iFixit: New Mac mini is much less easy to fix

The Mac mini Apple announced last week looks identical to the 2012 model, but is significantly less repairable, claims iFixit. The bottom is difficult to remove and the memory is not expandable.

The 2012 Mac mini had a bottom that could be removed with a twisting movement, after which the user could easily replace working memory. Partly because of this, iFixit gave that model an 8 on a scale of 10 in terms of repairability. When disassembling the cheapest 2014 Mac mini, which Apple announced last week, it’s a different story, according to iFixit.

Although the bottom looks the same, this time it is not rotatable, but must be popped off. The user is then greeted with a metal cover secured with special TR6 Torx Security screws. “We feel like the locks on our apartment have been changed and we don’t have the new keys,” the repair site said.

The working memory appears to be soldered to the motherboard and the new Mac mini only contains a single SATA port, where the old model had two. However, it is possible that an SSD can be connected via PCI-e. The hard drive of the cheapest model is a 5400rpm model with a capacity of 500GB. There seems to be an attachment point for a blade SSD on top of the tray.

In the end, iFixit comes to a 6 in terms of reparability. There is nothing glued and with the right tools disassembly is easy, but for using the TR6 Torx Security screws and not being able to replace ram, the model gets points deduction.