If you're the sort who leaves their Mac on all the time, then you won't be concerned about the power button. And you're also not concerned about the planet.
William, you have such a misunderstanding of how power efficient Mac sleep mode is, it’s absurd. Look at the wattage when sleeping. Do you routinely power up and down a MacBook, or simply close the lid as designed? Your iPad? No? Then what on earth are you talking about…
Every Mac can go into a low-power mode, allowing it to receive things from the web. Leaving any Mac on is actually better than power cycling it every time you use it. Startup requires a lot of energy and is something only casual users do. They aren't turning their Macs off to save energy, they're turning them off because that's how you used to do it back in the Intel days.
As for the button being on the bottom, that's actually a stupid move for Apple. When these go into server racks, and they will go there immediately after the M4 Mac mini Pro is released, data centers will complain. Sure they will only turn them on once but they will need the easy ability to manually power cycle them when needed.
So what? Are you dudes not aware that the bottom isn’t flat? There’s a large gap due to the fan, that’s where your finger can go. Non-issue.
I used to like the old iMac glowing power button on the front. When in sleep mode, it pulsed.
It pulsed at 16 cycles/minute, which is the average human resting respiration rate. I wish they would bring that back — not only was it very cool, but it made it easy to see if your Mac was asleep or if only the display had gone to sleep.
I live in an area prone to lightning, and I've already suffered electronic damage due to power surges. A full AC power disconnect adds a layer of safety to electronics, so I regularly remove all power to my setup via a master disconnect switch.
Apple could easily solve this "issue" by expanding the capability of the Energy setting "Start up automatically after a power failure" to include "Start up automatically when power is applied" (or something like that).
Also, the notion that repeated power cycling (versus sleeping) is harmful to your hardware was once true, but no longer applies. Electromechanical devices (like fans and HDDs) are way more robust these days, and it's highly unlikely you'd even keep your computer long enough to see any difference in lifespan. One possible exception might be if your computer is operating in a very cold or very hot environment, and sleeping could promote thermal stability.
All in all, it really makes little difference, so if it makes you feel good, do whatever you like.
I couldn't even tell you where on my Mac mini the power button is located. That's how infrequently I use it and I've had t since Late 2018.
“If you're the sort who leaves their Mac on all the time, then you won't be concerned about the power button. And you're also not concerned about the planet.”
As for the button being on the bottom, that's actually a stupid move for Apple. When these go into server racks, and they will go there immediately after the M4 Mac mini Pro is released, data centers will complain. Sure they will only turn them on once but they will need the easy ability to manually power cycle them when needed.
For data center use, Mac Minis are set to automatically power on whenever power is lost and re-established. That is done before they go into the rack. Then to manually power cycle them, the power outlet on the rack strip is turned off and on again. Most data center ops even have automation, api's and web UIs for accessing and controlling the individual outlets. Data Center environments do not make use of the mac mini power button and will not complain about its location.
The mechanical fulcrum is too crude. I want to see an electromagnetic solenoid actuator with a HomeKit and Matter compatible interface that can be controlled using Siri. if you’re going to put effort into designing something that’s useless, at least make it elegant and over-engineered. Make Rube Goldberg proud.
As for the button being on the bottom, that's actually a stupid move for Apple. When these go into server racks, and they will go there immediately after the M4 Mac mini Pro is released, data centers will complain. Sure they will only turn them on once but they will need the easy ability to manually power cycle them when needed.
You may have notcied--or as is apparent, did not notice-- that the power button is on the opposite corner from the power connector. So when placed in a rack with the cord down (as is usually the case) the power switch is up towards the top.
Please. As many have said, it's an A-series chip designed to run in low power mode while "sleeping", which still allows for background tasks to run. Power surging and running a reboot/startup sequence probably takes more power than leaving it on overnight.
I couldn't even tell you where on my Mac mini the power button is located. That's how infrequently I use it and I've had t since Late 2018.
“If you're the sort who leaves their Mac on all the time, then you won't be concerned about the power button. And you're also not concerned about the planet.”
How exactly does using a Mac mini has a headless server translate to me not being concerned about the planet? What should I use for a lower energy cost? Funny, you don't even know how I obtain power in my home.
Why not? There's no good reason not to use it that way. USB-C ports are bi-directional. The only reason I could think of not to is if it affected the thermal management. And it's a better solution than that stupid 3D-Printed thing. That is if you think it's a problem, which it's not.
I couldn't even tell you where on my Mac mini the power button is located. That's how infrequently I use it and I've had t since Late 2018.
“If you're the sort who leaves their Mac on all the time, then you won't be concerned about the power button. And you're also not concerned about the planet.”
Do you power off your phone when you aren’t actively using it? I don’t mean turn the display off, I mean shut it down so it has to power up the next time you use it? Th4 mini uses almost no power when it’s in sleep mode.
As for the button being on the bottom, that's actually a stupid move for Apple. When these go into server racks, and they will go there immediately after the M4 Mac mini Pro is released, data centers will complain. Sure they will only turn them on once but they will need the easy ability to manually power cycle them when needed.
Since they won’t fit existing data center racks they will have to come up with something new anyway. The power button is on the back corner so I imagine they will be very accessible when on their sides in a custom rack. 🤷♂️
Surely someone buying a rack worth of minis is getting them profiled at the factory to reboot when power is restored making the button entirely redundant
I’m more inconvenienced by reading about people complaining about the button than I will be fumbling for the button.
Why is everyone such a drama queen?
“Hey, Tim!”
”What is it, master designer of the Mac mini power button?”
”If I put the power button on the bottom and people have to lift the mini to turn it on about once a month, we’ll get tons of press from YouTubers, Apple Haters, and thousands of posts talking about Apple for the 10-12 years if we use this design. Do you approve?”
”Approved. It worked for the rechargeable Magic Mouse, didn’t it?”
(USB-C mouse designer enters and immediately leaves the room.)
I couldn't even tell you where on my Mac mini the power button is located. That's how infrequently I use it and I've had t since Late 2018.
“If you're the sort who leaves their Mac on all the time, then you won't be concerned about the power button. And you're also not concerned about the planet.”
Do you power off your phone when you aren’t actively using it? I don’t mean turn the display off, I mean shut it down so it has to power up the next time you use it? Th4 mini uses almost no power when it’s in sleep mode.
No. I have many other devices attached to the Mini, SSD, Hard Disk, Monitor, Space Mouse, USB Hub, Keyboard. Speakers, none of which go to sleep. Energy is expensive in the UK so I'd rather not waist it. Equally because my Office is my Bedroom I want to sleep so I don't want the lights of all the devices and the noise of the Hard Drive keeping me awake.
This isn't a major problem for me, no problem lifting the mini up to turn on. Easier just printing a little 3D Print which I have to turn ON.
Comments
https://makerworld.com/en/models/744386?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0icq5HzTtbtLPrR6GCG1rLErGi5J3pRjGb_ALrRcj870GbcqyUF7pKqBc_aem_vqHOL7rX2lNy8y17UTGt1w#profileId-677132
That's a universal power icon - nothing to do with Apple except that they use it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_symbol
Please. As many have said, it's an A-series chip designed to run in low power mode while "sleeping", which still allows for background tasks to run. Power surging and running a reboot/startup sequence probably takes more power than leaving it on overnight.
”What is it, master designer of the Mac mini power button?”
”If I put the power button on the bottom and people have to lift the mini to turn it on about once a month, we’ll get tons of press from YouTubers, Apple Haters, and thousands of posts talking about Apple for the 10-12 years if we use this design. Do you approve?”
”Approved. It worked for the rechargeable Magic Mouse, didn’t it?”
(USB-C mouse designer enters and immediately leaves the room.)
This isn't a major problem for me, no problem lifting the mini up to turn on. Easier just printing a little 3D Print which I have to turn ON.