Mac Mini 2024 – it’s a pocket rocket and a steal at $999

I purchased two Mac mini’s in 2020 when we were locked down, schooling from home – we had monitors on desks and frankly a simple little computer was all we needed. The “headless Mac” which the Mac mini is known as – is a perfect upgrade for people who have an old setup already, and also the perfect desktop for someone who wants a minimalistic but also high performance unit.

The new Mac mini is a complete redesign of a much loved but under-appreciated computer. And it’s radical.

This thing is less than half the size of the previous generation which has been around for over a decade.

If you don’t know how big the original Mac mini was, then perhaps a CD in it’s case is a better size guide.

A CD case is bigger, and the Mac mini would be the height of five CD’s stacked up.

I have no issues saying this is a cute little unit!

Two USB-C ports on the front, and three on the back.

Power, HDMI and an Ethernet port and that’s it.

Now controversially online, the power button isn’t on the back, or the front.

It’s underneath!

Does it matter? No.

Can you push it when the Mac mini is on the desktop – no.

Why? Well I’ve had this setup a week, and I pressed it once. How often do you turn a computer off?

These days computers are made to sleep, and wake when you need them. So why does it matter? A mountain made out of a molehill as social media tends to do.

If you’re upgrading from another Mac mini or any other desktop computer then you’ll need to be fully USB-C compliant – there’s nothing else here. Maybe an adaptor, but maybe time for a new webcam hey?

All that aside, the Apple Silicon M4 chip or the M4 Pro makes this a powerhouse. Capable of doing whatever you ask of it. That’s unquestionable.

The only real downside to a Mac mini is getting your keyboard and mouse paired. Using an Apple set it’s a breeze, but if you’ve got your own, you need them to be able to act as a keyboard while connected via USB-C to get you going. That said, I do recommend the Mac Keyboard because it comes with TouchID that can make unlocking a breeze.

My whole workspace just looks better – because this tiny little unit just looks great in place.

Spec one up with all the performance, storage and memory you could spend $6,999 – but remember, the basic Mac mini is just $999 and will do what is needed for 99% of users.

It goes on sale today.