First generation (PowerPC G4) īack panel of a 2005 Mac Mini.
Since the third generation revision in 2010, the Kensington Security Slot and the optical drive were removed from all models, leaving internal storage spaces for either a second internal hard drive or an SSD, which can be ordered from Apple or as an upgrade kit from third party suppliers. The cases does not void the product warranty and broken pieces were not covered. Ī removable panel was attached to the bottom of the chassis of the Mac Minis to allow for Random Access Memory (RAM) upgrades for the third and the fourth models. Mac Mini was the company's only consumer computer that shipped without a paired display, keyboard, and mouse since its original release in 2005. It was initially advertised as "BYODKM" (Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse), aiming to expand Apple's market-share of customers using other operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and Linux.
The Mac Mini was modeled on the shape of a standard digital media player, and runs the macOS operating system (previously Mac OS X and OS X).
In February 2006, Apple announced the second-generation lineup. In January 2005, the original Mac Mini was introduced with the PowerPC G4 CPU.
The machine was initially branded as "BYODKM" (Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse) as a strategic pitch to encourage users to switch from PCs running operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and Linux. It is the company's only consumer desktop computer since 2005 to ship without a display, a keyboard, and a mouse.
As of 2022, it is positioned between the consumer all-in-one iMac and the professional Mac Studio and Mac Pro as one of four current Macintosh desktop computers. Mac Mini (stylized as Mac mini) is a small form factor desktop computer developed and marketed by Apple Inc.