This means that you can keep using the same keyboard, mouse or trackpad, monitor, speakers, and all the rest, and swap out the main unit when the time comes.

It contains the bare minimum needed to be a viable computer, and you add the rest.

The best part of the M1 Mac mini is that it’s a naked, robotic core. So, if we want an affordable, “upgradeable” Mac, we’re left with the Mac mini. There’s almost certainly a new iMac design coming in 2021, but I wouldn’t bet on it having any kind of user-replaceable parts. Those are all Intel-powered machines though, and the Mac Pro costs $6K minimum, before tax. If you want ultimate upgradability in a Mac, such as it exists, you should get a 2020 27-inch iMac ( easy user-replaceable RAM, difficult-but-possible SSD replacements), the Mac Pro (removable case, plentiful expansion slots), or the 2018 Mac Mini. Read on if you’re considering a similar move, whether you’re hopelessly locked into, or just enamored with, Apple’s ecosystem.

It’s how I’m making the transition from my tried and trusted 2010 iMac into the brave new M1 world. It’s far from ideal, but if you play it right, the mini is the cheapest, maybe even the greenest, M1 machine in Apple’s lineup. It’s the least repairable, least upgradeable desktop computer Apple makes, but it’s the best M1-powered device for your wallet and the planet, all things considered.īecause it lacks a screen, keyboard, or other built-in extras, the mini can sit at the heart of a semi-modular system. The M1 Mac mini is a 2018 box with 2020 innards, a tiny system-on-a-chip (SOC) that bundles processors, RAM, and SSD into one near-impossible-to-fix unit.

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