While Apple originally introduced the diminutive Mac mini in 2005, it was on June 15, 2010, that it launched the sleek, unibody aluminum Mac mini redesign that persists to this day.
Starting at $699, the mid-2010 era Mac mini gave users a 2.4-GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 2 GB of RAM, and a 320 GB hard drive. It also boasted an HDMI-out port for the first time, an SD card reader, a dazzling new NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics chip and — very excitingly — no power brick, since all the power circuitry was housed inside the minimalist device, which stood at a not-so-imposing 1.4 inches tall.
While the internals got a big update, it was the replacement of the earlier Mac mini’s polycarbonate case with a new aluminum design — milled from a single block of Jony Ive’s favorite material — that really turned heads.
This was the first major redesign in the Mac mini’s history, and while it didn’t significantly reduce the device’s footprint, it looked nice enough that Apple hasn’t changed it too much in the years since.
I was a big fan of this Mac mini, which was the only sub-$1,000 Mac available at the time of its release. It served as a perfect compact computer capable of handling a wide variety of different tasks (it made a great media player for home theaters!). Did you have this machine? If so, leave your comments below.
And, in the meantime, how about an update, Apple?
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
2 responses to “Today in Apple history: Aluminum Mac mini arrives”
The 2012 i7 one is a real powerhouse. If you upgrade ram and maybe SSD then you can use it for work like a champ.
I owned a an iBook, Macbook Air, Mac mini and now an iMac.
The Mac mini is still one of my favourite macs, I upgraded its ram and HDD to SSD, installed Duet on it and my iPad and was once trying to use that setup as a Mobile workstation.
It’s long overdue for an update, hope that comes soon.