The Mac mini starts at just $499 for the baseline low-end model the midrange model hits $699, while the high-end, fastest processor starts at $999. So, your display, speaker, keyboard, mouse, and hard drive options are practically unlimited. It also has an HDMI port, and believe it or not, a built-in SDXC card slot. On the plus side, you can customize pretty much every aspect, in part because - in addition to its four old-school USB 3 ports - you can daisy-chain up to six peripherals to a single Thunderbolt 2 port (and there are two of them).
It was last updated in October 2014, over three years ago it's far from being a competitor in the desktop landscape, but it still provides a lot of flexibility for those looking for a low-cost Mac box. The Mac mini is Apple's least expensive desktop computer - an aging Mac's guts stuffed into a 7.7-inch box. Unless you absolutely need a Mac mini for your home, school, or business, we recommend waiting until 2018.
