.
Lol, as if macOS would not warn you with way enough time prior death of the mouse…
I will too because it’s a garbage mouse for anybody who uses a computer for more than 30mins a day, but the position of the charging port has nothing to do with it in my opinion.
And yet the wireless keyboard charging port isn’t on the bottom of the keyboard, is it?
Because it has obvious room for it. The shape of the Magic Mouse doesn’t have any, and a hole at the front or back would look stupid.
Mac Minis are primarily used as home or small business servers. They get rebooted, but rarely turned off. It makes sense now that I know the button is accessible without lifting the Mac Mini.
🥰so cuuute!
But also because users apparently never use the power button on a Mac
Because people who can afford a Mac can also afford the energy bill for having a computer running or standbying 24/7?
*scnr*
To be fair it’s power consumption is effectively zero at standby and only 4-5W at idle/light usage.
If you were worried about this amount of power usage you would be better off unplugging your microwave when not in use to avoid running the clock display
Yeah, the power draw argument really is the worst one of the bunch. Hell, I don’t shut down my gaming pc for the same reason, I’m not worried about my computer’s power draw while asleep.
My understanding is that M4 is very efficient, and I would imagine that its energy use on sleep is negligible.
And as for affordability, I think the M4 Mac mini is supposed to be a terrific deal, no? As long as you use the base specs.
Yep, from what I’ve seen the base model is actually great value, especially for an Apple product. But that value disappears very quickly if you want to boost any of the specs, because they still massively overcharge for upgrades.
You put it to sleep, the power draw is almost zero (really, my power meter can not measure it). It wakes up when you press a button on the keyboard or move the mouse. You really do not need the power button…
I wonder if power buttons are a Windows thing? I recently switched to Linux on my desktop and have a MacBook as well. On the MacBook i’m not sure if i’ve ever used the power button - it just goes to sleep & I wake it up.
And on Linux the suspend is so good I don’t power off at all, but on Windows I always did so needed the power button all the time.
I’ve said it before on this; with this location, it’s much harder to accidently shut off your computer. The number of times I’ve accidently shut off my work laptop just by holding down the dock to plug in or unplug a cable is absurd…
There are tons of listing for cheap Mac’s on marketplace now. Even Mac studios. The mini M4 is a very good deal. Super happy with mine.
