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Putting the audio jack on the front is a strange design choice to me if you plan on hooking it up to wired speakers all the time. Did they run out of space to k

by allenu 2y ago

Putting the audio jack on the front is a strange design choice to me if you plan on hooking it up to wired speakers all the time. Did they run out of space to keep it in the back?

wongarsu 2y ago
Probably for public computers and classroom settings (think libraries, schools, etc) for people to plug their wired headphone in. Would have been nice to have audio both in the front and rear, with front audio overriding rear audio (like in most desktops), but I guess that would have been too much maximalism for apple
deergomoo 2y ago
On the front is far more practical for wired headphones. Plus you can always do something with USB-C pretty easily if you want to run it out of the back; if I had to choose a dongle for either fixed speakers or headphones, I’d pick them for the speakers.
- allenu 2y ago
  It's definitely more practical for headphones. I'm curious as to why Apple decided to make this change now. Previous Mac Minis and the Mac Studios have always had them in the back. It seems uncharacteristic of them to go out of their way for wired headphone users after they removed the port entirely from the iPhone, so I wonder if it was a hardware/industrial design thing where it was simply more convenient to move it to the front for the new form factor. Edit: also I noticed they moved the power button to the bottom corner of the Mac Mini! (It used to be on the back as well.) This makes me think even more that they didn't want to crowd up the back too much.
LegitShady 2y ago
its for headphones
chronogram 2y ago
At the front is ideal for most usecases: headphones. Monitors with speakers, televisions, receivers, all use HDMI.
- allenu 2y ago
  Yeah, good point about the HDMI carrying the audio from the back already. I think I’m out of touch since I use an old receiver that doesn’t have HDMI. It’s funny that this is the one place Apple considered the convenience to its wired headphone users.
enaaem 2y ago
Many (I think most) monitors have an audio output port. I think that's good enough for most people. Audiophiles use external DACs anyway.
- mikepurvis 2y ago
  There are a lot of options out there now for USB PC speakers that have the DAC/amp built in, eg these are $50 and natively USB-C: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08F57GSJ7 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08F57GSJ7 But yeah, anyone "serious" would go discrete for all that stuff regardless. I guess this also lets Apple sidestep a bunch of fuss around non-stereo use-cases, for people who want quadraphonic or 5.1 at their workstation.
- astrange 2y ago
  The built-in DACs are better than most audiophile DACs; audiophile companies are largely scams and either way don't have the budget to actually do much R&D. You may still need an amp for electrically incompatible (high impedance) headphones.
  - kalleboo 2y ago
    The Mac mini 3.5mm jack advertises "advanced support for high-impedance headphones" so you might not even need an amp unless you have some really crazy cans.
    - utf_8x 2y ago
      My M1 MacBook Pro (the first one in the new chassis) can easily drive my 250 Ohm DT 990 Pro to uncomfortable loudness so it should indeed be fine for 99% of headphones. I've been told it also drives 600 Ohm headphones just fine.
mikepurvis 2y ago
Presumably servicing wired headphones, but agree it's an odd choice to not also include one in the back— particularly when unlike a laptop there's no built in speakers, and Apple has been pushing hard on bluetooth audio since the iPhone 8 in 2017.
- hbn 2y ago
  iPhone 7 in 2016 was the one that dropped the headphone jack. iPhone 8 launched alongside the X in 2017.
  - mikepurvis 2y ago
    Oh that's right yeah— 6/7/8 all had the same form factor as that was the time that the off-year S versions were also dropped, so I always get confused. And to further muddy the waters, the space in the 7 chassis for the jack was mostly still available, which led to that one madlad bodging in his own headphone jack, for a one of a kind iPhone 7: https://hackaday.com/2017/09/07/bringing-back-the-iphone7-headphone-jack/ https://hackaday.com/2017/09/07/bringing-back-the-iphone7-he...
    - hbn 2y ago
      The 6 actually had an S release, as well as the X. But yeah the headphone jack dropping was obviously just to get more people onboard with AirPods that launched at the same time. And you can't say it didn't work! I remember when the first images of people wearing AirPods came out and it was the laughing stock of the internet. People said it looked like you had Q-tips hanging out of your ears, or the tips of an electric toothbrush. A few years later and they're pulling in tens of billions of dollars per year, just on AirPods sales alone. AirPods could be pulled out into its own business and it would be seen as a wildly successful tech company.
- banana_giraffe 2y ago
  There is a built in speaker. No clue how good it sounds, since previous Mac Mini speakers sound like they're underwater, but they are there.
Refusing23 2y ago
its for temporary stuff, like those rare video calls etc. when you dont wanna share the call with people around you, etc. i'd guess. if you use headphones all the time, you'd plug them into the back, or the monitor etc.

by allenu 2y ago

Putting the audio jack on the front is a strange design choice to me if you plan on hooking it up to wired speakers all the time. Did they run out of space to keep it in the back?

wongarsu 2y ago

Probably for public computers and classroom settings (think libraries, schools, etc) for people to plug their wired headphone in. Would have been nice to have audio both in the front and rear, with front audio overriding rear audio (like in most desktops), but I guess that would have been too much maximalism for apple

deergomoo 2y ago

On the front is far more practical for wired headphones. Plus you can always do something with USB-C pretty easily if you want to run it out of the back; if I had to choose a dongle for either fixed speakers or headphones, I’d pick them for the speakers.

allenu 2y ago
It's definitely more practical for headphones. I'm curious as to why Apple decided to make this change now. Previous Mac Minis and the Mac Studios have always had them in the back. It seems uncharacteristic of them to go out of their way for wired headphone users after they removed the port entirely from the iPhone, so I wonder if it was a hardware/industrial design thing where it was simply more convenient to move it to the front for the new form factor. Edit: also I noticed they moved the power button to the bottom corner of the Mac Mini! (It used to be on the back as well.) This makes me think even more that they didn't want to crowd up the back too much.

LegitShady 2y ago

its for headphones

chronogram 2y ago

At the front is ideal for most usecases: headphones. Monitors with speakers, televisions, receivers, all use HDMI.

allenu 2y ago
Yeah, good point about the HDMI carrying the audio from the back already. I think I’m out of touch since I use an old receiver that doesn’t have HDMI. It’s funny that this is the one place Apple considered the convenience to its wired headphone users.

enaaem 2y ago

Many (I think most) monitors have an audio output port. I think that's good enough for most people. Audiophiles use external DACs anyway.

mikepurvis 2y ago
There are a lot of options out there now for USB PC speakers that have the DAC/amp built in, eg these are $50 and natively USB-C: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08F57GSJ7 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08F57GSJ7 But yeah, anyone "serious" would go discrete for all that stuff regardless. I guess this also lets Apple sidestep a bunch of fuss around non-stereo use-cases, for people who want quadraphonic or 5.1 at their workstation.
astrange 2y ago
The built-in DACs are better than most audiophile DACs; audiophile companies are largely scams and either way don't have the budget to actually do much R&D. You may still need an amp for electrically incompatible (high impedance) headphones.
- kalleboo 2y ago
  The Mac mini 3.5mm jack advertises "advanced support for high-impedance headphones" so you might not even need an amp unless you have some really crazy cans.
  - utf_8x 2y ago
    My M1 MacBook Pro (the first one in the new chassis) can easily drive my 250 Ohm DT 990 Pro to uncomfortable loudness so it should indeed be fine for 99% of headphones. I've been told it also drives 600 Ohm headphones just fine.

mikepurvis 2y ago

Presumably servicing wired headphones, but agree it's an odd choice to not also include one in the back— particularly when unlike a laptop there's no built in speakers, and Apple has been pushing hard on bluetooth audio since the iPhone 8 in 2017.

hbn 2y ago
iPhone 7 in 2016 was the one that dropped the headphone jack. iPhone 8 launched alongside the X in 2017.
- mikepurvis 2y ago
  Oh that's right yeah— 6/7/8 all had the same form factor as that was the time that the off-year S versions were also dropped, so I always get confused. And to further muddy the waters, the space in the 7 chassis for the jack was mostly still available, which led to that one madlad bodging in his own headphone jack, for a one of a kind iPhone 7: https://hackaday.com/2017/09/07/bringing-back-the-iphone7-headphone-jack/ https://hackaday.com/2017/09/07/bringing-back-the-iphone7-he...
  - hbn 2y ago
    The 6 actually had an S release, as well as the X. But yeah the headphone jack dropping was obviously just to get more people onboard with AirPods that launched at the same time. And you can't say it didn't work! I remember when the first images of people wearing AirPods came out and it was the laughing stock of the internet. People said it looked like you had Q-tips hanging out of your ears, or the tips of an electric toothbrush. A few years later and they're pulling in tens of billions of dollars per year, just on AirPods sales alone. AirPods could be pulled out into its own business and it would be seen as a wildly successful tech company.
banana_giraffe 2y ago
There is a built in speaker. No clue how good it sounds, since previous Mac Mini speakers sound like they're underwater, but they are there.

Refusing23 2y ago

its for temporary stuff, like those rare video calls etc. when you dont wanna share the call with people around you, etc. i'd guess. if you use headphones all the time, you'd plug them into the back, or the monitor etc.