Why The M4 Mac Mini's Power Button Is On The Bottom

If you're in the market for a new Mac mini, or you just bought the M4 model, know that we were impressed in our Mac mini review by the impressive speeds and relatively affordable price. But you should also know that Apple located the M4 Mac mini's power button on the bottom of the little computer, a change from the previous model. According to an Apple executive, it's mostly because people simply don't turn their Macs off that often. 

Greg Joswiak, an Apple VP, noted that he couldn't recall the last time his was shut down and that the new power button location was also related to the small size of the latest Mac mini, which is just 5 x 5 inches. This shows that not only was the design change intentional, but also that users don't need to keep turning off their machines. Instead, the Mac mini can be left in sleep mode, which keeps it ready to go more quickly.

Apple doesn't have any guidance on how regularly you should turn off Macs, nor if macOs is designed around sleep rather than shutdown. Macs will go to sleep automatically to save energy while remaining instantly available, but otherwise, the company has no apparent concerns about leaving the Mac mini powered on continuously. On the other hand, Apple does say that the computer needs proper ventilation, a stable surface, and that overheating should be avoided. 

Combining this with what Apple's VP mentioned, and it would seem to be more important to place your Mac mini in a good location rather than worrying about turning it off. So, the odd design change to the Mac mini power button is a good reminder to users that they don't need to regularly turn their machine off, and can instead enjoy all the latest M4 Mac mini features. The occasional software updates the company offers — which do require you to restart the computer — are likely more than enough to keep it running strong.