The ambitions surrounding the redesigned Mac mini were lofty to the point that Apple wanted to make the compact computer’s footprint even smaller than what is present at this time. If you remember, the company unveiled two chipset variants that can be configured with the latest machine: the M4 and M4 Pro. If the design were smaller, then it would present more difficulty in cooling the more powerful Apple Silicon. Then again, even in this current form factor, what the technology giant has achieved is remarkable.
The redesigned Mac mini’s size would have been reduced if it had only shipped with the M4, according to an Apple executive
Speaking with Fast Company, Apple’s Vice President of Hardware Engineering, Kate Bergeron, and marketing executive Sophie Le Guen spoke about the challenges that came with designing the Mac mini, along with the possibility that the machine could be smaller. AppleInsider, who spotted the interview details, mentioned that making the computer small and powerful was a balancing act, and one would have to tread carefully or else thermal issues would materialize.
Thankfully, Bergeron mentioned that the existence of the M4 Pro variant of the Mac mini meant that the cooling design needed to improve while also keeping in mind the noise output. Bergeron believed that if the Mac mini was only available to purchase with the M4, then Apple may have launched the product with a significantly smaller footprint. We reported about a previous teardown, talking about the company’s efforts to ensure that the size could be reduced as much as possible, starting with separating a second motherboard that houses the wireless connectivity chips and a spiraling heatsink.
Additionally, Apple cleverly redesigned the power supply unit, which is a thing of beauty. Apart from the components being horizontally aligned to save up on space, the PCB has tiny cutouts that guarantee that these parts do not sit on the top or bottom of the circuit board. This was a puzzling move from Apple because incorporating precise cutouts on the PCB is a costly process, and yet, the Mac mini remains affordable at its $599 starting price. It is obvious that the long hours have paid off for Apple because there is no computer out there that can compete with the Mac mini when it comes to pricing.
Fortunately, there is even more positive news for those interested in getting any one of these models for themselves. The base model that ships with 16GB unified RAM and a 256GB SSD is currently more affordable on Amazon as it is priced at just $579. However, the sweet spot is the 512GB storage variant, which is also discounted at the online retailer and can be yours for just $744.
News Source: Fast Company
