Amazon Takes Up to $149 Off Apple's M2 Mac Mini, Including New Low Price on 512GB Model

I have the M2 Pro with 16/512 connected to a Studio Display. I plan for this to be my main machine for 10 years. Like the 2011 iMac i recently replaced.

I have the M2 Pro with 16/512 connected to a Studio Display. I plan for this to be my main machine for 10 years. Like the 2011 iMac i recently replaced.

For many/most, a good Mac Mini will prove to be more than good enough. As others have already offered, with a planned use timetable of 7-10+ years, be sure to step up from minimum specs- particularly RAM- to try to somewhat future-proof the purchase... and retain the easy ability to swap out just the computing guts in a separates setup when Apple opts to vintage it or any computing part unexpectedly conks.

For those who NEED Windows too, while ARM for Windows emulation might cover the need, another good option is a Mac Mini-like Mini PC... which can be quite loaded via competition-driven, dirt-cheap pricing. If you want to go this way and/or think you might ever NEED such an option, select a monitor with at least TWO video inputs to make it as easy as possible to use the same screen with both without the cable swapping.

Also consider a keyboard & mouse/trackpad that can work with more than one device... and/or choose a monitor with a built-in hub that can readily switch input devices plugged into it when you want to jump from macOS to Windows and back again.

In my own setup, I have a 5K2K ultrawide monitor with built-in hub ('https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-ultrasharp-40-curved-wuhd-monitor-u4021qw/apd/210-becu/monitors-monitor-accessories') (new version of that monitor ('https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/dells-new-40-ultrasharp-monitor-introduces-innovative-tech-for-reducing-eye-fatigue') announced at CES 2024) leaning on a Logi keyboard ('https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/keyboards/mx-keys-mac-wireless-keyboard.920-009552.html') with 3 computer support at the click of buttons. Shared resources like stand-alone speakers, optical drive, USB hub, etc link into the monitor hub so that both Mac and PC can use them when they are "in charge." Both computers hide behind the screen, making them invisible from the front.

Too bad they don't have deals on higher RAM options. I could easily live with M2 chip and 256GB internal SSD for my use case (headless music streamer, controlled via screen sharing w/ music library stored on external SSD) for the foreseeable future, but would strongly prefer 16GB RAM.

A buddy of mine is in the market for a new Mac but has a tight budget. The Amazon deal might work for him. But a Mac Studio monitor is out of the question. What's a good budget monitor for him?

I recently gifted a Mac Mini to someone and they attached it to a 4K monitor. The “kool aid” had seeped in making me think it would be dramatically noticeable vs. 5K. It was not and looks great with a 4K monitor.

With 4K a commodity-not-oddball resolution, robust competition means good ones can be had for cheap. Have your friend do some online research to help select a good one. No need spending well above $1K for a perfectly usable monitor with Mac.

The way I look at it is that you're not future proofing your Mini by going from a 256GB SSD to 512 or even to 1TB; at least not if you hope to use to use it for 7-10 years. You will need more storage by then. And Apple's pricing for increased storage is, IMO, unreasonably high. That's why I went with the base model and a large SSD. There's nothing I do that requires the speed of access advantage afforded by increasing the size of the internal storage. Asking $800 for 2TB is not good value. My 1TB SSD cost $90.

I completely agree with your sentiment on seeking significant value for the same money.

BUT, if user has or intends to grow a big fat photo library... or ripped music library... etc, it is easy to grow those beyond base storage. YES, one can move those libraries out onto external storage but macOS is finicky in even a moment of external disconnect. In a blink, Mac checks for library, doesn't find it and creates a new one on the internal drive. User panics: "what happened to my photos/home movies/music?"

YES, whoever is their tech support person can make a house call and if anything is in the newly-created library, merge it with the old one and redirect Mac to look to the external library again. And then "blink" another day and same problem.

Savvy user can learn to roll with all of this and fairly easily work with external storage. The rest need as much "just works" as possible. For a 7-10-year-use un-savvy, I encourage they get the internal storage they will likely need out in years 7-10. Else, have their tech support buddy ready to come to the rescue when this happens, probably over and over again during those 7-10.

I do NOT like the outrageous markups Apple charges but there is some headache/fear relief in "just works" core stuff internal vs. redirecting it to externals. And 7-10 years is a long time to pile up digital clutter in common uses like that kind of media.

Waste of money for 8GB version.
Unless you want to use it for year or two only and for ultra light tasks which could be better done with tablet/phone connected to external display anyway.