It's official. You have to lift up the mini to turn it on

[Eso]

As a Mac-mini user whose only ever plans to use separate tower/monitor - this is a deal breaker. It’s just a bad design - I don’t want a computer with such an awkward interaction. Just design a more practical device, that’s really all there is to it - no need for your excuses.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

This doesn’t bother me at all, honestly. This thing is a freaking steal.

 

[MazingerZND]

I’m guessing if they put it in the back, disassembly would have been a bit more cumbersome since they would have a moving part in the aluminum unibody, right? That’s all I can think of as a ‘good’ reason to put it where it is now…

 

[krell100]

If you can't lift 1.5 pounds you have bigger problems than a power button.

 

[GusBougadis]

What a disaster, this post, not the mini!

Yeah, the fanboys are out. In defence of apple. Like someone is taking a jab at their family members. I find it hilarious.

 

[SnowPenguin]

Or.... Place it upside down????

 

[GusBougadis]

Or.... Place it upside down????

Haha

 

[MacAfricaKE]

we'll if u have to fat fingers than u have to lift it to turn it on, otherwise no problem at all. probably just OP seeking attention.

 

[Night Spring]

Even if you need to access the power button just once a year, it's annoying to have to lift up the Mac mini to do it. One advantage of having a computer as small as a Mac mini is that I can tuck it in to an unobtrusive corner of my desk. When I got the M2 mini, it was quite simple to tuck it in so that I could reach the power button if needed. But to find a position for the mini so that I can lift it when needed -- that's a lot harder. I need to keep enough space cLear around the mini so I can reach in and lift it. That's a lot more space than needed to reach in and press a button on the back.

If I were to get this mini, I suppose I could try putting it on the side or upside down, as other people have suggested. Hopefully, we don't have to actually lift it, just tilt it a bit to push the power button. But yeah, very curious design choice. Will have to check it out when this goes on display at the Apple Stores.

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

lol, I foresee new accessory market for a mac Mini m4 Stand or kick stand to prop it up. Or some sort of wedge, shim to prop up the back side the power button resides.

 

[boss.king]

lol, I foresee new accessory market for a mac Mini m4 Stand or kick stand to prop it up. Or some sort of wedge, shim to prop up the back side the power button resides.

I doubt it, since most people will simply never turn it off. They'll hit the power button once when they first set it up, and then maybe a handful of times if their power trips over the next 3-7 years.

 

[BigBlur]

Just wait until Apple deems the power button unnecessary and has the courage to remove it.

 

[ikramerica]

Or.... Place it upside down????

Who puts a power button on the top? Condensation from my beer will seep through the seams!

 

[Micky Do]

The Verge has just confirmed there’s no way to reach the power button, which is on the underside of the computer, without lifting it up."

This is a disaster.

Why so?

Given that it has long been suggested (since my 2005 original) that you should leave your Mac Mini switched on 24 / 7, unless you are going to be away for some time, it seems pretty much a non-issue.

Short of moving it to another location, in which case you would be lifting it anyway, there is likely little or no need to turn a Mac Mini off and on.

 

[Chuckeee]

Or.... Place it upside down????

Or on its side

 

[Rendom]

Just wondering, does the Touch ID button on the keyboard start the computer?

 

[teh_hunterer]

This is a disaster.

The pure emotion in these posts always cracks me up.

 

[Chuckeee]

This is a disaster.

Just another first world problem.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I agree with OP. It's ridiculous. Not everyone wants to keep their Mac on 100% of the time.

Do you also shut your phone down?

 

[ChrisA]

I very rarely touch the power button on my Mac Mini. I let the computer sleep when not in use and then use the fingerprint sensor on the keyboard to wake it up. The Mac uses less than 1 Watt of power in sleep mode. This means it would cost you less than $1 to leave it on for a full year.

Why does Apple even bother to put a power button on the computer?

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Apple: *puts power button on back*

People who accidentally unplug peripherals each time they use the power button, because they moved their tiny 1.5 lb. computer on their desk: "Damn you Apple for your terrible design!"

 

[leman]

I think this conversation is a bit silly. You only really need the power button for a hard reset or when moving installation. I know that some folks prefer to turn their computer off after every session but with these modern Macs this is like disconnecting the battery every time you park the car. The button placement is perfectly fine for how often you use it. Heck, I have to reset my PS5 controller multiple times per month, I don't think I even touched the power button on my Mac this year.

 

[leslieg]

It's not that deep. Given the amount of times you would actually need to press it, I prefer that they've priorities aesthetic.

 

[majkom]

who cares.. last time i had mini it was somewhere under dest, with power button lost on back side and practicall yunreachable.. no problem at all

 

[ennisw]

On the picture, this redesign is quite bad to be honest. But I still have several questions before the product arrives:

• Is this power button really hard to reach or press?
• Can keyboards and mouses turn on the Mac just like MacBook?

Not defending Apple, but Mac mini and iMac used to put power button on the back, and not seeing someone said "It's official. You have to turn around the Mac to turn it on."