Newsletter Archives

• The problems and joys of assembling a Mac mini

  Posted on February 3, 2025 at 02:43 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  This is not your daddy’s Mac mini. Unlike minis of old, you’ll need some bits and pieces to get it ready to power on.

  Although the original Mac mini was introduced in 2005, it wasn’t until 2006 that Apple replaced the PowerPC G4 CPU with an Intel CPU — at the time a Core Solo and almost immediately upgraded to a Core Duo. The rear port configuration changed, with the large DVI connector replaced by smaller mini-DVI and mini-DisplayPort connections. In 2009, Apple began shipping models that included Mini-DVI-to-DVI and Mini-DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter cables as well as more USB-A ports.

  At that moment, Apple began to actively market the Mac mini as an attractive alternative to Windows PC users because it became port-compatible with peripherals the user already had. This made it possible to buy nothing more than the Mac mini, with no extras required.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.05.0, 2025-02-03).

  Public Defender Apple, Apple M4, Mac mini, Newsletters, Peripherals

• Windows 11, or a Mac?

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:45 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 22.04 • 2025-01-27

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Microsoft is ending all security and feature updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. (There are exceptions, but they require fees.) Some of my readers who resist upgrading to Windows 11 — which can require a whole new PC — are instead considering the previously unthinkable: buying a Mac.

  This kind of speculation has been spawned, in part, by Apple’s introduction of the new 2024 Mac mini last October. If you buy computers based on their cuteness factor, brace yourself. The latest mini is adorable. At only 5 inches (12.7cm) square and 2 inches (5cm) high, it’s a shiny little block of aluminum that you can fit into one hand.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Public Defender Apple, Apple M4, Mac mini, Newsletters, Windows 11

• What are we doing, and why?

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:44 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Now you know what I alluded to a few weeks ago: Windows fanboy Brian Livingston is writing a comprehensive series about Macintosh — specifically, the Mac mini.

  No, we’re not changing course. This newsletter covers all things Microsoft and Windows and will continue to do so.

  But as I have noted in my news coverage of Apple over the last few years, there has been a seismic shift in personal computing as Apple transitioned into its own silicon. This cannot be ignored, especially because Microsoft has made strong efforts to make its software solutions available beyond Windows’ borders and into the Apple folds.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).

  Apple Apple, Apple M4, Apple Mac, Mac mini, Newsletters, Windows 11

• Three days of M4

  Posted on November 4, 2024 at 02:43 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Or were they?

  It turns out that the rumors I mentioned in my Apple article last week were not entirely accurate. With respect to the M4 chips, they were. With respect to the number of days, the count turned out to be three, not five.

  Now I think I know why, which I’ll get to in a moment.

  On the surface, the announcements last week had the M4 chips in common. It’s deeper than that.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.45.0, 2024-11-04).

  Apple Apple Intelligence, Apple M-series chips, Apple M4, iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, Newsletters