"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."
I'm supposed to take you seriously (ever again) after a comment like that?
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.
what monitor do you have? mine goes to sleep when my Mac goes to sleep. Just like the display on my iPhone does.
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.”
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.
what monitor do you have? mine goes to sleep when my Mac goes to sleep. Just like the display on my iPhone does.
LG, it does go to standby but is still using power I guess, it’s the noise of the HD that bothers me.
NickRno77 said:
... 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.
Indeed, those of us living in rural areas often enjoy our darkness and can be disturbed by small light sources. I am sometimes annoyed by the tiny led charging indicator on my toothbrush which is in the next room, but perceptibly reflects off the walls there, to shine through the doorway and across my bed.
If the Mini can stably rest on its side, with the power cord at the bottom as suggested by another post here, that puts the switch at the top and readily accessible for those who anticipate an issue. There's more than one way to skin the proverbial. Meow!
PS: Personally, I'm far more annoyed at AI's use of the term "hack" in the title of this article.
>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.
Nonsense. Turning your mac off and on relatively frequently uses way more power than leaving it in sleep mode.
Turn the mini upside down. Thermal management is probably not an issue. The vents on the bottom manage both the intake and exhaust. There's a fan inside. There's no functional reason not to invert it.
Nobody here knows how "large" the gap is and won't know until someone measures and report how high the base raises the raises the mini. Until then a lot of people are talking out their ass. Get a small chunk of wood, aluminum, granite, whatever, the approximate size of the base's diameter and raise it a little. Simple matter to pinch the power button and the top of the mini. I have to hold my mini in place when pushing and holding the power button on the back to force a shutdown or it slides. This new mini might not require the same effort but no one will know till they check. It is a bad design from a user standpoint but it serves Apple's purpose, whatever that might be.
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.
Dude are you not aware the height of the mini is 2" according to Apple's tech specs? You probably have Keebler sized fingers if you consider the gap "large". It's probably close to 3/8". That's not large by most adult fingers.
There's also biomechanics involved. Most people who might be able to squeeze a digit through that gap wouldn't be able to press up with just bending at the distal interphalangeal joint. The bend would probably occur instead at the proximal interphalangeal joint. This means that even with tiny elfin fingers that gap isn't enough for a finger to press the button without some lift of the mini itself.
This is obviously not a real problem given most installations will allow the mini to be lifted at the corner to press the button. At the end of the day it's a bad design. Apple could have put it at the front on the bottom which would be more accessible for a recessed installation. Or on the side, They didn't. People will improve, adapt, and overcome. At it will still be a bad design.
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.
Dude, you must have some weird baby-sized fingers. That gap ain't large.
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.
Right. That's why I said it's not a serious suggestion. I do not consider it a problem. Every single computer in my house stays powered on 24/7, and they all go to sleep after like 30 minutes of no input. I spent a month one time dutifully turning them off at night when I was done, and back on in the morning, recording the power usage at the meter, and the difference was negligible. Others' mileage may vary.
Definitely not scientific, as I didn't account for any other usage, but close enough.
I was hoping for a separate power brick, so I can connect the new Mini to a DC supply inside my solar-powered VW bus. That said, my internet is powered from a solar-charged EcoFlow battery that runs over night and recharges from solar during the day. My 'old' M1 Mini uses only about 30W.
I wonder how are they going to address the power button when they come out with new docking stations for the new Mini? I use a Satechi with my M2 Mini.
Cool idea, although It would be better if it were a fixed base with some sort of shallow dent the mini would sit in. You could move it around without having to realign the restart lever and the power Button.
Comments
I'm supposed to take you seriously (ever again) after a comment like that?
Indeed, those of us living in rural areas often enjoy our darkness and can be disturbed by small light sources. I am sometimes annoyed by the tiny led charging indicator on my toothbrush which is in the next room, but perceptibly reflects off the walls there, to shine through the doorway and across my bed.
If the Mini can stably rest on its side, with the power cord at the bottom as suggested by another post here, that puts the switch at the top and readily accessible for those who anticipate an issue. There's more than one way to skin the proverbial. Meow!
PS: Personally, I'm far more annoyed at AI's use of the term "hack" in the title of this article.
Nonsense. Turning your mac off and on relatively frequently uses way more power than leaving it in sleep mode.
Nobody here knows how "large" the gap is and won't know until someone measures and report how high the base raises the raises the mini. Until then a lot of people are talking out their ass. Get a small chunk of wood, aluminum, granite, whatever, the approximate size of the base's diameter and raise it a little. Simple matter to pinch the power button and the top of the mini. I have to hold my mini in place when pushing and holding the power button on the back to force a shutdown or it slides. This new mini might not require the same effort but no one will know till they check. It is a bad design from a user standpoint but it serves Apple's purpose, whatever that might be.
Dude are you not aware the height of the mini is 2" according to Apple's tech specs? You probably have Keebler sized fingers if you consider the gap "large". It's probably close to 3/8". That's not large by most adult fingers.
There's also biomechanics involved. Most people who might be able to squeeze a digit through that gap wouldn't be able to press up with just bending at the distal interphalangeal joint. The bend would probably occur instead at the proximal interphalangeal joint. This means that even with tiny elfin fingers that gap isn't enough for a finger to press the button without some lift of the mini itself.
This is obviously not a real problem given most installations will allow the mini to be lifted at the corner to press the button. At the end of the day it's a bad design. Apple could have put it at the front on the bottom which would be more accessible for a recessed installation. Or on the side, They didn't. People will improve, adapt, and overcome. At it will still be a bad design.
You could move it around without having to realign the restart lever and the power Button.