Given that the performance demands for the majority of computer users lie somewhere between streaming Netflix and running productivity software, offering a fast, lightweight, and affordable machine for the masses in a small, easily managed package seems like an exceptionally easy sell.īut even as the stars are aligning for an Apple Mac Mini breakout moment, the stars alone can't do the heavy lifting. The M1 chip was nearly powerful enough to totally replace a typical home PC, so the M2 chip absolutely should clear that bar. The success of the Mac Mini is up to Apple, ultimately They call it an ecosystem for a reason, after all. This extends to Apple Music, To-Do lists, browser bookmarks, and Apps that you might have on your phone, but which are missing from your home PC.
Swapping in a Mac Mini for an old Windows PC comes with an immediate advantage that they wouldn't otherwise have. While a Mac Mini on its own doesn't have a webcam or microphone for FaceTime, chances are that a Windows PC user has those things already (especially after two years of working from home because of the pandemic). Anyone who has an iPhone and uses a MacBook for the first time is usually pleasantly surprised to find that FaceTime is built right into macOS and that your contacts are already synced from your phone. Trying to get Windows and Apple products to play nice together is a challenge at best. This would be especially true for Windows users who already have some Apple devices like an iPhone or iPad.
The jump from the familiar Windows 10 interface to a much more unfamiliar Windows 11 is the kind of thing that could work in Apple's favor. If you have to learn a bunch of new stuff to use Windows 11, an affordable Mac Mini with a powerful M2 might be a tempting proposition especially once a good bit of FOMO kicks in.Īfter all, if you've got to acclimate to a new OS, does it matter which one it is? With Apple's seamless device integration, a Mac Mini M2 running macOS could look like an open invitation to an easier desktop experience.
An M2 Mac Mini is the perfect way to win over Windows usersĪs far as Windows 11 goes, not everyone is fully sold on the new OS, something evidenced by the slow pace of upgrades from Windows 10 we've seen in recent reports. Ultimately, it will come down to just how powerful the Apple M2 chip is, but given how well the M1 Mac Mini performed, there's really nowhere to go but up. Such a mix could have a much larger appeal than the M1 Mac Mini did. When it comes down to it, an M2 Mac Mini could be a much better balance between work, play, and price than its predecessor. The currently available lineup of games fits in well with what the M2 processor will be able to power.įortunately, the same hardware needed to run the best PC games is also the same kind of hardware you need to produce creative content, which is right in Apple's wheelhouse. Even if the M2 features the same number of performance and efficiency cores as the M1, which is expected, those aren't the only things on the chip.Ī more robust GPU could make the Mac Mini a competent gamer, since many of the best Mac games are pretty demanding, graphically. And while the catalog of games still has a way to go, the number of Mac-ports of popular AAA games over the past few years has been steadily growing. The Apple M2 should clear that hurdle pretty handily.