Apple has never been known for following the same path as other manufacturers, whether it comes to laptops, computers, phones, or tablets, as if this meant stooping below their level. When all manufacturers had already used the USB-C port on their phones for charging and data transfers, Apple continued to insist that the Lightning cable was the best solution for both purposes on the iPhone.
If it weren’t for the European Union, I would still be using this cable instead of the USB-C type, a connector that offers many more advantages, something it has never officially acknowledged, but it has hinted at by implementing it in all iPhone models and not just in the models it sells in Europe where it has been forced to implement it.
The Mac Mini can work over USB-C
Most MacBooks currently available in Apple’s catalog use both MagSafe and USB-C ports to charge the battery. The latter is also used to transfer data and send signals to external monitors. The Mac Mini still uses a traditional cable, although it can work perfectly with a USB-C cable, as one user has demonstrated.
With the launch of the Mac Mini with the M4 and M4 Pro processors, the Cupertino-based company had the perfect excuse to make the transition once and for all and adopt the USB-C port, which would reduce the carbon footprint and stop using the same cable to power this small and powerful device that has been used for more than a decade.
YouTuber Saad OUACHE has posted a video showing how he got a Mac Mini with the M4 processor to run on power supplied by a USB-C port connected to a power bank. Instead of using a power bank, he could have also used a charger that offers a maximum of 65W, the maximum power consumption of this model according to its specifications. What this user has done is, basically, add a USB PD (Power Delivery) port like the ones on MacBooks.
The reason Apple hasn’t made the leap could be due to increased manufacturing costs, as it has to rethink the design. It’s also possible that Apple doesn’t really see the need to implement it, since most users connect this device traditionally, so incorporating a USB-C port would be unnecessary. If we continue to think outside the box, considering Apple’s appetite for money, it’s surprising that they considered implementing a USB-C port, selling the device without a power cable, and offering it separately for around €40 or €50, although perfectly acceptable cables can be found on the market for around €20.
However, Apple’s reasons aren’t about money. According to some experts, integrating a USB-C port into a device without a battery is counterproductive, especially when it comes to devices that can also be connected to other devices, as in this case, since the device must be able to meet the minimum requirements to provide the necessary power to operate.
