The 2024 Mac mini M4 has a start button positioned under the machine. Apple explains the real reason for this not very practical positioning, but it ultimately seems obvious.
You may have wondered, why is the start button on the new Mac mini located on the bottom of the computer? Equipped with the M4 chip, the latter has undergone a cure, not slimming down, but has become significantly more compact. With this, a start button which passes under the machine, impractical according to some users.
A button in an inconvenient position
Although it can be inconvenient to turn off or start the machine with this button under the computer, on the right precisely, two Apple executives explain why this position exists and why it is not a problem for people who raised the issue in the first place.
Most Mac mini owners never turn off their device and prefer to put it to sleep. Apple officials explain that the location of the power button at the bottom was also chosen because of the reduced size of the device.
An explanation from Apple
A content creator on Bilibili, whose machine-translated name is “Film and Television Hurricane,” spoke with Apple executives Greg Joswiak and John Ternus, who were asked why the d button The Mac mini's power supply was at the bottom. They responded that the small size of the device had forced the company to change its position, making it the ideal location. In a recent teardown video of the compact computer, which shows a spiral heatsink, we noticed a tiny separate motherboard that includes the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, probably because it would take up a lot of space on the rest of the chassis.
The fact that a second logic board had to be added to the configuration speaks volumes about the desire of Apple and its engineers to make the Mac mini as compact as possible without compromising its performance. Apple executives also said that despite the change in position of the power button, it is easy to access and users only need to slide their finger across it. Given the design of macOS, most Mac mini owners will choose to put their hardware to sleep rather than shutting it down completely.
