The Mac mini isn’t Apple’s most pampered computer, so to speak. Some of its generations have gone years and years without being refreshed, and it’s a relatively inexpensive Mac with more than enough power to cover the needs of all general users.
I’m not accusing Apple of laziness, but the result is that the Mac mini tends to take precedence over iMacs (and now even more so with the Mac Studio). But now, the Mac mini could benefit from the attention of the best on the market: a rival who could stand up to it.
Xiaomi may have hit the nail on the head to compete with the Mac mini
Xiaomi was the company that took the plunge by introducing the so-called Mini PC: a compact computer like the Mac mini that can be the perfect Windows desktop for many people. Its weapons: it is small, has a 12th generation Intel chip, 512 GB of storage, 16 GB of RAM and a price that remains at just over 500 dollars.
Plus, it has more ports than the Mac mini in some ways:
- 2 USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports
- 3 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports
- 1 USB 2.0 port
- 2 HDMI 2.1 ports (18 Gbps bandwidth)
- 1 Jack 3.5mm
- 1 Ethernet volume of 2.5 Gbps.
Yes, we are talking about a computer with Windows and in Applesfera we like macOS better. But what I mean is that we are in front of a computer good nice and cheap it might appeal to users who want a desktop computer but don’t want to spend too much money. And now these users have two options: a Mac mini for 799 dollars or this Xiaomi Mini PC for 500 dollars to change. We may like macOS more, but a difference of 300 dollars can be decisive.
macOS must also be present in the cheapest sector of the computer market
Am I selling you a PC? No, but I think competition like the Xiaomi Mini PC You can get Apple to take better care of your Mac mini as a cheap Mac option. If suddenly a Mac mini equivalent were selling for a lot more, Apple would have no choice but to take matters into its own hands one way or another.
How? Well, launching models with more powerful chips, and in addition (maybe) continuing to sell the M1 model at a lower price to compete. Find a way to keep your cheap desktop computer from falling too far behind, because that would mean that macOS as a platform would also be falling behind for a sector of the market.
As always, we will have to see how this market reacts. The Xiaomi Mini PC doesn’t yet have a release date in Europe, but it won’t be long before we see it if sales in China are there. There’s nothing like a good rival pushing Apple to improve.
