New Mac mini M4: Usability problem power button
Apple's new compact desktop no longer has room for a normal power switch. Hobbyists are therefore firing up their 3D printers.
New Mac mini with 3D-printed button: Small rocker solves the problem.
(Image: Ivan Kuleshov)
The new Mac mini with M4 SoC was the real star of Apple's "Mac Week", which ended on Wednesday: a new, much smaller form factor meets speedy hardware that can be upgraded to M4 Pro. The first hands-on images published by The Verge and others show just how much the new compact computer has shrunk: The footprint has shrunk considerably, only the height went up from 3.58 cm to (certainly tolerable) 5 cm.
Looking at the published images, however, one question arises: Where is the device switched on? The answer: Apple has moved the power button to the underside – or more precisely: to the rear left, below the three USB-C sockets on the back of the device. This is not ideal, as you always have to lift the Mac mini M4. But the problem can be solved. But the problem can be solved, as several dedicated hobbyists have demonstrated within a very short space of time.
Several 3D printing projects at the start
The power button on the bottom is definitely not very elegant – Why Apple has not found a place on the back of the Mac mini M4 will have to be revealed by the first teardowns of the device when it is launched on November 8. To start the compact Mac in its natural state, you have to lift the 670 (M4) or 730 (M4 Pro) gram device briefly upwards, as mentioned, should your fingers not fit underneath – at least on the side of the button. If you have peripherals, such as an external SSD, on the Mac mini, they must first be removed.
The Munich-based systems engineer and hardware hacker Ivan Kuleshov has proposed an initial solution with his iFixTheButton project. This is a kind of rocker that guides the button outwards. If you press the button attached to it, another button attached under the device is pressed upwards, which activates the actual power button. Kuleshov has already printed out an initial prototype. Models including images and other sources are available on GitHub.
Second solution is more elegant
In addition to iFixTheButton, there are other ideas for the button problem. User danielha2058 submitted his proposal on MakerWorld. This seems somewhat more elegant than Kuleshov's, but is also more complex. In this case, a side attachment is attached to the Mac mini M4, which guides the button all the way to the top. However, the solution is based on more components, but appears more stable overall.
As mentioned, Apple will be selling the new Mac mini from next Friday. Prices start at 699 euros in the minimum configuration with 256 GB SSD – with 16 GB RAM.
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