Yesterday , Apple revealed itslong - awaited Mac mini redesignto the mankind , and it ’s fair to say that theM4 chipis theleastexciting thing about it . The micro computer ’s new flavour is so striking that it ’s make me reconsider mypreviously skeptical stancetoward the Mac mini .
But amid all the on-line chatter border the Mac mini ’s freshen up figure , there ’s been a electric current of criticism bespeak at its power button . You see , Apple has impress it from the back of the gadget — where it antecedently lived — to the bottom of the estimator , meaning you ’ll in all probability need to tip it over every time you want to switch on your Mac miniskirt . It ’s drawn vituperative comparisons to the Magic Mouse ’s upside - down charging interface , and that ’s never a good affair .
After all , it ’s easier to hide a top executive clit on aMacBook .
Yet in my position , all these armchair critics have misunderstood Apple ’s mentation behind the Mac mini ’s world power button . I ’m not saying Apple is absolutely correct to put the release where it is , but if you attend into how Apple might have arrived at this determination , it begin to make a bit more sense .
Form and function
Apple ’s attractive - calculate products have given it a reputation of seeking “ form over function , ” but really the goal for the fellowship is “ formandfunction . ” Ultimately , the two are inseparable for Apple , and you’re able to see that in Steve Jobs ’ famous adage that “ design is how it works . ” Apple Cartesian product should be beautiful , yes , but that smasher must have a purpose . Great designs look wondrous because they would n’t work as well if they were design in a different style .
Apple ’s decisiveness to put the Mac miniskirt ’s power button on the underside is n’t just about making the gadget depend prettier — there ’s much more to it than that .
For Apple , the overall experience of a ware is incredibly crucial . Look at how the iPhone ’s packaging is deliberately engineer to open slowly , thereby building excitement . Or how Apple combines hardware and software system to make features that its rivals ca n’t . The goal is to make devices that do n’t just reckon amazing or work astonishingly , but thatfeelamazing too . When it comes to the Mac miniskirt , that means shroud the major power button to , yes , create a smoother , more co-ordinated optic look , but alsoto trade a better experience .
Apple has often said that applied science is best when it gets out of your way . With the Mac mini , Apple does n’t need you to have to opine about everyday things like the elaborateness of how the computer hardware turn on ; it want you to focus on what you actually do with the hardware . In some cases , thinking about how the hardware work out is inescapable ( such as when you punch something into the peripheral ports ) , but if Apple can hide a banal thing like the ability button to create a more seamless experience , it will .
Design is how it works
I hear you say , “ but sour on your Mac mini is all-important ! ” And you ’d be right , of course . But Apple ’s thinking probably goes something like this : On the old Mac mini , you could n’t see the major power push from the front , and you ca n’t on the new one . Likewise , on the onetime Mac mini , you had to reach behind the machine to manoeuver the power push button , and now you have to contact underneath it . The differences in the action mechanism you take are small , but the result is a more seamless - looking product . When you think about the actual practicality , there ’s not a world of divergence .
That ’s even more unfeigned when you view that many mass will only use the power button once per day . For many , it will be less if they use the Mac miniskirt ’s nap mood . Is Apple willing to add a slight incommodiousness that most multitude will hardly experience day - to - day , and in exchange get a more unseamed twist experience that map just as well as it always has done , if not good ? You bet it is .
apropos , the same is true of the Magic Mouse ’s upside - down charge port , which Apple has kept in the new rendering that comes with theM4 iMac . Apple knows that people do n’t like the upside - down charging , but it keeps design it into the mouse . Why ? Because the fluent , unplowed look and feel of a black eye with no seeable charging porthole is more important to Apple than the casual worriment of charging the mouse the unseasonable way up . The experience of using the mouse weigh every single day . The charging only matters once every few month .
In other Logos , Apple cares hugely about the experience you get when using its mathematical product . Sometimes that signify facing a small inconvenience so as to get a safe overall experience , and Apple will happily accept that . That ’s true whether we ’re mouth about the Mac mini , the Magic Mouse , or any other Apple product .
So , while the Mac miniskirt ’s secret power push button and the Magic Mouse ’s underside burden porthole may seem like odd design decisions , they ’re not unity that will constantly get in your way . Apple is calculate that the benefit they impart , though , will be feel every meter you use them .
