Dear Lifehacker, I have a Mac Mini I no longer have a use for. I already have a media server so using it for that seems pointless. Any other suggestions on what I can do with it? Thanks, Old Mac. The Mac mini (stylized with a lowercase 'mini') is a desktop computer made by Apple Inc. It is one of four desktop computers in the current Macintosh lineup, serving as an alternative to the all-in-one iMac, and sitting below the performance range iMac Pro and Mac Pro.
The 2018 Mac mini just launched as the most powerful Mac (for the price), and it got a massive upgrade after four years of neglect. This is prompting a lot of folks to wonder if it's time to upgrade the Mac minis in their life. iOS and Mac app development teams are interested in upgrading their continuous integration (CI) infrastructure. Mac minis behind TVs, under desks, and in closets could also be good candidates for a refresh.
We've definitely seen a wave of customers making the upgrade here at MacStadium. If you're not familiar, we host over 8,000 Mac minis, Mac Pros, and iMac Pros in data centers around the world for huge businesses, small startups, and individuals that need a Mac 'in the cloud.'
So, what happens when the world starts upgrading Mac minis? It's slightly different from other technology refresh cycles for two main reasons: 1) The Mac minis from 2014 or even 2012 still run great! 2) The four-year gap since the last refresh means the new minis are way faster. This leaves us in a position where lots of people are upgrading minis, but the old minis still have a lot of life in them. so what to do?
- An Apple Mac mini Desktop for Christmas. Use Christmas time to upgrade your personal tech arsenal. If you're looking for a special Christmas gift for the family, buying a new PC desktop can be a great idea. EBay has a range of them, that will make accessing study material and doing schoolwork much easier for the kids.
- The 2012 Mac Mini held a special place in many hearts thanks to how easy it was to upgrade. It remains Apple's last properly upgradeable Mac Mini, and even in 2020 can be a pretty handy little computer with the right bits inside. Here we'll walk you through breathing new life into your old Mac for not a lot of money. Products used in this guide.
We've put together a short list of ideas but would love to hear others. Have a good use for an old mini? Let us know! (#newlife4oldmini)
We've definitely seen a wave of customers making the upgrade here at MacStadium. If you're not familiar, we host over 8,000 Mac minis, Mac Pros, and iMac Pros in data centers around the world for huge businesses, small startups, and individuals that need a Mac 'in the cloud.'
So, what happens when the world starts upgrading Mac minis? It's slightly different from other technology refresh cycles for two main reasons: 1) The Mac minis from 2014 or even 2012 still run great! 2) The four-year gap since the last refresh means the new minis are way faster. This leaves us in a position where lots of people are upgrading minis, but the old minis still have a lot of life in them. so what to do?
- An Apple Mac mini Desktop for Christmas. Use Christmas time to upgrade your personal tech arsenal. If you're looking for a special Christmas gift for the family, buying a new PC desktop can be a great idea. EBay has a range of them, that will make accessing study material and doing schoolwork much easier for the kids.
- The 2012 Mac Mini held a special place in many hearts thanks to how easy it was to upgrade. It remains Apple's last properly upgradeable Mac Mini, and even in 2020 can be a pretty handy little computer with the right bits inside. Here we'll walk you through breathing new life into your old Mac for not a lot of money. Products used in this guide.
We've put together a short list of ideas but would love to hear others. Have a good use for an old mini? Let us know! (#newlife4oldmini)
Swap or recycle minis as part of the Apple Giveback program. You can trade-in your mini with Apple in exchange for a store gift card or a refund on a new purchase. If your mini is in bad shape or isn't eligible for credit, Apple will recycle it for free. Office 2016 mac online. Turn that old mini into something good for you, good for the planet, or both!
Give them away to kids, friends, or your local church or charity. Pay it forward – give new life to your old mini by passing it along to someone who can put it to good use.
Set them up behind a TV to run a dashboard or play movies. Here at MacStadium, we've been known to setup an old mini behind a TV or two. They are great for running sales dashboards, looping videos or slide shows, or streaming Apple keynotes on a big screen.
Setup your old mini as a media server. Use Plex to store and organize all your video, music, and photo libraries and stream them to your other devices.
Create a home automation node.Homebridge is a lightweight Node.js server you can run on your home network that emulates the iOS HomeKit API. Paste command mac. It supports plugins that can bridge HomeKit to various 'smart home' devices, allowing you to ask Siri to control devices that don't have any support for HomeKit at all.
Play slot on line. Use a mini as a controller for an art project or robot. Make your own Mobile Mac mini bot!
Dice gambling game.
Setup a remote macOS desktop for when you're on the go (you can remote-in from an iOS device in your pocket). Check out 'iPad Diaries' from MacStories. Federico shares great tips and tricks for accessing and controlling a Mac mini from an iPad.
Set a mini up as a backup server with a big USB hard drive. Mac mini, the perfect Time Machine backup destination.
Old Mac Mini As Home Server
Set your mini up as a web/file server. Brian Stucki published a great list of ways to use your Mac server… the possibilities are endless!
Old Mac Minis
Of course, you could send in your old Mac mini for colocation at MacStadium so all of these powerful things can be done from the cloud. Or ditch the old Mac mini and sign up for a brand new, shiny, space gray version at MacStadium. See how easy it is to get started with a 24-hour free trial.
