Add to your order

  • Coverage for accidental damage including drops, spills, and broken parts, as well as breakdowns (plans vary)
  • 24/7 support when you need it.
  • Quick, easy, and frustration-free claims.
Cover this product:
2-Year Protection $49.99
3-Year Protection $64.99
Cover all of your eligible devices:
Asurion Complete Protect: One plan covers all eligible past and future purchases (Renews Monthly Until Cancelled) $16.99/month

Add to your order

  • Coverage for accidental damage including drops, spills, and broken parts, as well as breakdowns (plans vary)
  • 24/7 support when you need it.
  • Quick, easy, and frustration-free claims.
Cover this product:
Buy new:
$504.95
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 1
Ships from: 6ave
Sold by: 6ave
FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 1. Details
Or fastest delivery Tomorrow, April 27. Order within 5 hrs 53 mins. Details
Only 5 left in stock - order soon.
$$504.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$504.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
6ave
Ships from
6ave
Sold by
6ave
Sold by
6ave
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 15 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 15 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 15 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 15 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 15 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Include
Add a Protection Plan:
Sorry, your monthly warranty plan was removed because these plans are currently only available for single-item orders.
Add to your order

2 Year Desktop Protection Plan

from Asurion, LLC
(159)
  • No Additional Cost: You pay nothing for repairs – parts, labor, and shipping included.
  • Coverage: Plan starts on the date of purchase. Malfunctions covered after the manufacturer's warranty. Power surges covered from day one. Real experts are available 24/7 to help with set-up, connectivity issues, troubleshooting and much more.
  • Easy Claims Process: File a claim anytime online or by phone. Most claims approved within minutes. If we can’t repair it, we’ll send you an Amazon e-gift card for the purchase price of your covered product or replace it.
  • Product Eligibility: Plan must be purchased with a product or within 30 days of the product purchase. Pre-existing conditions are not covered.
  • Terms & Details: More information about this protection plan is available within the “Product guides and documents” section. Simply click “User Guide” for more info. Terms & Conditions will be available in Your Orders on Amazon. Asurion will also email your plan confirmation with Terms & Conditions to the address associated with your Amazon account within 24 hours of purchase.
Learn more

3 Year Desktop Protection Plan

from Asurion, LLC
(847)
  • No Additional Cost: You pay nothing for repairs – parts, labor, and shipping included.
  • Coverage: Plan starts on the date of purchase. Malfunctions covered after the manufacturer's warranty. Power surges covered from day one. Real experts are available 24/7 to help with set-up, connectivity issues, troubleshooting and much more.
  • Easy Claims Process: File a claim anytime online or by phone. Most claims approved within minutes. If we can’t repair it, we’ll send you an Amazon e-gift card for the purchase price of your covered product or replace it.
  • Product Eligibility: Plan must be purchased with a product or within 30 days of the product purchase. Pre-existing conditions are not covered.
  • Terms & Details: More information about this protection plan is available within the “Product guides and documents” section. Simply click “User Guide” for more info. Terms & Conditions will be available in Your Orders on Amazon. Asurion will also email your plan confirmation with Terms & Conditions to the address associated with your Amazon account within 24 hours of purchase.
Learn more

Asurion Complete Protect: One plan covers all eligible past and future purchases on Amazon

from Asurion, LLC
(641)
  • Buy a lot of stuff on Amazon? Tons of items eligible for coverage, from the latest tech like laptops, game consoles, and TVs, to major appliances, sporting goods, tools, toys, mattresses, personal care, furniture, and more.
  • Accidents happen. That’s why for your portable products we cover accidental damage from handling such as drops, spills and cracked screens. We also cover electrical and mechanical malfunctions, power surges, and wear and tear.
  • Past and future purchases covered. 30 days after you are enrolled, all eligible past purchases (up to 1 year prior to enrollment) and future eligible purchases made on Amazon will be covered by your plan as long as you are enrolled.
  • Fast, easy claims. Frustration-free claims, with most filed in minutes. We will fix it, replace it, or reimburse you with an Amazon e-gift card for the purchase price of your product (excluding tax). File at Asurion.com/amazon.
  • No hidden fees. For just $16.99 a month + tax you’re covered for up to $5,000 in claims per 12-month period. *THIS PROGRAM IS MONTH-TO-MONTH AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL CANCELED* Coverage for all products ends 30 days after the plan is canceled. Cancel any time.
Learn more
FREE Returns
Small cosmetic imperfection on top, front or sides of item. Missing bonus material. Missing manual. Item will come in original packaging. Packaging will be damaged.
FREE delivery Thursday, May 2. Order within 38 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$504.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$504.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Add an Accessory:
Microsoft 365 Family | 12-Month Subscription, up to 6 people | Premium Office Apps | 1TB OneDrive cloud storage | PC/Mac Download
$98.88
Added to Cart
Norton 360 for Amazon 2024, Antivirus software for up to 5 Devices with Auto Renewal [Subscription]
$34.99
Added to Cart
Adobe Acrobat Professional DC | PDF converter | 12-month Subscription with auto-renewal, PC/Mac
$239.88
Added to Cart
TurboTax Deluxe 2023 Tax Software, Federal & State Tax Return [Amazon Exclusive] [PC/Mac Download]
$55.99
Added to Cart

Apple 2020 Mac Mini M1 Chip (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage)

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,809 ratings
$504.95
FREE Returns
Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$504.95","priceAmount":504.95,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"504","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"95","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"OhH8EHH7OIeT7btRevc6Kz%2FbWQlcsPQTolGDpGKtr0QETyzE8zd%2BPuMBzncNw2q9MgSinufRwbk5pE5fPczkotI81nfyv3kwtAGJVUlTyKr2yaYDj5iwqVbuDGL3ZkzA4QgDdauH%2FoZYVFXOkE0NtBSYw20u678Z%2FqPQQ6c4k8M8GkYUW7AQ8xcLjQNpJDuc","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$356.86","priceAmount":356.86,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"356","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"86","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"OhH8EHH7OIeT7btRevc6Kz%2FbWQlcsPQTiBDPRE%2FvomyXO4VmIuPC16MYLiR6ln%2BGSt3WZ7KxFOrGEf%2FgG2qCJPeogQlotWT4RggTJR9D03Vl80A91y%2BOVR51R4vcdM634Gq%2B%2FBv0Ds9113VADdCcCmsNIUt75IArApKzhPd0pL%2BXC6fN88wckt7pmLIjRm1q","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Specific Uses For Product Multimedia, Personal, Business
Brand Apple
Personal computer design type Mini PC
Operating System Mac OS
Memory Storage Capacity 256 GB
Screen Size 0.01 Inches
Ram Memory Installed Size 8 GB
Model Name Mac mini
Included Components Power cord, Mac mini
CPU Model Unknown

About this item

  • Apple-designed M1 chip for a giant leap in CPU, GPU, and machine learning performance
  • 8-core CPU packs up to 3x faster performance to fly through workflows quicker than ever*
  • 8-core GPU with up to 6x faster graphics for graphics-intensive apps and games*
  • 16-core Neural Engine for advanced machine learning
  • 8GB of unified memory so everything you do is fast and fluid

Top Brand: Apple

Highly Rated
100K+ customers rate items from this brand highly
Trending
100K+ orders for this brand in past 3 months
Low Returns
Customers usually keep items from this brand
Mac mini with Apple M1 Chip
Mac mini with Apple M1 Chip
Mac mini with Apple M1 Chip
Mac mini with Apple M1 Chip
Mac mini with Apple M1 Chip
Mac mini with Apple M1 Chip
Mac mini with Apple M1 Chip
Mac mini with Apple M1 Chip
Mac mini with Apple M1 Chip
image 10

Compare Apple iMac products

Apple Mac mini (Latest Model)
Apple Mac mini (Latest Model)
Apple iMac 21.5-inch Retina 4K display
Apple iMac 21.5-inch Retina 4K display
Apple iMac 21.5-inch
Apple iMac 21.5-inch
Price From: $504.95 From: - From: -
Ratings 4.7 out of 5 stars (2,809) 4.7 out of 5 stars (460) 4.5 out of 5 stars (902)
Display N/A 21.5-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Retina 4K display 21.5-inch (diagonal), LED-backlit display
Processor System on Chip (SoC) Apple M1 chip; 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores; 8-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine 3.6GHz quad‑core Intel Core i3 or 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz) 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor; Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
Graphics Apple 8-core GPU Radeon Pro 555X with 2GB of VRAM or Radeon Pro 560X with 4GB of VRAM Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
Storage 256GB or 512GB SSD 256GB SSD 256GB SSD
Keyboard and Mouse N/A Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2

Technical Details

Apple Mac mini with Apple M1 Chip

Processor

Apple M1 chip 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores; 8-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine

Connections and Expansion

Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with support for: DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gbps), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps), Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI, and VGA supported using adapters (sold separately), Two USB-A ports (up to 5 Gbps), HDMI 2.0 port, Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet), 3.5 mm headphone jack

Wireless

802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible, Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

In the Box

Mac mini, Power cord

Height

1.4 inches (3.6 cm)

Width

7.7 inches (19.7 cm)

Depth

7.7 inches (19.7 cm)

Weight

2.6 pounds (1.2 kg)

Release Date

11/10/2020

What's in the box

  • Mac mini
  • Power cord

    • Looking for specific info?

    Customer reviews

    4.7 out of 5 stars
    4.7 out of 5
    2,809 global ratings

    Customers say

    Customers like the performance, value, and power of the computer. They mention that it's blazing-fast, runs everything smoother, and is great for the price. Some appreciate the quiet operation and the incredible stereo speakers. They also like the size, ease of use, and quality. However, some customers have reported connectivity issues with faulty Bluetooth connection and buggy WiFi.

    AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

    197 customers mention162 positive35 negative

    Customers like the performance of the computer. They say it's blazing-fast, works instantly, and runs everything smoother than their existing PC. It has a very fast WiFi 6 connection and loads native software very rapidly. Most apps work pretty good and it works well as a plex server.

    "Likes:- Reliable- Overall Long Term Value- Small- Silent- Sleek understated design- P O W E R F U L !-..." Read more

    "...I love that it is machined out of a solid block of recycled aluminum now, and all the tin used in the solder on the logic board is also recycled...." Read more

    "...read/writes to its custom memory at nearly 3000MBs and loads native software very rapidly, it really just isn't ready for prime time yet for a lot..." Read more

    "...For performance, it’s been great! Very smooth. I’m not a video editor or anything like that. I use it for normal, everyday tasks and business...." Read more

    81 customers mention71 positive10 negative

    Customers like the value of the computer. They say it's great for the price, money well spent, and a steal for the money. Some mention that the performance and price are great.

    "...Sleek understated design- P O W E R F U L !- Best bang for your buck almost 4 years later..." Read more

    "...to build around the Mac mini, but that’s what makes this budget friendly and a bit more customizable...." Read more

    "...more casual users because it seems like it would be an amazing value under that use case." Read more

    "...It was cheap and new tech to boot. It's a solid performer based on its price...." Read more

    50 customers mention44 positive6 negative

    Customers like the quality of the computer. They mention it's a great product from Apple, useful for the home and most businesses, and the M1 chip is very impressive. It's also a complete functional desktop computer and works well as a plex server.

    "...rendering 4K video, or always working on the go; then this is perfect for everyday use and more...." Read more

    "...It is a very solid and useful computer for the home, and most businesses...but for creative types, publishing, video editing, and such I don't think..." Read more

    "...combined with the 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage, makes it a powerhouse for any task. The compact size is perfect for my minimalist setup...." Read more

    "...Great family computer. It also works really well as a plex server. Love it." Read more

    41 customers mention31 positive10 negative

    Customers find the computer easy to set up and use. They say the compact nature of the box makes VESA mounting very easy. They also say the devices are recognized and usable immediately without driver hunting.

    "...it from the boot menu, the second time it didn't malfunction and installed properly and runs like a dream, its even faster than Big Sur because they..." Read more

    "It came quickly, was well packaged, and easy to set up! I'm in the apple club, so it was a painless process to get set up and logged in...." Read more

    "...The compact nature of this box makes VESA mounting very easy, and the computer can work with either a wired Ethernet connection but also with a..." Read more

    "...As a first time macOS user, the setup was quite bumpy...." Read more

    36 customers mention36 positive0 negative

    Customers are satisfied with the noise level of the computer. They mention that it is very quiet, has incredible stereo speakers, and runs cool. Some say that the audio plays right through their TV.

    "...Reliable- Overall Long Term Value- Small- Silent- Sleek understated design- P O W E R F U L !-..." Read more

    "...speakers, I got a 50 dollar set of stereo speakers and they sound incredible so you don't have to pay a lot. My DVD Writer was 24.99...." Read more

    "...I also find that it's faster, quieter, and cooler than the 2014 Mac mini that I also have in the house...." Read more

    "...It is silent when running. I really wish it had upgradable memory and storage, but Apple is not the only one making computers this way...." Read more

    34 customers mention29 positive5 negative

    Customers like the size of the computer. They say it's perfect for a minimalist setup, takes up very little space on their desk, and is reliable. Some mention that it'll fit under their monitor without impacting working desk space. They also appreciate the fast performance and the lack of bloatware.

    "The small form factor is great. This is a nice, powerful machine for normal home usage - I did not buy it for gaming...." Read more

    "...The compact size is perfect for my minimalist setup. A game-changer in every way" Read more

    "...Things are just intuitive and run fast, and for a compact desktop form factor, I thought the price on this was pretty reasonable considering what..." Read more

    "This is a great little computer. Great for the price, compact, fast, lots of options. I only had one problem and this was kind of serious...." Read more

    21 customers mention21 positive0 negative

    Customers are satisfied with the power of the computer. For example, they mention it has a powerful M1 chip, an 8-core GPU, and it uses very little power. Some say it's an incredible machine that uses very few electrons.

    "...The 8 core GPU is surprisingly powerful, blowing the best integrated graphics on a chip that intel sells out of the water by multiple times its power..." Read more

    "...a wired Ethernet connection but also with a very fast Wifi 6 with good power...." Read more

    "...So it has power to spare and is indeed much smoother when changing context between apps...." Read more

    "The small form factor is great. This is a nice, powerful machine for normal home usage - I did not buy it for gaming...." Read more

    32 customers mention6 positive26 negative

    Customers have issues with the connectivity of the computer. For example, they say it has faulty Bluetooth connection, strange bugs with audio, and buggy wifi and bluetooth. Some say that having wifi enabled causes interference with their bluetooth connections. They also mention that the mouse and keyboard don't reconnect.

    "...Dislikes: (A stretch I know) My only gripe is the bluetooth headphones can be shaky...." Read more

    "...nice to have a USB port in the front for convenience, not all connections are permanent...." Read more

    "...First, it would seem that having wifi enabled was causing interference with my bluetooth connections...." Read more

    "...(& somewhat of a Bluetooth issue as well - mouse/keyboard not reconnecting, after resets, without physically removing/reinserting them)...." Read more

    Lovely product.
    5 Stars
    Lovely product.
    I love the product. It was exactly as the description stated and while I didn't purchase it for gaming, it really smashes a 10/10 in the other aspects. Love it!Shout out to 6ave. More sales, pal ❤️!
    Hide
    Thank you for your feedback
    Sorry, there was an error
    Sorry we couldn't load the review

    Top reviews from the United States

    Tre Day
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Value - Best Computer For $500
    Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Likes:
    - Reliable
    - Overall Long Term Value
    - Small
    - Silent
    - Sleek understated design
    - P O W E R F U L !
    - Best bang for your buck almost 4 years later

    Dislikes: (A stretch I know) My only gripe is the bluetooth headphones can be shaky. In my experience it happens every week and lasts maybe 10-15 seconds where the audio isn't great. But alot of electronics have his issue

    It's the end of 2023 and I recommend this computer to anyone and everyone in the market for a computer. This compact machine does 90% of what the top tier computers can do but for $500. By no means is this a budget device at all. Unless you're doing 3D modeling, video editing with alot of after effects, rendering 4K video, or always working on the go; then this is perfect for everyday use and more. Other computers have come out since 2020 including the M2 Mac Mini and just recently the M3 Macbooks, but I still strongly recommend this device.

    My Personal Use
    I've had this device since the end of 2020. It has been my daily driver for the last 3 years. My first Mac. I've used this device for building websites, running ads and small businesses along with admin tasks, YouTube, some light gaming, Youtube, Netflix etc. At the highest usage it was about 10-12 hours per day. In 3 years I've had 3 hiccups from having multiple desktops open for coding websites, editing photos in photoshop and affinity photo, multiple spreadsheets and having over a dozen chrome-tabs open which is my normal workflow. 3 times in 3 years. I'm not planning on upgrading anytime soon but if I do, it will be the Mac Mini Pro or Mac Studio solely for the overkill memory and multi terabyte storage options.

    ALL YOU NEED IS: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor. But feel free to trick it out.
    5 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
    Kenny
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is the most powerful little Mac mini ever. The M1 chip with 8GB of RAM never drags down.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I love everything about my M1 Mac mini. I got it only a week after it had launched for 749.99 on sale here on Amazon. I love that it is machined out of a solid block of recycled aluminum now, and all the tin used in the solder on the logic board is also recycled. The 8 core GPU is surprisingly powerful, blowing the best integrated graphics on a chip that intel sells out of the water by multiple times its power. you can actually play games with it. on the 24 inch iMac the base model only has the 7 core GPU M1 chip just like with the M1 MacBook Air. The M1 Mac mini is the Mac that the M1 puts out the most power on because the overkill power supply and overkill cooling system. it can maintain running at 100 percent load indefinitely. To get rid of the 256GB storage limitation I got a 1TB Samsung T5 external USB-C SSD. They are the best. I put all my programs on it except a.few things. of course its not near as fast as the internal SSD but it is very fast. The most thing I love about macOS is if you have new hardware, all you have to do is plug it in and macOS does the rest installing drivers and necessarysoftware on its own in seconds so you never have bloatware software for plug-in peripherals. I have always had Mac mini's so I already had the old wired Apple aluminum keyboard with numerical pad, which still types like a dream. and I have the original Magic Mouse that is Bluetooth only takes batteries instead of having to charge it like the Get 2 ones they sell now. I plug my LG DVDWriter in that is so slim I just set it to the right of the Mac mini itself. but then is my favorite, My 27" curved Samsung Full HD monitor. macOS was able to download an apple calibrated color calibration made for my exact monitor that is Mac's color calibration that they do so it looks like a Mac screen. That's what I love about the M1 Mac mini, it's the only Mac that the average person can buy that you pick your monitor, keyboard, mouse, plus you can add accessories, it connected to my Canon printer that's just my network printer downloading full drivers that even show my ink levels. But they don't add any programs you have to go to printers under settings and select my printer to see information, it integrates it all in the OS. M1 Mac mini is very powerful, uses as a whole desktop less than what a PC desktops processor would use. the M1 is an SoC, every computer component is on the M1 chip itself including the Unified RAM because of it's unified memory architecture. it also has a total of 16MB of L2 Cache, 4MB for the 4 power saving CPU cores. 12MB for the 4 high performance CPU cores. For some reason GeekBench only picks up the 4MB for the 4 power saving CPU's, you think if it was showing how much for type of CPU cores it would be showing the 12MB for the high performance CPU cores. I've owned mine just about a year and have updated to macOS Montery, love it, had some trouble on first update so had to reinstall it from the boot menu, the second time it didn't malfunction and installed properly and runs like a dream, its even faster than Big Sur because they made even further optimizations for the M series of Apple silicon for Mac's. Intel Mac's will not be supported long just like PowerPC Mac's were barely supported when they went Intel. DO NOT get an Intel based Mac at this point. That will be throwing away money. They are making the next Mac mini to have the M1X chip be smaller, and more stylish, it will be the most powerful Mac. I'm happy with mine though I don't even use all the power this has, I'm a photographer and this has plenty of power for my photo editing. All in all with the price drop I would definitely take advantage of this and pick one up. If your a windows person, you do need a keyboard made for Macs, does't have to be an apple brand, but they are the best typing keyboard made. I would also highly recommend the Magic Mouse, the top of it is one piece of glass that acts like a trackpad to do gestures on it makes interacting with the computer incredible, you still move around the mouse to move the cursor and it clicks, click something with your pointer finger its a normal click, lifts all fingers off and click with your middle finger and it will do a right click. The best part is getting to choose your monitor, it just has to have an HDMI connection and hopefully comes with the cable, another fun part is choosing speakers, I got a 50 dollar set of stereo speakers and they sound incredible so you don't have to pay a lot. My DVD Writer was 24.99. What saved me a lot is since I've always used the mini I already had the apple keyboard and Magic Mouse. My Monitor was 130 because its only FullHD but it's picture is incredible. then the 50 for the speakers, and 749.99 plus tax for my M1 Mac mini. I will be using this Mac for many years to come, and I'm sure many of you will too.
    55 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
    Dan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Update: to previous Really mixed issues
    Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Update: The lower review was for a M1 mini 8gb/256 that ended up with a port problem that was causing issues. Amazon took it back and I ordered this 8gb/512 to replace it. First Apple product in 48 years that I have ever returned and that includes 42 Macs. This one still has the built in limit of 1 monitor per interface... USB and HDMI but I'm only using one on it right now anyway. It will now boot on a Thunderbolt drive where+as the returned unit would not. The ultra high security precautions that Apple has made on the newer machines is somewhat frustrating as frequent code words, passwords and security checks are very common and often interferes with my work flow but that is a little like complaining about having to fasten seat belts. Photo work, especially with M1 ready apps is really a breeze. App launch times and renders are much faster than my 5K 27" 32 GB/2TB SSD iMac and I find myself moving to this Mac Mini more and more even with the smaller single monitor. So... it went from three stars to a 5 star machine and I almost never give 5 stars to anything.

    I have had no issues with this machineAs a Mac user since 1984, this is a difficult review. I have always considered Apple products to be vastly superior to other personal computers on the market and their OS to be unquestionably the best. Well, this Mac mini may change my mind. First of all, if you simply want a computer to browse the internet, send email, etc., it is a speed demon expert at that. If you want other things, like normal dual monitors, external boot drives, etc., then this computer has its issues. Now running OS 11.3, I have no ability to boot from an external Thunderbolt 3 drive. I had that ability with 11.1 but lost it when I upgraded the system. Don't even think about booting from any sort of USB drive. It will NOT work. USB drives of any type (SSD, HD, Thumb) serve as file storage containers... not boot drives. The monitor situation is truly strange. A HDMI and a USB-C monitor will work together but it will not support two HDMI or two USB-C monitors. I finally settled on one HDMI and one VGA (through a USB-C VGA hub). They seem to work well together. I also attempted to use the Luna Display adapter for allowing my iPad Air to be a first or second display. You cannot use the VGA adapter or any type adapter when the Luna adapter is plugged into the USB-C port or the Luna will not work. There are sometimes costs to being early adapters and this seems to be the case with the M1 Mac mini. Though it does read/writes to its custom memory at nearly 3000MBs and loads native software very rapidly, it really just isn't ready for prime time yet for a lot of users. OK, maybe the base mini isn't considered a power user's machine but I'm not asking for things out of the ordinary. My Intel based Macs have no issues with adapters, monitors, SSD drives or anything else. They just work... and one is 12 years old. I admire Apple for their attempt to make a totally secure OS but when it creates huge issues for the end user, it becomes counterproductive. This machine has great potential but has to get over the peripheral hump before it is really a bargain. Maybe the next macOS Big Sur update............
    19 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report