They also put the exhaust ports on the bottom - is it possible that the bottom is actually the top? Functionally, leaving it black-side up makes more sense, right?
No the bottom isn't actually the top. Functionally I think the mini could be operated upside down with no ill effects whatsoever. This would be a valid choice if someone prefers not having the mini draw any current when not in use or has any other reason for turning it off when not using it. Think turning off night-lights in the daytime. Even "automatic" nightlights draw something when off.
Since not everyone has the same experience some people will need to force quit more often than others. While not as aesthetically pleasing flipping the mini could be a convenient alternative, making more sense for some than others.
Where this may be a bigger concern is if you want to use a mounting fixture that allows you to mount the Mac mini on the back of a monitor that has a VESA mount. However, I’m pretty sure that makers of special mounting adapters will find a way to accommodate the strange placement of the power button.
A mount for the mini should probably put the top of it against the mounting surface, making a button on the bottom more accessible, not less. From what I've seen of rackmounted many-mini configurations, this button placement may also be superior than on the back.
Mounting the mini shiny side towards the mount would work. As long as you still have access to all of the ports and power button it’s a moot point.
One potential issue is with mounting the mini with that mounting orientation is whether it messes with the WiFi. I bring this up because the 5GHz WiFi on my M2 Pro Mac mini is very finicky. I actually can’t get 5 GHz to work at all on my M2 Pro mini because it’s very close to my monitor and other WiFi devices. Even though my mini is nearly line of sight from a close access point it refuses to work with anything except 2.4 GHz. Thankfully it’s plugged into the wired Ethernet network. This appears to be a common problem that Apple isn’t in any mood to fix.
The only issue I’ve ever encountered with leaving computers powered up 24x7x365 is in environments with a lot of airborne dust or particulate matter. Macs seem better than PCs but I have pulled some serious hairballs and dust bunnies from PC power supply and chassis fans in company computers.
Otherwise I have always left my computers running all of the time. The failure curves for electronic components is shaped like a bathtub with some initial infant mortality followed by a very low failure rate during the greatest part of their service life and a bump up at the end of their service life. I’m more concerned with transients than wear-out. Having a good UPS and/or power conditioner with surge suppression is always worth the investment.
Just ordered a new mini M4 Pro. Location of power on/off not a big issue for me, although I think it is silly ( I only power down on a Sunday eve, then back on Mon morning to remain on for the entire week). Also, just FYI, Apple offered me a trade-in price of $480 for my fully spec’d M2 Pro early Jan 2023. But BBW offered me $1,150. Always shop around when selling/Trading.
What's BBW?
Buybackworld.com they buy all things apple and others (sonos). great prices, free shipping and fast payment vua venmo, paypal or mailed check.
They also put the exhaust ports on the bottom - is it possible that the bottom is actually the top? Functionally, leaving it black-side up makes more sense, right?
i was thinking the opposite - that there may be some ?fluid dynamic? reason that airflow may be impacted if it is not on a hard surface? this i am just guessing at - but i remember the Apple laptops that couldn't be used on a lap because they would overheat.
about 1/3 of the way down, "Built to Chill", there is a good animation of the air flow - Apple says all the air "flows through the foot" so the power button and vents are definitely meant to be on the bottom.
"Flows through the foot" just explains ventilation. It doesn't state, imply or demonstrate that's where it needs to be. ...
that was just to respond to the "is it possible that the bottom is actually the top?" comment
Apple saying it is the foot does imply that the bottom is the bottom
The comment re: airflow was more of an abstract thought - recently had our HVAC system replaced & i was hearing from the techs about the benefits of hard duct vs soft (flow velocities, turbulence, fan motor load, output CFMs etc. The impact of surfaces on air flow is a fairly well studied area, just one i do not know much about in a technical way.
Comments
Since not everyone has the same experience some people will need to force quit more often than others. While not as aesthetically pleasing flipping the mini could be a convenient alternative, making more sense for some than others.
Apple saying it is the foot does imply that the bottom is the bottom
The comment re: airflow was more of an abstract thought - recently had our HVAC system replaced & i was hearing from the techs about the benefits of hard duct vs soft (flow velocities, turbulence, fan motor load, output CFMs etc. The impact of surfaces on air flow is a fairly well studied area, just one i do not know much about in a technical way.