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If you rule out all external liquid, all you're left with is a very unfortunate case of condensation. It may have damaged your mini just for being plugged in. Be ready for bad news from the store.
Hope you have some kind of insurance...
Warranty doesn’t cover this? I literally bought it brand new in December.
 
Based on the condensation theories, would we not have more people posting/talking about this (here, Reddit or even on the Apple Community forums) more?

I am yet to see any issues similar to this, versus the wildly known Bluetooth issue, along with the latest SOCD Report Detected.
 
Here is the Apple warranty


See "What is not covered by this warranty"

(d) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, fire, liquid contact, earthquake or other external cause;

I realize that you are not aware of how the water got inside, but obviously it happened in your home.
 
Based on the condensation theories, would we not have more people posting/talking about this (here, Reddit or even on the Apple Community forums) more?

I am yet to see any issues similar to this, versus the wildly known Bluetooth issue, along with the latest SOCD Report Detected.
That is what I am wondering. How did this happen to mine but no one talking about it with exception to older devices. I literally live in a house that’s heated by baseboard heaters and it’s winter. Sometimes it’s super cold sometimes it’s only just cold. There isn’t a drastic temperature change in here. Why do I need a science degree with a major in temperature before I purchase and operate a Mac mini......
 
428A262D-6B0C-4B52-8FB7-1E179027F6AA.jpeg


this is where it’s always stored. Right now, it’s u plugged and the fan is facing the side but usually fan faces wall
 
Here is the Apple warranty


See "What is not covered by this warranty"

(d) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, fire, liquid contact, earthquake or other external cause;

I realize that you are not aware of how the water got inside, but obviously it happened in your home.
It’s crazy... why do I need a science degree with a major in temperature and a focus on condensation to have a Mac mini.... unreal
 
View attachment 1739312

this is where it’s always stored. Right now, it’s u plugged and the fan is facing the side but usually fan faces wall

Very nice setup, even space for a Dog/Cat.

I see nowhere liquid could come from. And, to add, I do not subscribe to the condensation theory. To me, for that to happen, it would have to have been very, very hot, then very very cold.

To confirm, is there any liquid of any sort, on the monitor, or even on/behind the noise panels?
 
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Aside from aliens (just saying, don't shoot me) the condensation theory isn't that farfetched, if for example his house was kept at 22°C/75°F and 50% humidity while the outside temperature was half of that then he would get condensation on the windows. And then if his humidity rose to something like 80% due to the condensation on the windows the dew point shifted much closer to 22°C/75°F. And that's when the aliens came, but not before.

Here's a dew point calculator to check if you have met the conditions at any point... http://www.dpcalc.org
 
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So this is interesting, according to the calculator a typical internal Mini temperature of 30°C/85°F, a humidity of 50% and a room temperature of 18°C/64°F will cause condensation, and my room temp is currently 5°C off of that ratio. So if i open a window right now i run the risk of condensation forming on my mini.

Bracing for the "Users are complaining their M1's are too cold" articles.
 
Very nice setup, even space for a Dog/Cat.

I see nowhere liquid could come from. And, to add, I do not subscribe to the condensation theory. To me, for that to happen, it would have to have been very, very hot, then very very cold.

To confirm, is there any liquid of any sort, on the monitor, or even on/behind the noise panels?
Thanks. Nice reply. I’m absolutely sure no one spilt anything on it. Literally never touched by another human and only by me pulling it out of the box and setting it down like a diamond with a choir singing hymns while I unboxed it. Can’t believe it. As you can see in the photos they’re nicely round balls of wetness too. Weiiiiiirrd. I’m strict about no liquids on or near the desk. I have an appointment with an apple approved store on Tuesday so we’ll see what happens
 
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Weird, I am fully vested in this now. I am very curious what the answers/solutions will be.

Have to agree with @Boyd01 somewhat. A pet...
I can say for certain no liquid of any sort came near this guy. That I know for sure, 100%. The odd thing is I didn’t even notice the liquid until I realized it was shut off so when I went to turn it on, liquid leaked out in very small smears and then I ran my fingers over the cracks between the black port section and the silver part of the Mac and noticed streaks appearing. Wipe them away, more appear. Took it apart to find more wetness inside
 
Looking forward to the resolution of this. I need closure :)

PS: I am sure someone probably asked this already. But, if you look up, at the ceiling above the desk, no water/liquid leakage, right?
 
Seems like you have to consider the possibility that a room-mate, guest or pet knows something they aren't telling you...
I agree. I've seen many posts in the various Mac forums that I participate in of water damage. And lots of replies stating that the owner did not know where it came from.

However, Apple doesn't care where it came from or how it happened, it's not covered by Apple Care or the one year warranty. If you had Apple Care Plus, Apple will repair it less a deductible.

https://www.apple.com/support/products/mac/
AppleCare+ for Mac extends your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage protection every 12 months, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other damage,
 
I used to be a bench tech and those pics really aren't saying capacitor leak to me. Too much fluid, too widely dispersed, and just doesn't look like capacitor electrolyte. Though weirder things have happened with electronics, and it is quite a few years since I was on the bench.

Looks like water. Does it have any smell, or stickiness?

While you can't rule out condensation, it isn't really adding up to me either. That would take some fairly sudden changes in temperature to happen, with the right humidity range, which seems unlikely inside a house. And why only in the computer, and nowhere else in the room?

Does it only happen when the Mini is off? If it is happening when it has been running for a while (i.e. when warmed up) that rules out condensation.

I think a clue is that it seems to all be in the same place, between the bottom cover and the surfaces immediately above it (RF shield, antenna, etc). Initially I thought they were all on the same plane, but if you look at the close up pic of the antenna the screw just above it, and some of the shield around it, is wet too, and those bits look like they are sitting on a different plane from the rest.

Also in bottom right of the inside of the cover plate there is a drop sitting up on the side, which might indicate an entry point.

Hate to say this, but a serious possibility is that it is deliberate. Somebody put that water in there.

Very odd. 🤔
 
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hmm... Do you have a male cat? (moisture has to come from somewhere, and that source is NOT from inside the mini...:confused: ) You would def smell that, however...
 
Looking forward to the resolution of this. I need closure :)

PS: I am sure someone probably asked this already. But, if you look up, at the ceiling above the desk, no water/liquid leakage, right?
Nope. No leakages.
 
I used to be a bench tech and those pics really aren't saying capacitor leak to me. Too much fluid, too widely dispersed, and just doesn't look like capacitor electrolyte. Though weirder things have happened with electronics, and it is quite a few years since I was on the bench.

Looks like water. Does it have any smell, or stickiness?

While you can't rule out condensation, it isn't really adding up to me either. That would take some fairly sudden changes in temperature to happen, with the right humidity range, which seems unlikely inside a house. And why only in the computer, and nowhere else in the room?

Does it only happen when the Mini is off? If it is happening when it has been running for a while (i.e. when warmed up) that rules out condensation.

I think a clue is that it seems to all be in the same place, between the bottom cover and the surfaces immediately above it (RF shield, antenna, etc). Initially I thought they were all on the same plane, but if you look at the close up pic of the antenna the screw just above it, and some of the shield around it, is wet too, and those bits look like they are sitting on a different plane from the rest.

Also in bottom right of the inside of the cover plate there is a drop sitting up on the side, which might indicate an entry point.

Hate to say this, but a serious possibility is that it is deliberate. Somebody put that water in there.

Very odd. 🤔
That plant is so dry. Hasn’t been watered in a while. Although when it is, it’s not done in the room. It’s brought to the kitchen and even if it was, it’s too far from the computer for that type of spread of water to be inside the computer only, not on my monitor or printer or anything else. No other electronics have any signs of it. I’ve also checked the wood, there’s no signs of a spill and clean up job. Or the wood on the desk, or the desk mat which shows signs easily
 
(d) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, fire, liquid contact, earthquake or other external cause;
That shouldn't apply here since OP didn't spill water on it. I mean, just hypothetically if a capacitor leaked would that also not be covered under the warranty because it's liquid and it has made contact?

I think OP should get Apple on the phone, stat. And if they try to claim water damage, argue—it's a new machine, you didn't get water on it, and if the machine broke due to condensation in a reasonable, normal home environment, Apple needs to fix it.
 
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