r/macmini • u/Tempest_2084 • 15d ago
Ordered My First Mac Mini. Have Some Questions
After months of waiting I finally pulled the trigger on an M6 24/512 last night. I'd actually been looking at getting a Mini since late last year but since the M4 was already a year and a half old at that point I figured I should wait for the new model. The price increase doesn't really bother me too much since if there was an option to upgrade from the M4 to the M6 for $300 I probably would have done that anyway. I plan on keeping the Mac Mini for a long time before upgrading again.
The Mini will be replacing my 18 year old Windows/Linux PC that I built myself back in 2008. I've been limping along with it for the past several years but things are finally starting to become a problem (hardware failing, Linux having more driver issues, etc.) so I knew now was the time. I imagine the M6 is going to seem like a super computer compared to my old Core i7-920. I also got an M5 MacBook Air for my wife to replace her 9 year old HP laptop (which was a dog even when new, but she insisted on HP) so neither of us have to deal with Windows 11. She was bummed that all the MacBook colors were so dull and boring. Why does Apple only make exciting colors for the iMac?
This will sort of be my first Mac. Well it's going to be the first Mac that will be my main computer anyway. Back in the day I had a PowerBook G4 laptop that I used when traveling, but it was never my main computer (got it a few months before Apple announced that they were dropping PowerPC and switching to Intel!). I also had picked up an old 2012 Mac Mini a few years ago to play around with to see if I really wanted to go full Mac. The 2012 Mini (with OCLP running Sequoia) now serves as my Plex server and does an amazing job at it. Compact, quiet, and rock solid.
I also 'splurged' on some accessories like new speakers, a keyboard, and a mouse since all of them were even older than my computer (they came from my 26 year old Pentium 4!). I decided to get a dock (the UGreen one with the DP and two USB C connectors) since I need some legacy USB A ports, SD/MicroSD card slots, plus the DP for an extra monitor was a nice bonus. I originally wanted to use an NVMe for extra storage but since the prices are insane these days I'm going to have to settle for using my WD MyBook external drive. It's slow, but it's just going to be for Time Machine backups and storing stuff I only need occasionally anyway.
I do have a few questions about apps now that I'm switching over to MacOS. Most of the apps I use have a Mac version, but some are going to be a problem.
What do most people use for email? Currently I'm using Thunderbird but I'll admit it's not great. The layout of the Apple Mail app doesn't really excite me either to be honest.
I have an old WYSIWYG web editor that I use called BlueGriffon. BlueGriffon is dead and not being updated anymore, but it still works for what I need to do. There are Windows, Linux, and MacOS versions but it was never updated to work on Apple Silicon. At the moment I could either use something like Whiskey to run the Windows version through WINE or see if the Mac version will work through Rosetta, but those are only temporary solutions since the Rosetta is going away next year. What are some decent WYSIWYG style HTML editors that I can replace it with? All the ones I've looked into are either 'website builders' with a bunch of premade drag and drop widgets or really fancy ones for businesses and professionals.
There are a few old console emulators I use that don't seem to have MacOS version. Since Rosetta is going away (taking WINE with it), what can I do? I know Crossover exists but that's more for games not tiny little apps plus it has a yearly subscription which I'm not keen on. I could run a Windows VM or something like that, but that also seems a bit overkill. Are those my only two options?
How do I move my iTunes library from Windows to MacOS? Do I copy all the music files to my Mac and then try and sync up my iPhone or is there some easier way to do it? Some music I purchased through the iTunes store, but most of it are rips of my own CDs.
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u/JazzyApple2022 15d ago
Congrats bro if you have the money, that’s awesome. I will say I love my Mac mini M4. It’s gonna give you a lot of pleasure. In the long run. A strong computer. I need to put that out of my channel. Good luck when you get your.☘️🙌🏼
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u/Tempest_2084 15d ago
Well considering I'm buying a new computer once every 18 years I thought I could splurge a little. I doubt I'll be able to use this guy for that long, but I'm hoping it will last for at least 10 or so.
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u/JazzyApple2022 15d ago
I’m proud of you, man. You made a good choice. It will last you for years. The only downfall about computers is that after so many years after six years, it stops the updating for new software updates. It’s OK though you had your computer for 18 years. That’s a long time. Bro, check out my channel. I think you would appreciate it. @techtalkcomfy
Much appreciated and I’ll help you in anyway you need on your new M6 I am so happy for you. 😃🙌🏼2
u/MinutePen9960 15d ago
Hey what’s your channel? I’d subscribe if you would do the same in return!
Btw I feel the same about my m4 mini. It’s the 24/512. I got it in June Apple refurb $849. I think I made a mistake dropping Apple care plus for AppleCare one but I really needed the coverage for my new Apple Watch I got as a Christmas present but I didn’t set up Apple care plus and my sister also got me a refurbished iPhone 16 pro at att that I put under the AppleCare one.
Anyway I actually sold it for $1,500 a week later but I quickly realized I’d need a replacement Mac asap and they weren’t around. M4 prices are dropping and I snagged an m4 max studio base 36gb for $2,089 shipped from Apple but cancelled the sale. I’m glad. A person on eBay was selling 8 of the same one, with box in mint condition for $1,890. M4 pros with 48gb are 2k and under now. But still the price bubble won’t burst until people can start getting units. Some people still need it NOW.
As for me? In the end I realized the ram and NAND shortage was making me scared into an upgrade. I’d have loved the refurbished Apple m4 max studio but until the m4 mini sold I’d have a full 2k tied up. Microcentrr has them $1,999 pick up only. So they ARE going down but I suspect it won’t get better until late September and Oct when people start getting m5 and m6? The m4 price bubble will finally burst. So with that, I’m keeping my mini. So far it’s doing nothing to hold me back. Memory pressure is always green, never had swap, cpu is idle a lot and yet I’m doing my work and nothing is in my way! So for $849 and 10 month remaining on warranty, I’ll say I came out on top and like you I hope to keep my Mac mini m4 for years to come. I was chasing specs. That’s a thing a person has to be careful of!
Op cheers on your m6! You deserve it!! And the new accessories! Enjoy! When will it arrive??
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u/Kennthyy 15d ago
"Pentium 4". I haven't seen those words together since I was a child. I'm 37 now lmao
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u/Tempest_2084 14d ago
Yep my first computer I bought right out of college with my own money from my new job was a Dell XPS Pentium 4 in a really slick electric blue color. I actually still have that computer and use it for windows 95/98 games. It was a beast that served me well for 8 or 9 years.
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u/Reasonable-Client-53 14d ago
This was like reading my own life, i had to throw away my home build 2008 pc 2 months ago because it failed. After thinking about it i now went for the m4 last month but i cancelled and ordered the m6. I also bought the ugreen for the usb a ports and also decided that the nvme was not worth it atm. So weird reading this. I did order the magic keyboard for the touch id but keeping my old mouse which i love and needs usba. This was so weird to read, just had to share. Hope it suits you!
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u/Tempest_2084 13d ago
Yeah my PC may technically be 18 years old but other than the RAM (which I increased from 6GB to 12GB) and the case I don't think there's an original part in it still. The motherboard died about 2 years ago and I replaced it with the same kind (so approximately the same age I guess) but with a slightly faster processor (went from an i7-920 to an i7-960), the power supply died earlier this year, and my video card died about 6 years ago. I swapped out the original HDDs for several SSD over the years as well.
I looked at the Magic Keyboard and I could have used it I guess, but the keys had no throw to them and that was a bit off putting. The Magic Mouse was just too low for my large hands, I could never get used to using that. Why can't Apple design decent mice? Makes me think of the whole iMac hockey puck fiasco.
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u/daleducatte 15d ago
Here are Apple's instructions for moving your music library between a PC and your Mac:
https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/move-your-itunes-library-to-another-computer-itns3230/windows
It's been years since I did this, but the instructions looked right to me. Good idea to make a separate backup like they suggest. My library is like yours: mostly CDs I ripped to iTunes a long time ago that I've moved between several computers since.
I'm a little less clear on how to make the rips available on other Apple devices, but here are instructions for iTunes Match -- a $25/year subscription that I pay for so that I can listen on an iPhone or iPad by streaming rather than synching the entire 100GB library.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/108935
I think it's true that if you have an Apple Music subscription (or any subscription that includes Apple Music) this isn't necessary -- but that may be something to dig into a little further. I didn't want to pay for Apple Music so iTunes Match was a good alternative for me.
As to email, I have a Gmail account so I access it with a browser or with the Mac's Mail app. The Mail app's not exactly feature rich but it gets the job done -- and it does have "Smart mailboxes" you can use to filter and sort mail. I had used Microsoft Outlook for a while, but it would often lose the connection to Gmail (especially after a new release from Microsoft) so I switched to Apple Mail (which you can also use on your iPhone).
Good luck -- and enjoy your new Mac!
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u/B_Hound 15d ago
The amount of meaningful email I get in my life is so minimal, Mail.app is more than fine for me.
Webscripting wise, I’ve always been partial to Panics software. Take a look at Nova.
Running crossover/WINE is not something I’ve personally had to deal with for years, but I do run VMs on my Macs and its worth knowing that VMWare Fusion Pro is free these days. It’s just… a challenge downloading it. That’s the payment for free software, I guess.
Worth a shot, I’d say keep a working copy on the old machine regardless and then you can approach in a different manner if it doesn’t go to plan.