Thoughts on the Mac Mini Power Button Location

Some of Apple’s design choices over the past decade have really ticked people off, myself included. One major frustration has been the placement of the charging port for the Magic Mouse, right on the bottom of the mouse.

The latest design choice, currently getting memed to death, is the decision to place the Mac Mini’s power button on the bottom of the computer. While this might seem like an odd choice, I don’t actually mind it that much, and here’s why.

This feels like an intentionally hostile design choice meant to make a point. It’s similar to municipalities adding skate stops on curbs or designing benches with unusual shapes. These design choices, while potentially annoying to some users, don’t bother most people and serve a purpose: to send a message, like, “We don’t want this behavior here.”

To me, putting the power button on the bottom of the Mac Mini sends a very clear message: you’re not meant to turn this computer off. Use the sleep function; avoid the shutdown option. Honestly, I think most Mac users these days rarely, if ever, fully power down their Macs. The only times I remember actually shutting down my MacBook Pro are when I need to restart after installing new software or a driver. Even then, it’s usually a restart, not a manual shutdown and reboot.

So, while placing the power button on the bottom does feel a bit hostile, I don’t really mind it. In fact, I kind of appreciate Apple’s commitment to the message: Don’t turn this computer off.