Planning to buy a Mac mini? It’s a great computer. But, there is a side to it no one talks about, and it affects how you use Apple services.
Apple’s Mac mini Might be a Great First Mac, But it has a Set of Obvious Compromises that Ruin the Complete macOS Experience
You’ll find a ton of write-ups calling the Mac mini a great first Mac. Even I have said that on a number of occasions. It really is a wonderful starting point, thanks to its low starting price.
But, there is a side to it no one talks about, because the Mac mini is so cheap, you are easily blindsided by the value it delivers, forcing you to ignore its obvious shortcomings.
Those shortcomings affect the way that makes the Apple ecosystem so great.
Having said that, I dived into the world of Mac mini when the M2 model came out in 2023. I already had a 27-inch Dell monitor, Magic Keyboard and Mouse lying around, and I could just put it to great use by getting a Mac mini, so I did.
First and foremost, putting it together was not fun. You are eventually going to deal with multiple cables to make everything work, which includes the HDMI cable and power cable as a bare minimum. Even if you have a USB-C monitor, or even Apple’s Studio Display, those two cables are forever there.
Then came the horror I discovered on the spot – the lack of a built-in microphone. A fact that I learned about when someone called me on FaceTime Audio.
Even the latest M4 Mac mini is missing a microphone. What this means is, you are not sending voice messages via iMessage, ever.
If you are sticking to the stock Mac mini experience like I did, FaceTime and everything or anything related to voice is off the table, including the ability to send voice messages using iMessage.
Music or podcasts? That built-in speaker will never ever make anything sound great, especially in a crowded room. Even the sound of a fan is enough to make the speaker fade into oblivion.
It’s fascinating how a simple thing as a microphone takes so much away from the Apple ecosystem experience.
The solution is a video camera, a dedicated microphone, or hardware that has both. Not exactly Mac-like. Or, get a pair of AirPods to get FaceTime Audio going at least.
The thing is, the Mac mini gives you a taste of macOS the moment you boot it up. The amount of effort you have to put into it to make each and every single great Apple feature work requires a lot of effort and cables.
My point is, if you’re already used to something like a MacBook Air or iMac, then going for a Mac mini makes little sense, unless you have something like a Studio Display. Even then, it’s just a better idea to get a 24-inch iMac that delivers a way better experience out of the box.
What did I do with the Mac mini? I sold it after a few weeks. It didn’t work out for me at all. Because, compared to my M1 iMac, the experience felt substantially incomplete, and if I wanted to match what the iMac was offering, I had to run extra cables and accessories, something I wasn’t willing to do.
The Mac mini definitely has a market, but that market isn’t someone who is used to the full experience offered by the iMac.
