Mac Mini: between the promises of “carbon neutrality” and repairability, Apple’s difficult ecological equation

The structure, which has no binding power, then judged that “the advertising in question disregards ethical rules” or, to put it another way, is guilty of greenwashing. And if Apple is technically within the law at the momentit is a safe bet that the same causes will lead to the same consequences.

Finally interchangeable storage

However, more soberly, the Mac Mini has some significant advantages to assert in the area of ​​durability and repairability. As we already explained in a recent articlethe computer's CMOS battery is easily accessible, making its inevitable replacement easier than on many other computers.

Big news also, for the first time in a long time, storage is removable and replaceable on a Mac… under certain conditions. As shown by iFixit and a bunch of other Youtubers, the SSD integrated into the Mini can be changed provided you pass a touch of calibration software Made in Apple behind. Unfortunately, the disc format is not standard.

If the part looks like an M.2 drive, it is indeed an Apple proprietary format. However, it is possible to exchange the serial part for other parts from the same Mac Mini. No serialization problem to report here, it is therefore possible to see spare parts or larger capacity disks arriving on the second-hand market soon. A pleasing prospect for those who complain about Apple's policy on the price of storage.

The same goes if your disc fails, it should be possible to change it without too much problem with a little elbow grease and time. While being happy with a change as small as replacing an SSD may seem strange, it still represents progress compared to many other machines currently on the market.

If many components remain hopelessly soldered to the motherboard, at least Apple is taking a step in the right direction with this Mac Mini. It may not be “carbon neutrality”, but it's already something.