Apple @lemmy.world Sunshine @lemmy.ca 4 days ago

M4 Mac Mini's Power Button Has New Bottom Location

www.macrumors.com M4 Mac Mini's Power Button Has New Bottom Location

The M4 Mac mini has an overhauled design that adds more ports in a slimmed down package, and to make everything fit, Apple needed a new place for the...

76 comments

Easy solution:
they probably know people don’t actually turns off their devices lol
Apple's new power bottom.
Even if it’s not a big deal, it’s a form over function decision and I was hoping Apple is over that by now.
- It’s not, we solved this issue before the invention of the computer, just use a capacitive touch sensor, you can literally make any power button completely invisible, this is malicious design.
  
  They did that on the old G4 cube, it illuminated when it was powered on to show where the capacitive power "button" was, but it was basically invisible when the device was powered off.
- I've seen a decent number of people mention that current placement is too easy to accidentally hit while plugging something in. I've also experienced that.
  
  However, if you think Apple is ever going to get over form over function, you're very mistaken. It's literally their entire identity.
I can’t wait for all the Apple haters to absolutely lose their shit over such an inconsequential thing.
- I actually have to press this all the time when my mini freezes or there has been a power failure. My mini has quite a few cables plugged into it and a stack of drives on top. So yeah lifting it up to press a button is decidedly inconvenient and inelegant. It’s not killing anyone’s babies but we’re talking about product design here. Inconvenient and inelegant are 100% fair game.
  
  As I said, in another comment, you should focus on what is causing the freezing, not where a button is.
- I’m not an apple hater, I have a Mac mini. However, our power goes out fairly regularly in the winter, and it’ll get old having to get the thing out of the back of my desk at start it again pretty bloody quickly, it’s an obviously daft place to put it.
  
  Terminal: sudo systemsetup -setrestartpowerfailure on
  
  Set your energy saver preferences in System Settings to automatically restart the computer after a power failure.
  
  You can power it on using the keyboard. There’s a power button there.
  
  Do you not already have to reach behind your current Mini to turn it on in the instance the power goes out?
  
  Now instead of reaching around, you just would have to reach to basically the same area and press a button underneath. Unless you have a bunch of junk on top of the computer, it's going to take the same amount of effort.
- It reminds me of the Apple mouse situation
  
  Another thing that has never been a problem in the decade and a half that I’ve had a magic mouse. Is it dead? Plug it in for 15 minutes and go get some coffee and maybe have a pee. Plug it in when you’re done at the end of the day, and you’ll be golden for a month.
- Apple fanboy here. This will prevent me from upgrading from my M2 Pro Mini. I'll likely end up buying a Studio at some point if they don't come out with an iMac Pro.
  
  It's genuinely one of the dumbest things Apple has done. And that list is growing with nearly every product they release.
  
  @oxjox @EleventhHour Mac OS will power down the Mac without ever touching the power button. We’re not animals.
  
  You’re refusing to upgrade because of the location of a single button that you’ll hardly ever use.
  
  Don’t pretend that’s reasonable.
But why? Same question for the Magic Mouse?
- It’s a subtle hint that you don’t have to power off your computer between uses. Most modern computers go into an ultra low power mode when not in use.
  
  or maybe so the mac can be used as a home hub?
- Functionally it’s harder to accidentally press on the bottom.
  
  Although it’s also now harder to intentionally press too. It looks like a finger can fit under there, otherwise you’ll be flipping it over to power on.
apple calls it "feature"

Apple designers: I wAnT tO bE dIfFeReNt
Finally, a power button my stupid cats can't sit on and turn the computer off with.

Laptop? Oh yeah, they'll turn that off. Gaming desktop? Yep, but only if it's annoying for them to have done so. Home server? Yes, but only because they know that's the most annoying thing to power cycle.
I had a mini sitting there for about a year before someone pointed out it was upside down on my desk. I thought the side that says "Mac mini" was supposed to be facing up? But no, apparently it's the Apple logo side. With the power button on the model name side, I think that could fuel a nice, juicy OCD argument with my coworker?
I'm gonna guess the hard drive and RAM are still not upgradeable by us?
- What do you mean „still“? They moved away from that for years now, they won’t be going back.
- The RAM is built into the M4 chip... So unless you are cutting the chip open and doing soldering no
- Why would they switch back?
- That’s never changing. You can connect a separate storage drive but it’ll be slower than the built in one.
Sheesh. How often do you need to reach for the power button? It's got solid state storage. Just flip it on its damn side and stop whinging.
- Other people don't use computers the same way I do, therefore they must be whiny idiots.
I actually kinda like that. The amount of times I've accidently shut down my laptop through the dock (very similar shape as the mac mini) just (un)plugging a cable and bumping the power button is ridiculous

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