A few days ago, I continued a ritual I’ve followed for years: spending time with a vintage Mac over the weekend. Every week, I choose a Mac from my extensive Apple collection and spend a day with it. This time, it was the turn of my iMac G4, one of the most unusual Macs Apple has ever made. As I inserted Abbey Road by The Beatles into the G4’s CD tray and began listening to the album, I paused, staring at the Mac. I couldn’t help but wonder if Apple would ever return to making a Mac with a bold design — or at least experiment with something different in this era. Just a day or two later, Apple announced a Mac mini with a smaller design, as compact as an Apple TV streaming box. It was an exciting news. Why, you may ask? The answer is simple: after so many years, Apple has finally released a Mac with an interesting design aimed at the everyday user. It reminded me of how Apple did something similar with the iMac G3 and later models when Steve Jobs returned to the company, focusing on creating entry-level home computers with different designs and new form factors for ordinary people. A weird, sexy device Fast forward to today, I see a similar trend prevalent in the early and late '90s. Personal computers are functional and advanced but totally boring and a bit too complicated. They have underwhelming designs, and brands are mostly churning out homogenous, metal-clad computers with no real personality. The Mac mini, however, is different. It’s weird, sexy, and looks odd, yet it feels like a premium device. The new Mac mini is slightly larger than the Apple TV streaming box — 5×5 inches instead of 3.66×3.66 inches— but its proportions are roughly similar. This gives the device a smaller footprint than the old Mac mini. You can hold the Mac mini in one hand; it’s that compact. The new Mac mini is beautiful to look at, and because it’s so tiny, it doesn’t take up much space on the desk. Yet it offers plenty of I I think it’s a bold design choice. Apple has taken all of its hardware expertise and combined it with a design straight out of the Apple playbook. The result is something that truly places the Mac mini on a different pedestal. Making tech this compact is no small feat, especially for a desktop computer, and I don’t see any other company besides Apple (though Nintendo is another that makes impeccably designed devices with a small footprint) having the vision and courage to take a risk and reimagine a product that appeals to a broad consumer base beyond traditional users. Especially at a time when targeting products specifically aimed at creators and pros is the norm. It’s perhaps the least expected product to get a facelift under CEO Tim Cook. An engineering feat For me, the new Mac mini is an interesting computer. I mean a computer — not a mobile computer or a computer-on-steroids like the Raspberry Pi, but an actual computer with macOS built-in, just like every other Mac on the market. Apple could have come up with a new name to market the Mac mini differently, as it did with the iPhone SE (SE stands for Special Edition). But Apple stuck to the core and didn’t dilute what the device stands for: a computer. There’s no other way to define it. I think this reflects the real strength of the Mac mini: the M4 processor. It not only made the computer smaller in size but also increased its performance. This is indeed an engineering feat. I have used the M4-powered iPad Pro, and I can say that the device felt extremely powerful. However, I’m still scratching my head over how Apple managed to put an even more powerful M4 Pro processor inside the Mac mini, make it much smaller than the M2-powered Mac mini, and keep it cool. It feels like a next-gen computer rather than just a system with a better processor in a new box. Honestly, I’m not sure how many people opt for the higher-end version of the Mac mini over the entry-level M4 variant (Apple has included 16 GB of RAM as standard on the base model), which already makes the device perfect for everyday computing tasks as well as Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of AI features. But then, Apple is offering a choice between a basic variant and a top-tier variant, with the latter transforming the Mac mini into a professional content-creation machine while still keeping it portable. But the biggest draw of the concept of the Mac mini — or, in Apple’s terms, a do-it-yourself computer — is its simplicity. I remember when Apple heavily marketed the iMac G3 back in the day for the ease of Internet access (hence the ‘i’ in the name iMac), and one of the ad campaigns featured a commercial that promised: “Step one: Plug in. Step two: Get connected. Step three: There is no step three.” That’s how a computer should be: doing more things for you, without a learning curve. The Mac’s user interface has always been simple to use and easy to navigate. In the case of the Mac mini, the difference lies in the form factor, which gives a sense of freedom, if you’re my kind of user. I have been using different accessories with my Mac mini — not necessarily from Apple, but from various brands. I use the iPad in the same way, which gives me the freedom and choice to use a device on my own terms. I don’t get that level of versatility with the iMac, which has its own screen, keyboard, and mouse. Although I have yet to try out the new Mac mini, one thing that has made me even more curious about this little computer is how well it is designed to play games. It could well be the biggest use case for the Mac mini — a legit gaming machine beyond being just a functional computer. It may not replace the PlayStation 5, but even if it plays old AAA titles well at medium to low settings, it could turn out to be a fun and workable gaming device. Acing the game Perhaps, the secret to the Mac mini (and you are completely free to disagree) is the price, which makes this computer so interesting. At Rs 59,900 ($599 in the US for the base variant; local taxes are extra), the Mac mini offers fantastic value, and it’s a huge deal for a computer that provides fast, consistent performance and is graphically strong. It’s not exactly a bargain at that price, but the Mac mini is priced well enough that average users will feel comfortable picking it up as a first desktop system or a first Mac. Not only does the Mac mini have little competition, but it's also unlikely to face any soon. No major computer maker has shown interest in creating a mainstream desktop computer like the Mac mini. I believe Apple is likely to keep a firm hold on this market for years to come. Apple has done things in its own way, and I am glad Cupertino still truly cares about the Mac mini. But, if you look through the company’s previous mainline Macs, you can find common patterns and design choices that Apple has been refining for years, which are still evident in the new Mac mini. While the Mac mini may not quite have the finesse of the pro-grade Macs, there is something wacky about Apple’s smallest Mac. Part of what makes this device so appealing is this unique mixture of fun design and capable computing chops, which is unique to the Mac mini.
