As with previous minis, the computer’s tiny shipping container hints at the lack of included peripherals: you provide the keyboard, mouse, and display. On the outside, the newest Mac mini models look all but identical to their predecessors, using the exact same aluminum-and-white, 6.5- by 6.5- by 2-inch enclosure. Last week, Apple finally gave the company’s least-expensive computer another refresh, and that update brought the Mac mini line its most significant upgrades yet. So you can imagine the speculation that’s occurred in the 19 months since. When we reviewed the previous Mac mini iteration, we lamented the 11 months it took Apple to release that update-a period so lengthy that many people wondered if Apple would discontinue the line.
