Apple Says There’s a Simple Reason for the Mac Mini’s Odd Power Button Location

The M4-powered Mac mini is an unthinkable instrumentality overall. It’s an affordable small powerhouse, but arsenic overmuch arsenic we emotion it, 1 happening astir the redesign inactive has america scratching our heads: Why, ohio wherefore is the powerfulness fastener located connected the underside?

Apple VPs Greg Jozwiak and John Ternus explained successful an interview to a Chinese contented creator connected Billibilli (spotted and machine-translated by ITHome) that the main crushed the powerfulness fastener is connected the bottommost of the 2024 Mac Mini is due to the fact that of the computer’s size. Since it was astir fractional the size of the erstwhile generation, the underside was “kind of the optimal stop” for a powerfulness button. They besides accidental astir users “never usage the powerfulness button” connected a Mac, anyway.

Apple isn’t incorrect here. The Mac mini measures 5 x 5 x 2 inches, compared to 7.75 x 7.75 x 1.4 inches from the past generation; it takes up overmuch little abstraction connected your desk, which is great. The trade-off is that you tally retired of abstraction for immoderate important things, similar a powerfulness button.

The powerfulness fastener is located connected the bottommost rear-left country of the Mac mini. So if it’s sitting connected your table and you request to powerfulness it on, you person to scope astir the backmost of the portion and somewhat assistance it. Since the Mac mini weighs conscionable astir 1.5 lbs, this is not a large woody for astir people—it’s much of a favored peeve than thing else. The important things, similar the Thunderbolt 5 and HDMI ports, are retired wherever they should be.

Apple told Gizmodo thing akin during a merchandise briefing weeks ago: It recovered that astir radical enactment their Mac products to slumber erstwhile they’re not utilizing them. Still, that didn’t halt DIYers from uncovering their ain originative solutions to amended the Mac mini’s awkward powerfulness button earlier pre-orders went live.

I get it. I similar to powerfulness disconnected my devices erstwhile I’m done utilizing them, and I’d reason that the astir optimal spot for a fastener would beryllium successful a spot that’s a batch much accessible. But what bash I know? Until then, I conjecture I’m joining the dozens of Mac mini users who volition conscionable velcro the darn happening nether my desk.