Apple’s M4 Mac mini is a surprisingly and wildly successful product. Per our homepage poll, it’s readers’ favorite product of the year—by far. Why is it such a hit? Because it’s the strongest evidence yet that Apple has learned from past mistakes.
Apple’s big missteps are not far behind us
The Mac is in the midst of a very exciting new era, inaugurated by Apple silicon. Macs are updated regularly with new chips, battery life and performance regularly impress, and exciting changes like cellular may be on the horizon.
But not long ago, Mac users found themselves in a very different situation.
Up until shortly before Apple silicon debuted in 2020, the Mac was plagued by a variety of serious problems:
- new models were regularly delayed due to Intel problems
- ports kept getting taken away, along with beloved features like MagSafe
- Apple’s commitment to pro Mac users was in question
- and of course, the most significant problem was the butterfly keyboard
For years, it was hard to recommend a Mac laptop because of the terrible keyboard design that lasted far too long. And it was hard to recommend Mac desktops because they were too often outdated and behind the times.
Some of the Mac’s problems were outside Apple’s control. But I’d argue that the most serious issues were entirely of Apple’s making.
Pushing users to USB-C and endless dongles was undoubtedly a mistake. So too was the butterfly keyboard, and Apple waffling on making high-end models like the Mac Pro.
Many of these decisions were made in an effort to create thinner, lighter, more compact devices.
But the compromises were too great.
Two M4 devices that prove Apple has changed
This year, Apple has shown how much it’s learned from its past mistakes.
First, look at the M4 iPad Pro.
It’s ridiculously thin and light, but doesn’t compromise at all on performance or battery life.
The iPad Pro has the same solid battery life as previous models, and was the first device to boast Apple’s cutting-edge M4 chip.
As good an example as the iPad Pro is of Apple’s changes, I think the new Mac mini is even better.
The M4 Mac mini introduced a major redesign that shrinks the device significantly.
A decade ago, that would have been a scary thing for Mac users.
But Apple managed to shrink the Mac mini without sacrificing on power user features.
The base Mac mini has:
- ports on the front: two USB-C ports and a headphone jack
- plus three Thunderbolt ports on the back, HDMI, and Gigabit Ethernet
Sure, the power button placement is odd, but that’s mostly inconsequential.
Besides ports, the Mac mini comes with 16GB of RAM standard, you can get it with either the M4 or M4 Pro chip, and it somehow starts at only $599.
All the power of Apple’s latest silicon advancements, plus a compelling I/O lineup, all at a low price and in a tiny new design.
The M4 Mac mini proves that in this new Apple silicon era, thin and light don’t have to be opposed to performance. The iPad Pro proves that battery need not be sacrificed either.
Most of all, Apple’s 2024 products prove that it’s learned from its biggest mistakes.
Do you think Apple has learned from its past mistakes? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
Best Mac and iPad Pro accessories
- 100W USB-C power adapter for fast charging
- tomtoc protective laptop/tablet sleeve bag
- AirPods Pro 2 (currently only $189, down from $249)
- Anker USB-C 8-in-1 hub with Ethernet, HDMI, SD, more
- Baseus 10ft USB-C cable for extended reach
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