Tag: Mac mini

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Mac mini (M2, 2023)

The Mac mini débuted in 2005 as a low-cost Mac for “switchers”—those running Windows who already had a display, keyboard, and mouse and wanted their very first Mac experience. When he announced it, Steve Jobs said,

“Starting at just $499, Mac mini is the most affordable way to enjoy Mac OS X and iLife. Just plug in your display, keyboard and mouse and you’ve got an incredibly compact Mac for a price that almost anyone can afford.”

The original Mac mini used a G4 processor (2005–2007), followed by various Intel-chip models (2007–2020), Apple’s M1 processor (2020–2023), and now Apple’s M2 chip.

Since its original release, I have always had a Mac mini, and I have always purchased the base model and attached it to my TV to function as my media “server.” At first—before iCloud—I primarily used my Mac mini as my “Music mini” computer, and as digital video became more pervasive, it is now used as a method to show digital videos and to play my very small collection of music not on Apple Music (yes…recorded music does exist that’s not on Apple’s, or any, streaming service!).

This new version of the Mac mini is available with both M2 and M2 Pro Apple Silicon configurations. According to the press release:

“Compared to the previous-generation Mac mini, M2 and M2 Pro bring a faster next-generation CPU and GPU, much higher memory bandwidth, and a more powerful media engine to Mac mini, delivering extraordinary performance and industry-leading power efficiency. Both models feature an advanced thermal system for exceptional sustained performance.”

The base-model M2 Mac mini “features an 8-core CPU with four high-performance and four high-efficiency cores, along with a 10-core GPU.” It includes 8GB unified memory and 256GB SSD standard. The M2 includes the following physical ports:

  • 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports (DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4, USB 4)
  • 2 USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s)
  • HDMI port
  • Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet)
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack

Wireless interfaces include Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), and Bluetooth 5.3.

The M2 Mac mini has a slightly larger footprint than the previous Mac mini models. It measures 1.41 inches (3.58 cm) high, by 7.75 inches (19.70 cm) square, and weighs 2.6 pounds (1.18 kg). The slightly larger size matches the square dimensions of the Mac Studio.

When the M2 Mac mini had been released for only one week, media outlets were reporting that the base models had slower SSD performance compared to the previous M1 Mac mini models. A MacRumors review reported:

“While the new Mac mini with the M2 chip has a lower $599 starting price, the base model with 256GB of storage has slower SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous-generation model with the M1 chip and 256GB of storage.”

This Mac mini originally shipped with macOS Ventura.

In my setup, this Mac mini plays music and video from external drives, thus, its SSD speeds have been more than sufficient.

Sources: Apple (Newsroom 2005, Newsroom 2023, Mac mini, Mac Studio), MacRumors

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Mac mini (Late 2012)

Since the first Mac mini was released in 2005, all models have been compact, shipped without a display, keyboard, and mouse, and all have been relatively inexpensive.

The Mac mini (Late 2012) was described by EveryMac: “Compared to its predecessor, this model looks identical, but it has a faster internal architecture with a faster processor, faster graphics, faster RAM, and USB 3.0 ports.”

Its primarily aluminum case has a plastic bottom and measures 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) tall, 7.7 inches x 7.7 inches (19.7 cm) square, and weighs 2.7 pounds (1.22 kg).

The Mac mini (Late 2012) was offered with a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor. It shipped with a 500GB or 1TB (5400-rpm) hard drive.

For a compact case, it had many physical plug options: Thunderbolt, FireWire 800 port, 4 USB 3 ports, HDMI, SDXC card slot, gigabit ethernet port, and audio in/out. Its 3 wireless interfaces included 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and an IR receiver.

This Mac mini shipped with OS X Mountain Lion.

Sources: EveryMac, Wikipedia, Apple

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Mac “Take One” Apple Store brochure collection (2005)

Mac mini (original) “Take One” store brochure (January 2005)—This 1-page brochure measures 4.375 x 6.5 inches. The front features a photo of the Mac mini and the headline “The most affordable Mac ever.” on a white background. The front also includes a diagram of the Mac mini set up with “your existing keyboard, mouse, and display.” and the iLife logo. The back has the headline “Moves at the speed of life.” and includes specifications of the two available configurations. The back has the headline “Introducing Mac mini” and includes a photo of the back of the computer (presumably to show its ports) and specifications of the two available configurations.

eMac “Take One” store brochure (May 2005)—This 1-page brochure measures 4.375 x 6.5 inches and features an eMac on a white background on the front with various features highlighted. The back has the headline “Fast. Affordable. Simply amazing.” and includes specifications of the two available configurations.

Mac mini “Take One” store brochure (July 2005)—This 1-page brochure measures 4.375 x 6.5 inches and features a Mac mini on a light blue background on the front with various features highlighted. The back has the headline “Full featured, compact, Mac mini” and includes a photo of the back of the computer (presumably to show its ports) and specifications of the two available configurations.

iBook G4 “Take One” store brochure (July 2005)—This 1-page brochure measures 4.375 x 6.5 inches and features an iBook G4 on a light blue background on the front with various features highlighted. The back has the headline “Moves at the speed of life.” and includes specifications of the two available configurations (12-inch and 14-inch).

iMac G5 “Take One” store brochure (October 2005)—This 1-page brochure measures 4.375 x 6.5 inches and features the headline “The new iMac G5” on a gray-blue background on the front. The front photo shows a hand holding a white Apple Remote pointing at the iMac G5 screen with the Front Row (media) interface. The back includes specifications of the 17- and 20-inch configurations.

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DVI to VGA Adapter (2005)

Apple’s DVI to VGA Adapter shipped with the original Mac mini (2005). Because the original Mac mini Video out port was designed for displays that use a DVI connector, the computer also shipped with this compact DVI to VGA Adapter. This adapter allowed the Mac mini to work with a then-standard VGA display.

Source: Apple, EveryMac

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USB SuperDrive (2014)

According to Apple, “The Apple USB SuperDrive is compatible with Mac models from 2008 and later that don’t have a built-in optical drive.” This includes MacBook, MacBook Air with Retina display, MacBook Pro with Retina display, MacBook Air, iMac (late 2012) and later, Mac mini (late 2009) and later, and Mac Pro (late 2013). 

The drive is compact at 0.67 inches by 5.47 inches by 5.47 inches, and weighs 0.74 pounds. The drive includes a USB-A port, making an adapter necessary to use it with newer Macs that only include USB-C ports; however, no separate power adapter is required.

Apple proclaims that this drive is “Everything you need in an optical drive. Whether you’re at the office or on the road, you can play and burn both CDs and DVDs with the Apple USB SuperDrive. It’s perfect when you want to watch a DVD movie, install software, create backup discs, and more.”

Sources: Apple (Store, Support)

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Mac mini (Late 2014)

The Mac mini Late 2014 included a Core i5 “Haswell” 2.6 GHz Intel processor (with two independent cores on a single chip), 8 GB of SDRAM, and a 1 TB hard drive. Ports included two Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi/Bluetooth 4.0, and an SDXC card slot.

This and all Mac mini systems ship without a display, keyboard, or mouse. This model’s case is primarily aluminum with a black plastic back and base.

All Mac mini systems I have owned have served as my iTunes server allowing access to iTunes music/Apple Music, streaming video content, saved digital movies, and other media. This was the first Mac mini I owned with a direct HDMI connection to my primary home TV (others used VGA and DVI connections).

Source: EveryMac.com

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Mac mini G4 (original, 2005)

The Mac mini G4 featured a 1.42 GHz G4 processor, 256 MB of SDRAM memory, an 80 GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive, and a slot-loading 8X DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive. This is the original Mac mini and was sold as a budget Mac that came with no display, keyboard, or mouse. This computer was a great low-cost option for someone switching from Windows to Mac who already owned a display and USB keyboard and mouse.

The Mac mini G4 had ports including DVI (with a DVI-to-VGA adapter included), USB 2.0, FireWire, and a headphone/line out jack. The original Mac mini supported a wireless AirPort Extreme (802.11g) and Bluetooth card as an option. After July 26, 2005, AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth were provided standard.

The entire computer was 6.5 inches square, 2 inches tall, and weighed 2.9 pounds.

From the day the Mac mini was released, I have always had one permanently connected to my living room stereo system and/or flat panel television and used the Mac mini as my iTunes server. I had previously used a Power Mac G4 Cube for this purpose. With this original Mac mini, I was still using a CRT-based TV so I connected to it remotely. 

Source: EveryMac.com

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Mac mini Core 2 Duo (2007)

The Mac mini Core 2 Duo featured a 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 GB of SDRAM memory, an 80 GB Serial ATA hard drive, a slot-loading 8X DVD/CD-RW Combo drive, and it came with an Apple Remote.

Ports included DVI (with a DVI-to-VGA adapter included), Firewire 400, four USB 2.0 ports, a combined optical digital audio input/audio line in, combined optical digital audio output/headphone, a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet port, and built-in AirPort Extreme/Bluetooth 2.0. It lacks an internal 56k modem.

This model had the same case as the original Mac mini: 6.5 inches square, 2 inches tall, and weighed 2.9 pounds. This and all Mac mini systems ship without a display, keyboard, or mouse.

I upgraded to this Mac mini from the original due to its larger hard drive and optical digital audio output/headphone jack. I used it for the same purpose as the original to access iTunes and digital movies. It also permanently replaced my DVD player in the age of physical-DVD Netflix (before digital streaming, Netflix movies arrived in the mail on DVDs that played in a DVD player).

Now that this Mac mini has been retired as my media server, I use it to power my digital fireplace.

Source: EveryMac.com