Power Bottom
Comment on Apple’s first Mac mini redesign in 14 years looks like a big aluminum Apple TV
Yes_Man@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Mac Mini’s are cool, and I appreciate that Apple has some of the most experienced and talented designers in the world… But they put the power switch on the bottom. You have to lift it up and turn it over to turn it on and off.
winkly@lemmy.world 1 year ago
powermaker450@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
who let the magic mouse engineers loose
Valmond@lemmy.world 1 year ago
So how do you figure the designers are that good?
boonhet@lemm.ee 1 year ago
It looks to me like the center part is thicker than the edge so the corner might not be flat against the desk. But I’m completely sure if it’s enough.
hector@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
But WHY??
lepinkainen@lemmy.world 1 year ago
The previous model has it in the back, you can’t even feel it properly because it’s not recessed.
On the other hand the last time I turned off my M1 mini was when we moved. It’s 100% silent and takes less power than a lightbulb when it sleeps, so why would I bother powering it off.
phoenixz@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
So while it sleeps, it still wastes electricity on literally nothing. Gotcha
boonhet@lemm.ee 1 year ago
So does anyone’s desktop PC that they’re too lazy to power off and I can guarantee those will waste even more.
BruceTwarzen@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Why would you run a lightbulb 24/7?
desktop_user@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
so you don’t have to turn it on when you enter a room
olympicyes@lemmy.world 1 year ago
A prior model Mac Mini uses 7W at idle.
biggerbogboy@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I’d just get two toothpicks and make a seesaw to press it, although I pretty much never turn off my computers so I still wouldn’t mind too much
Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
Threeme2189@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
That’s trippy. Try following the cable from end to end.
Usernameblankface@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Is it meant to stay on forever once you set it up?
sunbeam60@lemmy.one 1 year ago
You’ll be able to fit a finger under it I bet.
Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 1 year ago
The next 900$ monitor stand will attach the monitor at the bottom with the screen facing the desk.
You need to buy the ar/vr set to see what the screen is displaying.
MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
What.
The fuck.
HEXN3T@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
At the very least, the keyboard functions for power.
There is plenty of room on the front for a power button. Should have removed the headphone jack.
Lol, lmao.
ABCDE@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Why didn’t they put the headphone port on the back…
helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Or on the keyboard?
ABCDE@lemmy.world 1 year ago
It doesn’t come with one last I checked.
HEXN3T@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
That’s horrible. I want you on my design team.
Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Or as a separate device that costs only a bit less that this.
flop_leash_973@lemmy.world 1 year ago
But once its on why would you ever turn it off? /s
AA5B@lemmy.world 1 year ago
We used to have racks of these things for automated testing …. And eventually they stop responding, so someone needs to power cycle them. In the computer room. In a rack
tibi@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I seriously don’t understand why Apple won’t make server macs, with proper server features like IPMI, rack mounting support, virtualization. As a software developer, macs are horrible to work with.
Beyond the nightmare that is code signing and certificates (required even for debug builds), the physical devices are special snowflakes. Getting them to play nicely in a CI/CD system is really difficult. They often freeze or misbehave requiring physical access to fix. Also, if you want to target older OS X or iOS versions, you need to use an older version of XCode (that Apple makes really difficult to find) and an older version of MacOS.
There are many other use cases beyond software development, such as render farms, network storage, backup etc.
darreninthenet@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
I bought my iMac in March 2020… since then it’s been powered down maybe half a dozen times (a couple of those were power cuts) and rebooted (outside of macOS updates) maybe ten times.
It just sits there reliably doing its thing and sucks little juice in power saving so 🤷🏻♂️
ilega_dh@feddit.nl 1 year ago
This but non-sarcastically. I have a Mac mini and I don’t think I’ve ever touched the power button (except after plugging in of course, but then you’re already fiddling)
antlion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Assuming the desktop takes the same power saving techniques from their laptops, there is no real reason to turn it off.
GhostlyPixel@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Remember though that these are the same engineers who put the Magic Mouse charging port on the bottom, making the mouse unusable while you charged it
JWBananas@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Even worse, that was done intentionally. They wanted to prevent retail stores from leaving them plugged in at all times.
todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee 1 year ago
That’s not true at all. Apple likes minimalism, and putting ports and buttons where you can’t see them adds to the aesthetic.
blackn1ght@feddit.uk 1 year ago
I get that, but it doesn’t really make sense with a mouse as I pretty much never see the front of it as it’s always ahead of me. The only person who would see it would be if someone were to be sat opposite.
million@lemmy.world 1 year ago
People treat it like a mistake but not be able to use the mouse while it’s plugged in is the entire point of the design. Right or wrong the Apple designers thought a cord drag was a bad experience and designed to prevent it.
They probably looked at their target audience and realized there was a certain percentage of folks that would just leave the mouse on the cord 24/7 and wanted to prevent that.
LANIK2000@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I don’t understand what was wrong with the original version that just took 2 AA batteries. Reaching for the AA charger and swapping cells too much effort or something?
Smart and elegant design would be hiding a battery charger in the iMac it self (maybe even use something smaller than AA), not expect you to flip and plug in your mouse every time ya leave it. The Nintendo Switch, while a completely different form factor, is a great example of an elegant “wireless” charging solution.
I’m getting really sick of the Apple esthetic of sticking out wires, be it the mouse or the dozen dongles for every portable device they now make. Uh! Can’t forget the world’s only pen that needs charging, for seemingly no reason.
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 1 year ago
They can fit a bigger rechargeable battery in the same space as a battery bay for replaceable batteries. Plus it eliminates the waste of throwing away batteries, and has longer battery life than similarly sized alkalines.
RecluseRamble@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
They also know their target audience has plenty of people who gobble up every bad design decision and even defend it online years later.
Usernameblankface@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I don’t understand why this is so hard to understand. You’re supposed to stop using the mouse while it is charging, and use the mouse unplugged. That’s the purpose. It’s not a stupid decision, it just prevents some user’s preferred operation of using the mouse while it is charging
blackn1ght@feddit.uk 1 year ago
You’re supposed to stop using the mouse while it is charging, and use the mouse unplugged.
Why? Says who? There’s been a few times where I’ve booted my work laptop up in the morning and my mouse is dead and I’ve had to plug it in. Once it’s charged I unplug it. What’s the harm in that? I’d be way more furstrated if I had to open up my laptop (I keep it closed with an external monitor) and use the trackpad instead.
discount_door_garlic@lemmy.world 1 year ago
it prevents some users’ preferred operation of using the mouse while its charging
…
It’s not a stupid decision
Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 1 year ago
People treat it like a mistake, but the Emperor has no clothes and people are catching on.
ThePantser@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Yeah and I hear they might bring that back lol. Why haven’t there been any wireless mice that use wireless charging? They could include a super thin coil that you could place under any mouse pad. It doesn’t even need to charge fast so heat shouldn’t be an issue. Just trickle charge when it’s not being used.
VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Honestly, the mouse charger screams marketing or management. Apple’s brand is partially form over function.
TunaLobster@lemmy.world 1 year ago
PARTIALLY!? The Vision shipped without a lens cover. It did ship with a cover for the outside face.
ForgotAboutDre@lemmy.world 1 year ago
It was very likely a designers decision. It forces the use the use case they wanted; wireless mice should be used wirelessly. I would bet they fought marketing and management to get this on the final product.
Marketing would want the mouse they can advertise as being useable with and wireless. Female ports are easier to mount and manufacture with they have depth to set the socket. So a plug on the front is much cheaper and easier to manufacture.
The fact the charging cable doesn’t get used in motion means it will last longer and you wouldn’t have people useing fraying cables on the front of their mouse.
_edge@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
What marketing genius uses a mouse upside down.
ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
It’s better for display
Users aren’t trying before they buy so the display is the most important aspect
falkerie71@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
In case it wasn’t a joke, I imagine it would be high enough for your finger to just poke under it to push the button, like you would a monitor with buttons on the bottom of the screen.
Yes_Man@lemmy.world 1 year ago
A reporter at the Verge just had a hands on with it and confirmed that you do, unfortunately, have to lift it up.
there’s no way to reach the power button, which is on the underside of the computer, without lifting it up.
MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
Doesn’t look like it is.
Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
You’re using it wrong: Just place the whole computer upside down on your desk.
xxd@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
The new design seems more lifted, I think it should be fine to fit your finger below there without having to lift it.
stoly@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I assume that the plinth lifts it high enough for your finger to comfortably fit under.