For example, have you ever seen the on/off button on an Apple TV? Of course there won’t be. Looking at recent developments, it appears that the same policy will soon be applied to Mac. Apple seems to think that once you turn on your Mac, you can use it for years without turning it off. You can just put it to sleep or quit the software and restart it during an operating system update.
Since there’s no need to turn it off, it goes without saying that you don’t have to look for the power button. On the desktop, Apple has hidden the power button discreetly in the back. The same button on the MacBook is slightly more prominent in the top right corner of the keyboard, but now that it has Touch ID built in, it’s unlabeled and less obvious.
But with the Mac mini M4, Apple went one step further in hiding the on/off switch. Now the power button is none other than the bottom of the housing.
Instead of awkwardly reaching back to turn on the Mac mini, users now have to more awkwardly lift it slightly to find the power button. Who came up with this crazy idea? It’s clear that Jony Ive’s aversion to buttons and ports remained deep in Apple’s DNA even after he left.
Contradictory positions on the climate crisis
Let’s go back to the idea that you don’t have to turn off your device. If the Apple TV 4K is not used for a while, it shows pretty pictures and then automatically goes into sleep mode. When you really want to turn off the power, press and hold the power button on the remote control and the TV will go into sleep mode. Does the Mac Mini M4 have a remote control? does not exist.
So you turn it on once and never turn it off again. Does this usage pattern really fit Apple’s carbon neutral claims? I use solar panels installed on my roof to power my home. And nearby local businesses also use some renewable energy. But it still involves burning coal and gas somewhere.
The aluminum of the case is 100% recycled, as is the gold of the internal conductors and sockets. Apple may be saving more material by not using plastic in its packaging. The Mac Mini M4 may have been transported not by plane but by ship from China to Rotterdam and then by rail.
The M4 is an efficient product that delivers much higher performance than the 2018 Intel Mini while consuming much less energy. However, it is true that a certain amount of power is consumed even when idle. When not in use for a long time, you want to turn off the power. And no matter how light it is, the hassle of lifting the main body and turning it on again encourages usage patterns that do not save energy.
editor@itworld.co.kr
Source: www.itworld.co.kr
