Apple is expected to unveil all-new products that are completely redesigned mac mini m4 Early next week. But last Friday, after years of searching for Cupertino’s smallest Mac, I finally decided to buy a Mac mini for myself.
It’s not every day that you buy a new computer outright, but you do have the opportunity to try out different computers as part of a job test or review. best mini pc. The thing is, there’s a mini PC that’s pretty iconic, but I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, and it’s coming out next week. mac mini m2 It will probably be completely overshadowed by this new model.
In the same way as best iphoneYou definitely don’t want to buy a new Mac a few days before its successor launches, especially since Apple products tend to stay at or around their launch price for years. But when I learned that this was the year that Apple finally gave the Mac mini a major redesign; Eliminates USB-A portI thought, what do I have to lose?
To that end, I wanted to include the company’s message, so I ordered the base model of Mac mini M2. 8GB RAM That’s enough for testing for most people. I also considered upgrading to 16 GB of RAM, but if you don’t want to overpay to third-party sellers online, you’ll have to order that configuration directly from Apple, which increases the wait time. . Fortunately, the base model of the company’s M4 Mac is Equipped with 16GB RAM As a new standard. I think we’ll find out next week.
In my case, I used the base Mac Mini M2 for a week after not using macOS for about 20 years. Thanks to Apple’s additions, this is why it’s still a great mini PC, even though it’s about to be replaced by something smaller and much more powerful. M4 chip.
timeless design
Mac mini was redesigned in 2010 with its iconic aluminum unibody, but the original version was first introduced by Steve Jobs in 2005. At the time, Jobs described the Mac mini as “very, very small” and “mini.” Its name actually comes from the iPod mini.
Before the Mac mini, Apple sold desktops, all-in-one computers, and laptops, but not “BYODKM” or bring-your-own-display, keyboard, and mouse devices. The reason this new Mac doesn’t come with a mouse and keyboard is because people likely already have their own accessories, and it would be much easier to use them with the new computer. Switch from Windows to Mac.
The Mac mini has also changed a lot over the past few years. The original had a white polycarbonate plastic top, aluminum sides, and a disk drive. Eventually, the top plate was also made of aluminum, and over the years, disk drives were no longer needed.
We could see an even smaller Mac mini in the coming days, as it’s rumored to boast similar dimensions to the current Mac mini. apple tv. However, even if it is a little taller, it will look more like a scaled down version. mac studio. If Apple did, the similarities would be even more striking. Add additional ports As some recent reports have suggested, it will be connected to the front panel of the Mac mini M4.
In addition to the upgrade to the M4 chip and smaller overall footprint, another big change we’ll see on the Mac mini M4 is the ports. Yes, we could potentially have more of them, but at a huge cost, at least in my opinion. The standard Mac mini M2 has two Thunderbolt ports and two USB-A ports, while the Mac mini M2 Pro (pictured above) has four Thunderbolt ports.
With the Mac mini M4, Apple appears to be ditching the device’s USB-A port entirely and packing in five ports. lightning strike port instead. Don’t get me wrong. I love USB-C because it’s a huge improvement over Micro USB, but I’ve always had a soft spot for USB-A. Migrating from USB-A to USB-C is ideal if: Connecting an external display or charging, but the same cannot be said for accessories.
If you switch computers frequently like I do, unpairing and repairing Bluetooth devices can be a real pain. For this reason, I often use a 2.4 Ghz USB dongle. best mechanical keyboard and someone I can trust trackball mouse If possible. Then, just remove the dongle on one machine, connect it to another, and you’re good to go.
This switch from USB-A ports to all USB-C ports is one of the reasons I bought the Mac mini M2, even though I was eagerly awaiting the release of the Mac mini M4. But the Mac mini’s design hasn’t changed in over a decade, so there are lots of great accessories available, which was another reason I wanted to try it out.
For the love of ports (and storage)
I needed a few more ports and a microSD card reader to get the Mac mini working properly. Fortunately, there are several docks and hubs that do exactly this. However, they all look pretty and work well with the Mac mini and Satechi Mac Mini Hub.
It slides just below your Mac mini (or Mac Studio) to provide additional ports on the front of your computer. In total, you get a USB-C port, three USB-A ports, a microSD and SD card reader, and an easily accessible headphone jack. There are also two versions. One has a slot for an M.2 SSD on the bottom, and the other is a slightly cheaper version that doesn’t allow for additional storage.
Satechi sent me the former to test after doing a story about the addition. aluminum usb headphone stand to me desk setup. Before going through the setup process for my new Mac mini M2, I flipped the USB hub over and added the 1TB M.2 SSD to the bottom using the small screwdriver included. This only took about a minute, but it also removed the limitations of the base Mac mini’s 256GB SSD, and no longer needed it. Invest more in iCloud storage.
The best part is that with all the extra ports and card readers, you only have to give up one Thunderbolt port on the back. This worked perfectly for me as I was planning to use the HDMI port on my Mac mini to connect to an ultrawide monitor and the other Thunderbolt port to a portable monitor for quick and easy connectivity. . dual monitor setup. Also, the non-Pro Mac mini M2 only supports two external displays anyway.
Not a completely seamless switch
Instead of exchanging Ace Magic F2A I decided to build a new desk setup from scratch specifically for my Mac mini M2 instead of the mini PC that currently sits on my main desk. That way, if you get hit by a spinning weight cursor (aka spinning beach ball of death (SBBOD)), you can always run back to the comfort of your office. The number of Chrome tabs you have open at once while working.
For this particular desk setup, I used one of the following: best standing desk From up pearl. I thought about a two-legged desk at work ($1,129, appeal.) helps me channel my inner Steve Jobs. That’s because it’s one of the only desks you can use while sitting on the floor, which he famously did in the early days of Apple. I combined this desk with the following desk best office chair However, sitting on the floor isn’t for me, so I thought the black and white design of X-Chair’s XS-Vision chair would be nice ($599, X Chair) was perfect for this setup.
At first, I thought it would be difficult to go back to macOS after almost 20 years of exclusively using Windows, but to my surprise, it was a lot like riding a bike for the first time in a while. That iconic Mac startup sound brought a wave of nostalgia to me, reminding me of when I first turned on my Power Mac G4 in 2001.
Once the initial setup process was complete, I reacquainted myself with macOS. It reminded me of everything I loved about my big old Mac desktop, from the menu bar at the top of the screen to the Dock at the bottom of the screen. After you start dragging apps into your operating system’s Applications folder and mount your recently installed 1TB SSD to your Mac mini’s desktop, you’re ready to start using Apple’s smallest Mac for work.
I started by checking my email, joining a few video calls with other members of the Tom’s Guide team, and researching upcoming stories. However, I wanted to use this computer the way I wanted, just like I would a Windows PC, so instead of switching to Safari, I downloaded and installed Chrome. Fortunately, Google memory saver I had this mode set in my browser a few years ago, but even with it turned on, I knew I was approaching the Mac mini’s available RAM threshold. Sure, I started the Activity Monitor app from time to time, and as expected, it was using 7 of the 8 GB of RAM.
Switching from using favorites Windows keyboard shortcuts to them Mac equivalent I also fell into a bit of a loop. However, I knew this would be difficult, so Favorite mechanical keyboard for travel This is because the key names for both operating systems are on the bottom line. i have NuPhy Air60 I had one on hand, but I didn’t want to bother switching out keycaps in a hurry to assemble the desk, assemble the chair, and get everything set up. However, I might do it later as a Ukvey C68 keyboard ($40, Amazon) pales in comparison to one of NuPhy’s thinner keyboards.
Another thing that initially baffled me was the lack of native window snapping functionality like Windows or ChromeOS. For that, I downloaded and set up rectangle Before you remember that Apple actually added a window snapping feature with the release of . macOS Sequoia Just last month.
Still a worthwhile endeavor
So was it a mistake to buy the Mac mini M2 a few days before the Mac mini M4 was released? There may be a big splash of buyer’s remorse next week, but I still think the Mac mini M2’s older design was the right choice for me, given my preference for USB-A ports. Admittedly, I definitely should have opted for the M2 Pro version to get the extra RAM and larger storage.
I still have a few days left to make my final decision, but part of me wants to return the base Mac mini M2 and splurge a little on the Mac mini M2 Pro. All in all, I really prefer small mini PCs, but I can’t justify a thinner, lighter device at the expense of the very standard ports that have been working for 28 years. Again, I believe Satechi and other Mac accessory makers are already working on a similar hub for the Mac mini M4.
After all, Apple might be able to convince me that the Mac mini M4 is indeed the better choice. However, for that you need to watch the actual presentation instead of learning about it. new iPad mini Just like I did in a press release earlier this week. Following “one more thing” from Tim Cook, the Mac mini M4’s spectacular MacBook Air style has been revealed.
Either way, I’m glad I took the time to give macOS another try after all these years. In any case, I plan to live a multi-OS life from now on to get the most benefits from both Windows and Mac.
