Mac Mini M4’s tiny redesign will send you to the upside down

Apple’s new Mac mini M4 looks like an accomplished piece of miniaturisation. At just 5-inches wide, 5-inches deep and 2-inches tall, it’s got way more power than the last M2 outing – with a much smaller footprint.

However, the redesign includes a rather unique quirk for a computer – a power button on the bottom of the device. Apple has moved the method of turning on the Mac mini – from the rear of the device on the M2 Mac mini to the underside of the desktop computer on the Mac mini M4.

That means, to turn on the product, you’re going to have to lift it away from the surface, or perhaps flip it upside down entirely.

Apple isn’t shouting from the rooftops about the new power button location, with eagle-eyed observers spotting its presence on the underside of the Mac mini in the reveal video.

It’s a little inconvenient, but far from the biggest deal in the world. Firstly, because it does ensure a slightly cleaner look for the visible exterior. Also, the power button is far from the most used in modern computing products, given most users place their computer in sleep mode when not in use.

However, given the new, 1.5-pounds Mac mini is built to have a certain degree of portability, where users can easily transport it around in a back pack and connect to accessories in other locations, that power button might be more utilised than the one in the new iMac M4 for instance.

Regardless, it’s the second time this week Apple has copped a little flack for placing a power-related item on the bottom of a device.

The new Magic Mouse peripheral updated the charging solution to USB-C but kept the port awkwardly sitting on the underside of the device, making it practically impossible to use and charge at the same time.