Apple's M4 Mac Mini has proven popular among macOS alums, especially because of its cost-to-performance ratio. The device's ultra-small footprint is matched only by its ultra-small price tag, starting at just $599.
However, for some, the new Mac Mini's M4-based performance, affordable pricing, and svelte redesign has been overshadowed by a puzzling design decision. One that places the micro computer's power button on the underside of the chassis, mirroring the infamously inaccessible underside charging port of the Magic Mouse.
The Magic Mouse's underside charging port (which renders the peripheral useless while charging) gained instant notoriety following its 2009 release — narrowly beating the flimsy Butterfly Keyboard, the Vision Pro's creepy googly EyeSight feature, and 1986's questionable efforts at launching a clothing line as the company's worst design decision to date.
The Mac Mini's out-of-reach power button is another design faux pas for Apple. It requires users to lift up the device to access the switch that boots up the machine.
It's a black spot on an otherwise flawless design (literally), and some M4 Mac Mini owners have gone to great lengths to correct Apple's poor placement of its power switch.
M4 Mac Mini: Making the best of a bad switchuation
In a post shared to Reddit just one day before the device's official November 8 release date, one Mac Mini owner may have elegantly provided a workaround to Apple's design blunder — cleverly making the best of a bad situation with a 3D-printed base that allows users to turn on the Mac Mini by simply pushing down on its top.
Nailed the Mac mini power button issue from r/macmini
The 3D print was designed by Reddit user gijsmans3773, who has since made the STL files for the build freely available on Thingiverse for others to try for themselves.
While impressively simple in its design, this user-made accessory is highly effective, potentially leaving many Apple engineers facepalming as they wonder why they didn't take the very same approach.
Don't own a 3D printer of your own? You can always look for local Makerspaces, use an online service like Craftcloud and Fraction Print, source a helping hand from the '3D Print My Thing' subreddit, or see if your local library offers 3D printing services.
Setup solution, Mac mini M4 power button issue solved from r/macsetups
Outlook
While the new M4 Mac Mini's power button is a headache for some, that hasn't stopped the device from garnering rave reviews, with Tech Radar granting Apple's micro Mac a five-star score in its recent write-up.
Thanks to the awesome power of Apple's latest M series chipset, the Mac Mini's poorly placed power button is quickly overshadowed by its impressive performance. However, with the aid of Apple's crafty community, the company's incredible small-scale computer may have achieved print-assisted perfection.
