Apple’s Mac Mini update has been a long time coming. The last significant update happened during Obama’s first term in office, or five prime ministers ago. Apple has re-pitched the Mini from a switcher’s or hobbyist Mac into a small but powerful workhorse, capable of running Xcode or Final Cut Pro as good as any other Mac in the lineup.

In fact it's surprising is how powerful you can make this Mac. The 2018 Mini is available in a six-core 3.0GHz configuration with 64GB of RAM, and for those using the Mini as a server or an editing Mac in a networked studio environment, it has 10 Gigabit Ethernet as an option.

The new Mac Mini beat the more expensive 2017 iMac on my desk in almost all tasks I could think of, from rendering in Final Cut to launching a Windows VM to general browsing. The only win for the iMac was in gaming, thanks to the dedicated graphics card in my iMac, but even then gamers are probably better off with a PC or console.

Apple may have priced the Mini out of being a media centre Mac, a role that many a Mini has played in the past, but I can still think of many applications for it. It's a brilliant little home or office workhorse, thanks to the four USB-C Thunderbolt ports on the back, two regular old USB, and HDMI. And if you are perfectly happy with your current monitor, keyboard and mouse, the Mini is a great value PC that you can get up and running in minutes.